How To Avoid And Treat Stress Fractures When Taking Up Running
Beginning an exercise program is important for your health, but it's a good practice to start gradually and build up the intensity as your body adjusts. For instance, if you take up running, you should start with short distances and gradually add more time to your runs. Doing this helps you avoid problems with your feet such as stress fractures. Here are some more tips for avoiding and treating stress fractures in your feet.
Avoid Worn Out Shoes
Your running shoes should always be in good shape. If you run often, you may need to replace your shoes one or two times each year so they always offer support and cushioning for the bones in your feet. If you change the style of shoe you wear, you may need to adjust your running time until your feet have adjusted, or wear padded inserts in your shoes to act as shock absorbers.
Vary Your Exercise
If you run every day on a soft track and then switch to pavement or a treadmill, that could be enough to put too much pressure on your feet. If you switch to a harder running surface or a surface that is uneven, take it easy for several days so your feet can adjust. It may help to vary your routine so your feet are used to a variety of running conditions and types of exercise. Swimming and bike riding also provide good workouts while giving your feet a rest.
Don't Ignore Foot Pain
As an athlete, you may feel like you should push through pain in your feet and keep on running and working out. This is a bad thing to do when you have stress fractures. Repeated strain on a stress fracture can cause the bone to have a complete fracture. A complete fracture is more serious and will require more downtime for healing. Stress fractures are tiny cracks in the bone that usually heal on their own if you rest your foot. This involves staying off your feet and using ice for pain and swelling.
If you have foot pain and suspect you have a stress fracture, see a podiatrist like East Village Foot & Ankle Surgeons for imaging tests and recommendations for treatment. Your podiatrist might suggest crutches or another mobility aid so you don't have to bear weight on the affected foot. You will be instructed on home treatments and when it's safe to resume your exercise routine. Severe stress fractures might even require pins to stabilize the bone so it can heal.
While changing your workout for several weeks so your foot can heal is discouraging, it's better than making the fracture worse. The best way to deal with stress fractures is to prevent them in the first place and that starts with wearing good running shoes and gradually increasing the duration of your runs.
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