Protect Your Ankles While You Run

            Have you ever sprained your ankle?  You know if you did or not, there is a panicking feeling when you have to put weight on it again.  The feeling of having your ankle bend sideways beyond what it should ever normally bend is very painful.  And while the pain is kind of a quick sting at first, when you try to move or put weight on that foot, you’ll know right away - it isn’t going to feel good.

            What happens when you sprain your ankle is that weight is placed on the outside edge of your foot, and then your foot shifts sideways, making you place all you weight on the foot, while it is sideways.  This stretches and/or tears the ligaments in your ankle.  As you would know, or imagine, this doesn’t feel pleasant at all.  Your ankle, especially if you take your shoe off, will swell up to the size of a softball, or baseball, depending on how big your ankle was before.  The best thing you can do is to not try and fight through the pain and continue running or continuing doing whatever it was you were doing.  Instead, get somewhere where you can rest and ice your ankle, elevating your ankle.  However, it would be recommended to see a podiatrist to make sure that you haven’t torn any of the ligaments, which will take surgery to fix.

            When you're not running, this is also another reason why you shouldn’t be wearing ridiculously tall high heels.  If you get the heel caught or walk on a slippery sidewalk, chances are that your high heel will slip sideways, making your foot go sideways, and all your weight will land right on the side of your foot, thus spraining your ankle.

            To learn more about ankle sprains check out http://www.eastpennfoot.com/anklesprains or for other sports related injuries, check out http://www.eastpennfoot.com/sportsinjuries.  Make sure to check back every once and a while to see the additions to the sports injuries page, as we are adding more content.  If you have suffered an ankle sprain, we’d love to help get you back on top of your game.  Contact us at http://www.eastpennfoot.com/contact-east-penn-foot or by phone at 610-432-9593 to schedule an appointment.

Running - it’s something to work up to.

 Have you ever tried to just start up some crazy exercising routine after a long period of not exercising regularly?   Many people have tried it and faced the consequences of sports related injuries.  If you want to get into better shape, great for you!  But please, do yourself a favor and take it slow.  Your body needs to build itself up to the challenge of a exercising routine.  If you want to take up running, great, but make sure your body is up to the challenge.  If you don’t, you could be pushing yourself right into an injury. 

  

After you have decided to get into better shape, design a plan for yourself and stick to it.  Don’t start by running three miles, maybe try one to begin with.  See how your body handles the wear and tear.  Make sure you stretch before and after your runs.  This will help your body warm up and cool down respectively, thus helping you avoid being sidelined by an injury for weeks on end.  Make sure you wear proper equipment by getting a good pair of running shoes.  You don’t have to blow the bank account, but make sure they are supportive, sturdy and have cushion to absorb the shock of your pounding feet. 

            Now, if you haven’t ran in a long time, it might be better to take it really slow.  Ways you could build up your body to prepare to run would be to do things like ride your bike to work, if you don’t live to far from your job, and go for walks.  This way you are building muscle and getting your body into better shape before you venture out on a run, which is hard on the body, especially the feet and knees with continuous pounding with each step.  If you want to run for the long term, you have to make sure your body can handle it.  If you are wondering if it a good idea for you to pick up the running habit, Dr. Teichman would love to talk about it with you and help you make decide if running is for you or if another exercise program would be better.  Visit the website and make appointment today!