Protecting Your Ankles As A Runner

Protecting Your Ankles As A Runner

1 October 2017
 Categories: , Blog


As someone learning to appreciate and enjoy running as a hobby or competitive sport, you probably think about your legs and feet regularly. However, you may not remember your ankles. This can be a painful oversight, as sprains are rather common among those who run often. Luckily, ankle protection isn't terribly difficult; your ankles just need the following consideration. 

Consider High Tops

You're probably looking at sneakers in a whole new way since you started to run. The criteria you've got for a good running shoe typically includes padding and airflow that can protect your feet. However, for your ankles, you may consider high-top versions that cover and to a degree stabilize your ankle joints. That way, they're not as likely to twist or get hurt.

Tape Them

You've probably seen countless football players, runners and others tape an ankle after a particularly grueling workout or game. For your purposes, however, you need to be applying that athletic tape before you even put on your shoes. Tape provides an immediate barrier that comes in handy if you fall, but it also holds the joints in place. For more protection, ankle braces placed over the athletic tape is supportive too.

Run on Tracks

You may run on the beach, through the woods and other rugged terrains, but realize that's potentially harmful for your ankles. If you're running on surfaces that aren't smooth or even, your ankles could roll, shift and experience other problems. To protect yourself, you might want to restrict your running activities to paved tracks that don't make your ankles work harder than they need to, at least most of the time.

Start Slow

Because your running career is still new, you want to avoid excessive strain unless you've spent substantial time building your ankle muscles. If you haven't done much strength training, start slow and build up the pressure on your ankles. Don't overdo it; take short runs to start with and slowly do more.

Wear Weights

You might have already incorporated some ankle rolls or a few balancing excerises to engage ankle muscles. To make them even stronger, pick up wrappable weights and wear them at times in your house. Working on ankles as you do housework or do professional work is helpful.

Your ankles are as important as feet and legs when you're a runner. Protect them and discuss more suggestions with a podiatric sports medicine practitioner. Visit a site like http://www.elmhurstpodiatry.com for more help.

About Me
Understanding Podiatry Concerns

After I started focusing more and more on my overall health, I realized that there were a few challenges I was up against. For starters, I realized that I needed to take better care of my feet, since they had been causing me problems for quite some time. It was pretty nerve-wracking to go do the doctor at first, but before I knew it, I was able to get in, have my feet inspected, and start getting fitted for orthotics that would help. I wanted to create a blog all about understanding podiatry concerns, so that other people could make positive changes too.

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