Every time you go out for a run, you are putting incredible strain on your feet. If you continue to use them through different weather and terrain conditions without giving them the support or recovery time they need, your feet will naturally give in to injuries.
Life for runners can be difficult when dealing with foot pain. Whether they are looking for plantar fasciitis pain relief with the help of custom orthotics, or trying to understand why they can’t prevent blisters from occurring, a runner lives and dies by the soles of their feet. Here we try to break down some of the issues that affect the best of runners and the available solutions to restore toes, heels, and arches to proper health.
Blisters
These are small swells on the skin that appear as boils containing a watery fluid and are painful to touch. They are generally caused by intense friction on the skin. Your socks and shoes are the typical culprits. The blisters form as a means of protection for the skin against the tension and the pain is your body’s way of signaling to you that something needs to be corrected.
Treatment
Not all blisters incite pain. But when they do, these swells can significantly affect the way you move. Treating a blister can be done a number of ways. If you are brave enough, you can remove the boil yourself by simply using a sterilized blade to create a small gash on the blister to “pop” the bubble, allowing the fluid to flow out. Follow this up by cleaning the affected area with an antiseptic and cover it with gauze for added protection.
Prevention
To avoid having to go through this experience, there are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind.
Wear comfortable and properly fitted shoes – When buying footwear, make sure that they have enough room to keep your foot snug inside without constantly rubbing up against your shoes each time you take a step.
Buy Blister-Proof Socks – As blisters are quite common, manufacturers have introduced revolutionary blister-proof socks that will protect your skin from any abrasive friction.
Corns
These are skin layers that have thickened as a result of persistent friction and tension. They generally appear on the toes and are brought on by wearing shoes that are too tight. While they may not be as painful as other foot afflictions, they are very unsightly.
Treatment
First, choose footwear that allows your soles and toes to relax. Find the right shoe size that won’t squeeze on your pinkie or big toe. To relieve pressure, over the counter corn pads are readily available and can be placed directly on the corn itself.
Prevention
Stick to shoes that give your toes enough space to breathe and wiggle around. If you need to wear your tight stilettos, make sure to protect your toes by putting on shoe pads or duct tape on the areas that you know will be constrained.
Black Toenail
Referred by some as dead toenail, this condition is actually the result of dropping something heavy on your toenails or jabbing them with a hard object. It is the intense pressure and impact that causes bleeding under the nail which will turn black over time.
Treatment
To restore life back to your blackened toenail, you first need to let it bleed out by pricking with a needle or slitting it with a razor. To prevent the nail from completely falling off, you need to treat it well with antiseptic and cover it with gauze for the first few weeks to help it heal naturally.
Thick Toenail
Under the pressure of constantly subjecting your toes to ill-fitting shoes, your nails will eventually thicken over time. In addition to sticking out like a sore thumb, thickened nails are also painful.
Treatment
Using a nail file or emery board, carefully smooth out the affected nail. If they appear yellowish, seek the help of your podiatrist.
Bruised Sesamoids
Located beneath the ball of your big toe, sesamoids are small bones that can easily be bruised when running on hard pavement. When they start to give off jolting pains, heed it as a warning before the damage gets further into your big toe.
Treatment
As with any other kinds of bruising, applying ice is always one of the first things to do to prevent it from swelling up. It would also be best to steer clear of the running tracks for a while and allow your foot to rest.
There is also a list of common heel pain problems that runners can fall prey to. By understanding the conditions that affect our heels and toes, we can take the necessary steps to protect them.
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