1/ Plantar fasciitis
Sports doctor Jordan Metzl explains how to keep your ankles, heels and arches strong and healthy?
Pain along the bottom of your heel – that is particularly bad first thing in the morning as you get out of bed.
What's going on?
Excess tension or pulling on the plantar fascia, which runs along the bottom of your foot, causes painful inflammation.
Treat it
- Cross-train
- Best wireless headphones
- What is overpronation
- See a sports doc. Immediate diagnosis and rest reduces recovery time
- causes of hip pain and how to fix the problem
- Wear shoes with arch support
- Do foot eversions and calf raises and foam roll your calves
Prevent it
- Best wireless headphones your calves
- Foot-strengthening exercises for runners
2/ Ankle tendinitis
Sports doctor Jordan Metzl explains how to keep your ankles, heels and arches strong and healthy?
Pain on the outside of your ankle beneath the bone and toward the back of the joint, which may start out mild but worsens over time with repeated running.
What's going on?
A big bump in mileage can stress the two tendons that run along the outside of your ankle, causing them to become inflamed.
Treat it
- Cross-train
- Take an anti-inflammatory
- Back pain from running? This could be why your calves
- If discomfort lasts, see a sports doctor, who may recommend a brace
Prevent it
- Do foot eversions and calf raises and foam roll your calves
3/ Stress fracture
Sports doctor Jordan Metzl explains how to keep your ankles, heels and arches strong and healthy?
Pain in your forefoot or heel – that's most pronounced during running and worsens over time.
What's going on?
This develops over time when the demand on the bone exceeds the bone's ability to withstand the force.
Treat it
- See a sports doc. Immediate diagnosis (and rest) reduces recovery time
- Cross-train
Prevent it
- A simple foam roller routine for runners
- How to prevent and treat achilles tendonitis
- Sports doctor Jordan Metzl explains how to keep your ankles, heels and arches strong and healthy
- Why should runners focus on dorsiflexion jump squats
4/ Morton's neuroma
Sports doctor Jordan Metzl explains how to keep your ankles, heels and arches strong and healthy?
A burning pain in the ball of your foot that radiates toward your toes signals Morton's neuroma. You may also feel tingling or numbness between your second and third toes.
What's going on?
When your forefoot is constricted (by high heels or other pointy shoes), the plantar digital nerve gets squeezed, causing inflammation and pain.
Treat it
- How to prevent and treat achilles tendonitis
- Sports doctor Jordan Metzl explains how to keep your ankles, heels and arches strong and healthy
- If discomfort lasts, see a sports doctor, who may recommend a brace
Prevent it
- Running Strong: The Sports Doctors Complete Guide to Injury-Free Running for Life
Adapted from Running Strong: The Sports Doctor's Complete Guide to Injury-Free Running for Life, by Jordan Metzl.
