Take a moment to give your feet a little credit. After all, they contain a combined total of 56 bones—nearly a quarter of your entire skeleton. Your hooves support your weight and allow you to walk, run, and—for better or for worse—dance. If you’ve ever suffered from foot pain or an injury, then you know how quickly a minor issue can impact your ability to get around and be active. Don’t let it: The biggest mistake men make when it comes to their feet is putting off seeking help when there’s something wrong.
“With almost all of the injuries I treat, people who get in to see me within the first month do much better than those who wait longer,” says Brian Fullem, D.P.M., a podiatrist in Tampa, Florida. He recommends seeing a specialist if your pain persists for a week or more, even if you’ve made changes like taking a break from running. Of course, prevention is the best way to save your soles—and you can do that by avoiding these six foot-health traps.
1. Following a fad.
Earlier this month, Vibram USA agreed to settle a lawsuit that alleged the company made false claims about the health benefits of its FiveFingers running shoes. Dr. Fullem has seen firsthand the havoc the glove-like footwear can wreak on people’s soles. “The most unusual issues I’ve seen in most recent years have occurred because of those shoes,” he says. Two patients in the past 5 years have fractured their cuboid bone, a chunky bone located on the outside of the foot near the ankle, when they switched to FiveFingers. “The only other time I saw a fracture in that bone is from some kind of trauma like an accident,” adds Dr. Fullem.
We like Vibrams fine. But the problem, according to Dr. Fullem, is that people switch to the shoes without changing how they run. With traditional sneakers, you land on your heel. FiveFingers are designed to mimic how you’d run barefoot, which means you should land on the middle of the foot. “When people throw them on and run 10 miles a day with the same technique they use in regular shoes, they experience significantly more impact throughout their feet, which can cause injuries.” (Here's your primer for transitioning into minimal shoes properly.)
2. Gaining weight.
Excess flub is hell for your feet. A survey of more than 6,000 respondents by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society found that 41 percent of people with foot pain reported gaining weight before the soreness set in. People who copped to having foot surgery, visiting a physician for foot or ankle pain, or changing shoes based on a doctor’s advice had an average BMI of nearly 28; a healthy range is 18.5 to 24.9.
Researchers found that a gain of just 10 pounds could trigger foot problems. The more you weigh, the greater the stress you place on the bones, ligaments, and tendons in your feet. Packing on pounds can also break down fatty tissue under your heel bone and contribute to plantar fasciitis—inflammation of the bottom of the foot between the ball and the heel.
3. Skipping socks.
Sporting shoes sans socks can increase your risk of contracting an infection. “Athlete’s foot is caused by fungi, which like dark, warm, and moist environments,” Dr. Fullem says. “Basically everything you’ll find inside a shoe.” Socks wick some of the moisture away from your feet, so if you’re barefoot in your boat shoes, the moisture has nowhere to go—and fungus thrives. Look for socks made from synthetic materials, which do a better job of zapping moisture than cotton.
4. Choosing fashion over function.
Every foot is different, so it really pays to get your running shoes from a store that specializes in helping you find the right fit rather than ordering a pair online because you like how they look, says Dr. Fullem. Your local store should analyze how you run and help you find the best shoes to fit your needs. (Even if you’re not a runner, shoe specialists can fit you with kicks based on the activities you do). Ideally, the shoes you choose will provide support in the places you need it in order to reduce the risk of overuse injuries, stress fractures, and knee pain, which can occur if your shoes don’t fit properly.
5. Squeezing into narrow shoes.
“The traditional wingtip shoe is the worst shoe for men,” Dr. Fullem says. That’s because it comes to a narrow point, which squishes your toes together. Many people assume bunions—bumps around the joint at the base of the big toe—are due to genetics, but wearing too-tight shoes are the most common culprits. Bunions can cause severe pain and swelling and may require surgery to remove them.
Narrow shoes may also lead to ingrown toenails because your first toe presses against the second one, resulting in abnormal pressure on the nail that can trigger inflammation and pain. “Always shop for shoes later in the day when your foot swells so you can get a more accurate fit,” Dr. Fullem advises. He also recommends buying shoes made from softer materials that have some give, like leather, to accommodate any swelling that may occur.
6. Relying on a single pair of shoes.
If you work out most days of the week, alternate two pairs of sneakers rather than lacing up the same ones day after day. “After a workout, the midsole compresses so it provides less support until it’s had a chance to expand again,” Dr. Fullem says. Depending on how hard you worked out and how much you sweat, it can take your shoes a day or more to fully dry out. Alternating your shoes will help them last longer so you have to replace them less frequently.
The general guideline is to replace your shoes about every 300 to 500 miles of use. But trust feel above all else—if your feet or legs feel different after a run or you notice any changes in your shoe’s support, then it’s probably time for a fresh pair. “When the midsole material breaks down, you’re not getting as much shock absorption as you do when they’re new. You may develop knee pain, shin splint pain, and other injuries,” Dr. Fullem says.
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