Exercising and playing sports come with some risk of injury, but you can in fact prevent serious foot and ankle injuries with some common sense tips. Many people forego proper warming up, for example, but that is one of the most important things you need to do on a regular basis to avoid tendon strains like Achilles tendonitis, muscle pulls, and worse injuries like hairline and compound fractures.

You can avoid many injuries while exercising and playing sports with the following tips:

1. Warm-up and cool down properly—As mentioned, many exercises and sports injuries from not properly warming up beforehand. Stretch out your muscles, tendons, and ligaments before exercising to prevent injuries.

2. Try to develop a steady routine—Consistent exercise where you slowly increase your strength and stamina over time is the best way to improve your performance without causing injury.

3. Wear shoes that fit correctly and use orthotic inserts—Choose athletic shoes made for the specific sport or exercise. For example, you wouldn’t be doing your feet any favors by wearing running shoes on a tennis court. Wear properly fitted shoes with the proper arch, toe, and heel orthotics to provide shock absorption and even distribution of weight and pressure.

4. Stop exercising if you feel any pain or an injury occurring—The idea of playing through pain is a really bad one, so be sure to stop and evaluate any pain or injury when it starts to help prevent a more serious problem like a tendon tear or foot fracture.

If you have suffered an exercise or sports-related foot or ankle injury, contact your foot doctor right away. Call Syracuse Podiatry located in East Syracuse, New York. Dr. Ryan L. D’Amico, Dr. Kathleen Pyatak-Hugar, and Dr. Donal M. Erickson and their staff will help you diagnose and treat your foot or ankle condition. Call 315-446-3668 or make an appointment online today.