3 Must-Know Facts About Sports Podiatry
by Ida Carroll
If you are a sports enthusiast and love being active, you understand how important your feet are to your overall health and performance. Therefore, managing feet health is a critical responsibility, which should never be ignored. Unfortunately, many athletes do not know much about sports podiatry and only seek help when injured. Notably, maintaining healthy feet requires that you learn as much as possible about sports podiatry. This article highlights key areas of sports podiatry, which any serious athlete must be familiar with.
Foot Assessments and Screening
Determining whether an athlete's feet are healthy enough to perform in a particular sport starts with assessment. You need to be careful when seeking a sports podiatrist's services at this point. For example, a reputable professional does not stop at evaluating your foot history — they go further and try to find reasons for your current state. If you suffer from recurring heel pain, comprehensive assessments and subsequent screenings will help establish the root cause. Therefore, you must be prepared to spend quite some time at a podiatrist's clinic if you want the best results for your feet.
Shoe Evaluation
Although athletes could theoretically participate in sporting activities barefooted, shoes are critical for enhanced performance, comfort, and preventing injuries. Therefore, a serious athlete should rely on a reputable sports podiatrist's advice regarding the best footwear for their unique sporting needs. Some athletes may believe the hype surrounding high-end sports footwear and disregard a podiatrist's input. However, doing it makes you prone to injuries and puts your sporting career at risk. Footwear needs are unique, which is why shoe evaluation by a sports podiatrist is crucial. The assessment involves a thorough visual inspection of a shoe to determine what is comfortable and safe. Therefore, bring all your footwear, including those you wear to compete, train, and walk around, for professional advice.
Performance Consulting
If you ask any athlete what a sports podiatrist does, the answer you get will revolve around injury management and care. While it is true, foot injury management is only part of what a modern sports podiatrist does. In the larger context, sports podiatrists are excellent sources of education, particularly regarding performance. Since they are professionals in biomechanics, a sports podiatrist can help you improve your performance significantly. For instance, if your running gait causes you to lean on one side more, a sports podiatrist can prescribe corrective measures to improve gait and enhance performance.
Share
About Me
If you are like me, you have probably been in embarrassed in the past about having thick, yellow or otherwise unsightly toenails. You may have even suffered pain from your toenails. Those statements used to describe me, but with the help of my family and podiatrist, my toenails have returned to a strong, clear and beautiful state. The journey wasn't always easy, and it forced me to ask a lot of questions and do a lot of research. As a result, I learned everything you can find in these blog posts. I see other people with painful looking toenails on the street, and I want to help them with some pointers, but walking up to strangers – however well intentioned – is a bit beyond my comfort levels so I decided to create this blog. I hope it helps and entertains you!