Runners who have extremely low arches in their feet (or flat feet) frequently suffer from injuries brought on by over pronation as they run. Pronation is the process of shock absorption as a person runs or walks and their ankle rolls inward causing their weight distribution shifts as such. This briefly leads to a misalignment of the leg as your foot impacts the ground and makes one susceptible to a variety of overuse injuries in the leg. Runner’s knee, inflamed ligaments, pulled hamstrings, and muscle strains can all manifest from this small error in biomechanics. Here are 5 ways runners with a lower arch can limit their chances of sustaining these annoying injuries and be comfortable with their stride.
1. Take A Healthy Amount of Time to Stretch
Your leg muscles serve to support the bones and connective tissue that allow you to run. Be sure to stretch them out well before and after your workout. Also, pay attention to how your muscles feel during the workout. Pushing yourself for that last quarter mile is ok but pushing through the pain for a mile is a bit excessive and usually a sign to stop or slow your pace.
2. Eat A Well Balanced Diet with a Good Portion of Protein After The Workout
Undernourishment or cutting a significant amount of calories to lose weight is a commonly overlooked cause of these injuries. Being flat footed makes your muscles will always have to pick a little bit of extra slack to support you while you run and it is important to eat a healthy diet repair and maintain those muscles.
3. Choose Your Running Shoes Wisely
Look for shoes that offer more ankle support and is good for running on different surfaces. Custom orthotics are great for supporting the lack of an arch. Just make sure you adjust your shoes size accordingly as the presence of the orthotic may force you to go up a half size for comfortability. Stability, high-mileage, and lightweight are the characteristics to look for when reading shoe descriptions. Just supporting the strides of those with flat feet takes a bigger toll on shoes. Consequently, runners with flat feet tend to go through shoes quicker.
4. Avoid Running on Concrete Ground if You Can
The harder the surface, the harder the impact. Run on dirt trails or a track if they are with in convenient distance. Consistently running on solid ground will only wear out your shoes faster because of the added stress on your legs and feet from the harsh impact. A lot of runners unfortunately don’t realize they need new footwear or that their feet are taking too much stress until they sustain an injury on hard ground. Mix up where you run and try to go on different types of surface every week. Pay attention to peculiar types of soreness after you run on different kinds of ground and always inspect your shoes before a run to make sure there isn’t mechanical hindrance.
5. Be Careful When You Are Fatigued and Out of Breath
Our running form becomes compromised when we are fatigued. When you are on your route maintain a sustainable pace and proper form the whole way. If you are struggling to put one foot in front of the other, gasping for air, or feel a pull anywhere in your legs, stop. Runners tend to adopt the tough mentality of pushing through the pain, which is good, but in the case runners with flat feet, should be closely monitored.
Ken Stanfield is a health and wellness writer who is also a passionate jogger. To help others learn about the benefits of cardio and respiratory health he writes for nebulizer supplier http://justnebulizers.com/
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