How do you work out with a foot injury?
Experiencing a foot or ankle injury can be the absolute worst because even walking down the street can sometimes feel like a chore, let alone trying to work out. The good news is that you can still get plenty of exercise as long as you’re careful about it.
We love the idea of people staying in shape despite their injuries, but we want you to be safe at all times. Therefore, we’ve put together some simple tips that will help you work out while dealing with a foot injury.
Consult with Your Doctor
The first thing you want to do before working out with a foot injury or any other type of injury is consult with a healthcare professional. Most of the time, working out with an injury will be encouraged because it will help prevent aches, pains, and potential atrophy. However, your doctor may want you to avoid certain types of movements, positions, or weight levels.
Gradually Increase Intensity
No matter how strong or tough you are, going back to your old level of intensity when you have a foot or ankle injury could spell trouble. Our advice is to start off slowly. Even if you think you can handle a certain level of intensity, you may still want to back off just a little bit. Then, once you’re comfortable, you can gradually increase the intensity over time.
Modify Your Exercise Routine
If you’re suffering from a foot injury or similar type of injury, you’ll definitely want to modify your exercise routine. If you don’t, then you risk aggravating the injury, making it worse, or lengthening your healing time. With a foot injury, you may want to avoid exercises that put heavy pressure on your feet, such as squats, leg presses, etc.
Focus on Strength Training
When you’ve experienced an injury, you can often engage in strength training that focuses on the muscles surrounding the injured area. This will help support what’s been injured, which can help with the healing process. Foot injuries can be a little tricky, but strengthening your leg, calf, and hamstring muscles may help a bit.
Use Supportive Equipment
If you want to work out while dealing with a foot injury, your best bet is to use some sort of supportive equipment. For example, you may wear an ankle brace for an injured ankle or a boot when overcoming a broken foot or similar injury. If you’re not sure what kind of supportive equipment or protection is right for you, you should ask your holistic fitness trainer.
Take a Break If Necessary
After you experience a foot injury or any other type of injury, it’s very common to take some time off from working out. The problem is that once someone begins a regular exercise routine again, many people will hesitate to take another break. Remember not to push yourself too quickly. If you need a break after restarting your routine, please take one.
Listen to Your Body’s Signals When You Work Out With a Foot Injury
When you start working out with an injury, it’s very important to listen to your body’s signals. In other words, if you feel pain or discomfort, you should either end the work out early, switch to another type of exercise, or take a break. Some people will try to ignore their body’s signals and push through the pain, but this could lead to more serious injuries.
Always Use Proper Form When You Work Out with a Foot Injury
Whenever you work out, it’s imperative that you use the proper form. If you’re not performing an exercise properly, especially when dealing with an injury, you could end up hurting yourself. If you’re not exactly sure how a specific exercise should be done with or without a foot injury, ask a personal trainer to demonstrate.
Work with a Personal Trainer
Working with a personal trainer is the best way to achieve an effective work out when you’re suffering from any kind of injury. A personal trainer will develop a work out program that will help you overcome your injury in the quickest time possible, without overdoing it. The trainer may also integrate the instructions of a physical therapist to target particular physical needs and speed things along.
Contact Dunedin Fitness and Movement for a Foot Injury Work Out Today
Dunedin Fitness and Movement is operated by the best personal trainer in Dunedin and the surrounding areas. If you have questions about working out with a foot injury or any other type of injury, or if you’d simply like to tour our facility, call us at (727) 755-3485 today!
