General Foot Care
In this blog we’ll cover some general foot care guidelines in the lead up to Transcend Trails. These tips should be considered as a part of your routine as a runner in general, not just pre-event. Consistent foot care and maintenance will make it less likely for any issues, big or small, to prevent you from running.
Manage Your Nails
- A common mistake we see with many runners is the length of their toenails. Simply put, the longer your nails are, the more likely they are to experience trauma. This trauma can come in the form of both one large single traumatic event, or the accumulation of repetitive micro-trauma – the type of trauma guaranteed to be present in distance running.
- Depending on how fast your nails grow, runners that train as often as the likes of Transcend Trail participants should trim their toenails every 2-3 weeks. This significantly reduces the risk of trauma. A quick file afterwards is always a good idea too.
- To prevent ingrowing nails or pain on the sides of your nails, it’s crucial that you can see ALL EDGES AND CORNERS of the nails. Your big toenails are most likely to experience this affliction.
- For thick, difficult nails:
- Soak your feet for 5 minutes
- Trim the nails so around 1mm of free nail remains
- Using the file on your clippers, slide underneath the corners to ensure no jagged edges or “spicules” remain – you want a nice, smooth, clean line around the edge of the nail as it runs in to the skin (aka sulci).
- File the edges of the nail so they’re smooth.
- Alternatively, book an appointment at Runners Tech for a thorough nail treatment and general foot care.
Manage Your Calluses
- Callus (aka hyperkeratosis) is a build-up of hard skin on areas of the feet that experience high amounts of pressure. The most common areas are on the ball of the foot, on the tibial aspect of the big toe, the lateral part of the forefoot, and the heels. However, depending on your unique biomechanical and anatomical circumstance, callus can present anywhere.
- Short-term treatment involves debridement (or shaving) of the thickened skin. If callus is a chronic and regular occurrence, offloading of the offending pressure areas might be necessary. Simple insoles can offload pressure, but the gold standard is customised orthotics.
- While callus can be a relatively minor issue, left untreated for too long these areas become painful corns and fissures, making any weightbearing activity painful.
Routinely Check Your Feet
- The feet are often neglected until something goes wrong. An easy way to prevent this is to regularly check your feet.
- Dry thoroughly between toes after each shower, checking for redness or peeling skin, which can be early indications of athlete’s foot (tinea pedis).
- Check areas of high pressure for callus build up
- Clear out the corners of your toenails prior to long runs – the debris that gathers here can cause pain similar to an ingrowing nail.
Wear the Right Socks
- Moisture wicking socks are a runner’s best friend. By wicking moisture away from your skin, these socks can help reduce blisters, skin irritation, fungal infection and skin breakdown.
- Toe socks (such as Injinji) are a great option for comprehensive protection of your feet.
- Toe socks prevent blisters occurring between your toes
- Injinji socks are moisture wicking
- Provided you have adequate room in the toe-box of your shoes (which you should), toe socks also act to keep your foot in a slightly more splayed position. A strong, broad forefoot provides a sturdier base than a narrow and compressed foot.
- By isolating each toe, toe socks effectively utilise more of the foot by allowing the toes to operate more independently. This can improve circulation, reducing swelling.
- If you’re keen to try toe socks, start gradually during short runs close to home before venturing out for a long run. Adaptation to change is key.
- Most manufacturers make moisture wicking socks:
- NIKE Performance Cushion Crew Socks
- Adidas Athletic Cushioned Crew socks
- Under Armour Elevated Performance Crew Socks
- All Injini socks wick moisture.
Stretch and Massage
- Ideally, a quick massage and stretch should occur prior to and after a run.
- The best way to treat your feet before and after a run is with a ball, ideally hard and spiky, but any ball around tennis ball size will do:
- First roll the ball the length of the foot, from the bottom of your heel up to the base of your toes
- Secondly, roll the ball across the width of your forefoot (the ball of your foot) from the 1st toe to the 5th
- This rolling works much better on carpet, a rug or a towel (it’s easy to lose the ball on floorboards or tiles!).
- For those that are really keen, a simple hand massage can be performed by:
- Separating the metatarsals (the long bones in your feet) and moving each of them up and down a few times, then repeat
- Grasp each toe individually and pull it gently away from the foot to open up the joint spaces. Then perform a slow rotation or “stir” of the toe a few times.
For a general health foot care assessment, contact us at Doubleview Podiatry and Runners Tech Perth on 9341 5266 or simply book here. We can provide information and hands-on treatment to ensure your feet are primed for the Transcend Trail Run.