Protect the feet

Football is here, and two-a-days are in full swing. And, it's time to protect your feet. It's hot and your feet take a beating in the heat. Normal cleats do not have enough support in their insoles for such wear and tear, and blisters, turf toe and plantar fascial irritation are inevitable. So, what do you need to do?

1. Insoles: Remove the insoles the shoes come with and buy a pair of Super Feet or Vasyl's, etc. You need the cushion and the support through the rear foot and the arch. With more support through the arch, the rolling motion of the foot through push-off occurs with greater ease.

2. Socks: Wear clean socks every day, even if you are superstitious; moisture-wicking blends are best. Cotton is better than nylon.

3. Nails: Your toenails should be clipped so there are no hangnails or dry irritated skin. You need to make sure they are cleaned every day, so no fungus can grow.

4. Night time: Soak your feet in warm water with Epsom salt for 15 minutes. Then, lotion your feet with Cetaphil or Eucerin lotion. They are more expensive, but they have better results with preventing skin breakdown.

5. Blisters: If they do occur, do not puncture or pull off the skin. The skin will slough itself naturally, and will protect the new skin that is growing underneath. The old skin acts as a Band-Aid for the new skin. As the new skin grows, the old skin can be trimmed off.

6. Breathe: Your feet need time to breathe every day, so don't keep them hot and sweaty in your shoes after practice. Remove your shoes and socks and wash your feet immediately, and then wear flip flops or an open shoe so they can air out. Bacteria and fungus love moist, dark, hot places.

Ice your feet after practice. Take a plastic water bottle and freeze it, and roll your bare foot back and forth over it to keep the foot healthy for 5-7 minutes, or until the foot is numb. This will help the fascial tissue stay pliable and flush out the toxins while rejuvenating the tissue with new blood supply.

7. Tape/Padding: There are a lot of ways to tape and pad the foot when problems occur. Don't give up on giving your feet the support and stability they need, especially when you are pushing them so hard with your sports.

8. Stretching: Every day, you should be stretching out your calf muscles. A traditional calf stretch with bent knee and straight knee is great, and then add rolling your foot into pronation and supination: this adds another dimension to the pattern. You want to hold for 20-30 seconds when you stretch your calf muscles.

9. Strengthening: Your foot, ankle and calf are constantly responding to the ground reaction forces placed on them. The more you train them, the better they will be able to respond to these forces. Do calf heel raises with a straight leg and bent knee 30 reps a day. Do them both quick and slow - this will train the fast twitch and the slow twitch fibers of the large calf muscle. Then, work the foot-intrinsic muscles of the foot. Do towel toe curls, where you scrunch a towel under your toes 30 times. Then do arch curls, where you slide the toes on the floor and make the arch higher. All these exercises help the calf and foot muscles have the endurance they need for your daily activities.

10. Balance: Your single leg standing balance is important to keep the joint and muscle receptors activated. Stand for one minute at a time on each leg while you brush your teeth or comb your hair. The better your single leg balance is, the less likelihood of twisting your ankle and hurting your foot. You should be able to stand on one leg without holding on for three minutes without losing your balance.

Sheree DiBiase, PT, and her staff can be reached at Lake City Physical Therapy in Coeur d'Alene at (208) 667-1988 and in the Spokane Valley at (509) 891-2623 for a foot and ankle evaluation to help you protect your feet.