What Is Runner's Foot and How Do You Prevent It?

Running is an excellent form of aerobic exercise. It will increase your heart rate for a prolonged period while simultaneously engaging a variety of upper- and lower-body muscles. Like with most forms of aerobic exercise, though, running comes with a risk of injury. One of the most common types of running-related injuries is runner's root. What is runner's foot exactly, and how do you prevent it?

What Is Runner's Foot

Runner's foot is a catch-all term used to describe any overexertion injury to the foot that's caused by running. Overexertion injuries are those that affect the muscles, ligaments, tendons and other soft tissues in the body. As the name suggests, they are triggered by prolonged or extreme physical stress. If you overexert your body, you may develop an overexertion injury. Runner's foot encompasses all types of overexertion injuries that are caused by running.

Some of the most common symptoms of runner's foot include the following:

• Heel pain
• Blisters
• Swollen ankle
• Sole pain
• Limited foot mobility

How to Prevent Runner's Foot

You don't have to stop running just to protect yourself from runner's foot. Rather, there are safety precautions you can take to lower your risk of runner's foot. Wearing the right shoes, for instance, will ensure that your feet are properly supported. If your shoes are too big or too small -- or if they are degraded -- you may want to replace them.

Another tip to prevent runner's foot is to perform mid-foot strikes. The "strike" is the part of your foot that first touches the ground. With each step you take, you'll perform a strike. Some people make the mistake of performing heel strikes. In other words, their heel touches the ground before the rest of their foot. While heel strikes sound harmless, they can increase your risk of runner's foot. Your heels will be exposed to more stress, which could lead to injury. You can prevent runner's foot, however, by performing mid-foot strikes in which the middle of your foot touches the ground first.

Don't forget to stretch before running. Stretching is essential to protecting against injury, including runner's foot injuries. By stretching, you'll encourage blood to flow through your body. More importantly, it will loosen your muscles. Along with wearing the right shoes and performing mid-foot strikes, stretching can lower your risk of runner's foot.