As the saying goes – “prevention is better than cure.”
We read many different articles about common foot issues that distance runners face and how to treat them, but this article has a different focus. We want to take a look at how to prevent these issues to the best of our ability to avoid needing to treat them at all.
Your foot strength, mobility, & flexibility all play key roles in foot injury prevention, as well as the gear you use and how you treat your feet in general.1Kindred, J., Trubey, C., & Simons, S. M. (2011). Foot Injuries in Runners. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 10(5), 249–254. https://doi.org/10.1249/jsr.0b013e31822d3ea4
#1 Choose Your Gear Carefully
The first step in preventing uncomfortable lumps and bumps from appearing on your feet while you’re running is choosing the right gear. Running sneakers and socks are vital pieces of equipment. Technology today has produced some pretty awesome products for us to choose from to help take care of our cherished feet.
Here are some tips and tricks to choose gear that will work for you.
Running Sneakers
As there are countless brands and models on the market today, buying running shoes can be an overwhelming task if you don’t know what you’re looking for.
Rule number one is comfort.
The right shoes should be very comfortable so you don’t feel any rubbing or friction against your foot, ankle, or toes when you have them on.
In most stores, you can find helpful, well-informed staff who can help determine the type of shoe you will need and lead you in the right direction. If you overpronate or supinate (or underpronate), you have different sneaker options that can assist with the support and comfort for your specific feet.
Be sure your sneaker is snug enough around your heel and instep, so they aren’t ill-fitting, wobbling around, and causing unwanted friction. This can lead to hot spots, and further on, blisters. Do, however, leave space in the toe box.2Zhu, C., Song, Y., Xu, Y., Zhu, A., Baker, J. S., Liu, W., & Gu, Y. (2024). Toe Box Shape of Running Shoes Affects In-Shoe Foot Displacement and Deformation: A Randomized Crossover Study. Bioengineering, 11(5), 457. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering11050457
Especially in downhill running, your feet will tend to slide forward and hit the toe box if you don’t have a sufficient amount of room. I leave about two fingers’-width of space upfront; enough room where I can wiggle my toes around while standing.
This space will ensure your toes won’t hit the front of the sneaker in turn avoiding bruised toenails which generally end up lifting up and falling off. If you’ve ever experienced it before, you know that toenails can take months and months to grow back, and if there is any root damage they may never be quite the same again.
To avoid these issues, put a lot of time and care into choosing the right running sneakers.3Ruiz-Alias, S. A., Molina-Molina, A., Soto-Hermoso, V. M., & García-Pinillos, F. (2022). A Systematic Review of the Effect of Running Shoes on Running economy, Performance and biomechanics: Analysis by Brand and Model. Sports Biomechanics, 22(3), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2022.2089589
Now, let’s take a look at the counterpart to the perfect sneaker, the socks!
Running Socks
There are several brands of anti-blister socks that work well. Try to avoid regular old cotton socks, and go for at least a couple of good pairs of moisture-wicking socks, especially for long runs. Be sure to use them on your long weekend runs and more intense workouts.
Running-specific socks, paired with an anti-chafe cream such as vasline or diaper cream around your toes and feet for a long run, are a surefire way to keep your feet safe. I prefer diaper cream as it doesn’t rub off as easily, resulting in longer-lasting protection.
This duo will stop hot spots and blisters in their tracks.
Now that you have the right socks and shoes let’s check out prevention while running.
#2 Shake It Out
While trail running on rough terrain like sand, gravel, dirt, or river beds, just about anything can make its way into your shoe or sock. You’re having a great run, flying along the trails, and that pesky little rock in your shoe is not worth stopping for, right?
Wrong.
If you feel anything rubbing against your foot, stop right away and spare 30 seconds to take off your shoe and shake it out. You’ll be happy you did as you just avoided a hot spot, or even worse, a blister that could have hindered the rest of your run or even kept you off your feet for days.
It’s worth the stop.
#3 Use Gaiters
If you don’t want to worry about objects sneaking their way into your socks and sneakers at all, you can try using gaiters. These protectors close around your ankle and attach to your sneakers using velcro or hooks; some running sneakers even come with this feature now.
Gaiters may not make the best fashion statement, but you won’t have to worry about stopping to clean out your shoes at all.
#4 Keep Your Feet in Tip-Top Shape
Keeping our feet “sandal-ready” is more of an effort for runners than it is for non-runners, as our feet get a lot of wear and tear. If you can swing it, getting a monthly pedicure would be ideal (and maybe even a foot massage now and then).
A nail technician will keep your feet and nails in excellent condition and take care of issues such as ingrown toenails and thick calluses.
If you prefer to do it yourself, you will need the following tools:
- Toenail clippers
- Nail file
- Callus foot file or pumice stone
- Foot moisturizer
- Baby powder
Nails
Keep your nails comfortably short, and avoid any uneven, sharp edges by filing them down. This will prevent them from rubbing uncomfortably against your sneakers, resulting in them falling off or cutting into your other toes.
Moisturize
Apply lotion before you go to bed every night to keep your feet properly moisturized. This will keep your skin from cracking and peeling.
Baby Powder
Even though keeping your feet moisturized is important, keeping them fresh and dry throughout the rest of the day is equally important.
Immediately following your run, change out of your wet pair of socks and sneakers and throw on a pair of sandals to let them dry out.
Before putting on your shoes for the remainder of your day, sprinkle baby powder on them. This is especially important for those who tend to sweat a lot.
There is a clear difference between keeping our feet moisturized and lubricated while running and constantly wet. Keeping them fresh and dry will prevent issues such as fungal infections or athlete’s foot.
File Down Calluses
Even though we need some padding as long-distance runners, we want to keep calluses under control, so they don’t become too thick. It’s excruciating when a callus cracks open during a run, which can keep you off your feet for a while until it heals. There is also a possibility it can lead to infection.
File calluses down every couple of weeks to maintain a slight cushioning to protect your feet while not allowing them to become too thick.
#5 Workout Those Feet
Another foot care priority is avoiding plantar fasciitis, heel and arch pain due to the inflammation of the plantar fascia. It’s a widespread condition among runners and causes a lot of discomfort and foot pain. If those first few steps in the morning as you get out of bed are tough to take, you may be experiencing the beginnings of this problem.4Warren, B. L. (1990). Plantar Fasciitis in Runners. Sports Medicine, 10(5), 338–345. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199010050-00004
Here are some general pointers to help decrease your chances of getting plantar fasciitis and other muscle, tendon, or ligament related injuries:
- Warm-up and cool down properly before and after every workout with dynamic stretches and activation.
- Check your running form and technique and work on any improvements you may need to make.
- Work on your running cadence, trying to get it up to 180 steps per minute.
- Increase your training load gradually.
- Focus on strength training for injury prevention.
Below are plantar fasciitis prevention exercises you can do at home.
These foot exercises will also help prevent other foot injuries such as tendonitis in the tendons around the ankle, with stronger foot muscles playing a key role in foot injury prevention.5Jastifer, J. R. (2022). Contemporary Review: The Foot and Ankle in Long-Distance Running. Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics, 7(3), 247301142211254. https://doi.org/10.1177/24730114221125455
Check out our guide on foot strengthening exercises for runners for more on this crucial aspect of foot injury prevention.
Towel Scrunch Exercise
- Place a towel on the floor in front of you as you are seated in a chair.
- Grab the towel with your toes and scrunch the towel toward you.
- When you have brought it all the way in, use your toes to push the towel back away from you.
- Do this a few times with each foot.
Resistance Band Calf Stretch
We want to keep our calves as loose as possible as tight calves are one of the leading causes of plantar fasciitis. Therefore, any calf stretches will do, but here is one you can try:
- Sit on the floor and extend your legs straight out in front of you.
- Place a resistance band (or towel) around your feet.
- Hold both sides of the resistance band with your hands.
- Pull your toes toward you gently.
Note: You can do this exercise on both legs together or one at a time.
Along with calf stretches, calf-strengthening exercises will also be of great benefit.
Final Thoughts
As runners, we are used to having some discomfort every now and then, or sometimes even more than we should allow. This makes us a bit stubborn when needing to seek assistance.
Avoiding problems that could turn into weeks or months on the sidelines can often be achieved by prevention.
If something comes up, don’t wait until it’s too late to take care of it. If you see any discoloration or change in texture in your toenails, be sure and see a podiatrist right away.
Tending to the issue sooner rather than later can help avoid discomfort and months of treatment.
Take care of your foot health.
There is more to running injury prevention than preventing foot problems. Check out our in-depth guide to running injury prevention.
