One of the injuries you must understand when practicing martial arts is plantar fasciitis. For those unfamiliar, plantar fasciitis is inflammation that occurs at the bottom of your foot due to the overuse of the plantar fascia, which is a ligament. Check the list below to learn how to avoid plantar fasciitis in martial arts so that you can prepare your body today.
1. Never Neglect Daily Stretching
One of the most important steps for keeping our feet flexible and ready to support our bodies during martial arts practice is consistent stretching. Warm up for every martial arts session by stretching your various body parts, including your toes, calves, and the arches of your feet. So is stretching a cure for plantar fasciitis? Not necessarily.
Plantar fasciitis prevention typically includes consistent stretching because it’s a good way to help your feet avoid muscle strain and post-training soreness. However, stretching is only one part of a solid plantar fasciitis prevention plan, so let’s look at one of the easiest and most effective steps: taking healthy breaks.
2. Prioritize Break Times
When it comes to learning everything you need to know about plantar fasciitis, one of the most important details to remember is that it occurs because of an overuse of the ligament.
One of the ways feet end up overused is through constant high-impact activities. Martial arts can take a toll on your feet depending on how often you’re kicking or how soft (or hard) the floor is. Thus, take time between martial arts sessions to spend time off your feet relaxing so that your body can heal.
Pushing your body further to build muscle and test your stamina is useful, but you shouldn’t push too far. Overusing your body during workouts can result in muscle strain, and the same principle applies to martial arts, so learn to know when your body needs a break.
There’s no shame in letting your body heal from a stimulating workout by giving yourself some time actually off your feet!
3. Wear Protective Footwear
Many people typically do martial arts barefoot, but protective footwear exists to help with plantar fasciitis and other common injuries that martial artists experience.
Pick up footwear that provides proper arch support for martial arts or general exercise should you need to give yourself extra protection. It should also be lightweight and flexible.
This will help alleviate consistent soreness starting to creep in on the bottom of your feet. Even after implementing the steps above, don’t hesitate to talk to an expert if your plantar fasciitis is getting out of hand. Although you’re pushing your body during any workout, including martial arts, you shouldn’t endure unnecessary pain you don’t have to torture yourself.
