Effect of Having Cavus Feet in Running for Marathons
Do you love running in marathons? Of course, you do! You love the feel of the wind as you run and there’s the uplifting cheering of the crowd. It feels like there’s nothing stopping you. But you only thought so.
Your feet, your very weapon in running for marathons, seem to be the one causing you problems. Despite doing proper training, you experience pain especially on your toes and heels, and you frequently sustain ankle sprains every time you run. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you might have cavus feet.
What Are Cavus Feet?
Cavus feet in simpler terms are high arched feet. This means that the arch of your foot is higher than normal. This is the complete opposite of someone
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With high arched feet, you’ll develop corns and calluses in your toes, ball of the foot and heels. Corns and calluses might seem harmless but they might cause you more pain as you run. Corns and calluses are thick and hardened layer of your skin which also take up room in your shoes making your feet too tight and cramped.
Cavus Feet: Causes and Management
Cavus feet may be hereditary. If your parents have high arched feet, then you have inherited it from them. But sometimes, this condition can also be caused by certain medical ailments such as polio, stroke, cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders. Wearing poorly fitted shoes does not cause cavus feet but it can worsen your current condition.
Usually, you can manage your cavus feet using non-surgical interventions such as:
Wear high arch shoes. You can still run and lessen the pain by wearing high arch shoes. These are specialized shoes with excessive toe to heel arch elevation to fill up the gap of your high foot arch.
Use custom-made shoe inserts and silicone foot pads. If high arch shoes are not available, you can modify your footwear by using custom-made shoe inserts. You can also add silicone foot pads to cushion your foot and reduce the pressure and impact as you
In August 2015, Tim Newell, Janet Simon, and Carrie L. Docherty published “Arch-Taping Techniques for Altering Navicular Height and Plantar Pressures During Activity.” They analyzed the effective of the taping techniques low-dye and the navicular-sling technique in raising the Navicular and plantar pressure by comparing them to a no-tape condition. To perform the low-dye technique, trainers taped across the medial section of the foot, and then taping across the plantar section of the foot. When testing the low-dye taping technique, they used a white cloth tape. To apply the navicular sling condition, the athletic trainer starts by taping the top of the foot, and wrapping it around the planter section of the foot and wrapping it around it back to the top of the foot and
Plantar Fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. Plantar fascia is a flat band of tissues that connects your heel bone to your toes. It also supports the arch of your foot. If you happened to strain your plantar fascia, it will get weak, swollen, and inflamed that will make your heel or the bottom of your foot to hurt when you walk or stand. It is common to older people and those who uses their feet a lot like soldiers and athletes.
If you are experiencing some pain on your ankle or hind foot with the observation that the arch of your foot is becoming flat, it is possible that you might be having an Acquired Adult Flatfoot Deformity. This deformity is the progressive flattening of the arch of your foot.
A compression bandage can be applied immediately to help stop swelling but it should only be applied for 10 minutes at a time as restricting blood flow completely to the tissues could cause more damage, whereas the calf supports can be applied for longer. We also advise wearing a heel pad to raise the heel and shorten the calf muscle hence taking some of the strain off the muscle. It is a good idea to put heel pads in both shoes because otherwise one leg will become longer than the other due to the raised heel thereby creating an imbalance and possibly leading to other associated injuries / pain. For more comprehensive treatment and to minimise the risk of re-injury, Sportsinjuryclinic.net advise seeing a professional therapist (such as physiotherapist, sports therapist, osteopath or chiropractor) who can also devise a full calf strain rehabilitation program including stretching and strengthening exercises. A doctor or medical professional may prescribe anti-inflammatory medication e.g. ibuprofen which is beneficial in the first few days after the injury. Do not take ibuprofen if you have asthma and always speak to a pharmacist or doctor before taking medications. There is some evidence that anti-inflammatories can impair healing so do not take them for more than a few days at the beginning of the injury. Also, taking medication can sometimes "mask" any pain and may therefore be detrimental to the healing
With any injury, it important to stick with your treatment plan. Once the pain is alleviated there are a few simple things you can do to maintain a pain-free lifestyle. Maintaining a healthy weight will minimize the stress on your arch and plantar fascia. Supportive shoes with good arch support with support the fascia. Be sure to replace old or worn-out athletic shoes so that you have adequate cushion when participating in activities such as running.
The therapist teaches you stretching exercises that help relieve and prevent pain. The exercises also strengthen your leg and calf muscles so your foot is more stable. You may need to attend regular sessions with the therapist, or you may be taught the exercises so you can do them daily at home. Stretching and exercising your feet while you're seated for long periods may prevent the return of heel pain when you get back up and start walking again.
This condition can result from athletic activities that require you to get up on your toes or push off your feet forcefully. These movements cause the back of the tibia and the top of the talus to come together. Over time, this can cause swelling and irritation (inflammation).
Have you ever noticed how an infant’s foot is completely flat on the bottom? The arches of our feet don’t appear until we begin to walk, developing throughout childhood.
Foot injuries are very common in athletics as well as in everyday life. It’s very debilitating to have a foot injury since we use our feet in all of our daily activities. Research published in "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise” indicates that the average adult takes between 5,000 to 7,000 steps a day. Some sports require the most dedicated athletes spend multiple hours a day pounding their feet on the turf or pavement. Most injuries that occur in the foot require a person to try and stay off of it or completely immobilize it. Since this is very difficult for a person to do, a large percentage of foot injuries often have a very high chance of reoccurring. The severity of some injuries that can be deceiving as well. Often times a nagging pain is ignored and eventually becomes a much bigger problem.
Though it typically occurs in just one foot, some people can have it in both as it is usually progressive. In line with its progressive attribute, it is of utmost important that it should be diagnosed and treated at its early stage to prevent further complications.
According to all of the doctors I have visited, my feet have abnormally high arches, and their curvature is beyond the average. These two traits cause my gait to be slightly awkward, and they put excessive amounts of stress on the weakest parts of my feet. Although these problems exist, they are not
Athlete’s foot is a skin condition that affects the sole of the foot and the skin between the toes. The medical term for athlete’s foot is tinea pedis. Some people in the armed forces refer to it as jungle rot due to the tropical conditions that they face. There are three common types of fungal athlete’s foot: moccasin, interdigital, and inflammatory or blistering. The moccasin type affects the soles of the feet. The interdigital type affects the skin between the toes, and the inflammatory type can affect your whole foot. Athlete’s foot is caused by the same fungus that causes ringworm and jock itch. This condition occurs most commonly in people that have very sweaty feet and keep them contained in tight fitting shoes. Fungus grows in warm and moist environments, so damp socks can harbor the bacteria. You can also get it from walking bare foot on a public floor. Athlete’s foot is easily spread, so it is important to keep clean shoes and socks on your feet at all times while in public places.
There are many benefits of running. From releasing negative energy to burning excess weight, there’s no doubt your body is taking advantage of physical activity when running. Unfortunately there are some negative effects as well. Running causes injuries, but by identifying symptoms, they can be treated and prevented. Many injuries include runner’s knee, intestinal distress, Achilles tendinitis, and shin splints. According to Cross Country Running, “65% of all runners will be injured in any year”. Each of these injuries can be treated and prevented by correct practices.
It is an interesting fact that if you were to go barefoot every day of your life, you would not suffer with feet corns. However, this is not practicable for most of us so it is important that we recognize how to recognize and treat feet corns.
However, the actual problem can be worse, depending on if you have thick skin on your heels which is known as callus. The problem can be caused by you walking slightly differently, so the weight is kept on your heels rather than being spread about.