Road to recovery after injury

Coping with a Running Injury: Finding the Bright Side

1. You discover exactly how much … and why you love running.
➡️Do I love running enough to run even if there were no race, bling, friends, or finish line?

2. It’s a good time to evaluate your fitness level by doing other activities

3. You can prepare to Come Back Stronger
➡️Now is the time to evaluate what has been working … and what hasn’t been working with your training.

 Here are the exercises I have completed over the last 4 months to aid my recovery 

Foot strengthening exercises

1. Heel raises in front of a wall, x10 straight, 10 inside, 10 outside
2. Crab walk in a mid-squat, 5 steps to the right, 5 steps to the left x 3 sets
3. Backward lunges 10 x 2 sets

Towel scrunches

Sit in a chair, and place both feet on a towel on the floor.
Scrunch the towel toward you with your toes. Then use your toes to push the towel back into place.
 - Repeat 8 to 12 times.

Towel inversion and eversion

Sit in a chair, and place both feet on a towel on the floor.
Swivel your feet from side to side to slide the towel.
First, slide your toes, then your heels, as you move the towel with your feet.
Then change directions and swivel your feet from side to side to slide the towel back to the starting position.
 - Repeat 8 to 12 times.

 

Exercises from my physio 

- curling the toes with an elastic band  10 times x 3
- just big toe curl  10 times x 3
- eversion (curving the foot outside) against the elastic band 10 x 2
- towel position--> single leg balance for as long as you can  x 8 times
- stepping with the other leg to feel the weight even x 10 times
- free movement in water (write my name with the foot movements)

 

Strengthen - Band work is something I have incorporated into my daily routines since my foot injury, which help strengthen the tendons we usually have problems with, including the Tibialis posterior, Achilles and perineal tendons. It does not take much resistance to get an effect and these exercises can be completed little but often. Resistance bands can be used during the dorsiflexion and plantar flexion exercise and for inversion and eversion of the foot. 

IMPORTANT: I am not a qualified physio and the above suggestions were exercises mainly from my physio including some suggested from friends who have had a similar foot injury. If you are injured or in pain, it is always, best to consult a physio first before attempting any new exercises or training plan.

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