1. Warm up- before you start any activities.
Do a simple calf stretch or lunge for several minutes (5-10 minutes) to warm up the muscles.By doing this you will decrease the chance of injuring your ankles as once the muscles are warm, they tend to respond better to exercises.
2. Make sure you’re performing sports on a flat, even surface.
Podiatrists often see foot injuries or foot pain arising when people are doing activities on uneven surfaces. For example, running on grass or sand, up a hill or playing soccer on a wet grass surface.
To reduce foot pain and injuries, it’s best to warm up and play sports on an even surface. The lower limb muscles will respond better to this in the long term.
3. Get Fitted for Athletic footwear by someone who knows what they’re doing.
Podiatrists often see patients playing sports or activities with the wrong runners or cross trainers. Flat feet or a pronated foot type can contribute to or increase injury to the feet, shins and knees. Prior to starting the sport, its a good idea to go to Athletes Foot, Active Feet or Rebel Sports and get assessed for the correct footwear according to your sporting needs. This can decrease injuries dramatically.
4. Replace runners regularly.
Depending on the sport or level of activity, it’s important to notice when you’re runners are wearing out. If you see the midsole of your shoe breaking down, the wear pattern of the shoes wearing thin and the cushioning less obvious, then its definitely time for a change. As a general rule for a runner, you would need to replace your shoes after running 600-1,000km
5. Taping the ankles to support your activity
If you’re someone who has sustained multiple injuries to the ankle joints over the course of many years, then go see a physiotherapist or a podiatrist to learn some taping techniques that you can do yourself before starting your activities. This will help stabilise your ankle joints and hopefully reduce the frequency of foot related injuries.
