Many of us have played tennis at some point in our lives either as a young child during school or summer camp or as an adult with your friends or part of a tennis club. It can be a great form of exercise but care should be taken to reduce your chance of foot and ankle injury.
When people think of tennis injuries the obvious things that come to mind are “tennis elbow” (of course) along with shoulder injuries. But what about all the stresses that our feet undergo during a match? These injuries could be relatively minor things such as blisters, corn / callouses and black toenails or more serious injuries that will definitely sideline you for a while like lateral ankle sprains, stress fractures of the metatarsals, shin splints and that dreaded plantar fasciitis (heel pain) that has become epidemic in our society.
So what can you do to protect yourself? A proper fitting tennis shoe is the place to start. Do not use running shoes as these tend to be too “grippy” for the typical surfaces that courts are made of. Always wear socks to help reduce friction within your shoes. Be sure to warm up and do some gentle stretches to loosen up your muscles. This should include some upper body exercises as well as stretches of your calf and hamstring muscles, as these areas are prone to injury with all the sudden starting and stopping.
Following these simple tips, you can protect your feet and limit your chance of foot and leg injuries. If preventative measures don’t work and you do experience a foot injury, come visit my Collingwood foot clinic. Call Abbott Foot & Ankle Clinic today at 705-444-9929. Collingwood chiropodist Tony Abbott offers several treatments designed to get you better faster!