Keep Your Shoes Next to the Bed for Early Morning Support of Foot Injuries

Training-Room Tips: Plantar & Achilles Injuries? Don't Walk Barefoot in the Morning

Dick Moss, Editor

Athletes suffering from achilles tendon strains and plantar fasciitis are usually prescribed supportive shoe inserts to ease the pressure on their injured tissues.

In the case of achilles strains, a heel pad is used while an arch support is often prescribed for plantar fasciitis. However, athletes suffering from these injuries seldom wear their shoes at the very time of day when their feet are most vulnerable—just as they're getting out of bed.

Early Morning Relapse Danger
Injured areas are most stiff and susceptible to re-injury after a night of inactivity. The lack of blood flow and movement make them relatively inflexible and most in need in support.

However, when first arising, most people completely forget their supportive shoes and stumble barefoot to the bathroom.

To reduce the early-morning injury risk, instruct your injured athletes to keep supportive shoes at their bedside and put them on before taking their first step in the morning. They should walk around in their shoes before taking a shower (barefoot) and place most of their weight on their healthy foot.

References
1. The Editors, “Plantar tip.” Runner's World, May 1997.
2. Javed Saeed, Saeed Abida, Javed Waheed, Sports Medicine, LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, 2012.

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