Winter has well and truly arrived and with it, the start of long seasons of high impact sport. Team sports such as football, soccer, netball, rugby, hockey and a host of others are a great way to have fun, socialise and keep fit, but they are also the cause of a huge number of injuries.
On average 36 000 Australians will be hospitalised every year due to sports injuries and annually, over 8% of footballers and soccer players will suffer from lower leg injuries. At Precise Podiatry in Geelong and elsewhere in the state, we can attest to these high rates and see plenty of sport loving Victorians come through our clinic each year.
The risk of injury shouldn’t be a reason to hang up your boots, but it should be an important factor when choosing them. Choosing the right sports boot or shoe can often prevent injuries and excess trips to a podiatrist in Geelong, so you should carefully consider your specific needs before making a purchase.
With a team of highly trained and knowledgeable practitioners, and having seen the full spectrum of foot and lower limb injuries, Precise Podiatry Geelong is well placed to offer some useful advice to those in the market for new sporting footwear.
Specific shoes for specific sports
This may sound obvious, but many people playing sport casually or irregularly don’t heed this advice and end up needing a podiatrist in Geelong as a result. You may be the king or queen of multitasking, but your sports footwear isn’t. Shoe manufacturers don’t just make specialised footwear in order to sell more of their product. Football and soccer boots are made to take high impact on the toe and upper for example, while basketball boots provide greater ankle support.
Know your own feet
Precise Podiatry Geelong knows better than anyone that our feet are surprisingly complex and come in a wide variety of different shapes and sizes. Knowing the individual quirks of your feet will help you find the right footwear and potentially save you from injury. By looking at your own footprint (a wet foot on brown paper works well) or studying an old pair of shoes you can get an idea of where you exert the most pressure.
Use orthotics
A mass produced innersole is unlikely to truly match the contours and quirks of your feet, so using orthotics is a great way to customise your comfort and protect your feet. Precise Podiatry Geelong has the latest in 3D foot scanning to ensure you get a perfect orthotic tailored to your foot. It is much better to visit a podiatrist in Geelong or beyond for preventative care than for an injury that could have been avoided.
Even the best sports shoes will not always prevent injury, but they certainly minimise the risks. At Precise Podiatry Geelong, we are dedicated to foot and lower limb care, so if you have any issues or need professional advice regarding sport or sport injuries, get in touch with us today.
