Fitness and Your Feet: Exercising Without Injury

Your feet take the impact

During a run, each foot strikes the ground with a force of two to three times your body weight, roughly a thousand impacts per mile. Small mechanical problems that cause no trouble while walking get magnified under that load, which is why exercise so often reveals foot problems first.

Preventing common sports injuries

Build mileage and intensity gradually; the classic rule is no more than a 10% increase per week. Warm up before activity and stretch your calves and plantar fascia afterward; tight calf muscles are a leading contributor to heel pain and Achilles problems.

Match your shoe to your sport and to your foot type. Runners who overpronate need stability shoes or orthotics; high-arched feet need extra cushioning. And don't train through foot pain: 'running it off' turns minor inflammation into stress fractures and chronic tendon injuries.

When pain interrupts your routine

Heel pain with your first steps in the morning, aching arches after workouts, or pain that sharpens during activity are all treatable, usually without stopping exercise entirely. We treat active patients with stretching programs, custom orthotics, and EPAT shockwave therapy for stubborn cases. Call (718) 232-2100 before a small injury becomes a long layoff.