Why Do I Get Sore Feet With CrossFit?
Being Podiatrist’s who have done CrossFit we have a grasp of the demands and requirements of the sport. In terms of CrossFit, if your feet and legs are not mobile, strong and stable it can hugely set you back in your WOD. If they are not conditioned for the demands of the activity it results in poor technique and eventually niggles and injuries. Poor foot mobility, strength & stability can result in poor squat depth, running and jumping technique, and eventually an avoidance of running, double unders or box jumps can ensue…
Does this sound like you?
What Are The Most Common Pains That We See In CrossFitters?
- Shin splints (a huge one!)
- Achilles Tendinopathy
- Aching and pain under the arches
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Calf tightness or cramping
- Ankle pain or stiffness
- Soreness under the ball of the foot
- Cuboid syndrome
Why Is It That We See These Injuries?
We see these injuries largely because of poor conditioning prior to activity. With box jumps and double unders we need to properly prepare our feet and legs for these activities. Most jumping and landing activities require skill and coordination, coupled with strength and endurance. When it comes to our feet we need them to be springy and pliable! Think about it, if your foot is weak, stiff and lacks control it is only a matter of time before you will notice tightness and then pain. The flip side of this – this can all be learnt and addressed, and always improves when the time and effort is put in!
We need mobile, strong and stable feet to successfully cope with the demands of CrossFit!
How Do We Successfully Manage Foot And Leg Pain In CrossFitters?
FIRST AND FOREMOST lets have a look at your technique.
How are you jumping?
How are you landing?
Are your feet rolling in or out?
What are your knees and hips doing?
How’s your accuracy and motor control?
The most important aspect of management is working on correcting the movement pattern and addressing your unique contributing factors. There is so much variation in the way that we all move, that one cue with a squat, or one treatment method, does not fit the bill for all conditions or presentations.
Hands On Therapy
Part of the treatment we provide in your sessions will be to essentially prepare the muscle to handle your activities. We will loosen up the tight areas so that your muscles are ready to handle strength exercises and stability wor
Progressive Exercises To Train You To Box Jump, Skip And Run!
Our treatment focuses on pain relief to start with – after all that’s why you’ve come in! After we get your pain settled, we go through progressive stretching, strengthening and stabilising. We will work with you to fine tune your movement patterns so that not only does the pain go away, but it stays away for the long term!
Lets talk about footwear. CrossFit shoes are a little different from your usual athletic joggers. CrossFit shoes are built for CrossFit. They range from the more flexible Nike Metcon’s which will allow movement and have special features like a wrapped sole to help with rope climbing, to the more firmer Reebok Nano’s that are stiffer and built to provide stability with lifting. Some people will have multiple shoes that they change through with each workout, but for practicality sake a lot of people find that one pair that is most comfortable across activities will be their shoe of choice for the whole WOD.
Where Do Orthotics Fit In Treatment?
Orthotics can form part of our treatment protocol. Sometimes, they arent’ warranted at all. In short, not everyone needs an orthotic. Other times they can be largely beneficial to control excessive foot pronation and provide stability to the feet. We use them to give your sore feet and legs more support to reduce pain fast while we rehab the muscles, joints and poor movement patterns. We are known in Adelaide for our more flexible and minimalistic orthotic approach. We hate the idea of a rock hard brick underneath your feet, or something that thick that your heel sits up in the shoe – no, no and no! We make designs that fit comfortably into CrossFit shoes.
Maintaining Fitness While Recovering
This is a really important one. What is great about CrossFit is that you can scale ANYTHING. If you can’t run, we encourage you to row to keep up your cardio while we prepare you to get back into running. If you can’t box jump, lets step up and down and get you conditioned to be able to jump. It’s paramount to faster recovery to keep up your general conditioning instead of stopping everything, then starting up from scratch again.
Does This Sound Like You?
- I can’t run, it feels wrong!
- My shins are burning
- I get sore feet with running
- I can’t squat, it feels weird
- I think my feet roll in
- It hurts under my arches
- I get pain with skipping and box jumps
- I get pain with running
- I don’t know what shoes to wear… help!
We are the experts who work with CrossFit in Adelaide
You can trust that our Podiatrist’s have the experience and understanding to help you with your foot and leg concerns!
