Recovering From Foot Injuries

Feet get injured more often than you would think. They carry the weight of your entire body, so that places a lot of stress on them every day (some of us more than others, take from that what you will). Theres obviously never a good time for a foot injury to keep you stuck in bed or on a couch, but the recovery process can be relatively simple if done correctly. Heres our steps for recovering from a foot injury:Rest and AssessSo your foot is swollen and painful, and life just seems terrible right now. But congratulations! You get to lay around and do nothing for 48-72 hours or longer. Enjoy all of the binge watching, video gaming, and napping while you can. When you suffer a foot injury, one of the biggest things you need to do is keep off of that foot as much as possible! And you should definitely not attempt the activity that caused the injury again (that means no working, oh no). If you are completely unable to put any weight on the foot and its becoming really swollen, its time for a doctor to take a look at it. They went to medical school and we didnt, so theyll be able to treat your injury and tell you how to recover. And it may seem like common sense, but dont do anything that may further aggravate the injury. No running, jumping, exercising, climbing, brazilian jiu jitsu or any work-related activities that may injure your foot. Youre an elementary schooler on summer vacation again. Embrace the temporary nothingness! Ice and ElevateWhen you suffer a foot injury, your bodys immediate response is to flood the area with blood and cause swelling. Dont be mad at your body; its only trying to help. To reduce this swelling and pain, apply ice to the foot for about 30 minutes every two to three hours. Do not over-ice your foot or go to sleep with an ice pack on. Were trying to heal the injury, not create another one by giving you frostbite.Another way to reduce this swelling is to lay down and elevate your foot by resting it on a pillow or something similar. Heres your excuse to lay in bed and watch TV all day. And if the pain is still too much, try either wrapping the foot using a compression wrap (not too tightly) or reach for the ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet. R&R (Relax and Rehab) Only your doctor will know your specific rehabilitation schedule, so once again, listen to them over an internet blog. Once your pain and swelling has subsided, begin attempting some light activities slowly. Swimming is a great exercise to try that isnt too hard on your feet. We dont want you running a marathon just yet. Always warm up and stretch your injured foot first to make sure that its actually ready to try an exercise like swimming again. Your mobility will come back slowly, so dont rush it at first. Increase your foots workload bit by bit as you recover, and if you ever suddenly feel the pain coming back, stop your activity immediately.Stabilize and RecoverDepending on the severity of your injury, it could take weeks or months before you can walk again. As you eventually begin walking again, you can always use a cane or pair of crutches to assist you. Make sure you follow up with your doctor to ensure that your foot has recovered properly.Also during this recovery process, wear stable shoes! No flip flops or high heels that can cause trips and sprains. And if your injury was caused at work thanks to shoes lacking in stability and safety attributes such as slip resistant soles or safety toes, feel free to check out all of our safety shoes at www.safgard.com