If you love to run, you're in good company. Millions of runners, whether they're amateurs or professional runners, flock to 5ks, marathons, or even basic trail runs every day. It's no secret that running is a great workout that uses numerous muscles at once, but do you know how much stress running can put on your feet?
About seven times your body weight! That's the amount of pressure your feet take on when you lace up your running shoes and head out to the street or the trail.
Luckily, at Freeland Foot and Ankle Clinic, also known as Mid-Michigan's favorite sports medicine podiatrist, we understand the struggles of foot pain and other foot issues for runners because we're runners ourselves! Dr. Dailey and a few other members of our team enjoy running in their spare time away from the office. 
Getting You Back on Your Feet After an Injury
Let's pretend that you've tripped on an unlevel section of sidewalk and now your ankle is swollen. Most runners react to this in one of two ways:
- You run through the pain and risk reinjuring yourself to avoid going to the doctor, where you know you'll be told to stop running for a nondescript number of weeks.
- You head to your local urgent care and receive an x-ray. The x-ray comes back negative, the doctor just tells you to rest and use ice. You're in and out of there within an hour with no real treatment plan.
What if we told you there's a third option? An option that could keep you running, help your injury to heal more effectively, and that we can see you within a week? As long as there is no suspected tear, break, or fracture, we won't tell you to stop running! We'll provide guidelines on taking it easy, lowering your mileage for a few weeks, and possibly switching to walking in more severe cases. By using advanced sports medicine technologies like laser therapy and EPAT, we can get you back to doing what you love: running and staying active.
Are you a candidate for EPAT? Click here to get a FREE consultation today!
Preventing Running Injuries
We can also provide expertise and advice using our knowledge of sports medicine as well as Dr. Dailey's extensive familiarity with foot and ankle issues. By seeking out professional help, you can prevent common running injuries like ankle sprains and even chronic issues like plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis. Our ultimate goal is to get you feeling better, to help prevent future issues, and to keep you running for years to come.
The injuries we see most commonly among runners are:
- Plantar Fasciitis: Inflammation of the band of tissue along the bottom of the foot leading to pain and decreased mobility.
- Achilles Tendonitis: Inflammation of the thick tendon that connects the heel to the calf leading to pain and decreased mobility.
- Stress Fractures: Typically caused by overuse, this injury presents as micro-cracks in the bone of your heel. A common form of a stress fracture is known as shin splints.
How we will help you avoid common running-related injuries:
- Preventative taping: offer more support to the feet and ankles to avoid sprains and inflammation. In-office, same-day Kinesiology taping is also available!
- Same-day laser pain therapy: get a boost of relief after a long run or even a race without relying on NSAIDs like Ibuprofen. The laser pain treatment is quick, easy, and virtually painless!
- Stretching exercises for runners: prepare the muscles and tendons in your lower legs before every run. Click here to see some of our go-to techniques.
- Resources: through blogs and FAQs, you can gain the knowledge to get the most out of every run and how to keep yourself running pain-free for years to come.
Hey runner! Are you doing yoga yet? Click here to learn why you should start (+ a few poses to get you going).
Providing Saginaw, Midland, and Bay Counties With More Than Just an Appointment
Our goal with this page is to give you the best level of podiatric care possible, keep you running or get you back to running as soon as possible, and help you prevent injury. Additionally, we want to give Mid-Michigan runners a centralized hub of information: running tips and hacks, community races, and local events geared towards runners. We also strive to help you connect with local running groups who can help you build your skills as a runner and find like-minded, active friends to enjoy your sport with.
Runners Caring For Runners
Dr. Dailey is always welcoming new patients, and all runners can benefit from a consultation, gait analysis, or just a general appointment to check in and see any problem areas you might have. Give us a call today or fill out our contact form so a member of our dedicated team can get you set up with an appointment and even answer general questions! Appointments are available now!