4 Tips to Avoid Foot Pain Playing Soccer

Understanding the foot and foot pain in soccer

Before diving in, it’s important to understand the anatomical complexity of the foot: each is composed of 26 bones, fifteen joints, twenty muscles, a hundred ligaments, and more than 7,200 nerve endings. They can support the entire weight of our body, while to staying balanced and absorbing shocks, but the complexity of the feet makes them particularly prone to injuries.

In soccer, these injuries and pathologies are more typical:

• Ankle sprains

• Blisters

• Calluses

• Stress fractures

• Shin splints

• Plantar fasciitis

• Achilles tendonitis

These conditions can be caused by poor running technique, unsuitable shoes or overtraining. This article will help you identify the different causes of your pain and adopt habits to avoid injuries in the future.

Our Advice to Avoid Foot Pain Playing Soccer

1. Choose the right shoes

Soccer shoes are very specific. However, there are some factors to consider when purchasing your shoe. Foot length, foot width, foot shape, terrain type, and activity level.

It will be necessary to opt for a shoe that allows space at the toes. A shoe that is too narrow could cause problems such as hallux valgus . It is therefore essential that no toes overlap or touch the end of the shoe. Cleats provide good grip and reduce the risk of falling or spraining during a quick change of direction. Thus, a soccer shoe must offer good stability to the ankle, be wide enough not to compress the foot and have some padding to reduce impact to the foot.

2. Choose the right socks

Although socks are usually provided by your club for match days, opt for more comfortable socks during your practices. Indeed, choose socks that absorb moisture and wick away perspiration. Fibers that are too thin will increase the risk of blisters, so favor thicker fabrics that will limit friction. A good rule of thumb to limit friction is to apply Vaseline to the heel, or to use anti-friction creams, which will help reduce the risk of blisters.

3. Adopt good hygiene

Feet are one of the parts of the body that sweats the most. Daily cleaning and cleaning after physical exercise are essential to limit the accumulation of bacteria. Simple cleaning will greatly reduce the risk of nail fungus and blisters. Regular exfoliation also removes dead skin and limits calluses.

Athlete’s foot, an infection caused by a fungus, is also common among soccer players. Excessive sweating and constant moisture in the feet causes this type of problem. Several good practices will help maintain good foot hygiene:

• Trim your nails regularly to prevent ingrown toenails;

• Put on your socks and shoes with clean, dry feet;

• Moisturize your feet with moisturizer to prevent cracks;

• Avoid walking barefoot in locker rooms, fields or grass to prevent problems with fungal infections.

4. Equip yourself with custom orthotics

For soccer players, foot orthotics can reduce or prevent pain. Custom orthotics, fabricated and modified specially for soccer cleats, improve load distribution under the foot, stabilize foot musculature, and correct biomechanical gait issues. Ask your doctor if orthotics for your soccer cleats might be a good fit.