Hi, and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.
It’s wise not to overdo it as a runner, or you could do more harm than good. If you have a running injury, it’s often best to take a break from pounding the pavement. This gives your body a chance to recover, but is it true that you sometimes don’t need to? Athlete’s foot is one of the most common injuries for runners. In this article I’ll be looking at whether or not it’s a good idea to carry on running with the condition.
Athlete’s foot is something that as a runner, you’ll probably have to deal with at some point. This is because athlete’s foot is a common infection that grows when your foot is subjected to warm, moist dark environments for long-periods of time. So obviously if you run – especially if you’re the kind of person who likes long-distance running, you’re going to run the risk of getting this condition.
If you get athlete’s foot it’s hardly going to be life threatening, but you should go to a doctor and get it treated, before this irritating condition spreads to other parts of your body and becomes a real issue. You’ll know you’ve got athlete’s foot if your feet have become dry, red, scaly, flaky, soggy, cracked or covered in small blisters, and usually your doctor will prescribe you a special cream to treat it.
So should you keep running while you’re recovering from athlete’s foot? It pretty much depends on how severe the condition is. Obviously if your athlete’s foot is so bad you can’t put pressure on your feet, then it’d be a really bad idea to go for a jogging session. It’s wise to ask your doctor to be sure, but for milder cases of athlete’s foot, you may be ok to keep running while you’re in recovery.
It’s a good idea, however, to make sure that you never get to this stage, by using preventative measures to stop athlete’s foot. Here it’s all about picking the right running shoes, as your shoes are breeding grounds for the kinds of bacteria that cause athlete’s foot – this is why it’s a more common problem for runners. The best thing you can do is to choose some appropriate running shoes made of breathable materials.
You should also make sure you wear good running socks, so you can really knock athlete’s foot on the head before it develops. There are actually special running socks you can get that are made of technical fabrics – unlike cotton, which is the most common material for socks, these fabrics are known to wick away sweat which will prevent athlete’s foot before it has a chance to develop.
There are a few other things you can do to stop athlete’s foot in its tracks. Wash your feet immediately after you run, so any bacteria doesn’t get time to build up. You can also buy special products for your shoes, which can help ensure they don’t become breeding grounds for the condition. A great one is the SteriShoe UV shoe sanitizer, available online, which claims to kill around 99% of bacteria in shoes.
So yes, you probably can run in some cases, when you have athlete’s foot. However it might be best to give it a rest for a little bit, so your feet have some time to recover. That way you can get back to running as soon as possible, knowing that you can get the most out of your favourite activity!
Until the next time,
Mohsin Salya.