Choose Sport-Specific Shoes

There’s a reason they make basketball shoes for basketball players, running shoes for runners, soccer cleats for soccer players, and baseball cleats for baseball players. And it isn’t just because shoe companies like money!

The demands that one sport places upon your feet and ankles can be very different from those of a different sport. Why do basketball shoes have heavy soles and high tops? It’s because you need more cushioning for all the jumping you do, and more ankle stability for side-to-side motions.

In other words, those shoes are perfectly suited to protect your feet from the specific dangers of basketball. But trying to run a marathon in them would be a disaster!

If you play a specific sport regularly, you should always have appropriate gear. And if you’re playing more than one or two times per week, or for extended periods of time, you should actually get multiple pairs so that you can rotate between them. Speaking of…

Change Out Socks and Shoes When They Get Damp

If your feet sweat a lot, or you train often, get used to wearing more than one pair of socks per day. While this can be irritating, the truth is that damp footwear is a primary cause of not only fungal infections, but also nasty blisters.

Whenever you can, choose socks made from moisture-wicking fabrics to keep your feet as cool and dry as possible while you play.

Don’t Hang on To Those Shoes Too Long

Yes, we know you can get attached to your sneakers. But all good things must come to an end.

Even a well-cared for pair of sport-specific shoes will eventually succumb to the wear and tear of regular use. Treads grind down, depriving you of traction. Midsoles compress and flatten, meaning there’s less shock absorption being provided by the shoe. In either case, your risk of injury increases.

(Plus, old and sweaty shoes have a nasty habit of becoming a breeding ground for fungal and viral infections—the kinds that can cause athlete’s foot, fungal toenails, and warts.)

The exact lifespan of a shoe depends on factors like materials, construction quality, how often (and how hard) you play, and even your body weight. For runners, a good rule of thumb is about every 300-500 miles. For those who play other sports, keep an eye on your treads, listen to your feet, and use your judgement.

Ease into New Exercises, Sports, or Activities

A new sports season or new training program can be an exciting time—and we know it can be tempting to throw yourself into it with reckless abandon. This might be especially true for the “weekend warrior” set getting back into running or tennis after a few months (or years) of mostly sitting at home.

However, your body’s muscles do need time to condition themselves and adjust to new motions and types of activities, and starting too fast is a great way to wind up with a bad injury—potentially even very painful and severe ones like a ruptured tendon or muscle.

So, always start slowly at a comfortable pace, then gradually increase the duration or intensity of your workouts over a period of several weeks. Showing a little extra patience in the beginning will improve your training and significantly reduce your risk of injury.

Cross Train

One great way to improve your fitness and athletic skill at a faster pace while building endurance and strength and minimizing injury risk is to cross train.

For example, if you love to run or play basketball—both “high impact” sports—make time in your training schedule to participate in other kinds of activities and exercises, particularly of the “low impact” variety. Strength training, riding a stationary cycle, and swimming are all good alternative activities.

There are a couple of big advantages to this approach. Number one, you test and challenge your muscles and joints in a variety of different ways, improving overall coordination and fitness in ways that benefit your performance in your primary sports.

And two, making sure you aren’t slamming your feet every single day, and instead have days dedicated to low-impact exercise, gives them time to rest and recover. This minimizes your risk of overuse injuries.

Know When to Pack It In

Here’s the truth:

While you can expect to feel some fatigue or moderate aches after activity, pain should never be considered a “normal” part of play.

Overuse injuries, like heel pain and Achilles tendinitis, almost always occur because you aren’t listening to your body and don’t quit when you start to hurt.

And if you continue to play even through significant pain, those injuries not only won’t get better—they are likely to get worse. And ultimately, a few more days of “playing through the misery” probably isn’t worth the extra weeks—or even months—of rehab you might be facing afterward.

Simply put: If it hurts, stop doing it.