Can You Prevent Foot Fractures?

Society has worked hard to minimize injury risks and make daily life as safe as possible. We have seatbelts and airbags in cars, warning labels on our electronics, and child-proof caps on medicine bottles. All of these steps are designed to protect people from accidents and serious injuries as much as possible. Even with the best efforts, though, accidents can still happen, as anyone who has ever broken a bone can attest. You can’t always prevent problems like foot fractures—but you can take steps to make them less likely.

You break your foot when the one or more of those bones suddenly gets put under pressure or has to absorb shock that is greater than what it can handle. The hard bone tissue fractures under the strain. If the damage is usually an accident, how do you prevent it? The most effective ways to prevent a foot fracture are to strengthen your bone tissue and protect your lower limbs.

You build strong bones with nutrition and exercise. Vitamin D and calcium are crucial for bone-building. Consuming plenty of dairy products and vegetables help your body thicken and strengthen your skeleton, so your feet aren’t as prone to breaks. Protein increases your muscles, which then support your bones and help them better absorb shock and hard impacts, too.

Exercise increases bone density and muscle support. Small amounts of strain and control impacts actually stimulate your body to thicken your bones, particularly when you’re young. This can help combat bone loss later in life, too. Stronger muscles are more supportive for your feet as well, also decreasing your odds that you’ll break a bone.

Beyond that, how you protect and support your lower limbs is very important. Wearing the right shoes, particularly when you’re active, helps you avoid injuries and overuse that could increase your risk for fractures. Warming up, cooling down, and conditioning your lower limbs also help them handle strain so they’re less likely to break under pressure.

You’ll never be able to completely prevent all foot fractures. Accidents can still happen. You can, however, make them less likely. Let our experts at Gulf South Foot & Ankle, LLC help you protect your feet and avoid all kinds of injuries. Don’t wait for a fracture to strike to care about your lower limbs. You can reach our Metairie, LA, office for more information or an appointment by calling (504) 708-4810.