The Three Best Achilles Stretches for Runners
With the weather warming in the Tri-State New York metropolitan area, our community members continue to increase their cardiovascular activities such as walking, jogging or running. Before you go out on your next run, here are three (3) Achilles stretches you should practice to avoid injury:
Stretch #1 - active stretch: sit on the floor with your legs in front of you. Pull on your toes with your hands until you feel a stretch in the calf muscle. Hold for five seconds, relax, and repeat. You should hold this stretch for short durations of time and it is best to do this stretch if you are recovering from an injury.
Stretch #2 - muscle stretch: face a wall and put one of your legs behind you. From there, lean into a wall and put your weight against your palms while keeping your back leg straight and front leg bent. Keep leaning until you feel a stretch in your Achilles tendon, hold the stretch for 15 seconds and switch legs.
Stretch #3 - wall stretch: When you lean while using a wall, you will want to bend both of your legs (front and back). Keep leaning until you feel a stretch in your back calf and hold for 15 seconds.
If you are experiencing pain and tightness in the back of your heel, it is important to rest from all activities that may have caused the problem. If these home treatments are ineffective, set up an appointment with River Podiatry. Our office in Pearl River, New York, can be reached at +1 845-735-8440 or by email at info@riverpodiatry.com.
