Keep On Walking

Spring has finally arrived! The air is fresh, clean and everyone and everything is invigorated after the long winter. But before you step into your walking sneakers and head out the door, here are some things to keep in mind. First, as always, talk to your healthcare provider before starting any exercise program and if you feel there’s any cause for concern. So out the door you go!

You’re walking along at a good pace and get a pain on the side of your big toe. What the heck? This could be the beginnings of a bunion. A bunion develops when the bones in the joint on the outer side of the big or little toe becomes misaligned which then swells. Wearing wider shoes or cushioning the bunion with over the counter bunion pads can help. You can also ice it for 20 minutes after walking. Also something as simple as an ingrown toenail can cause problems. Your toe can become painful when the corners or sides of your toenail grow sideways rather than forward. This causes excess pressure which could cause bleeding and loss of the toenail. Preventing this is as easy as using toenail clippers and cutting straight across the toenail.

You’re eyeing up the hill on your walking route even though you haven’t walked it yet this year. You decide to just go ahead and book up it. Near the top, you feel a soreness in your shins. Uh oh, shin splints! This is caused by overworking the shin muscles. The strain and leg pain is caused by strong calf muscles pulling on weaker muscles near the shin. You need to cut back on your walking for 3 to 8 weeks so the tissues can heal. You may need ibuprofen or other OTC drugs to relieve pain. Cold packs can be used to reduce swelling. When you’re in shape to walk again, find a dirt path and walk about 20 minutes at a moderate pace. Increase distance and speed slightly over the next couple of weeks. If it acts up again, rest it a day or two and start up again even more slowly.

You’re walking at a good pace and feel pain in your foot or lower leg. If you press on it, it feels tender. You may have a stress fracture. These are most common in the lower leg. Your leg muscles become over loaded from repetitious stress. If you ignore a shin splint this can happen because the strain on muscles and tissues will eventually shift to the bone. If you walk too long without building up to it this also can cause stress fractures. Let your foot or leg heal for several weeks. When you start walking again, stop before you feel any symptoms start up.

As you can see, overdoing it can cause injury that will cut back severely on your exercise program. Use common sense when first starting out. Remember to replace your walking shoes when the cushion inside has worn down. Don’t go too fast and pace yourself. Best of all, enjoy the spring and the summer to come, safely!

By Linda Lee Ruzicka

Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 8 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She also does freelances work for Beyond and Healthcarejobsite. You can read more of her blogs on Healthcarejobsite blog.