PODIATRISTS AND SPORTS MEDICINE

04/17/2012     

Warm up Before You Stretch: CA Podiatrist

"When your feet hurt, you hurt all over," says sports podiatrist and marathon runner Franklin Kase, DPM, FAAPSM. Foot pain can be excruciating, making you less likely to get up off the couch, let alone strap on sneakers and get exercising. But there are ways to minimize injury potential, says Kase, who has been a runner for 35 years and has never had a major foot or ankle problem. 

Dr. Franklin Kase

His secret? He wears supportive footwear and incorporates the five elements of exercise into his workout routines: warm up, stretch, aerobic exercise, cool down, then stretch again. You read that right: warm up first, then stretch. "If you stretch before warming up with a three-to-five minute gentle walk or other aerobic routine, your muscles will tense up and form knots,” he warns. And if your lower body muscles are tense and don't perform properly, your feet won’t be supported by your lower body – potentially resulting in injury.

Source: Reyna Gobel, WeightWatchers.com