Fall is here, and if you’re like a lot of Minnesotans, your yard and home would benefit from a little care ahead of the winter season. If you need to put the finishing touches on some garden maintenance, clean out the gutters, rake the yard or hang up some holiday decorations, all this work can be hard on your body and your feet. Below, we share some tips for protecting your feet and ankles when you’re doing yardwork this fall.
Autumn Chores And Your Foot Health
Keep these tips in mind when working outside on your home, and we’re confident that you’ll be doing what you can to reduce your risk of suffering a foot or ankle injury.
1. Right Shoes For The Job – For starters, be sure that you are wearing the right shoes for the work you’ll be performing. Dew and wet leaves can leave slippery spots all over the lawn, and if you’re not wearing a sturdy shoe with plenty of tread, you could slip and fall. Also consider a heavier work boot if you’ll be working with machinery or tools so your feet have some added protection.
2. Height Help – Make sure to take the right precautions if you’ll be working up on a ladder or a roof. Have someone else support the ladder or use a safety harness to ensure that you don’t fall off the roof and suffer a major injury. Foot and ankle injuries may be the least of your concerns if you find yourself tumbling off a roof, so wear fall prevention gear.
3. Break Up The Day – We understand that you’d probably like to get all your fall yardwork completed in a single day, but that may not be feasible if you have a lot to do. Being upright and on your feet all day can overstress the area, so consider breaking up the tasks and completing your fall projects over an extended period. If you start early enough, you won’t feel the need to squeeze everything in on a single day.
4. Listen To Your Body – Listen to your feet and your whole body as you are outside working. If something just doesn’t feel right or you pick up an injury, take a rest to see how your body responds. Pushing through an injury oftentimes causes it to get worse, so don’t keep working if you develop new pain.
5. Stay Hydrated – Although the temperatures are dropping, you may find that you’re working up quite the sweat during your yardwork. If you’re not replenishing those fluids, there’s a chance you’ll become dehydrated, and that can lead to cramping or circulation problems in your feet and calves. Be sure to drink plenty of water before, during and after fall yardwork.
6. Pamper Them Afterwards – Finally, pamper your feet a bit after a hard day’s work. Soak them in a bath or warm shower, utilize ice packs or heating pads, and elevate them to help limit any potential swelling. Doing this will help your feet recover faster from the rigors of the day.
And if course, if you need help diagnosing or treating a new foot or ankle injury that you developed during fall yardwork, pick up the phone and connect with Dr. Silverman and the team at Silverman Ankle & Foot today at (952) 224-8500.
