Every year a handful of track and field athletes get sliced or otherwise hurt from using track spikes. Despite this, most sprinters feel the improved performance outweighs the risk. Mitigating the risk makes spikes even more worthwhile, especially if you stay aware of what might go wrong.
Foot Wear
The screw holes for track spikes leave little or no padding for the bottom of your foot. This can mean chafing, rubbing and painful blisters. One way to alleviate this is to wear thick socks in running spikes, even applying medical tape to the bottom of your feet at problem spots. It also helps to use your spikes only on soft, forgiving surfaces like a rubber-surfaced track or grass.
Loose Spikes
Spikes come loose while running, and when the shoes are in storage between sessions. In most cases, screwing them firmly back in place will fix it. But as shoes get older, the screw holes themselves can become damaged and no longer hold a spike securely. Injury is rarely the result of a loose or missing spike, but it has been known to hurt a runner's performance. Preventing this problem is a matter of routine maintenance. Always check your spikes and tighten them down before a sprint session or race.
Slicing
This hazard happens accidentally and -- all to often -- as a purposeful cheat in a racing pack. Track spikes are sharp. Even a light graze along the shin with a spiked foot can leave a nasty, bleeding gash. Nearly every sprinter has accidentally sliced his own shin in practice, and nearly as many have sustained cuts from the spikes on another athlete's shoe. Although track sprints confine athletes to specific lanes, this still happens in relays and in off-track sprints. Although this is sometimes unavoidable, care and awareness are your best tools.
Impaling
Getting stabbed with spikes can be painful, and puncture wounds are high-risk for infection. But the length of standard track spikes is short enough that you're unlikely to sustain a crippling or life-threatening injury. Most spike impalements happen when something else has gone wrong already; you won't get one in a relay exchange, but you might get one if you take a head-over-heels fall. As with slices, impales are avoided best with practice and awareness. The more smoothly you move, the less likely you are to take the falls that cause this problem.
References
- Elden Kellar; Track and Field Coach (Retired); Hillsboro, Oregon
- "Healthwise Handbook"; Kaiser Permanente Publishing; 2009
- Mark Barlow; Football Coach; Portland, Oregon
