Plantar fasciitis is an injury to the plantar fascia, a ligament on the bottom of the foot. When the plantar fascia ligament is stretched beyond its capacity or put under too much pressure, plantar fasciitis can occur. This injury is common in martial arts such as kickboxing.
Kickboxing Injuries
Some injuries that are typical in the martial arts are likely to happen only to actual fighters due to repeated impacts on a punching bag or an opponent's body. People who go to a martial arts fitness class are unlikely to experience this type of injury. Plantar fasciitis, however, can happen to anyone who does kickboxing, even aerobic kickboxing with no contact. For this reason, plantar fasciitis is one of the most common injuries in kickboxing.
Plantar Fasciitis
To perform either a roundhouse kick or front kick, you have to put the weight of your entire body on the ball of your rear foot, which pivots as your front foot performs the kick. This puts a lot of strain on the plantar fascia, sometimes resulting in plantar fasciitis. The foot you perform the kick with also can be injured, because the plantar fascia usually tightens at both the start of the kick and as you are setting your foot down again. This repetitive tightening also can cause plantar fasciitis.
How to Avoid It
The best way to avoid plantar fasciitis is to stretch thoroughly before you train. According to heavyweight bare knuckle fighting champion Dr. Alan Ng, a 15-minute stretching warm-up before practice reduces the risk of an injury. One method of stretching to reduce the risk of plantar fasciitis is to stand 2 feet in front of a wall with your toes turned in at an angle. Lean forward till you reach the wall, without bending your knees or waist. Perform 10 repetitions and stay in the stretch for 10 seconds each time. This exercise should be done after your kickboxing workout, as well, and three times per day in general.
How to Treat It
The primary symptom of plantar fasciitis is a painful heel or arch. Plantar fasciitis is a type of sprain. Like most sprains and other minor injuries in kickboxing, the treatment for plantar fasciitis is to rest the affected foot, put ice on it to reduce any swelling and keep it elevated. If you do this for a few days and it still doesn't seem to be getting better, make an appointment with a podiatrist.
