Don't Get Hurt While Running

Spring is on the horizon (maybe, hopefully) and that usually means the park by my house is once again full of walkers and runners trying to forget winter. That also means injuries to those who try to do too much too soon. A recent article in The Columbian discussed the three most common running related (and I think walking too) injuries and how to prevent them. The top three injuries were: Plantar Fasciitis, Shin Splints and IT Band Syndrome.

Plantar Fasciitis involves pain and inflammation of a thick band of tissue called the plantar fascia, that runs across the bottom of the foot and connects the heel bone to the toes. The plantar fascia support the arch of the foot. Shin splints refers to pain along the shinbone and often occurs in athletes who have recently intensified or changed their training routines. IT band syndrome occurs when the ligament (illotibial band) that extends from the outside of the pelvic bone to the outside of the tibia becomes tight and rubs against the outer portion of the femur.

So, how do you prevent any of these horrible things from happening to you so you can stay fit? According to the article, easing into a routine is the way to go to prevent injuries. New runners and walkers may find it easier to focus on minutes and not miles. Start with a small amount of time and build up or if you want to increase your time and distance with running you can alternate between running and walking. Don't increase your mileage by more than 10 percent per week.
Warming up and cooling down is also important when walking and running. Warm up exercises should be dynamic such as skipping and lunges and light stretching. Cool downs can include walking and more stretching. Remember, rest days are very important.

Shoes are an important part of preventing injuries too. Your feet swell during running and fast paced walking so your feet need room to accommodate this swelling. You might need to buy a slightly larger size running shoe. Over the counter shoe inserts and custom foot orthotics can also help, especially if you are still experiencing pain even after following the above advice. See a foot care provider for a solution.

Parts of the above were taken from Marisa Harshman's article featured in The Columbian on March 2, 2015.

Exercises for Women Who Wear High Heels

Prevent foot pain without giving up your cute shoes.....

Okay, I know I post a lot of stories about high heels. Obviously, I am a female and I wear high heels even though I am in the foot care industry and I know how horrible they are for your feet. They still make your legs look longer and your bootie sit higher so most of us will never give them up! Your high heels may make you feel sexy but unfortunately they give you some very unsexy foot problems such as aching achilles, bunions, bad posture, and ugly feet. These are the top five tips to fight the negative impacts of walking on your tippy toes all day. These were listed in Shape magazine on January 14, 2013 in The Fit List with Jay Cardiello. My comments are in bold italic - just a  disclaimer because of course I had to type my opinion.

1. Gimme a T: Stand on a pillow with your right foot. Extend both arms out to the sides at shoulder height. Lean forward from your hips while simultaneously extending your left leg backwards so that your body forms a T. Hold this position for 30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.

2. Buy at night: We have said this before on our blog!!!!!Make shoe purchases in the evening when your feet are at their largest (they swell during the day) to avoid ending up wearing shoes that pinch and are too tight.

3. Don't be afraid of fat: Huh??? I thought we were talking about shoes. We are - a thicker-heeled shoe creates greater stability and balance and reduces the amount of stress placed on the ball of your feet. Thank goodness for wedges!

4. Mix it up: Alternate wearing heels, flats, boot and sneakers, rotating daily. Constant change makes your body have to adapt continually, helping to prevent overuse or strain a muscle. Same is true for exercises so change it up!

5. Step up your game: Hang your heel off the bottom step of a staircase to lengthen your muscles, improve circulation, increase blood flow and alleviate stress on your Achilles. Gradually move up the stairs and fully extend one leg straight out in front of you, resting it on a step at hip height to open your hamstrings. This helps reduce back pain, create balance within your hips and open your gait. Stand tall and extend your arms in front of you body. Point your fingers ahead and continuously reach them forward as if you were diving in to ease stress in the upper back.


Shape Magazine January 13, 2013 The Fit List with Jay Cardiello

6 Reasons You Shouldn’t Assume Foot Pain Is a Heel Spur

My Google Alerts found this great article from Cleveland Clinic and I thought I would share....

If you feel pain in your heel, you might think you have a heel spur. It’s a common assumption — and a heel spur can cause foot discomfort. However, only 50 percent of people who have heel spurs actually feel any pain because of it.
“A heel spur can be an incidental finding on an X-ray. You can have one even if you don’t have heel pain,” Dr. Davis says. “When we’re treating people, we don’t focus on the spur because often the spur doesn’t have to go away for the pain to resolve,” says orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon, Alan Davis, MD.
A heel spur won’t trouble you unless it is prominent beneath your foot, and you can feel it under the skin. If you concentrate too much on a heel spur, you could miss the true underlying problem, he says.

Where does the pain start?

The foot is a complex structure of ligaments, tendons and bones, so heel and foot pain can come from a variety of sources, Dr. Davis says.
“Oftentimes, it’s not related to having a heel spur. Plantar fasciitis or any other entity that causes inflammation around the heel can cause heel pain,” Dr. Davis says.
Dr. Davis says the first step is to understand where in the foot you feel the most pain: Is it in the heel, arch or toes? It is important for the diagnoses and treatment to understand where a person feels the most tenderness.

What’s causing your foot pain?

1. Repetitive overuse. This is a leading cause of heel pain. People at risk are those who walk heavily on their feet, run long distances, or carry extra weight. You are also susceptible to heel bone inflammation and discomfort if you have a tight Achilles tendon, which connects the calf muscle to the heel bone.
2. Impact injuries. These can cause deep bruises on either the fat pad or the ball of the foot that make it feel like you’re walking on a pebble. Heel bone fractures – either from a fall from a significant height or new, rigorous or repetitive overuse – can also cause pain.
3. Running, jumping or other strenuous activities. These can cause discomfort and inflammation in the ball of the foot.
4. Wearing high heels. Morton’s neuroma, most commonly found in women who wear high heels, is a thickening of tissue around the nerve between the bases of the toes. It leads to foot pain, and sensations of pain numbness in the ball of the foot.
5. Arch pain. Arch pain, most often from plantar fasciitis, affects the heel and arch of the foot. Pain is usually more noticeable first thing in the morning or when one starts to walk after sitting for long periods of time, which is also called “start-up pain.”
6. Other assorted causes. Inflammation and swelling from arthritis can often cause pain. Arthritis typically affects the middle part of the foot and big toe joint. However, bunions, hammer toe, claw toe, turf toe and ingrown toenails can also cause discomfort.

Getting back on your feet

Full recovery from heel pain takes, on average, six months to resolve with appropriate treatment, Dr. Davis says. But the odds are in your favor – only about 5 percent of people fail to improve with some form of treatment. You can help yourself by following these tips:
Stretch. “Most heel pain syndromes have similar treatment – the mainstay is a home stretching program,” Dr. Davis says. “We teach people to stretch daily with good technique and frequency.” Using a night splint to keep the ankle at 90 degrees can help the morning pain, and make the first morning stretching session easier.
Wear appropriate shoes for your activity. “If you’re going running, wear running shoes; going on a hike, wear hiking shoes,” Dr. Davis says. “Wear the appropriate footwear for whatever activity you’re doing to help support your foot properly.”
Buy the right shoes. Choose shoes that don’t rub over any part of the foot or against any bunions or bone prominence. Use extra padding or arch support to alleviate sore bones and relieve pressure.
Show your feet some love. Take anti-inflammatories and ice your foot for pain. Wear over-the-counter arch supports to cushion your feet and absorb the shock of each step.
If these tactics don’t work, Dr. Davis recommends minimizing impact loading activity as much as possible. Immobilization boots can take stress off the foot and ankle, and crutches or a cane can reduce the weight you put on your feet.

Walking in stilettos could prematurely age your joints

This article appeared in the Health section of the Daily Mail.com and I thought I would share.

How 3.5inch heels could prematurely age your joints: Walking in stilettos this high causes changes to the gait seen in ageing and those with arthritic knees 

• Stanford University research could help explain why osteoarthritis is twice as common in women as men
• Study shows that the higher the heels, the more a woman's gait changes
• Other research shows that when a woman slips on a pair of heels, it takes on average just more than an hour for her feet to start to hurt

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2910761/Stilettos-cause-changes-gait-seen-ageing-arthritic-knees.html#ixzz3Q3IYvxVn

Wearing stilettos may not only be painful at the time. 

It could also raise the odds of arthritis in years to come.

A study found that walking in three-inch heels causes changes to gait similar to those seen in ageing and arthritic knees.

The finding could help explain why osteoarthritis is twice as common in women as men.

The Californian researchers said: ‘Because women and men are observed to have similar knee biomechanics during barefoot walking, gender differences in footwear, specifically high-heeled shoes, have been implicated as a possible factor for the higher incidence of osteoarthritis in women.’

The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis, caused by wear and tear of cartilage that helps our joints take the strain of bending, lifting, gripping and kneeling, affects more than eight million Britons.

Stiff, swollen and painful joints can make walking difficult, with stairs particularly tricky.

The Stanford University researchers studied the gait of 14 women as they walked in different types of shoes, from flat trainers to heels that left the women teetering just over three inches off the ground.

The higher the heels were, the more their gait, including the movement of their knees, changed.

Writing in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, the scientists said being overweight may make things even worse.

They added: ‘Many of the changes observed with increasing heel height and weight were similar to those seen with ageing and osteoarthritis progression.

‘This suggests that high heel use, especially in combination with additional weight, may contribute to increased osteoarthritis risk in women.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2910761/Stilettos-cause-changes-gait-seen-ageing-arthritic-knees.html#ixzz3Q3IiIYbs

Just in case you did not already know this.....

Fact is, much of the current crop of popular shoes makes podiatrists grimace. Foot deformities, including hammer toe, bunions, heel spurs, plantar fasciitis and even ankle, knee, hip and back problems, can arise from long-term wearing of bad footwear, experts say.

Taken from a USA Today article written by Sharon Peters

Vitamin D for Foot Pain

I know I always say it but I love Google Alerts. This article caught my attention this morning. It makes me wonder how many vitamins we are missing in our diet with the "junk" we call food today.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/539033-can-vitamin-b-deficiencies-cause-foot-pain/

Flats vs High Heels

I love Google Alerts! I came across this article and wanted to share -
Where do you fall in the age old debate heels or flats?
http://mygloss.com/chic/how-to-2/gloss-how-to-curbing-high-heel-pain/