Running Archives - Page 4 of 6

That’s a Stretch: Why Stretching May Not Always be the Solution

It’s good to stretch a dollar. It’s bad to stretch the truth. But what about stretching your calves? That might depend on whether you believe Dr. Google every time a search result says to stretch sore calves. Calf stretching aims to increase the range of motion (ROM) for ankle dorsiflexion. “Dorsi” is a prefix meaning…

Keeping the Spring in Your Step: Ankle Joint Power & Aging

As we amass more birthdays and get older we tend to walk/run slower, take shorter steps, and fewer per minute. Why do we seem to have less spring in our step the older we get? Kids move fast and crash elderly move slow and crash. One factor is kids have good ankle power elderly…

IT Band Syndrome – Controversy Regarding Stretching Exercise

The Iliotibial (IT) Band is a tendon on the lateral aspect of the hip/thigh/knee. It is a large, wide, thick tendon. A tendon is a structure that attaches muscle to bone. IT band syndrome is a typical injury occurring in runners. A commonly recommended treatment for IT band syndrome is stretching exercise. Searching Google for…

Shoes too big for foot contributes to injury

A majority of all people are in shoes that are incorrect shoe size according to Fawn Evenson director of the Footwear Industries of America. There are two potential errors when selecting what size shoes to wear. Either the shoe will be too small for the foot or too large for the foot. In my experience…

Cuing to Alter Gait Deviation of Too Long a Step

Cuing to Alter Gait Deviation of Too Long a Step Mathematics helps explain walking or running faster. Step length X steps per minute = speed. In order to move faster there are 3 opportunities take longer steps or strides, increase the steps/minute (cadence), or do both longer steps and a faster cadence. Taking longer steps/stride…

Shoe Soles: Stiff Rocker Bottom Sole versus Flexible Sole “Barefoot”

There are many things to consider when selecting shoes, including comfort, injury and energy expenditure. Arnie Davis a Certified Pedorthotist has coined the term shoes with rocker bottom soles are the proverbial “aspirin” for chronic foot problems. A rocker sole shoe is recommended to help manage a number of painful injuries including: low back pain;…

Knee Pain Wringing Out – Gait Deviation

Knee pain can develop because of a “wringing out”. I am not referring to banging a bell ring, but the counter-rotation motion that can occur at the knee joint. The knee joint consisting of the thigh and lower leg moves on three different planes of motion. The knee can flex and extend. The knee can…

Back Pain Dilemma – Keep on Walking

Walking is commonly recommended by many medical professional associations for management of back pain. Walking is purported to be beneficial counteracting the potential deleterious effects of bed rest, maintaining functional abilities, stimulating use of spinal core muscles, keeping the general benefits of aerobic exercise, and providing pain reduction effects. Pain Walking can provide relief to…

Deviant Gait – Compensation

Compensation is necessary when there is injury or a necessity of making up for something unwelcome or unpleasant. Compensation can be perceived as a negative or positive situation. With injury the dichotomy is will there be recovery or compensation? Salamanders are fascinating animals that are capable of regenerating lost limbs, as well as other…

Body Proportions – Musculoskeletal Pain – Sports Performance

The importance of knowing how tall we are is somewhat obvious. What is less obvious is the importance of knowing the proportionality of our vertical height. The ideal proportionality of a human body’s stature was defined by Leonardo da Vinci. The “Vitruvian Man” or “drawing of proportions of man” is the ideal human proportions…