Strengthening Exercises for Intrinsic Foot Muscles

Exercises to strengthen the foot are frequently used to treat injuries to foot, ankle, knee, hip and low back.  Toe curl or toe scrunching exercises is not appropriate for strengthening the muscles intrinsic to the feet. Muscles about the foot and ankle are described as either extrinsic muscles or intrinsic muscles.  Extrinsic foot muscles have…

Read More

Stiffness – Resistance to Change: Good or Bad?

In the realm of health and fitness, the term stiffness often has a bad connotation. In reality, being stiff can have positive benefits.   When something is stiff, it is difficult to change. When the range of motion of a joint is limited, it is also described as stiff. There is an optimal range of motion…

Read More

Shock – Injury – Cadence – Quiet

How hard a walker or runner impacts the ground can be described with several biomechanical terms, including vertical impact loading rate, braking impulse force, and shock. Scientists have determined it is not the magnitude of force, but the rate at which the force is transmitted from the ground to the foot and leg that is…

Read More

Shin splints – shock absorption, stride length

The term shin splints refer to a painful condition that develops in the lower leg, usually along the tibia bone, in response to exercise or activity. Shin splints are a common problem for novice runners, dancers, field hockey, basketball, baseball and tennis players, and even walkers. Shin splints can be classified into different problems including: tendonitis,…

Read More

Pain on Bottom of Heel: Faulty Shock Absorption

Pain on the bottom of the heel (Plantar Heel Pain) is a complex problem with variable diagnoses and explanations. And, with variable diagnoses there should be variations in treatment. Unfortunately, the common treatment recommendations do not recognize such variability. Not all pain on the bottom of the heel is the same and not all pain…

Read More

Heel Whip When Running

There is a growing body of evidence among healthcare professionals to suggest the way we run contributes to the risk of a repetitive use injury, and that gait retraining is an effective intervention for managing repetitive use injuries. There is less consensus and much debate on which movement faults are more important. Common movements that…

Read More