Gait deviations clustering gait deviations – injury – new data

In a previous blog article, I discussed the question “Is there a gait deviation or cluster of gait deviations which is common across musculoskeletal pain syndromes?” The consensus is currently there is no definitive evidence suggesting one gait deviation or cluster of gait deviations occurs more frequently or is more important than another. More research…

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Puny Calf Muscles Syndrome

It is time to replace the common belief that stretching exercises should occur before exercise or sporting activity with a newer concept that strengthening exercises for the calf muscles should occur before exercise or sporting activities. During warm up for exercise & sporting activity make a conscious effort to walk with spring in your step. Reactivating & reversing puny calf muscles can prevent injury, increase athletic performance, forestall old person shuffle, & look better.

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Gait Deviations Musculoskeletal Pain Syndromes: Is there a gait deviation or cluster of gait deviations which is common across musculoskeletal pain syndromes?

Gait deviations are considered risk factors and/or causative drivers for musculoskeletal pain syndromes. There is a growing body of research showing a relationship between gait deviations and musculoskeletal pain syndromes injuries: shin pain (here, & here,) ; patella-femoral arthralgia (here); IT band syndrome; Achilles pain; plantar heel pain (here, & here). There is growing consensus…

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How to exercise to lose weight when exercise is painful

High body mass index (BMI) is significant factor in low back pain, osteoarthritis; hip osteoarthritis; knee osteoarthritis, plantar heel pain. Weight loss intervention for pain reduction Decreasing body weight is an effective intervention to decrease musculoskeletal pain. Research by Stephen Messier at Wake Forest U, looking at individuals with painful osteoarthritis of the knee who…

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“Deme Bones” – Regional interdependence

The common reframe from the old spiritual song “dem bones” is the “toe bone is connected to foot bone”. In the medical community this concept of mechanical connectiveness is referred to as “regional interdependence”. Regional interdependence is seemingly unrelated impairments in remote anatomical regions of the body may contribute to and be associated with a…

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Gait Deviation – Excessive Inward Rotation of Hip Joint

Excessive inward rotation of the hip joint can be a contributing factor to development of repetitive use injuries of: Lateral hip pain (gluteal muscle tendinopathy) Buttock pain (piriformis syndrome) Anterior knee pain (patella femoral arthralgia) Lateral knee pain (IT band syndrome Shin pain (posterior tibial tendinopathy) Plantar heel pain This video first illustrates the gait…

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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…

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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…

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Woman’s One-Sided Worries

Over the years, I’ve noticed that my female patients experience unilateral hip and/or knee pain (pain on one side of the body) more often than my male patients do. This predisposition has been observed by others as well Lateral hip pain is typically called bursitis, piriformis syndrome, or gluteal tendinopathy. Studies have shown the incidence…

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