Sports Injuries of the Foot and Ankle
Sports injuries of the foot and ankle generally fall into one of two categories: (1) Acute/Traumatic Injuries which occur due to a sudden force, or impact, on the foot or ankle, and (2) Overuse Injuries which result from overuse, lack of proper rest, lack of proper warm-ups, or poor conditioning.
But playing sports does not have to mean getting hurt. Warming up adequately, training effectively, using proper equipment for your sport, and recognizing and addressing the early warning signs of injury can reduce your risk of aches and pains.
The following is a list of some of the most common sports-related injuries of the foot and ankle:
Baseball—blisters, ankle sprains, muscle strains, stress fractures
Basketball—ankle sprains, Achilles tendonitis
Bicycling—Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, blisters
Dance—ankle sprains, dancer's fracture, sesamoiditis, plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia, Achilles tendonitis, trigger toe
Football—shin splints, ankle sprains, Achilles tendonitis, turf toe, blisters
Golf—plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, blisters
Running—ankle sprains, Achilles tendonitis, blisters, plantar fasciitis, IT band syndrome, patellofemoral pain syndrome, piriformis syndrome, shin splints, stress fractures, muscle cramps
Skiing/Snowboarding—frostbite, muscle strains, ankle sprains
Soccer—ankle sprains, Achilles tendonitis, IT band syndrome, muscle cramps, blisters, patellofemoral pain syndrome, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, stress fractures
Tennis—Achilles tendonitis, ankle sprains, IT band syndrome, Achilles tendon rupture, stress fractures
Volleyball—Achilles tendonitis, Achilles tendon rupture, ankle sprains
While it is impossible to prevent every injury, research suggests that injury rates could be reduced by 25% if athletes took appropriate preventative action, including the following: be in proper physical condition to play a sport, play by the rules of the sport, wear appropriate protective gear, rest, warm-up, and avoid playing when in pain or when tired.
Just a few extra words about running:
Running is one of the easiest ways for athletes to get injured. Running injuries are common and often affect the ankles and feet. The impact and stress of running is sometimes hard on the muscles and joints, especially if the early warning signs of an injury are ignored. The best way to avoid running injuries is to prevent them using tips such as these:
· Stretch, stretch, stretch!
· Wear Proper Footwear
· Replace Shoes as Needed
· Warm Up Properly
· Cross Train
· Avoid Overtraining
· Follow the Ten Percent Rule
A podiatrist can recommend the proper running shoe for your foot type. If you're not sure which shoe is right for you, consult your podiatrist.
Showing posts with label shin splints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shin splints. Show all posts
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Running Uphill Correctly
I was talking on Sunday with a runner who is training for the Wasatch Back Relay and has been running without difficulty for months. Recently she has been runnning hills and is trying a new hill running technique taught at the local Rec Center and has started having leg pain (shin splints). To help others avoid overuse injury while running hills, I will give my recommendations for hill running:
1. Run hills utilizing the same energy as on flat ground. Instead of "attacking" hills, I recommend running at the same energy expenditure, meaning slightly slower with shorter steps. This will allow you to reach the top of a hill without being short of breath and permit you to return to your pre-hill speed (often passing many runners that overexerted on the hill).
2. Use proper running technique. As you run, arms should swing at your side toward the front and back. Never allow arms to swing across the body as this reduces efficiency of running and interferes with proper swing of the legs. Legs should move straight forward (not to the side, not crossing).
3. Arm swing should be shorter and lower. By less aggressive arm swing, you are keeping the legs closer to the ground allowing better propulsion up the hill.
4. Break hills into reachable mental goals. A majority of hill running is mental (as is most running) and setting short goals helps keep you moving up the hill. I break hills into little sections and countdown the sections as I complete a long or difficult hill.
Uphill running can be a great addition to any running program, and can provide you with an edge when racing. Run smart and keep running...
1. Run hills utilizing the same energy as on flat ground. Instead of "attacking" hills, I recommend running at the same energy expenditure, meaning slightly slower with shorter steps. This will allow you to reach the top of a hill without being short of breath and permit you to return to your pre-hill speed (often passing many runners that overexerted on the hill).
2. Use proper running technique. As you run, arms should swing at your side toward the front and back. Never allow arms to swing across the body as this reduces efficiency of running and interferes with proper swing of the legs. Legs should move straight forward (not to the side, not crossing).
3. Arm swing should be shorter and lower. By less aggressive arm swing, you are keeping the legs closer to the ground allowing better propulsion up the hill.
4. Break hills into reachable mental goals. A majority of hill running is mental (as is most running) and setting short goals helps keep you moving up the hill. I break hills into little sections and countdown the sections as I complete a long or difficult hill.
Uphill running can be a great addition to any running program, and can provide you with an edge when racing. Run smart and keep running...
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Don't Let Shin Splints Get You Down!
As the northern cities clear the last snowfall, spring is on everyone’s mind. Warm weather and outdoor activities are around the corner. Though we are all eager to play catch or hit the running trails, we need to make sure we do not get injured in the process. Outdoor sports often mean uneven terrain. This can lead to a disaster if you do not take time to warm up and train for the demands of outdoor sports.
One of the most common complaints of spring athletes is shin splints. We have all had them and they are just strait up uncomfortable! Your leg muscles are over working and you may develop small tears or inflammation in the muscles or tendons. The injury is minor and can be relieved by rest and icing but the injury can be very painful and will interrupt your training schedule. Through the pain is caused by inflammation of the muscles and tendons in your lower leg, it may actually be the result of a foot problem!
Poor shock absorption can lead to increased stress on the muscles of your lower leg. Imagine when you are jumping and running how much force is being applied to your leg. We wear shoes to help absorb this shock and decrease the stress on our feet and legs. After time, your shoes will eventually lose its shock absorption quality. So if you are planning on wearing your 2 year old sneakers to the track today, you may need to stop at the local shoe store first.
Certain foot types are also poor shock absorbers. Our feet and legs are naturally constructed to absorb the stresses of walking, running and jumping, but not everyone’s foot is created equal. A high arched foot is a poor shock absorber and shoes with additional support should be worn if you have this foot type. You can also get the needed support by wearing custom made orthotics from your local podiatric physician.
Flat feet can also lead to painful shin splints. Flat feet are often caused by excessive pronation. This means that your foot and ankle roll inward at a greater degree than normal. Since your foot and leg function as a unit, when your foot over-pronates your leg will twist. This twisting puts stress on your leg muscles that will lead to inflammation and shin splits when exercising.
Don’t let these common foot problems and painful shin splints keep you off the field or track this season. Podiatric physicians are highly trained to accommodate your footgear and to provide custom support devices or orthotics to help manage your foot type. If you commonly have shin splints, your podiatric physician may also recommend physical therapy to strengthen your leg muscles and to prevent further injury. If you are currently suffering from shin splints remember to rest and ice your leg to allow your muscles and tendons to repair and recoup from the injury.
One of the most common complaints of spring athletes is shin splints. We have all had them and they are just strait up uncomfortable! Your leg muscles are over working and you may develop small tears or inflammation in the muscles or tendons. The injury is minor and can be relieved by rest and icing but the injury can be very painful and will interrupt your training schedule. Through the pain is caused by inflammation of the muscles and tendons in your lower leg, it may actually be the result of a foot problem!
Poor shock absorption can lead to increased stress on the muscles of your lower leg. Imagine when you are jumping and running how much force is being applied to your leg. We wear shoes to help absorb this shock and decrease the stress on our feet and legs. After time, your shoes will eventually lose its shock absorption quality. So if you are planning on wearing your 2 year old sneakers to the track today, you may need to stop at the local shoe store first.
Certain foot types are also poor shock absorbers. Our feet and legs are naturally constructed to absorb the stresses of walking, running and jumping, but not everyone’s foot is created equal. A high arched foot is a poor shock absorber and shoes with additional support should be worn if you have this foot type. You can also get the needed support by wearing custom made orthotics from your local podiatric physician.
Flat feet can also lead to painful shin splints. Flat feet are often caused by excessive pronation. This means that your foot and ankle roll inward at a greater degree than normal. Since your foot and leg function as a unit, when your foot over-pronates your leg will twist. This twisting puts stress on your leg muscles that will lead to inflammation and shin splits when exercising.
Don’t let these common foot problems and painful shin splints keep you off the field or track this season. Podiatric physicians are highly trained to accommodate your footgear and to provide custom support devices or orthotics to help manage your foot type. If you commonly have shin splints, your podiatric physician may also recommend physical therapy to strengthen your leg muscles and to prevent further injury. If you are currently suffering from shin splints remember to rest and ice your leg to allow your muscles and tendons to repair and recoup from the injury.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Treadmill Running...Just Slow Down!!
I was reviewing the post about Madonna falling off of her treadmill and started thinking of the multitude of injuries I see due to the perceived safety of a treadmill. True, the surface of a treadmill does absorb shock, but there is a major natural pitfall with using a treadmill.
When you run - for real, with real forward progression - you are in control. As you tire, what happens? You slow down, of course! Not so on a treadmill. We typically set a speed and stick with it the whole way, for better or for worse. Some can maintain that steady pace, but most can not. As we tire, we'll naturally shift the upper body forward and the running gait will be more unnatural. What will happen? The anterior muscle group of the lower extremity (the front of the leg) will be overworked, as will the Achilles tendon. Then comes the pain...shin splints most commonly along with Achilles pain.
So what do you do to stop it? Well, just slow down! Not by a lot...every so often, maybe after the first third of the run or walk, lower the speed by 0.2 mph. This will allow for the natural fatigue of your baby.
If you wait too long and start to feel some discomfort, drop the speed even more, by as much as 0.5 mph to even a full mph. Then, depending how you feel, slowly increase your speed. If the pain persists, be sure to visit your podiatrist sooner than later.
A treadmill is not meant to be a passive experience. Be sure to listen to your body and make appropriate adjustments along the way.
When you run - for real, with real forward progression - you are in control. As you tire, what happens? You slow down, of course! Not so on a treadmill. We typically set a speed and stick with it the whole way, for better or for worse. Some can maintain that steady pace, but most can not. As we tire, we'll naturally shift the upper body forward and the running gait will be more unnatural. What will happen? The anterior muscle group of the lower extremity (the front of the leg) will be overworked, as will the Achilles tendon. Then comes the pain...shin splints most commonly along with Achilles pain.
So what do you do to stop it? Well, just slow down! Not by a lot...every so often, maybe after the first third of the run or walk, lower the speed by 0.2 mph. This will allow for the natural fatigue of your baby.
If you wait too long and start to feel some discomfort, drop the speed even more, by as much as 0.5 mph to even a full mph. Then, depending how you feel, slowly increase your speed. If the pain persists, be sure to visit your podiatrist sooner than later.
A treadmill is not meant to be a passive experience. Be sure to listen to your body and make appropriate adjustments along the way.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
It's Just a Step To The Left...
No, this isn't doing the "Time Warp!" I'm more interested in my runners who come in complaining about foot, ankle, shin, knee, or hip pain ON ONE SIDE. Here in Houston, TX we have major drainage issues, so all of our streets are banked.
So when runners come into my office, they have done online searches and have a million reasons why they are hurting. They have bought all sorts of supports and liniments to make them feel better...but they don't seem to work. They come in complaining of their IT band hurting, or some shin splint pain on one side and expect me to run a whole barrage of tests to tell them in a high-tech way why they hurt and how to solve it. Then, after I listen to them, I ask the most important question:
What surface are you running on?
Invariably I'll hear an answer that they're running on the side of the road, or another similar uneven surface. I watch as they brace to hear a lecture on how "asphalt is a terrible surface" or "never run on concrete." Instead I ask my next question:
Where on the road do you run?
This is a loaded question...I know pretty well that they're not running in the middle of the road (if they were, there would be bigger problems than limb pain). They're, of course, running harmlessly on the side of the road. A-ha!!
When someone runs on the side of a banked surface, like the local Houston roads, they are essentially creating a leg length difference. This will cause the two feet to function very differently. One limb is going to compensate by attempting to lengthen and the other is going to shorten. A significant imbalance will result and can cause a variety of pains. My great wisdom for these runners?
Take a step to the left...
That's all? That's what they came in for? Well...yes. Sometimes a simple change makes a huge difference. By running on a more even surface, it allows for a more stable and even base and doesn't overwhelm the mechanics. My advice is to not take time off. Nurse the injury with ice and some anti-inflammatory medication, and be more aware of where they're running. I ask them to call me in a week to tell me how they're doing.
The results are amazing! A small adjustment like this causes the lower extremity to even up and makes a huge impact on the biomechanics. The pain gradually improves with essentially no time away from training!
So when runners come into my office, they have done online searches and have a million reasons why they are hurting. They have bought all sorts of supports and liniments to make them feel better...but they don't seem to work. They come in complaining of their IT band hurting, or some shin splint pain on one side and expect me to run a whole barrage of tests to tell them in a high-tech way why they hurt and how to solve it. Then, after I listen to them, I ask the most important question:
What surface are you running on?
Invariably I'll hear an answer that they're running on the side of the road, or another similar uneven surface. I watch as they brace to hear a lecture on how "asphalt is a terrible surface" or "never run on concrete." Instead I ask my next question:
Where on the road do you run?
This is a loaded question...I know pretty well that they're not running in the middle of the road (if they were, there would be bigger problems than limb pain). They're, of course, running harmlessly on the side of the road. A-ha!!
When someone runs on the side of a banked surface, like the local Houston roads, they are essentially creating a leg length difference. This will cause the two feet to function very differently. One limb is going to compensate by attempting to lengthen and the other is going to shorten. A significant imbalance will result and can cause a variety of pains. My great wisdom for these runners?
Take a step to the left...
That's all? That's what they came in for? Well...yes. Sometimes a simple change makes a huge difference. By running on a more even surface, it allows for a more stable and even base and doesn't overwhelm the mechanics. My advice is to not take time off. Nurse the injury with ice and some anti-inflammatory medication, and be more aware of where they're running. I ask them to call me in a week to tell me how they're doing.
The results are amazing! A small adjustment like this causes the lower extremity to even up and makes a huge impact on the biomechanics. The pain gradually improves with essentially no time away from training!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Run Smart And Avoid Shin Splints
Commonly runners are sidelined or limited by the presentation of leg pain during and often after runs. The pain is usually located at the sides of the "shin" bone and can be debilitating, even limiting the ability to walk. Over the years, this has been a problem that I sometimes have encountered in my running. Since I love running (and don't like not running), I have researched over the years some ways to limit the presentation of shin splints while training for a race, or in my case a marathon. I will discuss some ways that we can "run smart" and limit the injuries that have been commonly classified as shin splints.
Although I will not discuss the full causes of shin splints, or what a shin splint is here, additional information can be found at another blog: Utah Running Doctor. For this blog, however, here is the findings I have:
1. Use Correct Shoes --> Running shoes should be used for running, not cross trainers or walking shoes. A quality running shoe will assist in the running motion by limiting over pronation (excessive flattening of the foot) or over supination (increased arch height - rolling out). In choosing a shoe, price is not the most important, but cheap priced shoes are usually cheap shoes. Get a quality shoe, designed for the exercise you are doing (running shoe for running or walking, basketball shoe for basketball, etc.).
2. Train Smart --> As you run or train, Run Smart!
If you are running on a track, understand that always running the same direction on the track will work muscles differently than switching directions. One of the possible causes for shin splints is working muscles at different rates, therefore switching directions regularly will work all muscle of the legs equally and reduce the chances for shin splints.
If you are running on a road, most roads in most locations throughout the country are canted (or tilted to improve water runoff). Therefore, running against traffic always will cause supination of the left foot and pronation of the right foot. With supination, you will work the lateral (outside) muscles of the leg more than the medial (inside) muscles of the leg. Pronation does the opposite. By switching sides periodically, you will again work all muscles equally and prevent the presentation of shin splint symptoms.
Lastly, in running smart, the speed of training should be carefully controlled. Start slow and progress slowly to the amount of running you desire. Give the leg muscles time to get strengthened before forcing them into harder regimen. The speed of progress will require understanding of how much running you have done and where you should start. Cross training (elliptical or bike) can also help even the muscle strength as you progress.
In all these aspects of running smart, it should be understood that shin splints are caused by overusing a muscle group and creating an injury. By adjusting the training to reduce this overuse, you will have a more enjoyable run.
3) Evaluation for possible "gait" abnormalities.
“Gait” abnormalities are best described as running or walking abnormalities. Do you have a leg length problem? Do you over pronate or over supinate? Do you have imbalance issues, back problems, knee problems, or other reasons to overwork a muscle group that may cause your shin spints?
By being evaluated for your running, your “gait” abnormalities can be evaluated and often adjusted to help you return to running without the pain. Once you start to run and love it, everything should be done to keep you running.
Although I will not discuss the full causes of shin splints, or what a shin splint is here, additional information can be found at another blog: Utah Running Doctor. For this blog, however, here is the findings I have:
1. Use Correct Shoes --> Running shoes should be used for running, not cross trainers or walking shoes. A quality running shoe will assist in the running motion by limiting over pronation (excessive flattening of the foot) or over supination (increased arch height - rolling out). In choosing a shoe, price is not the most important, but cheap priced shoes are usually cheap shoes. Get a quality shoe, designed for the exercise you are doing (running shoe for running or walking, basketball shoe for basketball, etc.).
2. Train Smart --> As you run or train, Run Smart!
If you are running on a track, understand that always running the same direction on the track will work muscles differently than switching directions. One of the possible causes for shin splints is working muscles at different rates, therefore switching directions regularly will work all muscle of the legs equally and reduce the chances for shin splints.
If you are running on a road, most roads in most locations throughout the country are canted (or tilted to improve water runoff). Therefore, running against traffic always will cause supination of the left foot and pronation of the right foot. With supination, you will work the lateral (outside) muscles of the leg more than the medial (inside) muscles of the leg. Pronation does the opposite. By switching sides periodically, you will again work all muscles equally and prevent the presentation of shin splint symptoms.
Lastly, in running smart, the speed of training should be carefully controlled. Start slow and progress slowly to the amount of running you desire. Give the leg muscles time to get strengthened before forcing them into harder regimen. The speed of progress will require understanding of how much running you have done and where you should start. Cross training (elliptical or bike) can also help even the muscle strength as you progress.
In all these aspects of running smart, it should be understood that shin splints are caused by overusing a muscle group and creating an injury. By adjusting the training to reduce this overuse, you will have a more enjoyable run.
3) Evaluation for possible "gait" abnormalities.
“Gait” abnormalities are best described as running or walking abnormalities. Do you have a leg length problem? Do you over pronate or over supinate? Do you have imbalance issues, back problems, knee problems, or other reasons to overwork a muscle group that may cause your shin spints?
By being evaluated for your running, your “gait” abnormalities can be evaluated and often adjusted to help you return to running without the pain. Once you start to run and love it, everything should be done to keep you running.
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