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Lead Stories: Saturday, September 6, 2008

Choose Running Shoes
by Arch Height

Posted September 17th, 2007 at 11:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Training Tips

Check the height of your arches when you shop for new running or walking shoes. If you have high arches, you usually need shoes with good shock absorption. If you have low arches, you will probably benefit from shoes with good motion control (Gait & Posture, July 2007).

When you run, you land on the outside bottom of your foot and roll inward. This is called pronation, which helps to protect you from injury. If you landed on your foot and did not roll, the force of the impact would be transmitted up your leg to increase your chance of breaking bones and tearing muscles. However, as you roll in from the outside bottom to the inside bottom of your foot, you will see that your lower leg twists inward.

Excessive pronation twists your lower leg, which can cause stress fractures of the lower leg bones. It can cause knee pain because it forces your kneecap to rub against the bone of your upper leg. Excessive pronation can even twist your hip joint to cause pain in the hips and lower back.
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Dr. Collins discusses how running can cause toe and toenail damage

Posted September 4th, 2007 at 4:00 AM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

With the temperatures we are having lately, early morning is the time to hit the running trails these days.

In addition to keeping cool when running, you also need to think about your poor toes, especially your longest toe.
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ASK LARA: Introduction and Top-of-Foot Pain

Posted August 21st, 2007 at 8:45 PM by Lara Johnson

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Columns, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Ask Lara

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK LARA!
ASK LARA is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK LARA — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

You’ve heard of ASK FLASH…Welcome to ASK LARA, a new place to submit all of your running questions. Let’s get to it!

Q. So Lara, we have Flash for all of our running and fitness questions, why do we need another Q and A columnist?
~Maggie from Boston, MA

A. I’m glad you asked that question. Well, it’s true that I do not have a catchy nickname. And I don’t have Flash’s years of wisdom, as I am much younger. However, I can offer guidance based upon my own personal and professional experiences. On the personal side of the coin, I have had my share of injuries and triumphs and set-backs, and all of those other things that come with being a runner.

Professionally, I have a background in the sciences, including a M.S. in Health & Exercise Science (See below for my full bio), and simply a fascination with human anatomy and exercise physiology. I am a personal trainer and have worked with the old, the young, heart patients, diabetics, healthy adults, addicts, students, in the clinic, and in fitness. And all related to exercise. In order to tackle your many questions, I am teaming up with Flash so that we may best conquer your running inquiries. Two heads are better than one, right? Plus, perhaps some of you ladies have women-specific questions. Send them my way!
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Running:
The cause or cure for stress?

Posted June 6th, 2007 at 2:33 PM by Jessica Galvano

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

Work. Errands. Overgrown lawns, full laundry baskets, and empty bank accounts. With countless concerns and unrelenting responsibilities, where is the relief? For many, exercise provides a much needed reprieve from life’s incessant demands. If your exercise of choice is running, however, you could be unintentionally creating rather than alleviating stress.

While running may seem the “safest” of athletic endeavors, its non-contact allure oftentimes conceals its high impact risks. Each meeting of foot and pavement introduces the possibility of new stresses, or more specifically, stress fractures.

No strangers to injury, distance runners are often intimately acquainted with this dreaded affliction. Inevitably, over time, constant pounding predisposes shins and feet to fracture; these tiny cracks cause point-specific pain and occasionally, mild swelling. The areas most susceptible to stress fractures include the foot’s delicate metatarsal bones, calcaneus (heel), and tibia (shin)—all essential areas in a sport that requires limber lower limbs.
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ASK FLASH: Sore feet and … the dreaded Plantar Fascitis

Posted March 28th, 2007 at 6:05 PM by Joshua Flash Gordon

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Columns, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Ask Flash

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK FLASH!
ASK FLASH is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK FLASH — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

Feet, feet, and more feet. Pay attention to your feet my fellow runners.

Q. During my longer runs 1:30+ my feet hurt. It is not plantar related, but more of a dull sore pain all over the bottom of the foot when I strike. My shoes are broken in but not old enough to be broken down. What is this and is there anything I can do to alleviate the pain before, during or after my runs?
~Sore Feet from Philadelphia, PA

A. Do NOT neglect your feet. Feet require attention and can’t just be stuffed in a shoe and ignored. My best guess is that you need to strengthen your feet. Do you walk barefoot a lot? Have you tried exercises where you grab a towel with your toes, etc.? Do you stretch your feet? (see Yoga Toes)

I have worked really hard this winter to get my feet and core strong to lessen the effects of pounding. Thus far, it has made a huge difference. Core strength, foot strength, and stride efficiency can alleviate pounding and minimize foot pain. From my experience, ice baths and Epsom salt are both effective in keeping inflammation and aches to a minimum.
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Orthotics for injury prevention

Posted November 27th, 2006 at 12:00 PM by Jonathan Faccone

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Gear & Apparel, Sports Medicine

Runner’s face the risk of injury on a consistent basis because of the extreme and wear and tear of the sport.

The impact that is innate to running is hardest on our joints but also can cause serious injuries to our feet, muscles, etc. Although a good pair of athletic shoes is of the utmost importance, studies how that for many people that just isn’t enough.

That’s why orthotics can be a helpful solution. Orthotics are specifically made foot inserts to correct the biomechanics of the foot during running. Many runners suffer from common lower extremity injuries, such as stress fractures, and studies have found that this is often caused by a person’s stride, pronation, foot structure, etc. In correcting biomechanics, orthotics help keep the foot in the normal position through the footstrike; helping to relieve stress caused by structural or postural instability. Read the rest of this entry »

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Balancing the benefits and consequences of running

Posted November 7th, 2006 at 1:00 PM by Anuradha Kher

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab

Running is one of the most popular forms of exercise and participation in the sport is growing exponentially.

A large part of running’s appeal is that it is easy to get into; requiring only minimal equipment and can be done almost anywhere. For the most part, people run (usually in an effort to stay in shape and/or relieve stress) without giving the activity enough consideration.

Getting started: Things to consider
Beginners and/or runners who are coming back from a long layoff, often do not fully appreciate the possible consequences of the sport. On the other hand, there are also a whole slew of overlooked benefits of running that go beyond just staying in shape or relieving stress. Read the rest of this entry »

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BLISTERS: What They Are and How To “Win the War” Against Them

Posted October 25th, 2006 at 4:00 AM by Trish Monks

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Gear & Apparel, Miscellaneous, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

Trish Monks, writing all the way from England, is a wonderful addition to our team. Although Brits might speak a little differently and make us laugh from time to time - we still love them and we love Trish’s writing. Enjoy!

A Blister is defined as: “A defence mechanism of the human body. It consists of a pool of lymph and other bodily fluids beneath the upper layers of the skin. It may be formed in response to burns or friction, and helps to repair damage to the skin.”

As runners, we all know about blisters. We know that although they seem to be such a small, insignificant ‘injury’, they can hurt like hell, really spoil a run, and - as an added bonus - have more far reaching impacts if not taken care of. Read the rest of this entry »

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Your Foot Type?!?! - A Simple Test To Find Out

Posted June 13th, 2006 at 11:21 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Running & Training, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes

Time to buy a new pair of shoes? Don’t worry - The Final Sprint has all the info you need to help you find that perfect running shoe. All you need to do is the simple water test described below, read Blake’s awesome article entitled “When the shoe fits … wear it!” and you’ll be all set . . .

The right shoe for you depends on whether you are an over, under or normal pronator. This all depends on the height of your arch. I know what you’re thinking . . . “How in the world do I measure the height of my arch?!?” In actuality - it’s quite simple. All you need is a shopping bag, water and a shallow tray or pan.

1. Pour a small amount of water in the shallow pan so that it just covers the entire surface.

just wets your sole.

2. Next, slowly lower your foot onto the surface of the water so it
3. Step onto the shopping bag or onto any heavy paper (Tip: paper bags from the grocery work best)
4. Lastly, check out the mark on the shopping bag and then read below . . .

Note: other factors like weight, mileage, etc are also factors - but your foot type is nevertheless the primary component

Normal Arch
You see about half of your arch? Then your foot has a “normal” pronation (this is most common).
In terms of buying shoes, Runner’s World, you are:

Best suited to a stability shoe that provides moderate arch support (or medial stability). Lightweight runners with normal arches may prefer neutral-cushioned shoes without any added support, or even a performance-training shoe that offers some support but less heft, for a faster feel.

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