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Lead Stories: Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Finding a quality physical therapist

Posted August 22nd, 2007 at 4:05 PM by Julie R. Keen

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

physical therapist therapy It is hard, at times, to find a quality physical therapist. As a practicing physical therapist for nearly 15 years, I have heard some incredible horror stories of people going to “PT” only to receive a hot pack, ultrasound, and a sheet of exercises. The therapist might have had 5 or 6 other clients being treated simultaneously, and the new client had a barely 5 minute “consultation” before having the hot pack slapped on.

Of course there are also great therapists out there who can eliminate a chronic pain after only 2 or 3 sessions. Those who can explain and teach proper body mechanics in ways that even the most uncoordinated clients can understand and put into practice. So how does the average person find the latter and not fall into the former?

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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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When to stop running from injury…and how to start again

Posted January 22nd, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Paul Petersen

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

If you browse through any running magazine, website, or forum, you are sure to see a menagerie of articles and posts about overuse injuries. Stress fractures, tendonitis, “runner’s knee”, groin strains, and that beast, plantar fasciitis, all come up with surprising regularity. Let’s face the unfortunate truth, injuries can be a part of running.

Many of us have lost significant time due to injury, time loss that I argue is preventable. Often an injury starts as a minor problem that we ignore and try to train through. Perhaps the next big marathon is coming up and we can’t “afford” to lose the training or the $80-$100 entry fee that we’ve already paid. But the minor injury soon grows into a major injury, and all that we sought to salvage is lost: training is down the tubes, entry fees wasted, and beyond that even more money lost on doctor bills and physcial therapy. Who has been down this road? I have!
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