If you’re interested in a shoe to help you with toning up and you’re considering purchasing an expensive pair of one of those new and cool rounded shoes on the market, please read on.
Sketchers and MBT lead the way in this category with their ‘shaping’ shoes, or shoes that are supposed to help you tone up while you walk. In theory, this sounds great…work on an activity that should tone you up just by doing it, and tone up because of the footwear you choose versus the activity you are performing…and, of course, there is no downside?? Read More »
Within the last year or two, there have been significant additions to the ‘types’ of footwear available for athletes. Sketchers and MBTs have their ‘shape ups’ type of shoes and Vibram, the maker of soles for many shoe and boot companies, has come up with its own concept. (We’ll save the topic of shape-ups for the next discussion and you’re gonna wanna read it!!!) Vibram’s first foray into the shoe world comes in the form of a glove-looking neoprene withVibram sole product.
It is born from sound principles of gait and markets to the those looking to benefit from being as close to being barefoot as possible without actually being barefoot. Vibram’s FiveFingers might just be that product and they are certainly onto something. Read More »
Ankle sprains/strains are common injuries with athletes of all kinds. I see them with runners, triathletes, figure skaters, soccer players, volleyball players, basketball players, and more…proper treatment for these injuries is essential if the patient wishes to be able to continue with their activities at a competitive level.
Before we begin, we should differentiate between a sprain and a strain. Sprains involve ligaments and strains involve muscles. It is possible to have one without the other (example: hamstring strain).
The vast majority of ankle sprains/strains are what we call inversion sprains. This means that the ankle turns in. This type of injury can lead to damage to various structures, including muscles, ligaments, and even bones. Read More »
After successfully treating hundreds of plantar fascial pain (plantar fascitis or plantar fasciitis) patients who have tried other forms of treatment with limited or no success, I figured it’d be nice to write a blog about a different way to approach this problem. I expect my PT and podiatrist friends to disagree, but that’s okay…the more approaches we have to help patients, the better! I serve as the official chiropractor/rehabilitation specialist for the Baltimore and Frederick Marathons, and treat hundreds of triathletes, so I believe my over a decade of experience with related injuries is worth discussing. One thing to remember is that there is no single treatment protocol for any injury that works 100% of the time, but a different approach to plantar fascitis is warranted due to the high failure rates of current interventions. Read More »
Last year, Howard County Public Schools banned the use of flip flops. Apparently, the was an increased incidence of lower extremity injuries and the school system figured that by reducing flip flops, that the injury potential would be reduced…So, does this make sense or not?
Well, simply put, yes, it makes sense!
When you put on a thong/flip flop, you have to hold onto it with your big toe and second toe. This is something you don’t see with any other footwear products and for good reason…it’s not a natural thing to do. When you have to grip the thong, you are immediately changing your gait. This is a bad thing. This goes along with not having any strap or support around your ankle. The normal gait cycle involves heel strike with the lateral posterior portion of your calcaneus. The calcaneus bone is made for impact so we should use it for this. With flip flops, because you don’t tend to heel strike, you end up ‘flopping’ around and more or less hitting the ground with your mid-foot. The mid-foot is not made for impact…you can take a look at the bones of the feet to understand why this is. Read More »
