FitSugar

Keep Running: Prevent Plantar Fasciitis With These Tips

Susi May — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:06:42 PST

From pounding the pavement running to spending a day in fashionable shoes that lack proper support, feet take a beating. If you're training for a race this Spring and upping your mileage, it pays to show your peds some love. You can do some preventive prehab to avoid coming down with a case of plantar fasciitis. This painful condition, which can be common in new runners and affects women more than men, occurs when the the fibrous band that runs from the heel bone to the base of the toes stretches too far and tears. These micro tears cause inflammation of the fascia and the tissues surrounding it, making every footstep painful and abruptly stalling your training schedule. If you're experiencing some unexplainable heel pain, try these methods to keep plantar fasciitis at bay.

Injury Prevention: Flexible Feet to Avoid Plantar Fasciitis

FitSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:30:00 PDT

Runners, walkers, bikers, and hikers rely heavily on their feet. Feet allow us to do the things we love, but all that stepping, jumping, and pounding can cause damage to the plantar fascia. It's a thick band of tissue that covers and protects the bones on the bottom of your feet. When put under too much stress, these tissues can tear, causing a painful condition called plantar fasciitis. The tears cause inflammation and scar tissue, which can make your feet even less flexible. To prevent this problem in the first place, it's a good idea to stretch your plantar fascia regularly, so you can keep doing the activities you love.

Stretching your feet is one of the best preventative activities you can do. To see a foot stretch I like to do when barefoot before and after a run, just

A Pain in Heel: Plantar Fasciitis

FitSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:30:00 PST

Quite simply put, plantar fasciitis is an enemy of fitness. Once this problem truly starts, the best remedy is to stop any high impact activity, and sometimes even biking. Talk about a bummer!

It is an over use injury affecting the fascia, a type of connective tissue, on the bottom of your foot. Plantar fascia is a thick, fibrous band that runs from your heel bone to the base of your toes. When the fascia is placed under too much stress, it stretches too far and tears. This causes inflammation of the fascia as well as the tissues that surround it. The tears can become scarred as they heal, creating even less flexible tissue, which makes the problem even worse. Runners are susceptible to this condition since running can create tight calves. If your calves get tight, they can pull on the fascia, increasing the tension on the fascia, decreasing its flexibility and leading to tears. Yep, this is just one more reason to stretch. Over training can lead to this condition too, and that is why rest days are vital, as well as gradually increasing the lengths and intensities of your runs.

To see who is more prone to developing this injury

read more. The condition is more common in women, people who are overweight, and folks with flat feet or high arches. Over pronation, placing too much weight on the inside of the foot, can lead to plantar fasciitis when combined with worn out, unsupportive sneakers. The major symptom of this condition is pain at the base of your heel, especially during your first few footsteps in the morning, or at the beginning of a run. Treatments include resting (this means not running for a while, which can be a real pain), ice massage (use a Cryocup), and stretching your calves (here are two great stretches)! It is important to stretch the deep calf muscle called the soleus. Source

What's the Deal With: Plantar Fasciitis

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 11:45:00 PDT

Quite simply put, plantar fasciitis is an enemy of fitness. Once this problem truly starts, you need to stay away from high impact activities and that can be a serious bummer.

It is an over use injury affecting the fascia, a type of connective tissue, on the bottom of your foot. Plantar fascia is a thick, fibrous band that runs from your heel bone to the base of your toes. When the fascia is placed under too much stress, it stretches too far and tears. This causes inflammation of the fascia as well as the tissues that surround it. The tears can become scarred as they heal, creating even less flexible tissue which makes the problem even worse. Runners are susceptible to this condition since running can create tight calves. If your calves get tight, as they can pull on the fascia, increasing the tension on the fascia, decreasing its flexibility and leading to tears. Yep, this is just one more important reason to stretch. Over training can lead to this condition too, and that is why rest days are vital, as well as gradually increasing the lengths and intensities of your runs.

The condition is more common in women, people who are overweight, and folks with wither flat feet or high arches. Over pronation, placing too much weight on the inside of the foot, can lead to plantar fasciitis when combined with worn out, unsupportive sneakers.

The major symptom of this condition is pain at the base of your heel, especially during your first few footsteps in the morning, or at the beginning of a run. Treatments include resting (this means not running for a while, which can be a real pain), ice massage (use a Cryocup), and stretching your calves! It is important to stretch the deep calf muscle called the soleus.

Source

Running Prehab: Toe Scrunch

Susi May — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 04:24:31 PDT

Running can take a toll on your feet, but I have found a simple prehab (you know, avoid the injury before it happens) exercise to keep your dogs strong so you can stay on the road. Amy Yoder Begley, training partner of my fave runner Kara Goucher, shared her healthy running secrets with Runner's World. In her arsenal of preventative tricks: the toe scrunch.

This simple exercise strengthens the foot and shin muscles helping to keep overuse injuries like plantar fasciitis at bay. I have been doing 25 a day on each foot as part of my morning ritual, whether it is a running day or not; it takes under a minute to do. My feet have never felt better, especially after long runs.

To see toe scrunch in action, keep reading.

Should You Start Barefoot Running?

Leta Shy — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:26:08 PDT

Has the sight of celebs traipsing around town in Vibram FiveFingers made you anxious to start barefoot running? Responding to the minimalist shoe craze, the American Council on Exercise decided to test out those barefoot running shoes to see how they fared for normal everyday runners. The council tested Vibram's Bilkia model on 16 recreational joggers and compared their performance running in these shoes, regular neutral shoes, and running barefoot. So, should you dip your toes into the barefoot running trend? Read on to find out the pros and cons of running like your ancestors after the break.

Preventative Exercises Every New Runner Should Learn

FitSugar — Thu, 05 May 2011 01:55:05 PDT

If you've got a spring in your step because of the nice weather, you may want to enjoy the fresh air by starting a new running hobby. But being a runner isn't just about lacing up fancy new kicks and hitting the pavement. By incorporating a few exercises into your workout routine, you can help prevent some injuries that are common in the running world. Here are a few of them to start doing now.

Strengthen those quads. Running is a great way to work out your hamstrings, so working on your quads is key to keeping your leg muscles balanced and for preventing injuries like runner's knee. To strengthen your quads, try adding squats to your routine.
Stretch your IT band. If you've talked to regular runners, chances are you've heard them complain about IT band injuries or knee pain. Be proactive about these injuries by making sure you stretch out your IT band regularly, even if you aren't feeling any pain. Use a foam roller on the outside of your quads or do this standing exercise after a run to ensure you keep your IT band loose.
Move laterally. Counteract all that forward-moving motion you're doing with exercises that get you moving side to side. Exercises like side lunges and side planks help strengthen stabilizing muscles, which are important for ensuring you're running correctly and efficiently. Doing skater's lunges are also beneficial.

Read on for three more important exercises for runners after the break.

Common Running Injuries and How to Avoid Them

Susi May — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:10:03 PDT

Even with the longer days of the Summer months, I sometimes feel like there is so much training to do and so little time to pack it in. Upping your mileage certainly brings increased stamina, so you can "bring it" at your races, but it can also mean increased injury risk. Overuse injuries are the bane of any runner's well-laid training plans. And that is where some prehab comes into play. You can strengthen areas prone to injury, hopefully bypassing nasty and nagging injuries that can often follow you as you log mile after mile. Here are four common running issues and how you can hopefully prevent them.

Shin Splints

Symptoms: Pain in the lower leg starting below the knee. It can be either on the outside of the shin (called anterior shin splint) or the inside of the bone (referred to as medial shin splint).
Causes: Shin splints are small tears in the area where the lower leg muscle attaches to the tibia, aka the shin bone. The tears are caused from overuse, especially after periods of inactivity. In runners, shin splints often occur because the calf muscle becomes stronger than the tibialis anterior, the muscle on the outside of the shin.
Prevention: Stretch your calves regularly, even on days you don't run. And when running, think about lifting your heels toward your pelvis to activate the hamstring rather than propelling yourself forward by pushing off with your feet, which activates the calves. As for strength training, a series of toe and heel walks help to balance the muscles of the lower leg.

Unfortunately there are more injuries, so keep on reading.

RX For Sore Feet: Rubz Massage Ball

FitSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:30:00 PDT

When my feet are dog tired, I like to give them a Rubz down. This little ball, just under two inches in diameter, gives the perfect foot massage.

While standing, place your foot on the ball and roll; the 172 "stimulating fingers" work the soles of your feet. If you want more pressure, you simply put more of your body weight onto the ball. My feet crave a little rub after a long hike or run. Giving your feet a little love can help prevent plantar fasciitis, an overuse foot injury that can sideline runners. The massage brings blood to the stiff fascia, making it more pliable and responsive to preventative stretching. You can pick up a Rubz at REI for $5. A cheap and easy foot rub, however, is truly priceless.

Stretch It: Calves

FitSugar — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 04:00:00 PDT

Tight calves can be an unwanted side effect of such opposite activities as running or wearing high heels. Many people neglect stretching their calves! Since you have two layers of calf muscles, you need to do two stretches to ensure you are reaching both.

So try these stretches after your next run or after a night of dancing in your Jimmy Choos.

Gastrocnemius Stretch

Place your hands on a wall, or if you are outside, on a tree!
Step your right foot back, bending the left knee (don't let the knee bend forward past the ankle).
Keep your right toes pointing straight ahead (people tend to turn their toes out to the side) and reach your heel into the ground.

Hold for 30 seconds

Soleus Stretch

Continue to keep your hands on the wall, but move your right foot in three to four inches.
Bend you right knee slightly and really anchor your right heel.
Shift your weight over your left foot and keep reaching down with your right heel to increase the stretch.

Hold for 30 seconds

Repeat both stretches on the left side. Stretch each side two to three times.

Fit's Tips: It is important to do these stretches in the above sequence. You need to stretch the bigger calf muscle before working deep to the soleus. Both these stretches are great for preventing plantar fasciitis.

Foot & Ankle Institute