Hiking Tips That Will Keep You Injury Free

Mile 8 of the Peak-to-Peak Hike

With warm weather and summer ahead, you may be looking forward to lacing up your hiking boots and hitting your favorite trails. Hiking is a great form of exercise that can improve your cardiovascular fitness and build muscle. However, it’s important to be cautious and sure-footed during your hike in order to prevent common injuries from occurring such as blisters, ankle sprains or breaks.

Chiropodist Tony Abbott recommends these hiking guidelines to ensure your safety so that you can get outdoors and enjoy your hiking experience. They include:

• Start out on the right foot with proper footwear. Hiking requires little equipment so make the investment of hiking gear where it’s needed most with a proper fit of hiking shoes. Support and foot stability is critical to have in a shoe in order to prevent an injury from occurring.  Make sure your hiking boots or shoes provide the right traction and support for your feet.
• Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water before, during and after your hike to keep your body hydrated and your joints lubricated, which will help prevent injury. Consider carrying a bottle of water with you, especially on warm and sunny days.
• Don’t rush. It’s important to not overdo it, especially if you’re a beginning hiker. Start off with smaller distances and gradually increase your pace and time in order to prevent muscle pain, strains and other injury occurrences.
• Prepare. Hiking is a big cardio endurance activity so it’s critical to properly prepare for your hike by taking the time to stretch both before and after.  This will help keep your muscles loose, which will help prevent an injury from happening.
• Keep your eyes open. Although this may seem obvious, it’s important to focus on where your feet are landing as a simple misstep due to loose debris or tree roots can easily cause an ankle sprain to occur. 

 

Keep these tips in mind and you’ll be set for the trail ahead! Chiropodist Tony Abbott enjoys hiking as a way of exercise and participated in the Peak to Peak Escarpment Hike at Niagara, a fundraising hike-a-thon, this past Saturday, May 12. Contact the Abbott Foot & Ankle Clinic if you have any further questions or set up an appointment.

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No More Pain for this Runner – A Case Study

Fun runners taking part in the 2006 Bristol Half Marathon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A 35 year old female runner presented to clinic complaining of heel and arch pain in both feet since increasing her training for a half marathon. She had custom foot orthotics from her chiropractor 1year ago, which she felt were “just okay.”

On the initial visit, a biomechanical examination and gait analysis were performed.  Her old orthotics were checked for proper fit and function. These were very rigid and not supporting her feet adequately. Impressions were done of both feet for the prescription and manufacture of new custom foot orthotics.  The new orthotics were composed of 3 layers of materials (all different densities) to produce a soft yet highly supportive orthotic designed to absorb the impact of her training.

Four weeks after the orthotics were fit, she was pain free and had increased her long training runs. Since this time she has completed 2 half marathons and several 5km runs with no foot pain.

If you have any questions on your foot health care, please contact our office.

Want to Improve Your Running Training and Health? Cross Train!

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

If you have a set exercise routine that you follow daily, you most likely are in great shape.  However, if you stick to the same running or workout routine, then you may be setting yourself up for foot injuries, body exhaustion, or just plain boredom from participating in the same physical activities day after day. How can you prevent injury or burnout from affecting your exercise? Cross training is the answer!

When you cross train it conditions different muscle groups and allows variation of stress to be put on those muscles you don’t normally put to use. There are many health benefits that can come from incorporating cross training into your exercise regimen, especially if you are training for an intense event like a marathon.

·       Injury prevention.  By focusing on different muscles from those trained in your usual routine, cross training conditioning can help tremendously to prevent foot injuries from occurring. If you have just started running or a new workout routine, then cross training is especially beneficial since it will help your body become agile and prepared for your exercise.

·       Rehabilitation. If a running injury does occur from overuse, cross training can make up for the exercise you lose when recovering. For example, if you are suffering with a foot injury, but still want to keep up with your workout routine, you can perform exercises that focus on core or upper body strength. This can only benefit your health and will keep you in shape for when you are able to return to running.

·       Motivation. Even if you have a passion for running, it can become very mundane especially if you run the same route every day. By cross training and engaging in other exercise activities you can maintain enthusiasm for your favorite sport!

It’s important to keep yourself in shape with cross training, which balances different muscle exercise to prevent foot injury as well as boredom! For more information, call our office today!

What cross training exercises do you engage in? We’d love to hear about them, please comment below!

Resources:

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263--7420-2-1-2,00.html

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/tipsandtricks/a/Cross_Training.htm

This is No Ordinary Saturday Morning Run!

It’s official!!  I just signed up for the MetCon Blue Mountain Adventure Race.   This event takes place June 1st through the 3rd, 2012 at the Blue Mountain Resort in Ontario – just minutes from my house.  It is being called the most insane 5km mountain obstacle/adventure race on the planet! 

The race covers 1400 punishing feet of incline, rocky creeks, hills, mud, snow, ice pools, fire, smoke, aliens and Bigfoot?  There are 13 grueling obstacles which you can check out at http://metconrace.com/base-command/  Do you think you could handle it?  If so, sign up now!

Today (February 29) is the deadline for the early bird registration.  It’s only $65 +tax to get really muddy and have a ton of fun.  As a bonus, all EARLYBIRD registrants are eligible in a drawing for a GoPro Hero camera kit. This lucky winner will also have a camera crew film them and their friends for the duration of the complete race and will receive an edited production of their own personal adventure.   Wouldn’t that be great to show your friends at your next party?? Hope to see many of you out there!

Four Tips for Runners during the Wintery Months

Image via Wikipedia

Running outdoors has many benefits, such as staying in shape, the scenery, and the fresh air. If you’re like most outdoor runners, however, running during the winter can seem intimidating, if not depressing. It may seem difficult to develop motivation to run through snow and ice in freezing temperatures, but winter running is just as beneficial for your health as any other season. It’s easy to make excuses, but we encourage you to keep up your running routine even during this colder and snowy season. 

Below are some helpful tips to keep you safe and healthy in wintery running conditions:

·       Location is important. Look for areas where your feet will be stable while running. Plowed roads or sidewalks that are free from ice are ideal. Also, be sure to slow your running pace to prevent slipping, and make sure your running route is in a well-lit area so you can see where your feet are landing.

·       Stay hydrated. It’s easy to overlook drinking enough water while running in the winter since you are not noticing sweat as much.  However, staying hydrated is just as important in the winter as during the warmer months.  So don’t forget to keep your water bottle full!

·       Wear proper shoes. It’s important to have good running shoes that keep the surrounding chill from getting to your feet. As temperatures decrease, shock absorption in shoes decrease as well, which put your feet at risk for injury. Wear running shoes that have foam cushioning to keep your feet supported with each stride. Also, wear shoes that have little mesh material on the outside to prevent snow or water from soaking through.

·       Know when to run indoors. Most of the time, it’s never too cold to run outside, but be wise about your risk for hypothermia or frostbite in certain colder conditions. If temperatures are below zero, keep your run to 30 minutes at the maximum and run closer to home. Also, freezing temperatures can cause numbness and pain. For example, if you were to develop a foot injury then you could risk making the injury worse by continuing to run if you can’t feel the pain of the injury. 

Don’t let winter get in the way of your outdoor running routine! We encourage you to follow our winter running steps to ensure a safe and fun run. 

Do you have ideas or ways that you keep safe during the wintery months?  We would love to hearfrom you, comment below or call our office. 

Resources:

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-267-589-13389-0,00.html

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-267--9262-3-1X2X3-4,00.html

Older Runners--You Aren't Out of the Race Yet...

Image by Maxwell GS via Flickr

A recent study on runners of different ages has good news and bad news for older runners. First off, we will address the good news. The researchers found that older runner's lungs were just as efficient as their younger counterparts. This discovery is both surprising and encouraging for any runners over the age of 60. This means that older runner's muscles and lungs are just as efficient at using oxygen as young runners. Older runners can still be fast.

Moving on to the less exciting news. Achilles tendon injuries and hamstring injuries are much more common among middle-aged to older runners than young runners. The study suggests that this is because older runner's injuries take longer to heel.  

Another bummer discovery: older runners were found to have significantly less upper body strength and lower-body flexibility. These two things cause shorter strides because there's less momentum coming from the arms and the muscles are tighter.

So all you older runners, these unfortunate, but inevitable, changes can combated with a few steps.

1. Lift Weights. Runners who make a conscious effort to work on upper body strength are more competitive because they can rely on momentum from their arms to lengthen their stride.

2. Stretch. You can prevent common injuries to the Achilles tendon and the hamstring by stretching before and after every run.

If you're interested in this article, read more here.

Abbott Foot and Ankle Clinic
234 St. Marie Street
Collingwood ON L9Y 3K5

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Arid winter air can lead to cracked heels – how to recognize and treat.

Image by Ianz via Flickr

With the winter months, not only comes holiday cheer, presents, and snow to play in, but also additional inconveniences with your feet.  Because of the arid winter air, you may experience dry or cracked heels, also called heel fissures.

Unfortunately, cracked heels are a common problem among individuals.  If they are left untreated they can become painful fissures or openings.  Not only can the winter air cause your feet to become dry and cracked, but vitamin deficiency, excessive weight, and diabetes can also contribute to this condition.   

If you are experiencing cracked heels, you will notice a thick, discolored callous tissue that may cause pain with everyday pressure.  Typical activities such as walking and running can put pressure on your heels, which causes the pain.  There may be bleeding because of the deep breaks in the skin, and if not treated it could cause infection.  Also, the skin on the heels will become red or severely inflamed.   

You can help treat your feet by doing the following:

1.      Moisturize your heels daily.  Use products specifically formulated for feet such as Amerigel Lotion.

2.      Use a pumice stone on thickened skin.  Make sure to use the pumice stone after you’ve soaked your feet, showered or bathed.

3.      Don’t wear shoes that will prevent your heels from healing – such as high heels or thin soled shoes.  You want to wear shoes that can cushion and absorb the shock of pressure from walking or running. 

If you are experiencing cracked heels, or would like more information, please call our office.

References:

http://www.footsmart.com/healthcondition.aspx?ailmentid=83

http://www.livestrong.com/article/137130-healing-cracked-heels/

 

Abbott Foot and Ankle Clinic
234 St. Marie Street
Collingwood ON L9Y 3K5
Telephone: 705.444.9929       

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