Went to a foot/ankle injury prevention series last night at TrySports. They had Carolina Sports Clinic doctor Joshua Kollman talk to us about conservative care – that starts before we feel the injury. Dr. Kollman is not just a doctor – he’s also completed an Ironman. So he certainly knows what we are going through as runners.
The foot/ankle/knee/hip are all connected. Often when we have troubles with one part it is connected to another – with the hip being the most important. I find this interesting as I have battled with hip, knee, and ankle issues. I’m listening!
I won’t go into all of it – I’m sure most of the stuff I learned can be found in more official online capacities, but I’ll touch on a few points that I think fellow runners might want to pay attention to:
= Stand on one leg, with the other leg at a 90 degree angle. Look at your knees. Are they wobbling? Try doing a squat with the one leg in that position. Can’t do it without teetering all over the place? That’s ok, none of us at the clinic were very graceful with this either. But that’s a picture, in slow motion, of what our knees are doing while we’re running. If they are wobbly, practice doing that move in front of a mirror. It will help with your stride.
= Use The Stick. Use it twice a day. I have one, and I admit I don’t use it as much as I should. He said if you only have a few minutes, make sure to get the quads, the calves, and the side of the thigh (where IT band issues occur).
= The most important thing I learned: Runners should not wear flip-flops. No, not even Rainbows. Anything without a strap on our heels make us curl up our toes to keep the shoe on. When we curl up our toes, we risk getting plantar fasciitis – a common foot injury runners get. So if we are running and wearing flip-flops, we are on the fast track. I’ll trade my Rainbows for my Tevas, pronto!
We did get to chat with him after the session about our individual issues. I talked to him about my knee and my ankle, and he had me jump up and down on one leg (the ankle hurt one). Since it hurt when I landed, and not as I left the ground, it rules out tendinitis. Could be a stress fracture. But for now I am running on it and he said it’s not time to come make an appointment with him yet – he said to “stick it out” (a term I first heard from Jenny) and to use ice and soft-tissue massage (I like that part!)
Kevin talked to him too, about his shin splints. We are 9 weeks away from the marathon. Kevin hasn’t run since his triathlon at Cane Creek Park, one week after he was part of an ultra team for the Blue Ridge Relay. He’s feeling better, thinking about trying to start running again this weekend. Here’s the jaw-dropping advice from Josh: In the remaining 9 weeks, Kevin should focus on ramping up to one long run. One, folks. Not nine like the rest of us. That is a huge difference. And it was a big indicator to me how serious injuries really are.
Next session focuses on the knee, and the one after that touches on the hip. I’ll let you know what else I learn!
Comments
18 responses to “I can’t wear flip-flops?!?”
Oooo! You should ask him what he thinks about the Vibram Five Finger shoes! 🙂
.-= Whitney´s last blog ..ICB: What is a Wedding Guest List REALLY about? =-.
Oooo! You should ask him what he thinks about the Vibram Five Finger shoes! 🙂
.-= Whitney´s last blog ..ICB: What is a Wedding Guest List REALLY about? =-.
He talked about that, actually! Here’s the deal (I’ve seen this online, too): Running barefoot is good for you – in THEORY. Problem is, most of us have been in shoes for the past 20, 30 years. So if we switch to barefoot running we are risking a lot because some of our foot muscles have been “sleeping” due to the shoes. So it’s a high risk of injury.
He suggested starting out by running just for a few minutes (he said 5 or 10 – I read online somewhere 1/4 mile). And then build up from there.
He mentioned some folks run marathons in them – which is fine – but you just gotta make sure your feet are ready for it!
I might give them a shot at some point – I’ll wait till after my marathon before I start changing stuff like that!
You have a pair, right? How have they worked for you?
He talked about that, actually! Here’s the deal (I’ve seen this online, too): Running barefoot is good for you – in THEORY. Problem is, most of us have been in shoes for the past 20, 30 years. So if we switch to barefoot running we are risking a lot because some of our foot muscles have been “sleeping” due to the shoes. So it’s a high risk of injury.
He suggested starting out by running just for a few minutes (he said 5 or 10 – I read online somewhere 1/4 mile). And then build up from there.
He mentioned some folks run marathons in them – which is fine – but you just gotta make sure your feet are ready for it!
I might give them a shot at some point – I’ll wait till after my marathon before I start changing stuff like that!
You have a pair, right? How have they worked for you?
Yup… I love them! I can see what he means though about needing to build up the strength in your feet. I’ve done a lot of walking in them and after a long walk my legs feel tired but I don’t have any pain.
I’m not really a runner, but since I play flyball I do a lot of sprinting. So I guess that’s sort of equivalent to short distances, and I guess that’s helped build up my foot strength. I actually have REALLY REALLY flat feet, and I’ve noticed that they really help me develop the muscles in my feet to help “create” my own arches. (Well, that and all the yoga I’ve been doing.)
I’m with you… I probably wouldn’t want to change anything up before the marathon and risk any kind of injury!
.-= Whitney´s last blog ..ICB: What is a Wedding Guest List REALLY about? =-.
Yup… I love them! I can see what he means though about needing to build up the strength in your feet. I’ve done a lot of walking in them and after a long walk my legs feel tired but I don’t have any pain.
I’m not really a runner, but since I play flyball I do a lot of sprinting. So I guess that’s sort of equivalent to short distances, and I guess that’s helped build up my foot strength. I actually have REALLY REALLY flat feet, and I’ve noticed that they really help me develop the muscles in my feet to help “create” my own arches. (Well, that and all the yoga I’ve been doing.)
I’m with you… I probably wouldn’t want to change anything up before the marathon and risk any kind of injury!
.-= Whitney´s last blog ..ICB: What is a Wedding Guest List REALLY about? =-.
Oh no, I love my rainbows, and sure enough I have some plantar fasciitis that flares up now and then…
Thanks for the info Melissa, this is very interesting. Whitney, what is flyball?…I’m curious.
Oh no, I love my rainbows, and sure enough I have some plantar fasciitis that flares up now and then…
Thanks for the info Melissa, this is very interesting. Whitney, what is flyball?…I’m curious.
Oh yeah, and bring back the famous stick…”gotta stick it out.” That thing works wonders and I don’t use it enough either so this is encouraging me to use it more!
Oh yeah, and bring back the famous stick…”gotta stick it out.” That thing works wonders and I don’t use it enough either so this is encouraging me to use it more!
Jenny: See these articles I wrote in my blog:
What Is This Thing You Call Flyball?
A Day in the Life of a Flyball Dog
In Flyball, It’s All About the Box Loader
.-= Whitney´s last blog ..ICB: What is a Wedding Guest List REALLY about? =-.
Jenny: See these articles I wrote in my blog:
What Is This Thing You Call Flyball?
A Day in the Life of a Flyball Dog
In Flyball, It’s All About the Box Loader
.-= Whitney´s last blog ..ICB: What is a Wedding Guest List REALLY about? =-.
Very interesting! Thanks for the links.
Very interesting! Thanks for the links.
Wish I coulda been there. Seems like good information. As you know, I heard similar stuff from my physical therapist and one of the three prescribed shoes were the Newton Motions – shoes that mimic barefoot running. I’m anxious to try them out!
And holy cow! 9 weeks?! With all my injuries I’ve yet to do a long run so I feel very behind. Ten miles in the morning and I’m going to try this “forefront” running method to see how well it helps my knee. I’ll let you know.
Good stuff.
.-= Chris´s last blog ..New shoes. Again? =-.
Wish I coulda been there. Seems like good information. As you know, I heard similar stuff from my physical therapist and one of the three prescribed shoes were the Newton Motions – shoes that mimic barefoot running. I’m anxious to try them out!
And holy cow! 9 weeks?! With all my injuries I’ve yet to do a long run so I feel very behind. Ten miles in the morning and I’m going to try this “forefront” running method to see how well it helps my knee. I’ll let you know.
Good stuff.
.-= Chris´s last blog ..New shoes. Again? =-.
🙁 Now I’m depressed. I’m a huge flip-flopper, but I did realize that where I normally feel completely comfortable in my Rainbows, they hurt my feet in Vegas when walking all day.
🙁 Now I’m depressed. I’m a huge flip-flopper, but I did realize that where I normally feel completely comfortable in my Rainbows, they hurt my feet in Vegas when walking all day.