vsrfrontdesk August 30, 2015

Treating Foot Injuries: 3 Exercises That Can Relieve Pain

Your feet are the genesis of many other complex injuries and misalignments, with imbalance and arch problems radiating up as far as the muscles in your neck and head. Common foot problems such as plantar fasciitis (jogger’s heel) or Achilles’ tendinitis can be caused by many different things, ranging from long-term overuse injuries to severe and sudden traumas. Fortunately, these injuries can be easy to treat and don’t often require corrective surgery in order to improve functional movement and comfort while performing exercises or everyday activities.

Exercise #1: Achilles Tendon and Plantar Fascia Stretch

Gently stretch your Achilles tendon and plantar fascia (foot arch) by sitting on the floor and looping either a towel or exercise band around the ball of your feet, pulling your foot back toward your body. Keep your toes straight and avoid over-stretching, especially if you’re just starting out. Hold the stretch for 30-45 seconds depending on your discomfort level and repeat three times for each foot.

Exercise #2: Toe Stretch

Sitting in a chair, bring your leg over the opposite knee and interlace your fingers through your toes. Squeeze your toes and fingers together for 10-20 seconds at a time, then stretch your toes out wide for 10-20 seconds. Repeat three times for each foot.

Exercise #3: Massage Your Arches

Stand on a narrow rolling pin or tennis ball, balancing over it with the second toe of your foot. Roll the ball or pin on the sole of your foot for a few minutes at a time, repeating three times for each foot. This can help strengthen the arches of your feet and improve balance while walking, running, or exercising.

Velo Sports Rehab recommends that people with chronic foot pain consult a physician before conducting any rehabilitation exercises or stretches. Each injury is as specific as each person’s individual body, so the treatment prescribed should follow suit. Find pain relief the healthy way and schedule an appointment with a sports physician at Velo Sports Rehab today.

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vsrfrontdesk May 18, 2015

Explaining Iliotibial Band Syndrome and How to Treat It

One of the most common causes of knee pain in runners, iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is an inflammation of the iliotibial band, which runs along the lateral part of the knee and extends from the pelvis. The iliotibial band stabilizes and supports the knee during running, but with improper training habits, imbalances due to stretching or running on uneven surfaces, and other possible causes, the band can become inflamed and cause the athlete pain.

Symptoms of ITB syndrome can range anywhere from a slight stinging above the knee to visible swelling around the affected area over the femur. Isolating ITB syndrome symptoms from other knee problems can be as simple as bending your knee at a 45-degree angle. Pain on the outside of the knee will signify this issue. An MRI can give a more accurate diagnosis of ITB syndrome and show a thickening of the IT band.

As with many overuse injuries, proper form and preventive actions are the best way to avoid ITB syndrome. Avoiding excessive running on sloped or banked tracks, up and down hills, and other sloped surfaces (like the edge of a street or road) can help guard against muscular imbalances while exercising. Making sure your shoes are in good condition and fit your feet properly is also important, but stretching and caring for your knees is perhaps the most important step. If you feel pain on the outside of your knee while jogging or exercising, dial down your mileage or take a few days off to stretch and recover before starting again.

Treating ITB syndrome means identifying the issue, finding the cause, and undertaking a corrective movement treatment plan. Sports physicians can recommend lower-impact training like swimming, cycling, or rowing to prevent further ITB syndrome complications. If after a few weeks the problem hasn’t cleared up, a cortisone injection, fascial tissue massage, or surgery may be necessary. Thankfully, the majority of ITB syndrome cases resolve without the need for drastic measures like surgery or injections.

To find out more about treating overuse injuries like ITB syndrome, contact Velo Sports Rehab. Our physicians and sports medicine experts can identify problems and develop individualized treatment programs to get your body back to a healthy state. Call for an appointment today.

vsrfrontdesk October 22, 2014

5 Tips to Prevent Running Injuries

Just because the winter months are setting in doesn’t mean your running routine should slow down. Or, if you’re procrastinating and are thinking you’ll use the cold weather as an excuse to further put off a running regiment, just know it’s easier to run in Seattle than many other cities during the winter. No excuses!

However, with colder weather setting in, it’s important to take additional steps to prevent running injuries. Here are a few tips:

1. Improve Flexibility

Stretching before and after your run can help improve and maintain your flexibility, which will protect your muscles against injury. Focus on dynamic mobility warm up (butt kicks, walking lunge with a knee hug, lateral lunge, and grapevines). For best results, stretching multiple times per day (morning and evening, for example) can help maintain flexibility. If you feel you’ve overstretched before or after a run, spend a few doing static stretching – but try to keep it under 40 seconds and don’t stretch in pain.

2. Wear the Correct Type of Running Shoes

Don’t just pick up the cheapest or most readily available shoes. Finding the right shoe for your foot type and running style is monumentally important. A sports store that has specialized running footwear (Road Runner, Super Jock ‘n Jill, or Fleet Feet, for example) can help you find the best shoe for your foot.

3. Jumping in Too Fast after a Long Time Off

If you’re feeling a sudden burst of motivation that propels you off the couch, slow down a little bit. Just because your psyche has been shocked into a running mindset doesn’t mean your body will (or can) follow suit. Give your body time to acclimate to this new schedule – after a few weeks your body will begin to break down and doing too much so soon can cause overuse injuries like shin splints, knee injuries, fatigue, and burnout. As a rule of thumb, try to train at about 50% of your previous norm and slowly ramp back up over several weeks.

4. Hydrate and Eat Well

Take care of your body while you’re not exercising, too. The old adage “you are what you eat” is never more true as when you’re starting to exercise regularly again. Give your body the proper fuel to burn – you wouldn’t put beer and pizza in your car’s engine, would you? Eat your fruits and vegetables! Make sure you have enough carbs to fuel your runs and adequate protein to help with recovery.

5. Talk with a Running Expert or Rehab Specialist

A person trained in running biomechanics and sports rehab can analyze your running form and detect flaws that may result in injury over time. Especially important if you’re recovering from an injury, an exercise rehabilitation program can get your symptoms under control and get you back to your regular activities and exercises quickly. Implementing a cross training program to your exercises can help develop core and lateral hip stability, preventing IT Band Syndrome and many knee problems common in runners.

At Velo Sports Rehab, we can cater an exercise rehab regiment to your specific needs – no “cookie cutter” programs. Applying a specialized rehab treatment to your specific injury will save you time and get you back to 100%. Or, if you’re concerned about your running form or methods, we can analyze your stride and gait and help you correct any issues that may lead to injury down the road.

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Eric DeRoche DC March 21, 2014

3 Surprising (But Effective) Treatments for Your Achilles Tendinitis

Achilles tendinitis affects a wide variety of athletes but arguably is most troublesome for runners.

For runners there is no way to work around concentric or eccentric loading of the achilles tendon. This issue has derailed many a race. It certainly hampers training, as it limits volume and makes speed and interval work impossible.

Based on the research and my experience treating runners/triathletes of all levels, I have settled on 3 self-treatments that can improve the majority of tough cases of achilles tendinitis.

Those treatments are: [Read more…]

Eric DeRoche DC March 12, 2014

Overcoming Plantar Fasciitis

According to www.runnersworld.com, the 7 most common running injuries are the following:

Runner’s Knee
Achilles Tendinitis
Hamstring Strain
Plantar Fasciitis
Shin Splints
IT Band Syndrome (ITBS)
Stress Fracture

Plantar fasciitis is caused by repetitive strain of the plantar fascia (the thick connective tissue that runs from the calcaneus (heel bone) to each of the 5 metatarsals (the bones that connect toes to ankle bones). Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain in runners. Although thought of as an inflammatory process, plantar fasciitis is a disorder of degenerative changes in the fascia, and may be more accurately termed plantar fasciosis. Plantar fasciitis is diagnosed on the basis of a history of pain on taking the first few steps in the morning, worsening pain with weightbearing, and pain and tenderness to palpation over the medial calcaneal tubercle (Capt. Danielle L. Scher, MD et al).

In my experience, most runners with plantar fasciitis have limited ankle dorsiflexion, tight calf muscles, tight achilles tendon, and dysfunctional hip mechanics. My approach to treating plantar fasciitis is as follows: [Read more…]

Treating Foot Injuries: 3 Exercises That Can Relieve Pain

Explaining Iliotibial Band Syndrome and How to Treat It

5 Tips to Prevent Running Injuries

3 Surprising (But Effective) Treatments for Your Achilles Tendinitis

Overcoming Plantar Fasciitis

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