Notes From The Foot Whisperer - Injuries: We've All Been There. Here are some pointers.

During your training, you may run into down time due to injury. We all pray it doesn’t happen. But due to repetitive motion from the miles, natural physiological flaws such as an uneven leg length, or that stone on the road or trail that just happens to be there to twist your ankle, you are suddenly strapped with an injury. What to do??

Well, you can take some time off. But if you are in the middle of say marathon training, it sets you back. Sometimes preventative maintenance will go a long way. And there are many PT tools available to you. Some are right in your kitchen cabinet:

Shin Splints - Usually occurs when you stray from that rule of thumb, no more than 10% per week increase in mileage. Some of the best tools to handle shin splints are to try and work the damaged tissue out of your system with the use of The Stick, Foam Roller, or even a rolling pin. You can also use compression from a compression sleeve or sock. Most people can run through the shin splints. And often times it just involves getting some new shoes as your old ones may be “dead.”

IT Band problems - Often times the IT Band becomes tight. This creates added stress on the outside (lateral side) of the knee. Use of a foam roller to loosen the iliotibial band will generally take care of most issues. You can also use a simple foam swim noodle. Although it isn’t quite as dense as the PT Foam Roller. There are also IT Band straps which work quite well, and allow you to continue training.

Plantar Fasciitis - Extremely painful. Especially when first getting out of bed. It is commonly associated with long periods of weight bearing. We have found over the years that with runners, it often occurs due to wearing the wrong shoe style. If you need new shoes, go to your local specialty running store, and bring your current shoes with you. That way, we can help determine if the shoe style will help to eliminate plantar fasciitis. In the meantime, try rolling your foot on a frozen water bottle, a golf or tennis ball, or one of several items for sale that help to break up the scar tissue in the foot.

Stop by Up-N-Running, or any of the other specialty running stores in the area. The associates would be glad to help you out!

~Ed