Physics...Physiology...Physical Therapy

Managing Plantar Fasciitis

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Few things can derail a runner as quickly as plantar fasciitis. It is characterized by intense pain in the front of the heel bone, and quite often present first thing in the morning. At it’s worst, it can make every step, walking or running, very painful. There are several underlying factors that can cause increased stress on the plantar fascia, including lack of proper joint mechanics and limited flexibility. We cover these factors in today’s video.

Proper footwear is also a consideration for decreasing plantar fasciitis, but that’s a topic for another video! Using ice, especially a frozen water bottle to roll on, can also be very helpful.

Please share this with a friend who may benefit from the information in this video. Please also let me know what other topics you would like me to cover. Enjoy!

Video: Plyometrics for Runners

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How do you become a more efficient runner? There are many different angles to approach this question, but the topic of today’s video is an often overlooked one. We are focusing on ways to make our feet quicker during the load-to-push-off transition. The amount of time your foot is on the ground with each stride can vary from .1 – .3 seconds. That’s not a lot of time, but yet, the faster you can make it will translate to greater efficiency and decreased susceptibility to pain and injury.

Today’s video covers three exercises you can do to improve your efficiency by developing quickness. The first two exercises could be done briefly as part of your dynamic warm up, the third should only be done 1-2x/week. Have fun with these!

Please share with a friend and leave comments/feedback for me so I can continue to refine the videos and make them more helpful. Thanks!

Video: Exercises for Knee Pain and Strengthening

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Knee pain is a common complaint with running. Too often I’ve heard, “I can’t run, it hurts my knees!” The terms ‘Runner’s Knee’ and ‘Patellofemoral Pain’ get thrown around, but what do those mean on a deeper level? Usually knee pain comes from poor tracking of the knee cap or too much stress on the medial knee stemming from quad (specifically VMO) or glute weakness. Both of these scenarios place too much stress on the ligaments and capsule around the patella.

In today’s video, we cover stretches and strengthening exercises that will help your knees be more healthy. Please share with a friend who would benefit from stronger knees. Enjoy!

How to Keep Your Hamstrings Healthy and Happy

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Our hamstrings tend to be under appreciated. We certainly notice them when they are misbehaving, but how often do we appreciate them when they are working well? Too often, we attempt to stretch and stretch our hamstrings, but feel like we’re beating our heads into a brick wall. If you are in that category, then this week’s video will shed light on why you are likely not making progress in this area.

How do you tell if you have tight hamstrings? What are the best ways to stretch and strengthen? These are topics we get into with the video. Please pass this along to anyone you know who struggles with knee pain, hamstring tightness, or low back issues, as the information may be helpful. Enjoy and thanks for checking it out!

Video: Dealing with IT Band Pain

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Mention the phrase ‘IT Band’ to a group of runners and you’re likely to get a room full of groans. IT band dysfunction is usually noticed when the lateral knee gets cranky. Quite often the foam roller takes the brunt of IT band attention, with variable results. The truth is, usually a misbehaving hip is the underlying cause of IT band pain. More specifically, weakness and/or tightness of the lateral hip muscles (tensor fascia latae, glut min, glut med) is often the root of the issue. So, in order to get on top of IT band issues, are we missing the mark by relying on the foam roller?

That’s the topic of today’s video, how to take care of the underlying factors for IT band pain. Please share with a friend and shoot me an email at info@runphys.com to let me know how you like this video and what other topics you would like to see covered. Enjoy!