Foot Care Tips for Runners

Flying Pig training continues….I’m feeling really strong now, maybe a little too confident.  But I ran back to back races this weekend and I’m ready for more.  10K at Shamrock Shuffle Saturday and Heart Mini Half on  Sunday.  I wanted to review some foot care tips and offer some new ones:

1. cut your toenails every 2 weeks or file them every week
2. cut your toenails 3 days before a race
3. if the ball of your foot hurts during or after a race, consider stretching calves and hamstrings more
4. if you run on the road (inclined gently on the edge) and have pain in one foot/ankle/leg, try running on the other side of the road
5. if you find yourself scrunching your toes (blisters at the tips) consider lacing shoes a little tighter.
6. most running shoes should be replaced between 300-500 miles (depending on several factors)
7. if you wear over-the-counter insoles, they should be replaced every 3 months (depending on mileage)
8. if your foot is going numb, consider lacing a little less tight
9. if you have a pain in your foot/ankle that lasts over 3 days or stops your activity, seek professional care.
10. RUN HEALTHY

Preventing Injury while Running Hills

4-way with cheese training for the Flying Pig weekend continues. Two weekends ago I was in Las Vegas (yeah baby!!!) and for “fun” I ran at Red Rock Canyon. That’s right: CANYON. It’s a 13 mile loop I have ran every year for the last 5 years. 6 miles up and 7 miles down. Did I mention the Canyon?? Steep, brutal and at an elevation that these lungs and muscles are not used to. Every year I have been strong, conquering and feeling PUMPED for the Pig. Except this year. I lagged behind my new running partner-for-a-day. She is my size and my age so I had no good excuses to use. It was just a bad training day. Feeling deflated I knew I had 17 miles on my docket for this weekend’s long run. Luckily that training run was AWESOME. I felt good, strong, healthy. So now I feel back on track for the Pig goal. I continue cross training at Fitness 1o1 –there’s a great place for a butt-whoopin’ if you are into that kind of thing!!

During my runs in the Canyon and then a very hilly 17 mile run thru Indian Hill, I got to thinking about how fortunate I am my Achilles tendons and my shins don’t bother me. Running up hills can put tremendous strain on your Achilles (in the back of your ankle) because of how your heel hits the ground so much lower than does the ball of the foot. Running down hills can strain the front of your shins because you have to “brake” repeatedly in order not to fall forward, and because the ball of your foot hits the ground so quickly as your foot comes to the pavement.

Tips for avoiding shin pain and Achilles strain when running hills:

Stretch

• Stretch the back of your calf, ankle and hamstrings–do some stretches with your knees straight and some with your knees gently bent. Remember when bending over to keep your back straight.
• Stretch the front of your calf by pointing your toes and holding position.
• Use your “foam roller” or “stik” or “ball” to target each of these areas.
• Stretch before you run and after…and remember that the idea is to stretch…not strain.
• Consider wearing a shoe with a greater “drop” especially if your Achilles are an issue for you.
• Remember to hydrate and use your electrolytes to help avoid muscle tearing.
• Protein helps to repair muscle damage.
• Orthotics, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, MLS LASER are all good options, too.

RUN HEALTHY…I hope to see you out there.

Neuroma vs Neuritis vs Neuropathy for the Runner’s Feet

Flying Pig 4-way with Cheese….because there is a jacket involved.  Not to mention the 5 medals, 5 shirts and some kind of display board…BLING!!  As mileage is cranking up, 13 miles was on the docket this past weekend.  That’s a half marathon (well, almost anyway)…and yet NO medal waiting for me at the end.  Bummer.  Hasn’t the weather been amazing for running this week?? Last night I went out for a long
run again and worked really hard against the wind in about 2 of the 4 directions.

But I was in shorts, in February, in Cincinnati!!!

I was running with a friend Saturday and she thought the following topic would be
of foot-care-interest: neuroma vs neuritis vs neuropathy.

Neuroma–an inflamed nerve at the bottom of the ball of your foot.

• feels like stepping on a lamp chord; sometimes feels like a click occurs
• usually a tingling into the 3rd and 4th or the 2nd and 3rd toes.
• worse w/ tight shoes or shoes w/ a higher pitch.
• often alleviated w/ change of shoe-type and calf stretches.
• rapidly treatable if addressed early on–don’t let symptoms linger.

Neuritis–this usually occurs in BOTH feet simultaneously

• usually feels like a tingling or numbness in the entire forefoot
• frequently occurs during repetitive motions (think treadmill/elliptical)
• symptoms should resolve within 15 minutes of stopping such activity
• this is all about shoe fit/ sock selection/ foot slippage in footwear.

Neuropathy–by definition this is “nerve damage”

• if the cause is systemic (diabetes, alcohol overuse, nutritional issues) then the symptoms are in both feet symmetrically
• if the cause is spinal (herniated disc, degenerative disc) then symptoms are usually in one foot.
• systemic nerve damage feels like a numb, tingling that starts in the great toes and moves then to the lesser toes and up the foot.
• neuropathy is a medical concern that must be diagnosed and treated in the early stages to prevent worsening which could lead to loss of sensation or loss of muscle strength.

If you have a foot-care topic you would like to see in my “blogs”, please let me know….you are likely not the only person wondering about it.  Have a super week and run healthy!

Runner’s treatment for Plantar Fasciitis

Flying Pig 4-way with Cheese training continues for this avid runner.  The mileage is ramping up and hill repeats seem to be on my list of favorite things to do right now.  My legs are finally catching back up to where I was before my injury in November (yes, I’m that old that recovery seems to have taken that long) and so I’m feeling really good. For the past few runs I got to hang with some new faces and so of course I push myself so as not to always be the last one done.  Erie Avenue has an amazingly long and fun hill challenge.  And I have really lucked out this past week in the weather category…thankful!

I was asked by a fitness center to give a presentation last week on plantar fasciitis and that went very well…so I thought I might share just a few quick tips on that topic with you today.

Typically plantar fasciitis will feel like a sharp pain in the bottom of your heel when getting up to walk after periods of rest (presentations will vary of course.)

OTC insoles and stretches tend to help quite a bit in the early stages of this condition…but the longer symptoms last the more damage may be occurring to your fascia (a band running from your heel to your toes) making relief harder to achieve.

Sometimes medication by mouth or injected into the heel can be helpful.  Non-painful laser therapy can make the fascia healthier and less likely to get re-injured.  It is very important to realize that heel pain which won’t go away, especially in an endurance athlete can be caused by several other conditions that are NOT plantar fasciitis and treatment widely varies. Stretch your calves and your arches and get out there and conquer some hills!

Runner’s treatment for Plantar Fasciitis

Flying Pig 4-way with Cheese training continues for this avid runner.  The mileage is ramping up and hill repeats seem to be on my list of favorite things to do right now.  My legs are finally catching back up to where I was before my injury in November (yes, I’m that old that recovery seems to have taken that long) and so I’m feeling really good. For the past few runs I got to hang with some new faces and so of course I push myself so as not to always be the last one done.  Erie Avenue has an amazingly long and fun hill challenge.  And I have really lucked out this past week in the weather category…thankful!

I was asked by a fitness center to give a presentation last week on plantar fasciitis and that went very well…so I thought I might share just a few quick tips on that topic with you today.

Typically plantar fasciitis will feel like a sharp pain in the bottom of your heel when getting up to walk after periods of rest (presentations will vary of course.)

OTC insoles and stretches tend to help quite a bit in the early stages of this condition…but the longer symptoms last the more damage may be occurring to your fascia (a band running from your heel to your toes) making relief harder to achieve.

Sometimes medication by mouth or injected into the heel can be helpful.  Non-painful laser therapy can make the fascia healthier and less likely to get re-injured.  It is very important to realize that heel pain which won’t go away, especially in an endurance athlete can be caused by several other conditions that are NOT plantar fasciitis and treatment widely varies. Stretch your calves and your arches and get out there and conquer some hills!

Foot Conditions Common to Runners

My training for the 4-way with cheese at the Flying Pig continues.  In the past week
I have had the opportunity to run with a couple of new partners.  New friends means new discoveries and often new courses and things to see.  It also seems to bring more questions … seems it doesn’t take long– once my running buddies find out I’m a podiatrist– for a variety of foot and ankle issues to make their way into conversation.

So I thought I’d share one from last week.  “I get this white stuff between my 2 smallest toes … what’s that?”  (notice I’m not using any names here so as to save embarrassment–but I know you will smile when you read this)  Of course I never SEE the issue, so I’m left to guess.

One of 2 things comes to mind.

1: A soft corn (heloma molle) usually occurs at the base of the web space, but can occur closer to the end of the toes.  It is caused by the 2 toes getting squished together (in tighter toe-box shoes), rubbing each other, and a build up of skin occurs in response to this pressure.  These are usually most painful in shoes, better when barefoot and feel like a burning sensation.

2: athletes foot (tinea pedis) is caused by moisture building
up between the toes (usually if your toes are curled up tightly) making the environment fungus friendly. This may look like a crack in the skin, itches or burns, and tends to be bothersome whether wearing shoes or not.   The treatments are vastly different. Home treatments for #1 are: wider shoes, gentle filing, NON-medicated padding (I never recommend acid patches/liquid on toes), toe spacers.  Home treatments for #2 are better drying b/t your toes, baby powder in your shoes daily, OTC fungal creams. high tech wicking socks. I hope you find this information usable, informative, or at least worth filing in the memory bank.

Keep running healthy!

Runner tips leading to Flying Pig Marathon

My training for the 4-way with cheese at the Flying Pig continues on.  This past week I had the opportunity to run with a friend of mine (and running coach) who pushes me like no other.  It had been a while since we ran together but it was just like old times…mostly it’s her giving me all kinds of friendly abuse in order to push me and support me.  Then my long run this weekend was all about hills. Have you ever noticed that on an out-and-back the hills go UP the entire way, both directions…Yikes!  Anyone who has run with me more than twice likely notices that I’m obsessed with the right shoelace tie.  Even on shorter training runs I’ll have to stop at least once to re-tie my shoe(s). Knock on wood so far I have not had to stop during a race to adjust my lacing.  Too tight and it hurts, too loose and my feet have to work too hard, etc etc..and so I got to thinking: what bits of helpful tips can I give new (or even seasoned) runners about lacing their shoes for better foot comfort?

• If you have a bunion, consider skipping the eyelets closest to your toes.  If you have a bone spur on top of your foot (often half way between your toes and your ankle) then parallel lace your laces on either side of the bump.  If one (or both) of your heels slip, try ankle locking your laces.  Before any race, I lace my shoes, do a warm up jog to ensure the proper lace, and hope I like it for the next several/many miles!

I have a full page of great tips to maintain Foot Care for Runners. Check it out. You might also want to register for updates via email.