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Bunion pain

Alice Holland — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 04:41:07 +0000

What are bunions? Bunions (medical term “hallux valgus”) are formed when the big toe drifts in the direction of the second toe, forming a painful and abnormal joint angle. Similarly bunionettes are formed when the ‘pinky’ toe drifts in the direction of the big toe. Bunions are sometimes quite painful, especially when bony enlargements form as a result of the strain at the joint. Bunions often cause increased calluses and blisters joint area because of faulty walking and running biomechanics. What causes bunions? Bunions are often caused by prolonged wearing of faulty footwear. Serial offenders are pointy toed shoes, heeled shoes and boots ...

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SI Joint pain

Alice Holland — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 21:21:35 +0000

SI Joint Pain and Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction The Sacroiliac (SI) joint is the joint between your sacrum and your pelvis bone. The SI joints need to hold up the entire weight of the body, waist-up, and can have large amounts of stress on them with prolonged walking, standing and running. It is not a joint that moves as much as the hip or the spine, but it does have minute degrees of motion. Hence, it could “get stuck or jammed” from doing certain activities: landing on one leg too hard after a jump or leap, falling or landing a foot in ...

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Achilles Tendinitis For Runners

Alice Holland — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 00:46:54 +0000

Achilles tendinitis can be a very crippling issue for runners – simply because the pain is enough to discourage loading of the foot. It can also be a tricky condition to treat because the tendon is not as heavily vascularized (i.e. more blood flow) as muscle, and therefore lacks healing potential. It is highly recommended that you see a physical therapist as soon as you experience acute symptoms, so chronic tendonosis (which is longer termed and harder to treat) does not set in. What causes it? The calf is under a lot of strain when running: it is not only put on ...

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Treadmill Running vs. Ground

Alice Holland — Sun, 01 Dec 2013 06:36:17 +0000

When the temperatures drop, some of us start taking our running training inside on the treadmill. But do you ever wonder whether it would be the same workout as you would have if you ran outside? Besides being warmer and not needing to wear gloves, would treadmill running change the way we run? Here is what Alice learned from the latest research on running mechanics. Scientists Fellin et al., Willy et al and Noerhen et al. in 2008 and 2009 wanted to find out whether treadmill running deviated from over-ground running. Results from their data and experiments would validate or invalidate ...

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To Ice or Heat

Alice Holland — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 04:33:06 +0000

Home remedies are often the quickest way to get natural relief after an injury. Here, we walk you through when to use heat and when to use ice therapy, and when you need to call a physician or physical therapist. When to use Cold/Ice therapy - Cold therapy is best used during active inflammation, typically right after a sprain or strain. - Inflammation is characterized by swelling, redness, throbbing and pain. - Cold therapy is most effective on joints and tendons that are inflamed. - It is best to put a thin cloth barrier between your skin and the cold pack – frozen peas in ...

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Melissa Cox, DPT

Alice Holland — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 03:34:28 +0000

She helps you with your pain. She specializes in lower extremity rehab and helps runners get back to running again. She knows everything about your biomechanics and even knows that you have a dog that barks incessantly at5am. But how well do you knowher? Read on to learn more about Dr Melissa Cox DPT. How did you get into Physical Therapy? Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to work in medicine, first as a pediatrician and later as an orthopedist. I started running cross country as a sophomore in high school and developed some knee pain that led me to an orthopedic surgeon. ...

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Office Ergonomics

Alice Holland — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 15:39:41 +0000

A lot of us sit at our workdesks for greater than 6 hours a day – so much sitting that we end up molding our bodies into our chairs. Here are some helpful dos and don’ts of ergonomics that I compiled to help our patients sit healthier. DO: Sit up straight! The top of your monitor should be at eye level and your gaze should drop down about 15 degrees comfortably. TIP: To make sure you stay in good posture, try sticking a small mirror at the corner of your monitor. Make a mental note of the object being reflected when you’re sitting with ...

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Hip Flexor Strain

Alice Holland — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 02:57:10 +0000

Hip flexor strains are very common with runners who run long distances and those who run hills. Being the primary muscle group that drive the leg forward with each stride, it’s no wonder this muscle group gets fatigued and tight after long and hard runs. Hip flexor stretching alleviates the tightness and strain, especially after long periods of sitting and inactivity after a long run. However we find that not everyone does them correctly, and may even injure their back while doing them. So how do we properly stretch our hip flexors? (FOR A VIDEO, CLICK HERE). 1) Get down on one knee ...

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Selecting Running Shoes

Alice Holland — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 05:19:55 +0000

To learn more about running shoes I went to Robb Finegan, co-owner and footwear buyer of Fit Right. I came away with a WEALTH of knowledge and a better appreciation for the shoe-selection process. Stride Strong: What are some of the most popular running shoes that are trending right now? Robb: Currently minimalist footwear popularity nationally is slowly declining, though the demand for zero-drop shoes and wide toe-box shoes like Altras at our stores are still high in Portland. Stride Strong: What types of shoes are good for a heavier runner vs. a light runner? Robb: There should frankly be no delineation between the two runners when it comes ...

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IT Band Syndrome

Alice Holland — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 05:27:09 +0000

IT Band pain is a very common ailment we see at Stride Strong. So what causes this annoying ailment? When the striding leg lands on the ground during running (or walking), the body weight force vector is on the inside of the leg. This means the moment on the body is to collapse inward. To counteract this moment, the body utilizes its lateral structures (gluteus medius, IT Band, back muscles, sometimes lateral quad and hamstring) to stay upright and stable. Over-utilizing these structures, especially when weak to begin with, could cause compensations that would lead to a thickening of tissue in and around the ...

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