Archive for the ‘Exercise and Training’ Category

Spring is just around the corner, which for most of us means increased outdoor activity, including hiking. A long walk in the woods is a great way to get back to nature, reduce stress, and simply BE. Also, sharing the experience with family and friends is a great way to connect, or stay connected. Making sure you have the right equipment, including the proper hiking socks, is critical for an enjoyable day on the trails.

If you’re having problems with your feet and would like to get them feeling better before the upcoming hiking season, make an appointment today to visit us at the Foot & Ankle Center of Washington for the proper diagnosis and treatment of your foot or ankle problems.

Having the proper gear for your on-trail adventure is critical to enjoying yourself. Obviously, a good pair of hiking shoes or boots is fundamental to an enjoyable walk in nature, but you also can not afford to overlook an equally important part of the comfortable hiking experience: your hiking socks. There is nothing that will ruin a beautiful day of hiking more quickly than wet, blistered feet caused a poor choice of hiking socks.

Choose the right hiking socks

When selecting the perfect hiking socks for your trips this spring, make sure you think about…

1. Sock Weight: Hiking socks will usually be available in three weights: light, medium or heavy. They can often be easily paired with the intensity of the activity you expect from your hiking experience. A light-weight pair of socks should be all you need for a short, easy walk in the woods, while you will likely need heavyweight socks for a jaunt of several hours or days, over challenging trails.
2. Sock Height: The height of the hiking socks you choose will have a great deal to do with personal preference, meaning comfort as well as fit. Generally, the height of your hiking socks should match the height of your hiking boots, at a minimum. This will help to protect your leg from any rubbing at the top of your boots, especially for mid-cut or high rise hiking boots.
3. Sock Material: There are many natural and synthetic fibers which will provide you with the cushioning, moisture-wicking, and temperature regulating features a hiker needs. Just about anything made with Merino wool, which is both incredibly soft and highly breathable, can be a good choice. However, by all means, you must AVOID COTTON SOCKS for hiking; unless you enjoy ending your hikes with blisters.
4. Sock Fit: Any hiking sock you select should fit well and feel comfortable at all times. Well-fitted hiking socks will be snug, but not tight, and will be an appropriate length for your feet. Hiking socks that are too short will slip down into your boot, while one that is too long will bunch at the toes.

At the Foot & Ankle Center of Washington we recommend choosing from the wonderful assortment of hiking socks available at PlanetShoes.com.

We know how tough it is to have an injury and have to sit on the sidelines. If you need help for a sports injury, we can help you get back in the game. We treat all types of athletes at our Seattle foot and ankle clinic—serious athletes, weekend warriors, and beginners. Make an appointment here before your next workout.

Foot pain and athletics should not go hand in hand, especially if you want to stay active for the long haul. However, the reality is that playing sports and exercise expose the feet and ankles to additional pressure and significant forces. Simply engaging in activity can result in injury. Many people experience pain due to uneven foot distribution, lack of support, and feet that are out of alignment. This can also cause lower body injuries, including knee and back pain.

If you are considering starting an exercise or training program, or are a serious athlete who has developed an injury, come see us right away. Some of the sports medicine injuries treated at our Seattle podiatry clinic include:

• Team sports: Soccer, Basketball, Football, and Baseball
• Individual sports: Running, Hiking, Bicycling, Dance, and Boot Camp
• Summer sports: Golf, Ultimate Frisbee, and Tennis
• Winter sports: Skiing / Snowboarding

We are conveniently located on First Hill near downtown Seattle and can help you maximize your performance and get back on track.  Make an appointment with Dr. Huppin or Dr. Hale.

If you have bad knees, it’s important to wear running shoes that keep the feet, knees, and ankles stable at all times. Since running puts a great deal of force on the knees, the right shoes not only allow you to run longer, but also reduce your chance of pain and injury.

Runners who have bad knees have a few challenges. These include problems with excessive pronation and runners knee. Overpronation causes the foot to pronate (flatten) and the leg to rotate in toward the other knee. Runners knee occurs when there is excess stress on the knee area due to overpronation, misalignment, and overtraining. Runners can prevent these conditions by wearing stability shoes that encourage the knees to stay in proper alignment and support the arches.

For the best running shoes for bad knees, check out the shoes from our free recommended shoe list. We’ve picked only running and exercise shoes that are designed to keep knees, feet, and ankles healthy.

If you have knee pain and are a runner, it’s also helpful to vary your running surfaces, such as running on soft dirt trails or grass. Also, if you are new to running and have bad knees, visit a running shoe store to get fitted by a shoe specialist.

Be sure to download our recommended shoe list before you buy a new pair of shoes. The Spring 2011 shoe list is available for download here.

Walking is an exercise that is really good for you. According to a recent USA Today article, walking an hour a day is one of the best forms of exercise and ways to maintain a normal weight. It doesn’t matter where you walk—only that you do it. You can walk around the block, on a treadmill, up the stairs, through a shopping mall, or anywhere. The fact is that walking has many health benefits and we do it every day.   

For people who walk in Seattle, there are a few necessary items to have on hand, like a jacket and an umbrella, but the most essential item is a pair of orthotics in your shoes. The reason for this is that orthotics help to prevent injury and keep your feet healthy as you walk.

Unfortunately, many people shy away from walking more due to injury or discomfort. Others think they don’t have time (but remember, even if you can’t walk for an hour daily, doing a short walk is better than none at all). Ensuring your feet and ankles are comfortable can make the experience more worthwhile. When you know you’re taking care of yourself on many levels, you will enjoy walking even more!

Wearing a pair of either custom or prefabricated orthotics gives your feet a little insurance. When you wear orthotics, you’re helping to give your feet more mileage and as smoother ride. If you live outside the Seattle area and want to try a good prefabricated pair, we suggest trying the Powerstep Medical Grade Orthotic, which can be inserted into any walking shoes.

People in Seattle who need orthotics can come visit our Foot and Ankle Clinic to have an evaluation and get fitted for custom orthotics. Click here to make an appointment.

One of the most frustrating things that can happen to someone trying to lose weight is to start an exercise program and have it interrupted by an injury.  The most common injuries that ruin an exercise and weight loss program and foot injuries.  The reason is simple – carrying too much weight places extreme force on the feet.  In fact studies show that even an extra 5 pounds can damage the feet.  Starting an exercise program puts even more force on the feet and this combination of extra weight and extra activity leads to foot pain and injury.

We see this every week in our Seattle foot and ankle clinic.  Fortunately, we can help you prevent foot injury.

The feet of overweight people require extra support in order to prevent injury.    We guide all of our overweight patients into the correct shoe for their feet.  Most people trying to lose weight also need to use arch supports or custom orthotics to protect their feet.

Detailed information on preventing foot injury while trying to lose weight is available here.

If you are in the Seattle area, make an appointment to see us so we can help you with your weight loss goals. If you are not in the Seattle area, check out our home treatment hints to protect the feet while losing weight.

At our Foot and Ankle Center, we treat athletes in many sports, including running, soccer, basketball, skiing/snowboarding, bicycling, football, golf, dance and boot camp.  Dr. Hale and Dr. Huppin both have specialty training in sports medicine of the foot and ankle.

When you play sports or exercise avidly, you can expose your feet and ankles to additional and unusual forces.  Bad body mechanics, underlying medical conditions, weight distribution and the wrong footwear can all contribute to the possibility for injury in athletes.

For example, foot, leg and knee injuries are the most common injuries affecting runners and joggers.   In basketball, tremendous force is put upon the ankles and feet, and injuries will almost always occur without the proper equipment and preparation.  And as any professional will tell you, dancing is really hard on the feet, especially for women

For hikers, we like to say a great hiking experience starts with the boots.  And if you’ve experienced the joy and pain of Boot Camp or Ski Conditioning classes, you understand these are vigorous cross-training workouts that will get you in the best shape of your life.  But any intense workout – running, bicycling, dancing or Boot Camp – puts significant stress on your body, especially the feet, ankles and legs.

Because each sport is as varied as the individuals who participate, it’s important to make an appointment in our Seattle Foot and Ankle Center so that we can carefully evaluate your unique needs and develop a plan most appropriate for you.  We provide cutting-edge care for injuries, as well as sport-specific programs created to maximize your feet’s performance, prevent injury, and help get you back to the activities you love.

At our Seattle Foot and Ankle practice, we regularly see patients who develop foot pain while exercising.  If this has happened to you, our first goal is to get you back to your activity as quickly as possible.  Next, we want to give you all the tools you need to prevent foot or ankle pain from limiting your exercise efforts in the future.

An article appearing in USA Today explains just how critical it is to continue exercising – exercising intensely, in fact.  This study showed a 50% decrease in the risk of certain cancers in men who exercised intensely each day.  Specifically, the study found that increased oxygen consumption associated with moderate- to high-intensity exercise appeared to lower the risk of cancer.  Researchers discovered that an increase of 1.2 metabolic units (oxygen consumption) was related to a lowered risk of cancer death, particularly in lung and gastrointestinal cancers.

Yet, it can be difficult to implement a new exercise program or maintain a current one when your feet hurt!  In those who are overweight or obese, changes can occur that actually alter the way the foot functions.  Force on the foot significantly increases when you carry additional weight. 

Studies have indicated a greater incidence of plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, arthritis, ball-of-foot pain, fractures and sprains affecting the feet and ankles in patients who are overweight.  Learn more about weight loss and your feet here.

Another common instance of foot discomfort during exercise involves numbness and tingling.  Although almost any exercise activity can cause the feet and toes to fall asleep, the most common activities causing this are bicycling, elliptical machines and stairmasters.  Sometimes, we also see the feet go numb or start to burn while using a treadmill. Read more here about numb and tingling feet during exercise.

Don’t let foot pain limit your exercise. Contact us today for an appointment.

Many of the patients who seek treatment at our Seattle Foot and Ankle Clinic are trying to lose weight.  We usually recommend the Weight Management Program at Swedish Hospital. Clicking on the link will help you understand what makes this weight management program different.

Several key differences set the Swedish Medical Weight Management Program apart from similar weight loss programs.  This non-surgical weight loss program is medically supervised and includes physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dieticians and other professionals to help you meet your goals.  Based on the most current medical research, it addresses the medical issues that complicate persistent excess weight.

Since excessive weight places great force on the feet and often causes foot pain, we have a special interest in working with patients who are trying to lose weight.  And since foot pain can hinder your exercise routine or even prevent it, it is very important that your feet are protected if you’re on a weight loss program.   Tips for avoiding foot pain as you lose weight can be found here.

Several recent studies prove that obesity leads to foot problems.  Specifically, studies indicate that foot and ankle problems can be linked to an individual’s weight and body mass index (BMI).  Those who have a higher BMI have a substantial increase in foot and ankle problems.

One study discovered that a gain of just 10 pounds could trigger a foot problem.  And although problems vary from patient to patient, foot and ankle pain generally occurs in weight bearing areas, as well as in the tendons and ligaments.  Common foot problems include posterior tibial tendonitis, plantar fasciitis and arthritis.

We encourage you to learn more about foot problems associated with obesity at these links:

Weight Loss and Foot Pain

Obesity Can Cause Foot Pain

Step by Step Instructions to prevent and treat foot pain caused by excess weight

Obesity and Knee Pain

Be sure to make an appointment to see us before you start an exercise program. We’re here to help you prevent foot problems that can limit exercise and hinder weight loss.

I have had 3 – 4 patients per day this past week who are training for the Seattle Rock ‘n Roll marathon and have developed foot, ankle, knee or leg pain.

Here in Seattle, we are about a month away from the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon.  At this point in training we don’t want to make any major changes.  For example, there is not enough time to prescribe a pair of custom foot orthotics.  There is simply not enough time to break them in without risking injury.  If a marathoner requires custom orthotics, I recommend that they have at least 6 weeks to get used to them before running a marathon.

Most of the problems we have been seeing, however, are related to a lack of proper support.    Most of these patients do not regularly run the distances that they are now running and the increased distance leads to excessive force on their feet and problems such as plantar fasciitis and other causes of heel pain and arch pain; ball of foot pain including neuroma, callus and metatarsalgia; runners knee and shin splints and other leg pain and tendonitis problems.

We have been able to take care of many of these problems with some shoe changes and the use of high quality over-the-counter arch supports.   My recommended OTC arch support for runners is the Powerstep Medical Grade Orthotic.  It offers plenty of support while also incorporating the cushioning that benefits runners.  We use these supports along with appropriate treatment for the specific condition the runner presents with.  Our goal is to allow the runner to participate in the marathon if at all possible.  Once the marathon is over, then we will deal with long term treatment and prevention of the problem.

Read more about our approach to treating marathoners here.

We do recommend seeing a sports medicine oriented podiatrist if you are experiencing any lower extremity pain while training for a marathon.  The sooner the better, but even if it is the day before the marathon a good podiatrist can help you decrease pain and prevent further injury.

Here are links to all of the 2010 Rock ‘n Roll Marathons

• Arizona (Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe)
• Chicago
• Dallas
• Denver
• Las Vegas
• Los Angeles
• Nashville
• New Orleans
• Philadelphia
• San Antonio
• San Diego
• San Jose
• Seattle
• Virginia Beach

We have had a number patients coming in the last couple of weeks who are training for the Seattle Rock ‘n Roll marathon and half-marathon.  In fact, most are training for the half-marathon.   The two most common running injuries we are seeing are plantar fasciitis and shin splints.  Use the links to learn how to treat these problems.

If  you are running your first race, please make an appointment to see us in our Seattle foot and ankle clinic  for a pre-marathon evaluation before you get too far into your training. Be sure to bring your running shoes and any arch supports or orthotics you are using now or have used in the past.

We are also recommending this new Guide to Half-Marathon Training for Beginners.  It has a lot of great ideas for proper training and injury prevention.