Sports Physical Therapy Group

Are you a Weekend Warrior?

Do you work 9-5 all week only to find yourself performing the majority of 
your physical activity on the weekends?  Are those bumps and bruises you 
receive from weekend activity beginning to take a toll on your body?  If you or 
somebody you know fits into this category then here at The Sports Physical Therapy Group 
we have some information for you. 

The Right Shoes

 How do you find the right shoe for you?  When picking out shoes you need to be aware of a couple of things:

1)     Shape of the foot

a.        flat

b.       normal

c.       high

2)     Width of the foot

Your arch is easy to self assess with the following test.  When you step out of the shower on to a dry floor, what does your footprint look like?

    Flat arch          Normal arch         High arch

Your foot has special needs depending on its shape.  If your foot is flat, you will require more support (i.e., motion control, roll bars, arch inserts).  If your foot has a high arch, then you will need more cushioning (i.e., gel, air).  A normal arch can wear pretty much anything.

If you go on line to the Foot Health Clinic link at www.newbalancewebexpress.com, or to shoesizer at www.saucony.com , or you visit an athletic shoe store like Super Runner’s Shop or Paragon shoes, you can have a professional or the site assist you with the right shoe type for your foot.  Remember to also match your shoes to the activity you will be using them for the most…running for running, cross-trainers for multi-sport, basketball for basketball, etc.  Finally, don’t squish your toes.  Get the proper length and width.

Common Injuries of the Lower Extremity

Do you have pain deep in the knee or directly behind the knee cap when you run or during movements that require your knee to bend?  This type of knee pain, commonly referred to as patella-femoral pain (PFP), is very common, especially among runners or with athletic sports that require repetitive knee bending.  Your patella is a free-floating bone that sits on top of the femur (thighbone).  Normal knee mechanics allow the patella to move up and down in a groove on your femur as you bend and straighten your knee.  When this smooth path is not followed, the kneecap can go off its normal track, causing increased rubbing and friction to the under side of the patella. This can result in both pain and swelling in and around the knee.  PFP may result from a traumatic injury such as a fall onto the knee, but is most often the result of muscle imbalance, weakness in the quadriceps and tightness in the muscles that cross the hip and knee area.

Did you go running this weekend and then experience a sharp pain in your heel afterward or the next morning, especially when you took your first step out of bed?  You may be experiencing the onset of Achilles tendonitis or plantar fascitis.  The plantar fascia is a tissue that runs along the sole of the foot and helps to create a rigid spring board for the foot during the push-off phase of walking and running.  In some people, this connective tissue can become very tight with repetitive motion such as running and walking.  The constant pull on the tissue can result in secondary pain and inflammation.  In addition, a  bone spur can develop from the pull of the tissue on the heel.  This bone spur can also be the cause of heel pain.  The most common contributing factor to the above types of heel pain is tightness in the calf and hamstring. 

Lateral ankle sprains are most the common type of sprain with pain and swelling localized to the outside of the ankle.  Most often, pain is felt when pointing the ankle down and in or with weight bearing through the foot.  Causes for ankle sprains include muscle weakness, especially on the outside of the ankle, anatomic instability (increased movement in the ankle joint) and ligament laxity.  There is also a high rate of re-spraining the ankle once you have an initial injury; therefore, it is very important to re-educate your muscles and balance/ position sense after an ankle sprain to prevent recurrence.

Prevention Exercises

 Whether you are training for a marathon or simply beginning a running program, it is important to take preventative steps to decrease your chance of injury.  As with most musculoskeletal injuries, you can decrease the risk of overuse injuries through a balanced stretching and strengthening program.

In order to prevent common knee pain (patella femoral syndrome) stretches should be performed for the hamstring, quadriceps, hip flexor, and gastrocnemius muscles as well as the iliotibial band.  Tightness of the above structures can cause a compressive load on the patella femoral joint.  In addition, it is important to strengthen the quadriceps, particularly the medial component (VMO) for proper patellar tracking.  An overall increase in strength of the muscles surrounding the knee will assist in shock absorption to decrease joint stresses.

The same principles apply to common ankle injuries.  Strength of the ankle musculature, especially the peroneals, is crucial in the prevention of inversion ankle sprains.  Exercises like heel raises or thera-band strengthening can help.  Flexibility of the gastrocnemius, soleus, and plantar fascia will help to decrease the chance of developing plantar fascitis.  Strengthening of the muscles intrinsic to the foot will also help, so try toe crunches.  In addition to the above exercises, it is important to remember rest periods and icing after running if soreness occurs.

Join us on our website, www.sportstherapy.com, for more information about preventative exercises and sports related topics.  You can hyperlink to sports and orthopedic journals, staff articles and more.  Check it out! 

Therapeutic Exercises  

    Toe Crunches

Quadriceps Stretch 
   of Right Side