Exercises for Your Feet....What????

Did you know the muscle groups in both of your feet make up 25 percent of your body's muscles?  That's right!  So if you ignore the muscles of your feet, it would be like eliminating upper body workouts from your repertoire.  Your feet take a beating every day with normal activity so if you are active your feet have to do a lot more work.  When the muscles of the feet are not functioning properly, it will affect your gait in walking and running.  Foot problems lead to other orthopedic problems also such as knee pain and hip/low back pain.  Think of your feet as the foundation to your "house".  If your foundation is faulty, you will weaken your structure which ultimately could lead to injuries and/or chronic problems.

So what can you do to keep your feet healthy?  It is important to treat the muscles of your feet just as you would the muscles of your legs or chest.  They need to be strengthened and stretched on a regular basis.  We think of shoes as a good thing, right?  Actually, shoes can be similar to a cast on an arm.  Muscles of a casted limb begin to atrophy (or get smaller) over time due to the lack of movement/use.  The muscles of your feet are the same way.  They get used to having the support of shoes around the clock.  They don't have to think about moving or supporting the ankle or body so they begin to get "lazy".  Now I'm not saying you should go barefoot all of the time.  You still need to support your foundation and provide stability for the lower limbs during movement.  However, it is a good idea to go barefoot (or wear minimalist footwear) every now and then.  But before your start on that, it is important to stretch and strengthen the muscles of the feet.  Here are some exercises and stretches you can do to help build your foundation.

1. Toe Lifts
• Have you ever tried to lift one toe at a time?  You might be surprised as to how difficult it can be.  Try lifting your big toe first, without any other toes moving.  Then move on to each subsequent toe and then reverse it back to the big toe.  Keep practicing until you can master the single toe lift.  Practice this daily as it will not only strengthen the smaller muscles of the foot but it will also help stretch the feet.
2. Toe Spreads
• Your toes are trapped in shoes all day.  Sometimes, depending on the type of shoe, the toes have very little wiggle room.  Take your shoes and socks off then practice spreading the toes out away from each other without lifting them off of the ground.  Hold for a few seconds then repeat.  If you feel like your toes/feet begin to cramp, that is an indication you need to perform this move more often.
3. Toe Grabs
• Help strengthen and stretch the bottom of your feet with toe grabs.  Place a towel or small objects such as pebbles or marbles on the floor.  Practice grabbing and picking up the small objects with your toes.  If you are using a towel, grab the towel with your toes, then scrunch your toes up to drag that towel towards you.
4. Ankle Circles and Point/Flex
• Practice making 20 circles with your feet both clockwise and counter-clockwise.  Make the circles big so the whole foot moves at the ankle.  Then point your foot away from you (as if you were stepping on a gas pedal in your car) and flex your foot towards your body.  Do this about 20 times each foot.  If that becomes too easy, grab an exercise band/tubing and repeat all of those movements.

Practice these movements every day to help strengthen and stretch your feet and toes.  Try to add barefoot walking into your daily activity but be aware how your foot strikes the ground.  Be sure to place the whole bottom of the foot on the ground and push off through the toes.  Avoid rolling the foot to the inside or outside too much.  You should notice an improvement fairly quickly.  You might even find a reduction in knee pain and calf tightness by doing theses exercises.  Finally, and most importantly, take care of your feet.  Massage your feet with your hands or by rolling your foot over a tennis ball.  Stretch your calf muscles daily.  Wear the appropriate shoes for your activity (check out our blog "Shoes Are Shoes...Right?" for more information.

Take care of your feet and you will have a strong foundation!!

Shin Splints - Prevention & Treatment

If you have ever felt pain in your shin after a workout, you probably experienced a case of shin splints.  If you have participated in running/jogging or sporting events, you probably have dealt with shin splints at one time.  Left untreated, shin splints can be debilitating.  With a little preventative work, you can avoid the pain and undue suffering from shin splints.

First let's define shin splints.  In short, shin splints are inflammation (swelling) of the periostium or covering on the shin bone.  Typical symptoms are shin pain over the inside lower half of the leg, pain at the start of exercise which often eases as the session continues, pain that returns after activity and may be at its worse the next morning, lumps/bumps felt over the inside of the shin bone, and pain when the toes/foot are flexed.  What causes shin splints?  Most of the time, shin splints are caused from biomechanical issues or training issues.  Flat feet or extreme high arches, obesity, and/or improper footwear are common culprits.  Also, increasing training too quickly (i.e., too much too soon) or large increase in running mileage can also cause shin splints.

What can you do to prevent shin splints?  First and foremost, be sure to wear the appropriate shoes for the type of activity you are performing.  Refer back to our blog entitled "Shoes are Shoes...Right?" for more information on choosing athletic footwear.  Also, make sure you have the proper support for the type of arch you have and replace your shoes often to ensure you are getting adequate support.  Next, maintain a healthy weight.  As your body weight increases, your feet have to support not only your body weight but also the effects of gravity.  That's a lot of work to ask of your feet.  When you are overweight/obese, the arches in your feet tend to flatten out, causing the ankle to roll in and putting undue stress on the lower part of the legs.  Finally, be sure to start slow and increase your intensity/mileage gradually.  Going "all out" on your first day will have some repercussions.  Try to increase your running mileage no more than 10% at a time.  In other words, don't go from running 3-5 miles per week to 10-15 miles per week.

Prevention can also include proper stretching and exercises.  Remember to always warm up prior to stretching.  For the shins, walking or cycling are both good warm-up activities.  To stretch the shins, kneel on the floor with the tops of your feet on the floor behind you.  Gently sit back on your heels, pressing the feet to the floor.  Hold this stretch for about 15-30 seconds and repeat a couple times.  If you are already experiencing shin splints, this may be very uncomfortable.  Place as much of your body weight down on your legs as you can tolerate.  To strengthen your lower legs, perform ankle flexion exercises with exercise tubing/bands.  Wrap the tubing around a stable object and sit on the floor with your legs extended.  Wrap the other end of the tubing around your toes.  With your legs straight, gently pull your toes towards you then slowly return to the starting position.  These pictures from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) show how to perform this exercise.  

Treatment of shin splints is fairly easy.  Ice will significantly help with reducing the swelling and pain.  Also, adequate rest is helpful.  Allow your body to recover from this injury before jumping back into your routine.  Continuing to push through the pain will only delay healing and will cause further damage.

Remember, as painful as shin splints are, they are very easy to prevent.  With a little planning and preparation, you can spare yourself the pain and aggravation of shin splints.  Still need some help?  Stop in a PROMATx Health Club and talk with a trainer.   We can show you the proper way to prevent shin splints.  If you are already suffering, we can show you stretches and pain management techniques to help you recover.

How Can I Strengthen My Knees?

The knee is a complicated joint and is a commonly injured area of the body.  The knees bear about 80% of our body weight when standing...that's a lot of pressure!  Because of the wear and tear on our knees from every day activities to sporting events and exercise, there are over 500,000 total knee replacement (TKR) surgeries performed every year (according to the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons).  It's also projected that by the year 2030, that number will increase to over 3.48 million due to increased obesity rates and aging baby boomers.  Approximately 12% of people over the age of 60 experience symptoms of knee osteoarthritis and 94% of patients undergoing TKR do so because of osteoarthritis.

Is there anything we can do to protect our knees and prevent the need for TKR?  Let's first look at the structure of the knee joint.  This picture shows the basic structure of the knee joint including the quadriceps (thigh) muscle and the bones of the shin or lower leg.  All of these muscles, ligaments and tendons help to keep the knee stable and strong so it can withstand the pressure of standing, walking, and climbing.  Unfortunately, there are many areas that can be injured, whether acutely (i.e., trip and fall) or chronically (i.e., osteoarthritis).  While it is not possible to strengthen the knee joint itself, it is possible to strengthen and stretch the surrounding muscles.

Let's look at five areas you can strengthen to keep your knees stable and strong.  First, the knee joint is surrounded by:

1. Quadriceps muscles - large muscle group on the front of the thigh running from the front of the hip to the top of the knee.
2. Hamstring muscles - large muscle group on the back of the thigh running from the back of the hip to the back of the knee.
3. Calf muscles - two muscles that encompass the back of the lower leg, running from the back of the knee down to the Achilles or heel.
4. Iliotibial (IT) Band - large band of connective tissue running from the outside of the hip down to the outside of the knee.

It is important to strengthen and stretch those areas in addition to the hip, since some of the above structures cross the hip joint also.  Here are five exercises you can do to improve the strength of these muscles and connective tissue.  Click on each link to be taken to American College on Exercise (ACE) website for video instructions.

• To strengthen the quadriceps, perform a BODYWEIGHT SQUAT. 
• To strengthen the hamstrings, perform a STABILITY BALL HAMSTRING CURL.
• To strengthen the calves, perform a BARBELL CALF RAISE.
• To strengthen the hips, perform a GLUTE BRIDGE.
• To stretch the IT Band, perform an IT BAND STRETCH.

Although performing these exercises will not prevent you from EVER experiencing knee pain or problems, it will help you to prevent future injuries to the knee joint.  Take care of your knees and you will be able to maintain an active lifestyle.  Eat right and maintain a healthy body weight to keep additional pressure off of your knees.  Wear proper shoes (click HERE to read a previous blog on shoes) for your activity and replace them often to maintain appropriate support.

Still need help with knee pain?  Be sure to talk with your healthcare practitioner to find out the underlying cause of the pain, then talk to a trainer at PROMATx Health Club and see how you can strengthen your knees and prevent future injuries.

"I'm fine, and my hips are fine.  My false knee is fine.  My false hips are fine.  Everything's cooking."  

- Liza Minnelli

Shoes Are Shoes...Right?

Look down at your feet.  What are you wearing?  What shoes do you exercise in?  As long as they are athletic shoes, it shouldn't matter...right?  That statement couldn't be more incorrect.  Athletic shoes have come a long way in the past 15 years.  There is a significant amount of research and technology that goes into designing and producing a pair of athletic shoes.  It can be confusing for the consumer, as well as expensive.  Let's take a look at how to buy a pair of athletic shoes.

First and foremost, you should look at what activity you are (or will be) performing.  If the activity is specific, i.e., running, basketball, and tennis, then you should purchase shoes specifically designed for that activity.  You wouldn't go dancing in steel-toed boots so why go running in shoes not made for running?  If you participate in a variety of activities during one workout session (i.e., weight training and cardio) then you should be able to purchase a "cross-trainer".  This type of shoe is good for a variety of physical activities. 

Next you should consider your feet.  Do you have high arches or flat feet?  Not sure??  Here's a simple test.  Take a bucket of water outside in your driveway or sidewalk.  Stand in the bucket with bare feet then step out of the bucket and walk normally for a few steps.  Quickly turn around and look at your footprints.  In the midfoot region, does it look like a big blob?  If so, you have flat feet.  If there is only a little footprint in the midfoot region, then you have high arches.  That's just a general test but it can help you decide how to fit your foot.  People with high arches need the proper support and may require additional orthotics.  Those with flat feet might not need as much cushioning as those with high arches, but they require greater support to create an arch in the foot.

One you have these two pieces of the puzzle, it's time to try on shoes.  Try to shop for shoes later in the day because your feet swell as much as half a shoe size throughout a day.  If you are buying shoes for a specific activity at a specific time of the day (such as running early in the mornings), then try on shoes at that time of the day for a proper fit.  There should be enough space at the end of the toes, while still allowing the heel to stay in place without slipping.  Finally, the shoe should fit comfortably around the ball of the foot, without pinching.  If your feet are wide, then shop for wider-width shoes.  Shoes should never rub or pinch anywhere on the foot.  If they are not comfortable in the store, then don't hope they will "break-in".  Find something that is comfortable as soon as you tie the laces.

Now that you have purchased a pair of shoes designed for your activity, it's important to be aware of when to replace them.  A good rule of thumb is to replace your shoes every 3-6 months or every 350-500 miles (for runners).  Obviously it depends on how hard you are on your shoes.  Take a look at the soles...if they are losing the tread, it's time for a new pair.

How much you spend on the shoes is up to you.  Shoes can range anywhere from $19.99 to $179.99.  Price is not necessarily indicative of quality and support.  Go to a reputable shoe dealer and get fitted properly.  Have your feet measured because the structure of your bones change as we age and you may need a larger size than you think.

Remember, fit your shoes to your feet and activity.  Don't fall for gimmick shoes that target toning of the body.  Buy stable shoes that are comfortable.  Your feet (and knees, hips and back) will appreciate it and you'll have a better workout!!