New Runners - Running in Austin is a Year Round Event

While other parts of the country a buried under inches or feet of snow or dealing with sub zero temperatures this time of year, we Austinites can enjoy being outside year round.  Yes, the temperatures can dip into the teens on that rare occasion, but running outside is almost always an option. If improving your health is part of your resolutions for this year, running is one of the simplest ways to do it.

In addition to shedding fat, adding muscle, and improving cardiovascular health, this activity will help increase the strength and density of your bones.  Many people, especially women, will lose bone density with age.  Running is a great way to build that density up and keep your bones strong which will make them more resistant to breaks.  There are many activities that one can do to stay healthy, but, as we pointed in this month’s newsletter, few others require less equipment.  Strap a good pair of running shoes on your feet and you have a wealth of many different trails and paths to run on in the area. No gym membership required!  Do pay attention to the type of surface you are running on.  While it may be easiest to run on the sidewalks in your neighborhood, concrete can be very demanding on the joints of your legs and feet.  Instead, consider a dirt trail or designate running track as a new runner.  Running on a softer surface will give your body opportunity to adjust to the new demands placed on it.

Before you join the large community of Austin runners, make a visit to your family physician.   A regular check up is a good way to catch any possible problems before the increased demands can cause damage.  Likewise, make an appointment with your Austin podiatrist to investigate any minor aches or pains.  That mild ache in your heel or nagging stiffness in your toe can become very painful, very quickly if not cared for before you begin running.  Too often foot pain and limit or prevent you from participating in various activities.  Unfortunately, many of these pains can be eliminated with proper treatment by a podiatrist.  A proper evaluation of your feet can also help you to select the proper running shoes for your foot type.    Take the time to properly prepare yourself now and you can enjoy your runs for years to come!

Related articles

• New running shoes for the new year - Know your foot type (austinfootandankle.blogspot.com)
• Why the health of your feet is a priority (austinfootandankle.com)

Dwayne Wade – Heel Pain & Ankle Sprains

Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade returned to action on Tuesday after missing 3 games and many practices over the last week.   He had been ‘taking it easy’ during that time in order to recover from heel pain.  The team had reported he was recovering from a ‘bruised foot’ that occurred against the Charlotte Bobcats. When the injury didn’t resolve after a week, Wade speculated that the injury may be his plantar fascia.  Whether he was fully recovered or not Wade seemed to have any problems in the game against the Golden State Warriors.  Unfortunately, the team hasn’t secured a win since his return and Wade’s injuries have mounted.  He strained his calf against the LA Clippers on Wednesday and sprained his ankle Friday against the Denver Nuggets.

Wade was concerned that he may have broken something as he’d ‘never sprained it like that before’.   With any ankle injury, it is important to rule out fractures with x-rays.   NBA players are liked to get to an x-ray quicker than you or I, but it is important to RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) any kind of ankle injury as excessive swelling can often make the problem worse.  Your body uses swelling to supply healing nutrients to the site and protect it.  The ankle joint often cannot easily accommodate large amounts of swelling and can complicate the injury.  For ankle injuries like this, an early treatment would be an injection to the ankle with a local anesthetic to relieve pain as well as a corticosteroid to help reduce swelling.   Doctor’s will most likely recommend early physical therapy as ankle sprains can become chronic if not treated aggressively.

While the ankle injury appears to have occurred on its own, we have to wonder if the heel pain played any part in problems over the last few games.  Heel pain can have many causes and all are not as straight forward as we have tried to point out before.  A thorough evaluation by a podiatric physician will identify the cause of your pain and the best course to correct it.  We hope Mr. Wade heals quickly and is able to get back on the court.

New running shoes for the new year – Know your foot type

Most of us have probably found a brand of shoe that works better for us than another. Since each shoe company uses a different design for the sole this is not surprising, but even within a brand there can be much variability in the support and structure of different styles.  Shoes designed for cross training or hiking need to provide more side to side stability, where those designed for running are focused on energy transferred from heel to toe.  Within the styles of running shoe, we can further look at the amount and type of support to address the motion of your foot.  Pronation, or the motion of pressure from outside heel to the inside ball, can be exaggerated in some individuals.  Because an excessive amount of motion in this manner can cause problems, Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists recommends these shoes based on your foot.  A thorough examination of your feet in our clinic can provide you all the information you need to select the proper footgear.

Foot pain can often be caused simply by the structure of your foot.  The normal foot exhibits an arch on the inside when standing normally.  A foot with a very high arch is cavus, and a foot with no arch, or flat foot, is planus.  Most individuals fall somewhere between these two extremes, but knowing which extreme your trend towards can help you from incurring the aches and pains that can come from putting then in the wrong shoes.   Often the right type of padding or support in the right places will be enough to keep you running, but many options are available to correct painful foot structure through your Austin podiatrist.

In addition to our website, there are a variety of sources out there to help runners with shoe selection.  The American Association of Podiatric Sports Medicine has an extensive list of shoes based on the support they offer as well as other advice for the runner.  The APMA has a webpage devoted entirely to the runner. You can also find a link here to guide your shoe selection based on arch height.