Relief from Foot Pain – Is it time to replace your shoes?

The American Podiatric Medical Association estimates that an average American takes between 8,000 and 10,000 steps every day.   Each step accepts the full weight of your body as you shift from foot to foot.  Now think about how much your body weight is amplified as you run and step down on each foot.  Whether your running style prefers a heel strike or toe strike, it is important to have the proper cushioning that footwear supplies to your foot. That new heel pain that has been creeping up on you may be a case of too many miles on your shoes.

You may have heard that you should replace your running shoes every 6 months.  This number is based on a runner logging 3 to 5 miles a day, 4 days a week or an average of 300- 500 miles in a 6 month period.  Since loss of support and cushioning can lead to pain and discomfort during and after your run, you need to discover where in this recommendation you fall.  Obviously, a 120 pound person doesn’t exert they same wear on a pair of shoes as a 200 pound person.  The speed and style of your run can also increase or decrease the time it takes to wear down a pair of shoes.

Consider keeping a log of your miles for each pair of running shoes you have.   You can then correlate any new aches or pains that may occur as you put more miles on a pair of shoes.  If you notice that you get ‘shin splints’ after only 250 miles, then you are wearing out your shoes quicker than the average.  While it may take a bit of organization, it is a good idea to rotate through several pairs of shoes.  In addition to the benefits we mentioned in the previous blog, you can prevent shocking your feet with a new pair of shoes by having various pairs at different stages of wear.  No one wants foot or heel pain to limit their ability to run.  Keep this simple idea in mind when assessing your running shoes!

NFL Week 2 Injuries

Tonight’s game aside, the second week of NFL football is complete and along with it some players season.  Only two weeks into the season the injury list for the NFL is quite long.  With the hard hits on the run, it is no surprise that most of these injuries occur in the knees, ankle and feet.  

Dallas Cowboys’ fullback Deon Anderson is reported to be out for two to four weeks after having surgery on his left knee. This is not too surprising as during his time here in Texas there have been several injuries.  Last year’s knee injury may be coming back to haunt him as this surgery is to repair a torn meniscus.  The menisci are very important to knee function and can be quite debilitating if not treated properly.

Yesterday surely added a few injuries that won’t be fully assessed until later this week.  Cornerback for the Denver Bronco’s, Champ Bailey, suffered a left ankle injury in their win over the Seahawks.  A good lesson for all of us, he was using crutches to off load the ankle after the game.  Until the extent of the injury can be properly assessed, it is important not to aggravate the injury or cause any further damage.

While we could spend the entire football season discussing foot and ankle injuries, we’ll try to limit it to the more significant problems.  One such injury occurred in the season opener for the Green Bay Packers.  Their running back Ryan Grant is out for the rest of season due to the injury that occurred. If similar to the picture, it is is not a common injury. The ligaments that are on the inside of your ankle are some of the strongest in your body.  These ligaments are so strong that injury to them often includes bone being broken where they insert.  This injury will require surgical repair and sideline him for the rest of the season.  While the Packers were still able to pull off a win this week, the effects of losing their starting running back, who contributed over 1,200 yards each of the last two years, remains to be seen.

Until next time, keep happy and healthy Austin!