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How To Avoid Buying Defective and/or Ill Fitting Running Shoes

3/30/2015

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One of the beauties of running as a sport is that there are relatively few equipment considerations and barriers to participation. All most runners need are shorts (or leaf), a t-shirt or sports bra, and perhaps socks and shoes unless you prefer to go barefoot. As a physical therapist, coach, avid runner, and triathlete, Im well aware of the potential threat that ill-fitting or defective shoes pose to your livelihood as runner. In an effort to help you ensure proper fit while avoiding a lemon, I thought that it would be helpful to provide you with a relatively short video (see below) that goes over several key concepts related to shoe fit and screening. Hope this helps you find your ideal pair of kicks.  
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Why Injured Runners Should Just Say No to Needles

3/26/2015

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One of my greatest pieces of advice for injured runners is to ALWAYS REMAIN CONSERVATIVE in managing any running related injury. In all the years I've been working with injured runners, a needle has never played a decisive role in expediting an injured runner's return to training and racing. Furthermore, in nearly all cases in which an injured runner has gone against my professional advice and opted to receive an injection, it has only made their situation worse while prolonging an otherwise timely recovery by engendering the false notion that it's safe to train simply because the pain may have subsided. I'm writing this post specifically because in just this last week, I have spoken to three runners, who elected to receive a corticosteroid injection and are still dealing with the adverse effects and sequelae of this intervention and still are unable to run. While favorable research by Gunter and colleagues does exist pertaining to the use of corticosteroid injections in managing symptoms associated with recent onset Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS), this study only assessed runners at 7 and 14 days following the intervention so no definitive conclusions can be drawn. Although I fully appreciate that being sidelined by injury isn't fun, never opt for a needle as a viable fix to address a running related injury. Rather, take the time to connect with a running injury expert, who can systematically evaluate you and get to the root of the problem. In the event this message is getting to you late and you have already received an injection for a running related injury, please make sure to afford at least 4-6 weeks before you even entertain the idea of running considering the iatrogenic effects of an injection. My ultimate goal is to help you make better decisions to foster a healthy running career while protecting you from yourself. 
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What Runners Can Learn from Golfers

3/23/2015

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Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I used to play a considerable amount of golf. When I wasn't playing a particular course, I used to live at the driving range or putting green in a never ending attempt to refine my swing and mechanics while incessantly trying to shave strokes off my score. Sometimes I would work my way through the entire bag of clubs while other times I would simply focus on one club during a session at the range. Through consistent and mindful practice, however, I managed to slowly but consistently improve my game and invariably ended up shooting lower rounds while becoming proficient at hitting nearly every club. 

Although I do not play much golf these days, I continue to apply several aspects of how I improved my game to the sport of running. Rather than simply go out and run at the same pace multiple times a week, I make sure to spend time working on various aspects of my running on an almost daily basis. This is analogous in many ways to hitting the range as a golfer. While it is undoubtedly fun to go for a run or play a round of golf, the only way you will improve is through deliberate and calculated practice. So if you are simply looking to enjoy a life of running or have specific performance objectives, it's time that you treat running as a skill that requires ongoing practice and refinement. Time to hit the range! 
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Pacific Northwest Symposium Recap - My 1st Trip to Portland

3/19/2015

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Pacific Northwest Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Symposium 2015
In early March, I had the distinct privilege to be involved as a presenter and attendee at the 2nd annual Pacific Northwest Symposium put on by Empiridence Seminars. This topic of the symposium was the lower extremity and the focus of my pre-conference and platform presentations related to running injury management. After being invited to speak, I soon realized that I would be among some heavy hitters in the medical and rehab field between George Davies, Greg and Vicky Johnson, Dr. McClanahan, Matt Walsh as well as many others. Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me and could not disappoint.

After a beautiful drive down to Portland on a sunny Friday morning, I connected with Karl Kolbeck, who heads up Empiridence and was the mastermind (along with his wife and amazing team) behind this event. Im not sure how Karl found the time for lunch given the associated duties of running a conference, but somehow he managed to make time for me (THANKS KARL). After getting some spring rolls from a vendor at a courtyard filled with food trucks, we talked shop for a while before touring Pettygrove Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation while meeting some of his staff. To no surprise, his facility was amazing. After wrapping things up I ventured over to the Doubletree Hotel where the event was being held. 


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Return to Running Checklist for Runners Rebounding from Injury

3/18/2015

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Running is a repetitive plyometric activity that involves a specific set of performance demands. Therefore, clearing injured runners for a safe return to training following injury should be premised on such demands. In the event a rehab professional fails to adequately prepare a runner for a safe return to training, the runner will invariably blow up only to find themselves hobbling home. In an effort to safeguard against such a situation, I thought it would be helpful to share my criteria/checklist to help rehabilitation professionals return injured runners to training in a safe and timely manner. Hopefully this provides you with a simple and objective framework in helping injured runners seeking your services. 
                                     STRONGER - FASTER - TOGETHER

1. BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF PAIN SCIENCE 
2. NO SIGNS NOR SYMPTOMS OF INFLAMMATION
3. ABILITY TO FULLY WEIGHT BEAR THROUGH THE AFFECTED EXTREMITY 
4. ADEQUATE TOE DEXTERITY
5. ABILITY TO BALANCE ON EACH LEG IN A WOBBLE FREE MANNER
6. IDEALLY 30+ DEGREES OF ISOLATED EXTENSION AT THE 1ST MTP
7. ABILITY TO PROGRESS THE LEG OVER THE FOOT (>20 DEGREES OF DF)
8. TOLERANCE TO OPEN & CLOSED CHAIN LOWER EXTREMITY CONTRACTIONS
9. GOOD FRONTAL & TRANSVERSE PLANE CONTROL AT THE TRUNK & HIP
10. TOLERANCE TO FITNESS WALKING (3.5MPH)
11. TOLERANCE TO A PROGRESSIVE WALK-RUN ROUTINE
11. ABILITY TO HOP ON EACH LEG IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS
Running Check List

Injured Runner
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Top 10 Sayings I Use In Working with Injured Runners

3/16/2015

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Every day I find myself working with injured runners in an effort to return them to a float phase. During my treatment sessions, I inevitably sound like a broken record. Below is a list of the things I commonly find myself saying to clients seeking my services. Drum roll please....

1. Don't worry, you are just suffering from a simple case of RSS..."Runner's Stupidity Syndrome."

2. Believe it or not, running is a skill that needs to be learned.

3. Novice runners are more fragile.

4. Stiffness is your friend and enemy.

5. Eccentric & concentric actions work in a complimentary manner.

6. Forefoot or reafoot strike pattern isn't much of a concern to me provided that you don't overstride.

7. You are only as good as your last injury and the extent that you rehabbed it. 

8. Expect strike asymmetry with track runners. 

9. Gluteus medius timing is more important than strength when it comes to running.

10. If you have phenomenal ROM you better have phenomenal strength and control.

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DISCLAIMER: This site is oriented to my opinions and thoughts regarding various performance and rehabilitation subject matter. Please keep in mind that application of this material is a personal choice, and in no way is the author responsible for those choices. Readers are encouraged to only operate within their scope of practice. Examination, treatment, intervention, and rehabilitation for athletes should only be performed by a licensed medical professional.