Activating Children

Paques01 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Are your kids cooped up all week, bound by the constraints of a typical working family? Come the weekend are you just so glad to have some downtime for yourself you might forget that they need outside diversions? Ok, no more excuses. The better weather has arrived and it is past time to get the kids off the sofa, away from video games and head for the outdoors. Your family activities do not have to cost a lot, nor do they require an all day time investment.

One of the things that a family can do together is run. There may need to be a little pace adjustment for the small ones, or a stroller may be required for the tiny tots. Beg one, borrow one or ask to be gifted with one and then hit the paths. Everyone will enjoy this family outing and the fresh air. If you have trouble motivating yourself go to this website and see how they break it down in tiny easy to accomplish steps. Your kids will love you for it.

No denying it childhood obesity is skyrocketing. This means earlier onset of foot and ankle problems due to the added stress and weight bearing on the young undeveloped bones of children. Don’t allow your child to suffer a lifetime of pain and aggravation when the solution lies right at your feet. Kids won’t make this decision by themselves. They need a leader who will set an example.

Benefits of an exercise plan include:

    •    Structured family time

    •    Build strong bones and muscles

    •    Mental attitude adjustment

    •    Burning excess energy

    •    More mentally focused when they need to be

    •    A foundation for healthy lifestyle

    •    Building family memories

No doubt about it, at first a change in lifestyle may come with some mild inconveniences, but overcome them now and set your kids up for success later in life. Build the strong feet and ankles necessary to carry them through life. Start your running program slowly and build gradually. This is not a 0 to sixty program your first time out. If you have foot or ankle concerns before you begin, consult with Dr. Teichman. His expertise can guide you on a conditioning plan and get you focused on the next step. Call (610) 432-9593 for an appointment.

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Hey, I could really use a Little Support

Podiatrist treating foot (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Do you suffer pain in the arch of your foot? Knee pain? Lower back pain? Have you raced off to the pharmacy to purchase the latest in arch supports from the foot department, only to come up short in the desired results department? What is real arch support and how does it help us?

Arch supports are inserts (off the shelf) or orthotics (prescribed by your podiatrist) that fit the arch of your foot to lend it support and prevent the stretching and small tears in the plantar fascia.  The plantar fascia is the ligament that runs the length of the foot. When stressed, this area becomes painful and inflamed. The most discomfort is apparent in the morning after a night’s rest. The ligament has contracted, and the first few steps in the morning can be painful as the ligament eases.

You are most apt to experience pain if you:

    •    Are overweight

    •    Spend long periods of time running walking or standing on hard surfaces

    •    If your feet roll inward

    •    Your calf muscles and tendons are too tight

How can you regain some comfort without breaking the bank? Consider a few things you can do at home to ease the pain.

    •    Ice the area for 20 minutes in the morning. If you have one of these neat rolling pins that allows you to put ice water in it. Put that under the arch of your foot and roll it back and forth. If not, do an application of cold first, then do the same type of rolling exercise using a rubber ball or tennis ball.

    •    Rise up on toes as far as possible, hold for 5 seconds, and lower. Repeat 10 times on each foot.

    •    Place the ball of your foot on wall at hip height. Lean forward until you feel the stretch in your foot, but do not cause added pain. Hold stretch for 5 seconds, release and repeat 10 times on each foot.

You can try arch supports from your pharmacy, but they may not always be reliable. The combination of the exercises and arch support may be enough to give you relief, but if not, call Dr. Teichman for an appointment. Get the kind of support you really need.

References:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/335195-exercises-for-sore-feet/
http://www.footminders.com/arch-pain-treatment-foot-arch-pain-with-orthotic-insoles.html

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Barefoot Running - Fad or Friction

Image via WikipediaAre you a runner? Does your day lack something if you can’t start the morning with that outing that really gets your blood pumping?  Well, how do you feel about this barefoot running trend?  Of course barefoot means without shoes. Then there is minimalist running which is running with “barely there” shoes. Barefoot running might be great in some instances, but here in the real world, seldom can you hand pick your surfaces each day to include soft grassy fields. More often, you see runners pounding the concrete. Without shoes, you would be increasing, immeasurably, the chance of puncture wounds, lacerations and infections. It’s sad to think about a runner being sidelined by an injury that could have so easily been prevented by wearing shoes.  But this just scratches the surface, so to speak.  What does barefoot running mean as far as support and impact to your tissues, muscles, joints and bones?

Barefoot running has become a hot debate, and there are probably arguments that can be made for running both with and without shoes, but in order for an argument to have validity, it needs to be backed by research.  Although there are people who have been running barefoot for years, have the studies really been performed and the results carefully analyzed in scientifically controlled experiments, or are people just exercising their right to preference? It will certainly be interesting to find out what the next ten years holds for this trend.  It seems that if it were truly beneficial, everyone would be running without shoes on.  Some people say that they just like the way it feels free, allowing the air to move across their feet. Similar arguments are used by motorcycle riders who refuse to wear helmets.  But there can be no denying that the use of helmets undoubtedly prevents injuries and probably saves lives.

One other point for consideration here, although it may be growing in popularity, it might not be right for you. Talk to your podiatrist and get their expert opinion on the matter, especially if you already have a foot problem that you are dealing with. You would not want to contribute to an existing problem.  If you are in need of a podiatrist, check out Dr. Teichman at East Penn Foot & Ankle Associates.

Do you have an experience or a story that you would like to share with us that involves barefoot running?  Please feel free to comment below, we would love to hear from you!

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Achilles Tendonitis - One of the Most Common Injuries

Image via WikipediaDid you know that your Achilles tendon is the biggest tendon you have in your body?  Did you know that it can take a force of one thousand pounds of pressure?  Or did you know that it is also the most common tendon to rupture?

When an Achilles tendon is inflamed, causing pain, it is called Achilles Tendonitis.  The Achilles tendons is located on the back of your legs, connecting the calf muscle to your heel bone.  This tendon has forces placed upon it every time you walk, run, stand up, climb stairs, basically any time your leg moves.  So it is obviously an important tendon  that you don’t ever want to have injured.  The problem is that it is usually one of the most common places to get an injury, just because so much force is place on it.  You know if you have Achilles tendonitis because it usually begins with a mild pain after extreme amounts of work like exercising.  That pain then continues to get worse.  Other things to watch out for are pain located along the tendon after a couple hours of exercising, swelling in your leg, pain or tenderness in the morning an inch and a half above your heel, or if your leg is more fatigued then normal. 

To treat Achilles tendonitis, apply the RICE treatment (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation).  You can also take anti-inflammatory medication to help, along with the ice, to reduce swelling and pain.  Make sure you stretch before and after exercising to insure that this tendon is warm and cooled down so that the tendon will not be pushed to the extreme before it is ready.  Even if you are just a weekend warrior, make sure you stretch before working on your house!

If you have any questions regarding Achilles tendonitis or any other sports related injuries, please contact Dr. Adam Teichman at East Penn Foot & Ankle Associates.

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Physical Therapy and Running

Image by roger_mommaerts via FlickrIf you have ever had a sports injury, you’ve probably have gone through some physical therapy.  Podiatrists, like many doctors who deal with injuries, work very closely with physical therapists.  As with any injury to the body, physical therapists work with people who have a range of injuries to their feet and ankles. 

Doing physical therapy will often help pain and swelling to subside, allowing the injury to heal faster, better and with less stress to you since the pain level will be reduced.  Physical therapists strive to also help you restore or increase the range of motion to the injured part of the foot.  That way the joints will not stiffen up, preventing a full recovery from the injury.  Another way a physical therapist helps with an injury to the foot or ankle is to help you rebuild and strengthen muscle around the injury and make sure that the foot and ankle line up properly.  With all that they do for an injury, as long as a patient follows their directions and does their physical therapy, that injury will soon be a thing of the past.

Physical therapy isn’t just for sports injuries though.  There is physical therapy for many other foot problems too.  Problems like plantar fasciitis, bunions, and Achilles issues all respond well to physical therapy.  So if you have a foot issue, contact your podiatrist and ask them to recommend what type of physical therapy you need to help relieve your pain and fix the problem.

If you need a podiatrist, Dr. Adam Teichman at East Penn Foot & Ankle Associates would like to be your podiatrist.  Contact us on our website (www.eastpennfoot.com).  If you are in need of a physical therapist, Dr. Teichman recommends Robbins Rehabilitation.  He has partnered with Robbins and has found that they are extremely reliable and will help you get over your injury and back to health.  Check out Robbins difference of why you should choose them.

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