Discussion: Foot article coming in Sunday's NYTimes
in: Orienteering; General
Sep 12, 2008 4:57 PM
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There is a good article on the foot problems coming in Sunday's NYTimes Magazine. An internet version is available now. A couple of excerpts follow:
The foot is at such high risk for injury largely because it has so many small, frangible parts -- 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 tendons, ligaments and muscles, any of which can fail. Nevertheless, under ideal conditions, feet are built to handle the abuse of even high-impact sports. A healthy foot, like a car, has two ways to absorb pressure: it has pads and it has springs....
....But as athletes reach their 30s or 40s, the fat pads that help to absorb impact start to thin. There's no way to replump them permanently, although some foot doctors have tried injecting the soles of patients' feet with collagen or other fillers. Meanwhile, the foot's once-springy tendons and ligaments tighten up along with the rest of an athlete's aging body. Foot tissues connect to those in the lower leg, particularly the Achilles' tendon, that long, thick, tensile rope that binds the powerful muscles of the calf to the heel. If the tendon becomes inflexible, it pulls the calf muscles taut. It also strains the plantar fascia, the main ligament on the underside of the foot. Stretched too far, the plantar fascia becomes inflamed....
....Injuries to the plantar fascia and connected tissues are the most common foot ailment in athletes over 30. Many people, feeling the first stabs of heel pain from an injured fascia, switch to softer, looser athletic shoes, thinking that will cosset the foot and correct the problem. It does the opposite....
....Many foot injuries are, in fact, the result of wearing the wrong shoes or the wrong shoe size. Studies have suggested that Americans too often wear shoes that don't fit, and athletes are no exception. Shoes that are too narrow through the toe box contribute directly to the formation of blisters and bunions. Those that are too short lead to hammertoes and blackened nails, and those in which the flex point of the shoe doesn't hit exactly at the flex point of the foot can cause pinched nerves and stress fractures. To ensure that your shoes fit, shop at the end of the day, when feet are at their largest, and have your feet measured. "You can add a shoe size or more during adulthood," Richie points out. If you have plantar fasciitis or other heel pain, he says, choose shoes that also have at least an inch of lift in the heel.
As for those balletic types who land on their toes while running, most foot experts suggest a consultation with a coach or trainer to correct your stride. With few exceptions, you could generate more power and speed, and avoid many metatarsal stress fractures, by learning to strike the ground nearer to your heel....
If you'd like to read the whole article, but don't want to go through the registration process required by the Times, I'll send you a .pdf file if you email me privately; please put "Foot" in the subject line.
The foot is at such high risk for injury largely because it has so many small, frangible parts -- 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 tendons, ligaments and muscles, any of which can fail. Nevertheless, under ideal conditions, feet are built to handle the abuse of even high-impact sports. A healthy foot, like a car, has two ways to absorb pressure: it has pads and it has springs....
....But as athletes reach their 30s or 40s, the fat pads that help to absorb impact start to thin. There's no way to replump them permanently, although some foot doctors have tried injecting the soles of patients' feet with collagen or other fillers. Meanwhile, the foot's once-springy tendons and ligaments tighten up along with the rest of an athlete's aging body. Foot tissues connect to those in the lower leg, particularly the Achilles' tendon, that long, thick, tensile rope that binds the powerful muscles of the calf to the heel. If the tendon becomes inflexible, it pulls the calf muscles taut. It also strains the plantar fascia, the main ligament on the underside of the foot. Stretched too far, the plantar fascia becomes inflamed....
....Injuries to the plantar fascia and connected tissues are the most common foot ailment in athletes over 30. Many people, feeling the first stabs of heel pain from an injured fascia, switch to softer, looser athletic shoes, thinking that will cosset the foot and correct the problem. It does the opposite....
....Many foot injuries are, in fact, the result of wearing the wrong shoes or the wrong shoe size. Studies have suggested that Americans too often wear shoes that don't fit, and athletes are no exception. Shoes that are too narrow through the toe box contribute directly to the formation of blisters and bunions. Those that are too short lead to hammertoes and blackened nails, and those in which the flex point of the shoe doesn't hit exactly at the flex point of the foot can cause pinched nerves and stress fractures. To ensure that your shoes fit, shop at the end of the day, when feet are at their largest, and have your feet measured. "You can add a shoe size or more during adulthood," Richie points out. If you have plantar fasciitis or other heel pain, he says, choose shoes that also have at least an inch of lift in the heel.
As for those balletic types who land on their toes while running, most foot experts suggest a consultation with a coach or trainer to correct your stride. With few exceptions, you could generate more power and speed, and avoid many metatarsal stress fractures, by learning to strike the ground nearer to your heel....
If you'd like to read the whole article, but don't want to go through the registration process required by the Times, I'll send you a .pdf file if you email me privately; please put "Foot" in the subject line.
This discussion thread is closed.