Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Strength work with a stress fracture - Emily
It is undetermined, but I could possibly have a stress fracture in my left leg. While I am taking
some time off running, can I do things like balance training and strength training (lunges, squats) or will this only prevent
my injury from healing?
Reply - Janet
It sort of depends on where the stress fracture is and what
exercises you're thinking of. If the stress fracture is stable and you're allowed full weight bearing with no
restrictions (other than not running) then that opens the door a bit more than if you're on limitations or on restricted
weight bearing status. Have you spoken with the physician that diagnosed the stress fracture? If not - that's
your first step... he/she has access to the diagnostic imaging and knows the status of the fracture and has a good idea of
what it will tolerate. Hope this helps - Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, Running Strong Coach
8:30 pm edt
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Foot going numb - Omar
Hi my name is Omar, I have recently had a problem with my left foot only. Summer break just arrived
a few weeks ago and I'm trying to get in shape for the summer. I've been running for about week and a half, 3-4 times/week.
I run about 3 miles. Towards the end of the run my left foot starts to go numb. This has never happened to me before, I dont
know why its happening. I examined my foot and I have no calus there or any serious problem. I was thinking it was maybe my
shoe tightened too much but that wasn't the case either. If you could answer back that'd be great!
Reply
- Janet
If you're new to running, perhaps 3 miles 3-4 times a week is a bit much? If you've been running,
perhaps it's time for new shoes? If your shoes don't support you well or are fatigued, that can easily contribute
to problems like you're having. In addition, if your calf muscles are tight that can contribute as well so you might
want to work on gently stretching your calves several times a day. Hope this is food for thought, sorry about the delayed
response - I was out of touch over the holiday weekend. Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, Running Strong coach
8:25 pm edt
Friday, May 25, 2007
Locking knees - Stephanie
I have always had weak/ knobby knees. I play basketball and my right knee has done this popping
thing and just locks up and then aches for a couple of days after that. It has happended at home when I was playing with my
dog and on the court. I dson't what makes it happen, but it is annoying. I was wondering if there were any exercises that
I coiuld do to build more muscle and strenghten my knee area. Thank you! You have some really great advice!
Reply
- Janet
Stephanie, when someone describes a knee "locking up" and then aching for a period after that,
I always tend to suspect a tear of the cartilage in the knee known as the meniscus. I think you'd be wise to see
an orthopedist to have this checked out before pursuing any exercises. There are LOTS of exercises you can do to strengthen
the hips and thighs and help protect that knee, but if the meniscus is torn and the torn piece is flopping around in there
and locking things up on an intermittent basis then you'll have limited success with the exercises until you get the torn
piece taken out. If that is indeed what's going on, the surgery to remove it is usually done through an arthroscope
so the incision is usually small and the recovery is usually pretty straightforward. Set up an appointment with a good
orthopedist who specializes in knees and have him/her evaluate you. Once you know for sure what you're dealing with,
then I can help you with the exercises. Hope this helps. Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, Running Strong Coach
6:43 am edt
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Returning to running after Hamstring injury - Jamie
Thanks for your reply re hamstrings(14/05/07)have just come back from physio and was adviced to
run for 10 mins on the flat which iam happy to do but a bit concerned because the last time i did this it was fine but did
it again the following day as adviced and there was a reaction.Its the inner hamstrings at the top just below the buttock
there is no internal bleading just tight and feel sore.any thougths or advice would be great
Reply - Janet
Perhaps instead of 10 continuous minutes of running you could start with something a bit more conservative?
Have you thought about doing a run/walk thing for a couple of weeks and gradually transitioning to continuous running?
One format might be to walk for 5 min warming up, then alternate 60 seconds of easy running with 3 minutes of brisk but comfortable
walking. Do that for perhaps 15-20 minutes, and over the next several days you could consider increasing the easy run
portion to 2 minutes and decreasing the walk portion to 2 minutes. This kind of gradual return to running often works
better than just jumping in to continuous running. Hope this helps - Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, Running Strong
Coach
10:57 am edt
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Numb left leg and arm - Neal
I recently started running. After about 20 minutes of running, my left leg and left hand starts
going numb....legs are not a big problem as I can still run and keep the numbness to the minimum but on the hands i have to
shake them a lot. Any reason why this might be happening? Will be waiting for a reply. Thank you.
Reply - Janet
I think it would be wise to see your physician for this one - the symptoms you describe don't sound like
anything orthopedic to me - but might be circulatory related. When someone describes one side of their body being affected
like that it makes me wonder about circulatory issues. You didn't mention your age or any other conditions (high
blood pressure, diabetes, etc) but if you have any other conditions, they may be playing into this. Sorry that I can't
give you anything more substantial - but I think it's time to discuss this with your Internal Medicine doctor. Janet
Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, Running Strong Coach
7:48 am edt
Monday, May 14, 2007
Hamtring Injury - Jamie
18 month ago i ripped my right hamstring it got better and i was running again,then last september
i went up a few hills whilst running and both hamstring went.no pain on the day just a few days later very very stiff for
3 or 4 weeks was attending physio aswell.still having trouble now its the semitendonosus thats the worst.any tips on how to
recover and build up the muscle would been great.thanks
Reply - Janet
The research I'm familiar
with seems to favor functional strength training exercises and an eccentric focus. That means that if your focus is
on stretching the hamstring, you're probably mis-guided. It also means that if you're emphasizing the machines
at the gym (leg curl, leg extension, etc) you may not be optimizing your rehab. Talk to your physiotherapist about exercises
that are weight bearing, multi-plane, balance-challenging exercises like balance and reach, lunge, or even therapeutic ball
exercises. Be patient and do your homework before you try to get back into running. That return to running needs
to be slow and patient. Best of luck to you. Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, Running Strong Coach
9:23 am edt
Friday, May 4, 2007
Calf muscles getting tight - Danielle
I started a running program 5 weeks ago. I walk about 1 mile over to meet the group and I've
been stretching. So far, I've done very little running (maybe 1 minute at a time and no more than 3 minutes in an hour)
so mostly walking. As time has gone on, it seems as if my calves are getting tighter just walking. It is mostly my calve area
and outer calves, but as they get tighter, the other muscles in my legs tighten up and it makes it hard to even walk. I can
remember when I used to exercise on the elliptical my feet would get a little numb. What should I do?
Reply -
Janet
There are a couple of things that come to mind as I read your post but the first one is what pace are
you walking? If you're walking a very brisk pace, then it's not too unusual to have the carmping/tightening
sensation in your calves. You mention you've been stretching but what exactly do you stretch and how? If you're
not stretching your calf muscles on days other than when you walk, then perhaps that would be one thing to add to your program...
stretching calves several times a day (gently). Another thought is what kind of shoes are you wearing? If you're
wearing "walking" shoes, then perhaps a visit to a good technical running shoe store for a bit of fitting guidance
would be a good thing to consider. The right type of shoe for your gait pattern can go a long way to helping the calf
issue. Hope this is food for thought. Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, Running Strong Coach
6:53 pm edt
Foot Pain - Carrie
I have top of foot pain that has been ongoing for the last two weeks. I went to the doctor and
they suggested an xray to rule out a stress fracture. Thankfully, it came back with a good report of no visible sfx. What
else could it be? I haven't been on a run in two weeks and I'm going crazy! The location of the pain in top of right
foot, right in the middle of the foot, with some tenderness on the side, by the arch. It does not hurt when I flex or point
my foot. I have good shoes (Ascics) with orthodics that I have been running with since February. I haven't increased my
mileage recently, and I do run on a good surface (gravel roads). I'm getting really worried and depressed... Thanks!
Reply - Janet
The x-ray isn't a conclusive diagnostic tool for stress fractures. In fact, stress
fractures only show up on x-ray after the healing process is well under way so I wouldn't make the assumption that what
you're dealing with is NOT a stress fracture... it may well be a stress fracture! Did you see an orthopedist or a general
medical doc? Sometimes the general docs don't know to run additional diagnotic tests (bone scan or MRI?) to conclusively
determine whether or not a stress fracture is present. What diagnosis did they come up with? Keep in mind that if it
is a stress fracture you should probably not be taking any form of anti-inflammatory drugs as there is some evidence that
they may slow the rate of bone repair. What can you do in the meantime? If you have access to a pool you may be able
to continue cardio training by doing either lap swimming or perhaps some deep water running. You could also try something
that is less weight bearing than running & walking like using a stationary bike. You'll need to listen
to your body to determine what you can do. The most important thing you do during your rest period is to figure out
what brought this about. Was it related to lack of adequate hip strength? Perhaps tight calves? Wrong shoes or shoe/orthotic
combination? Do a little detective work. Also, don't hesitate to go for a second opinion and get some other forms
of diagnostic imaging to see if you really are dealing with a stress fracture. Best of luck, Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP,
CSCS, Running Strong Coach
1:21 pm edt
