Video demonstration about how to strengthen weak and pronating feet

This video demonstration shows how to strengthen the tibialis muscles to give you a strong and arches of the feet that are up to the punishement of running sports. This video should be viewed along with careful study of the e-publication: "Correcting Weak and Pronating Feet".

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What can be done about sore feet from new running shoes?

Dear Gary,
I have purchased a new pair of Addidas running shoes. They look and feel very nice but I am getting very painful soles when I run. It is agonising. Please help!
"R"
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Gary Moller comments:
Dear "R", I know all about the distressing discomfort that you describe. I purchased a new top of the line Nike shoes a few weeks ago and suffered the same painful problem during my first run in them. The culprits were the inner soles that came in the shoes and the problem was solved in a few moments.

Picture: Rip out the stock inner soles and replace with Formthotics.

The problem you describe is very, very common and is most likely due to local ischaemia. Now, don't worry about the big word: Ischaemia means lack of blood to an area causing burning pain, cramps and sometimes much worse.

When you run, circulation of life-giving blood is enhanced by the "muscle-pump": Each time a muscle contracts, stale blood is forced out and back to the heart, thus augmenting the work of the heart. When the muscles relax fresh oxygenated blood flows into the soft belly of the muscle - and so the process goes with with each cycle of contraction and relaxation.



Where the muscle pump effect is interfered with, such as when lifting and lowering weights without a breif break in muscle tension between lifts, the muscles will quickly tire and the ischaemic "burn" is felt by the lifter.

A similar pumping effect happens in the feet while running. Each time the foot strikes the pavement the blood engorging the sole of the foot is forced out and upwards by compression of the tissues. Fresh blood flows into the foot during the recovery phase of the running phase. Now, the runner gets into big trouble if the foot is firmly encased in a shoe that does not allow the foot to fully decompress during the recovery phase. Failure to decompress the foot does not allow fresh blood to flow into the bloodless foot. The consequences can be:

• Burning painful soles and feet
• Rapid tiring and failure of the foot muscles causing
• Loss of foot posture causing
• Loss of running form and efficiency causing
  
• Injury to the feet, lower legs, knees and even the hips and low back

Prevention centres around enabling the foot to decompress during the recovery phase of the running action:

• Carefully remove the inner soles of the shoes and replace with Formthotics Active and fit carefully according to the instructions that come with them (Available from www.myotec.co.nz)
  
• If the shoes are tight or low cut, such as for cycling, then use Forththotics Low Profile instead.
• Formthotics mould to the shape of your foot while allowing the foot to decompress - something that few sports innersoles allow to happen.
  
• Toss out your thick and juicy sports socks and replace them with a pair of thin cotton socks that do not encapsulte the feet like a pair of embalmed mummies.
• Lace the shoes so that they are loose over the forefoot while being firm about the upper foot and ankle area.
  

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Ankle pain in older runners

Gary
I have been running since I was a boy; I won my first school title when I was 10, and since then I have run ever since. In April this year I turned 40, so have been running for 30 years, reasonably consistently.
Whilst I've had my share of reasonably serious injuries (many self-inflicted, but a number being managed as I get older), my biggest concern is after a 1 hour plus run on hard surfaces, my feet and/or ankles just hate it, and I spend the whole run, waiting until it's over. I did a easy 75 min flat run with my mates yesterday, and I just couldn't wait until it was over. In terms of shoes, I wear Asics 2110 at home and work, so a reasonable shoe.
I am actually worried for the first time ever about how this might affect my running. Any suggestions of what I can do? Likely treatment or supplements?
Regards
"B"

Photo: sometimes, foot and ankle problems are easy to spot; more often, the trouble is not so obvious and, unfortunately, there are no single, quick-fix solutions.
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Gary Moller comments:
Thanks, "B", for consenting for this going onto the web: The problem you describe is one of the most pressing faced by "ageing" runners. If not resolved, the runner may be forced into giving running away and we can't have that happening, can we?

The best approach to dealing with foot and ankle pain is to tackle the problem from several different angles and hope that one, or a combination of the following suggestions have a beneficial effect:

• Run, step and bound barefeet weekly in sand. This is what the great coaches of old, like Percy Cerutty, always had their athletes do as part of their training. When Otago athletes of the 1970's were at their height of national prominence, coaches like Alastair McMurran had regular bounding sessions up the massive sand dunes of the Otago Peninsula (I had the dubious pleasure of doing a couple). This type of training helped develop and maintain strong, flexible feet and ankles. This type of training is all but forgotten nowadays and much to the detriment of runners. This type of training is all the more important as we get into our 40's and older. Joints, muscles and tendons thrive on being flexed and extended through their full range of movement. On the other hand, repetitive and restrictive movement, such as running on pavement is not good for feet and ankle joints.
• Try different shoes and fit semi-orthotic inner soles. Although I prefer Asics myself, an obvious measure is to try a few different makes and models. The change can be remarkable when it comes to ankle pain. I have 4 different pairs that I rotate, including a pair of Asics designed for off-road running. The semi-orthotics I recommend are Formthotics Active which can be purchased here. A measure as simple as an inner sole change can give relief.
• Do your ankle and foot exercises. If your feet tire as a long run progresses, the arches begin to drop, shock absorption diminishes and the outer borders of the ankle joints may be bruised which you may really feel upon getting out of bed the next morning! Here is the link to the E-Pub on the subject. Of course, these do not replace sand dune running!
• Get your leg pulled! Yes, get a strong massage therapist to get stuck into your feet and ankles, working on mobilising all of those tight sinews and joints, including the main ankle joint. Manipulate a child's supple feet and the contrast with a typical runner's feet will shock you. So get into it and don't neglect the sand running which flexes the feet better than any masseur.
• Take Glucosamine, Chondroitin and magnesium daily. Joint food preparations help guard against arthritis and may even help reverse the process. If the feet and calf muscles are tiring prematurely and cramping, this may be partly due to magnesium depletion which is a near universal problem with older runners. If the muscles tire, then the feet cease doing their stability and shock-absorbing work, thus throwing abnormal strain on the structures of the ankles and feet.
• Run off-road. Buy a pair of shoes designed for trail running and do all of the long runs on trails. The soft surface and constant adjusting of foot and ankle placement is what those feet were designed for and they love it! Take care at first: your lack of flexibility and dulled reflexes from all that road running means you need to take care initially not to stumble or trip. The foot and ankle pain may be stirred up initially; but should diminish and disappear as the feet and ankles strengthen and regain flexibility with regular trail running.
• Do cross training. Aqua-Jogging done properly and cycling are my favourites. These enable the ageing runner to continue to develop a huge cardiovascular reserve while sparing muscles and joints that have already given more than a lifetime of faithful service!

(For more about this topic, type "ankle" into the search box to the upper left of this page and search this blog.)

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