Joint Ventures' Blog

We’ve all experienced the nasty effects of a bright red sunburn after a long day soaking up the rays.  The alluring call of a bright summer day is hard to resist after the winter we had in Boston.  But despite significantly increased public knowledge regarding the ill-effects of over exposure to the sun, there are still many people who think the reason for proper skin care is sheer vanity.  And there are even less people who proactively care for their skin.  A proper skin care regimen can not only dramatically reduce previous signs of sun damage and aging, but also nourishes the skin making it healthy and able to protect itself against internal and external sun damage.  

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A large part of my role as a physical therapist is to answer questions from patients.  It is something that I truly enjoy about the profession, and I always welcome the chance to participate in a dialogue with a patient about his or her physical health and wellbeing.  But there is one question I could do without, and it is by far the most frequent question I hear.  It is as sure as a Ray Allen free throw.  Each time I am asked this question, it becomes harder and harder to stomach.   

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There are a lot of people out there in the local/school gyms that are picking up the bar and trying their hands at powerlifting.  Looking around the local Gold’s Gym a few months ago, I spotted 3 guys at different power and squat racks, loading and grunting away through jerks, cleans, presses, dead lifts, and squats.  As a health and fitness professional, my Physical Therapist brain got the best of me, and I proceeded to mentally critique them all.

HORRIBLE.  Poor form, bad posture, and even worse, they were all rocking Chuck Taylors (Converse All-Stars anyone?).  Now, I usually dig the Chucks, but they have their place in fashion and style.  They DON’T belong at the gym, especially if you are powerlifting!!  As they were squatting and dead lifting, I deduced that 2 of the 3 possibly had flat feet because 1) the fabric around arch was bursting at the seams and 2) their heels looked like they wanted to jump out through the All Star logo on the outside part of the heel counter.  

Powerlifting requires support from all fronts to move that weight.  From core stability, hip and shoulder stability, and even foot and ankle stability, everything needs to be on point.  There is a lot of power and force coming from your hips and legs and if they aren’t strong enough, more pressure will be applied to the knees and feet.  If your shoes don’t support and stabilize your feet, the amount of energy and movement produced from the exercise can torque the bejesus out of your knees, especially with the increasing pronation causing more medial twisting and rotation at the joints. 

A few days later, I had 2 evaluations with complaints of knee pain after weight lifting.  And no, they weren’t the same guys...

During the evaluation, I find that they are both flat footed and overpronate with walking and running.  Checking each of their shoes, I find a pair of Pumas and a pair of Chucks.  Oh Chuck Taylor, we meet again.  Watching the clients squat and lunge, I observe their knees buckling in towards each other and their feet pronating more and more, the lower they go.  As we go through another trial, I quietly root for the Chucks to hold on and support the feet, but alas, they fail and I observe the arches bulge through the inside of the shoes.  And this occurs at the point of pain.  Bingo.

Converse All-Stars are great, but they aren't great shoes to count on when powerlifting, especially for people who have weaker hips and/or tend to over pronate.  The shoe to wear for these movements are shoes that give support and stability as you exercise.  It’s very similar to looking for running sneakers.   The more stable the shoe, the less torque moving up to the knee when you try to lift the weights.  This support can be found either in shoes with medial support/stability or motion control or even with over the counter inserts providing more medial stability.  That's why you need to chuck the Chucks!

If you have question on power lifting or want to discuss Chucks as a fashion icon, email Sancho at sancho@jointventurespt.com.

 

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Since marathon training is currently in full swing, many will mix up their runs with fast and slow interval training or flat surfaces and hills/steps.  All of this is great, and is a helpful way to surprise your body and get the most from your workouts.  Both techniques increase stamina, and each challenges the body in a different way.

For those who are running hills and climbing stairs, I see a common injury with a  "hidden" muscle.  The muscle is called posterior tibialis or "posterior tib" as they say in running circles.  The posterior tib is a deep lower leg muscle that runs up the back of your shin bone.  As it attaches behind your knee, it helps to stabilize your lower leg bones and knee.  At the other end of the muscle it runs deep to your achilles tendon just past your ankle joint.  If this muscle remains tight, or gets increasingly tight from hill runs, it decreases the range of motion in your ankle.  Running with tight ankles will make you you run "heavy," which means you're pounding the pavement and not being as graceful as you need to be.  Sports massage is a great way to get the muscles softened and lengthened allowing runners to be more graceful and light on their feet.  So why is it SO important to run light? Because, when you are pounding the pavement hard with your body, that impact damages your feet, ankles, knees, hips and low back as that force moves up through your body. 

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It is now the time of year when we start to get antsy to get outside to exercise.  The weather is getting warmer, the daylight is lasting longer, and your old sneakers are sitting in the corner, dusty and dirty from a winter-long neglect. 

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