My running daughter is facing flat feet surgery.... need advice and insight
Al Kondo
She suffers from flat feet that seems to have become worse over the
past couple of years. She has seen a podiatrist and wears orthodics.
However, because of the pain, she saw an orthopedist who specializes
in problems of the lower extremeties recently. He suggested that she
needs to have surgery to correct her flat feet. The surgery involves
taking a bone from her hip and placing it in her foot. This will be
done on one side at a time and will take two different years to
complete both feet.
My daughter feels very concerned about this procedure and would like
to communicate with someone who either went through it or knows quite
it bit about it. The surgeon said that she should not run anymore
because of the pounding... even if the surgery is successful. To say
the least, she is very unhappy about that.
Thanks, Al Kondo
Ozzie Gontang
wrote:
Al,
Go to http://www.abe.com Do an author search for: Mensendieck. Purchase
one of Bess's books called Look Better, Feel Better. In there she has a
series of exercises to develop the muscles that are involved with the arch.
She shows exercises on how to work the muscles that recreate the arch that
has fallen. It involves the stirrup muscles: peroneus and the posterior
tibilais muscle.
Here's some thoughts on the plantar fascia that takes the strain when the
muscles that create the arches aren't working properly:
Understand and Prevent Plantar Fascia Injury
Here's some ideas on how to understand the plantar fascia and the muscles
that effect it. Then some hints on how to prevent injury to the plantar
fascia by using some exercises for better balance
Understand and Prevent Plantar Fascia Injury
by Austin Gontang,
October 31, 2000
Bruce Abrams wrote:
> Thursday night I did 6 miles at roughly a 9:00 minute pace. Took Friday &
Saturday off and did
4 on Sunday at about a 10 min pace (there was a light coating of snow on the
ground.) I felt
great yesterday morning and worked out on the
cross trainer at the gym for 40 minutes. About
10 yesterday morning I got up to get some water andhad a very sharp pain in
the bottom of my foot,
kind of where the front of my heel meets the back
of my arch. It hasn't gone away or gotten worse
and doesn't hurt if I'm just sitting, and doesn't
hurt if I walk on my forefoot only. But, as soon
as there's any weight placed on my whole foot, it
feels like a knife cutting. Any ideas?
Some Folklore on Understanding and Preventing Injury to the Plantar Fascia
c.2000 Austin "Ozzie" Gontang, Ph.D.
Dedicated to Doug, Mike, Denny, Robert and You
Friends who continue to question the answers of answered questions and
unquestioned beliefs.
1. The Stirrup Muscles (Peroneus and the Posterior Tibialis) Are There to
Protect the Plantar Fascia
When the peroneus longus and medius on the outside of the lower leg and the
posterior tibialis along the inside of the lower leg, behind the shin bone
become weakened or chronically tight, these muscles, often called the
stirrup muscles since they invert and evert the foot, don't act as they
should. This problem with these muscles can allow the plantar fascia-which
is suppose to hold the arch of the foot in place-to take the pressure
because the stirrup muscles aren't working.
This is one reason some coaches have runners balance on one foot on a two by
four or perpendicular to a step and bending the knee a inch or two. This is
the reason you see all the balance boards and balance tubes being
advertised.
Some coaches won't have their students even think of doing speed training
until they can balance on one foot with no vibrations or trembling of the
ankle.
Other coaches have the individual lift off the heels about an inch and
balance on the ball of the big toe and the next two toes. They then while
keeping the body erect bend the knees and lower themselves as far as
comfortably able and then back up. They do several repetitions. Gradually
they are able to balance as they go all the way down and then back up.
The plantar fascia is taking the slack when the stirrup muscles are not
working correctly and properly.
The above is folklore. If it works for you, use it. If it doesn't work, then
give it neither energy or added thought just find someone who makes sense
and whose folklore works for you....and use it. Or create your own and share
it on rec.running to see it stands the test of being questioned.
2. Some Folklore to Relieve the Pain in the Arch
Next, I would get a piece of water hose about 2 feet long. While standing
with your feet straight ahead i.e. | | and not \/ easily move from one foot
to the other with the hose ---|--|---- in the middle of the arch. Step on it
so as to not create pain but to see how tender the arch/plantar fascia is.
Start behind the ball of the foot and stepping from foot to foot, work down
slowly so that foot starting behind the ball while stepping on the hose
works its way down so that the foot is stepping on the hose just in front of
the heel
With socks on, stand on a stair with the balls of the feet over the edge.
(you are facing down stairs) Slowly commence wiggling the toes and slide one
foot slowly down the edge of the step. As the foot slides down the edge of
the step you can put more pressure on the outside of the arch but just
enough to feel the tightness...and NOT to create any pain.
As the arch slides down the edge of the step, the toes will be pointed
toward the step below at a 45 to 60 degree angle.
|
-\ Side view of the foot sliding down the edge of the step.
These are two pieces of folklore that have created numerous miracle cures
from extreme tightness and pain.
Let us know if they are of help to you.
If you check out http://www.mindfulness.com/of1.asp the same sliding
downward motion of the calf can help loosen the calf muscles and alleviate
the pain experienced by many in the Achilles Tendon.
Remember this is GAPO folklore. If it works for you use it. If it doesn't
work, or doesn't make sense, then don't give my folklore any energy, time or
consideration. Find someone that makes sense and whose folklore works for
you...when you use it.
3. Some Exercises to Strengthen the Stirrup Muscles and Protect the Plantar
Fascia
Here's an exercise to help work these muscles Posterior Tibialis and
Peroneus (stirrup muscles) which help stabilize the ankle and are suppose to
be working so that the plantar fascia doesn't have to take any excessive
strain.
Stand with feet about four inches apart so that the feet are || and not \/.
Bend knees and place left foot so it is straight ahead and left heel is
about 6 to 10 inches ahead of the right toe...and still maintaining the four
inches apart.
| =left foot
...| =rt. foot
Allow your legs to straighten and shift weight so that weight is between the
two feet.
Lift onto the balls of the feet so that the heels are off the ground
three-quarters of an inch. While on the balls of the feet, you should be
able to wiggle your toes to prove you're balanced on the ball of the foot.
(That leaning forward so that the toes have to dig in can be one of the
causes of hammer toes.)
Keep your body erect, hands resting at the sides of the body, eyes ahead and
on the horizon, and head erect.
Keeping your body erect and balanced between the two feet, slowly lower the
body as far as comfortable. At first you may need to touch the back of a
chair, or wall, or table with one hand to maintain balance. At first you may
not be able to go down very far because of tightness in the knees.
Do 10 bends with the left foot forward and then 10 bends (as far down so
that there is no knee strain) with the right foot forward.
Do twice a day.
Each day add another single bend of the knees until you get to twenty. Great
little exercise while waiting in lines.
As you get better you'll find that you can go down deeper and that also you
don't wobble as much.
The muscles you're using are the two muscle groups which keep you from
overpronating: the peroneus and the posterior tibialis. You are also working
the shin and calf plus the bending of the knees with the body erect allows
for the elasticity of the knee joints and the flexibility of the thighs.
Here's a reference book for your running library that you will use for years
to come. If you want to purchase a copy of one of the books that I still use
as a guide to answering questions and understanding running problems, send
$15 which covers the price of the book and shipping/handling.
The book is:
Hidden Causes of Injury, Prevention and Correction, for Running Athletes and
Joggers
c. John Jesse, 1977.
Make out the $15 check or money order to:
IAM or Int'l Assoc. of Marathoners
c/o Ozzie Gontang
2903 29th Street
San Diego, CA 92104
John Jesse was a team mate at USC with Payton Jordon who was the US Olympic
head track and field coach in 1968. John wrote this book for you and me, so
that we could understand through popular language, and with scientific and
technical language kept to a minimum but using diagrams, illustrations or
short glossaries so we the laymen could understand should we want to delve
deeper.
Excerpt from the Intro:
"Three of the four hidden factors (of injury) - muscular imbalance, postural
faults, and foot faults - are so common among the general population that it
is doubtful whether any young athlete enters the field of athletic
competition without being affected to a lesser or greater degree by one or
more of them."
"The writer (John Jesse) believes a more detailed and complete discussion of
these factors and of the methods of correcting them or preventing their
further development will enable the coach, trainer, and athlete to cope with
them early in the young athlete's career. It will enable the athlete to
reduce to a minimum the number of roadblocks and setbacks he(she) suffers
during training and in pursuit of his(her) goals."
"The information presented here should be of great value to the several
million physical fitness joggers and runners in the population, because the
book is aimed at providing understandable answers to all injuries that
interrupt their progress toward attainment of an increased level of
cardiovascular fitness, or that interfere with the psychological
satisfactions obtained from engaging in such activities."
"The human body supports itself against gravity, segment upon segment,
relying on the muscles and ligaments that cross the joints, along with
postural reflexes, to maintain an erect position and proper body alignment.
Hence, there has to be a total or "holistic" approach to prevention and to
correction of the hidden factors mentioned above. The reader must integrate
his/her thinking to a total body concept."
--
In health and on the run,
Ozzie Gontang
Maintainer - rec.running FAQ
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/by-newsgroup/rec/rec.running.html
Director, San Diego Marathon Clinic, est. 1975
Mindful Running http://www.mindfulness.com/mr.asp