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Shoe Insoles: Cushioned or Supportive

Orthotics Victoria BC

The first step when wearing orthotics (shoe insoles) starts when you shop for shoes. In order to take care of your feet, you need select a shoe, runner, or boot with a great fit and is specific to your chosen activity.

The next step is to determine if the insole (sock liner) that comes with your new shoe will be adequate for your gait, or if you need to replace it with a specific type of purchase a new insole.

What is a sock liner?

A sock liner is the removable orthotic or insole that sits between the foot and sole of most shoes. Though sock liners can vary in thickness and comfort, the primary function is to prevent the foot from rubbing against any stitching or materials that are used in the making of the shoe. Most sock liners that come in a new pair of shoes provide little support or cushioning.

There are two main types of shoe insoles:  cushioned – which will mold to our foot bed and supportive – which are functional.  In order to provide cushioning, the insole need to be flexible, and soft. In order to provide support, the  insole must be firm, and provide structure under the load of our body weight. (Materials can make a big impact on the size and weight of a support insole).

The need for additional support is the major reason to consider an insole. Most people need a more rigid arch support that can help hold the foot in an upright and stable position. Wearing a supportive insole can help control motion, relieve strain, and stabilize a foot that might have arch or heel pain.

Cushioned inserts are designed for people who want to reduce shock. Metatarsal pads for instance, are simply cushioned pads that fit behind the ball of your foot, distributing weight which  offloads and reduces pressure under the troublesome spot.

Foot conditions that can be helped by wearing an insole:

  • Achilles Tendonitis
  • Arch Pain
  • Bunions
  • Diabetic/Arthritic Foot
  • Flat Feet
  • Heel Spur
  • Over Pronation
  • Plantar Fasciltis
  • Shin Splints
  • Under Pronation

If your foot pain or discomfort continues or becomes worse , please talk to your healthcare practitioner to see if something more serious is going on.

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Running Gait Analysis Can Help Get The Best Fit From Your Shoes

Running shoes are designed for different foot shapes; designed for different running patterns; and running on different terrain; so a running gait analysis can help get the best fit from your running shoes.

How you run and how often you run can make a big difference in the type of footwear that you buy.  There are eight basic types of runs.

  • A recovery run is a relatively short run performed at an easy pace.
  • A base run is a relatively short to moderate-length run undertaken at a runner’s natural pace.
  • A long run is a base run that lasts long enough to leave a runner fatigued. The function of a long run is to increase raw endurance.
  • A progression run is a run that begins at a runner’s natural pace and ends with a faster segment at the end of the run.
  • A fartlek workout is a base run that mixes in intervals of varying duration or distance.
  • Hill repeats are repeated short segments of fast uphill running.
  • A tempo run is a sustained effort at a threshold intensity, which is the fastest pace that can be sustained for a period of time.
  • Interval runs consist of repeated shorter segments of fast running separated by slow jogging or standing recoveries.

When buying running shoes: keep these tips in mind:

The time of day you shop is a factor.  Feet swell as you use them and that’s especially important to remember when buying running shoes.  Try them on at the end of the day so you have a better idea of how they’ll feel after a run.  Even then remember to leave about a finger width of space between the end of your longest toe and the end of the shoe – your feet can swell even more on a run , and you don’t want bruised toes and black toenails.

Remember to take your orthotics with you and make sure you try them out in the shoes before you purchase them. ( Remember, orthotics need to be replaced every two years)

At Diversified Health our practitioners use a gait scan to help assess your foot concerns.  As you move across a pressure plate, thousands of tiny sensors capture the distribution of pressure of your foot and the computer displays 2D and 3D visual representations of the pressure under your foot.  These findings help the practitioners to evaluate your foot function.

Please contact the clinic if you have questions about what type of running shoes would be beneficial for your fitness level and remember that a running gait analysis can help get the best fit from your running shoes.

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Walking or Running…Which is better for you?

Both walking, and running require energy to move our bodies over a given distance.  Walking can provide many of the same health benefits associated with running, however, running will produce the fastest physiological changes.

Which is better walking or running for fitness and health?

  • We need to walk more frequently and twice the distance in order to get the effects of running
  • Running is a constant challenge to the body and running burns about 2.5 times more calories than walking

 

The mechanics of walking and running

Joint impact, muscles, and type of stride used are different for walking than for running. The different strides engaged when running and walking affect the power efficiency, maximum speed and impact level.

Knee angle

Your knees are bent more during a running stride than they are during a walking stride. This increases the force exerted on the ground during running in comparison to the force exerted during walking.

Maximum speed

An average walking speed is about 5 kilometers per hour, verses an average running speed of 8.5 kilometers per hour.

Ground contact

The difference between running and walking strides is the length of time each foot is in contact with the ground. When walking, at least one of your feet will be in contact with the ground at any given time. When running, there is a period of time during each stride in which neither of your feet is in contact with the ground.

The impact to the body when running is much higher than walking; because the foot to surface impact ratio for running is three to four times your body weight compared to about one times your body weight for walking.

Energy

The different strides used for walking and running affect the energy used in executing each type of stride at different speeds.

Injury

One of the big differences between running and walking is there is a greater risk of injury in running. Running is considered a high impact exercise, because it can cause injury to the hips, knees and ankle joints. Walking is a low impact activity and is much less damaging to the joints.

Walking and running are low-cost, year-round activities; so whether you choose walking, or running, staying active is part of a healthy lifestyle. Both walking and running will help promote weight loss, improve your sleep, elevate your mood, improves circulation, improves muscle tone, boost your energy level, decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels and decrease the risk heart disease.

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All Sunglasses Are Not Created Equal

All Sunglasses Are Not Created EqualThe sun produces many different kinds of light, and the most likely to injure your eyes are ultraviolet,  called “UV rays“.   When eyes are overexposed to ultraviolet radiation, the front portion of the eyes may become damaged.

When your eyes absorb light, the process creates heat or chemical reactions in the eye tissue. These reactions can cause permanent damage if the eye’s natural ability to heal itself is overwhelmed.  Properly chosen sunglasses will protect your eyes against damage from UV rays.

Make sure your lenses are dark enough to keep your eyes comfortable, and  that you wear your sunglasses every time you go outside. Just like wearing sun screen, a hat and staying hydrated, wearing your sunglasses should be part of your sun healthy lifestyle.

You can’t tell how much UV protection a pair of sunglasses will provide by their price, colour, or the darkness of the lenses. Instead, look for a label that lists the type and amount of protection.

Different lens tints filter out different wavelengths of light, so choose your tint based on need:

• Green—Allows true color perception and good contrast in bright light; reduces eyestrain in bright light.

• Gray—Allows true color perception, but does not enhance contrast; good for cycling or running.

• Brown—Good in hazy sun, enhances contrast; good for high-glare environments.

• Amber—Brightens cloudy, hazy, or foggy skies; excellent for contrast; minimizes eyestrain; dis­torts color (images look yellow-orange).

• Yellow—Improves contrast and depth perception in low light; good for overcast days.

• Red—Excellent depth perception in low light; contrast objects against blue or green back­grounds.

• Mirrored—Reflects high-intensity light to reduce glare; available in various colors.

When purchasing sunglasses, make sure you read the label.  You want to look for 99 or 100 percent UV pro­tection, and sunglasses that are close fitting to the face to pre­vent UV rays from filtering in.

Don’t be misguided by price: higher priced sunglasses usually reflect fashion, and not UV protection. Remember that dark-colored sunglasses don’t nec­essarily provide better protection because the chemical coating applied to the lens responsible for UV protection is clear.

Protect your eyes whenever you go outside, no matter how briefly.

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Heat Exhaustion, Heat Stroke & Sunstroke

sky-wallpaper-bannerHeat exhaustion happens when the body’s cooling system stops working. The next stage after heat exhaustion is heat stroke caused by strenuous exercise or activities outside during the warm summer months or sun stroke, where the sun is the heat source.

All three conditions are serious health issues and in severe cases, can cause organ dysfunction, brain damage, and death.

It’s important to get out of the sun and stay somewhere cool if you think you might be starting to feel the effects of heat exhaustion. This includes feeling lightheaded, dizzy, nauseous, or “headachy”. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms,  drink water,  and try to cool yourself down as quickly as possible: go inside an air conditioned building, cool off in a sprinkler or pool, wet your head with water, or at the very least find some shade.

Heatstroke occurs when your body is no longer able to keep your body cool. Your body relies on water evaporation to stay cool, so as your temperature rises, your body reacts by sweating.   Extremely warm temperatures can quickly overwhelm your body’s cooling system and when sweating can no longer keep you cool, body temperature quickly rise, causing the symptoms of heat-related illness.

Prolonged exposure to the sun contributes to sunstroke. When body fluids are not adequately replenished, sun exposure can cause rapid dehydration. Even on mild or overcast days, the sun can have negative health effects, including dehydration, sun burn, and sun allergies.

The medical definition of heat stroke is a core body temperature of 39 degrees Celsius or higher.  If you’ve spent a lot of time in the sun and you’re experiencing any of the symptoms below, it’s important to seek medical attention immediately!

  • Skin is hot to touch
  • Extreme Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • Severe Headache
  • Vomiting
  • Rapid Heartbeat
  • Blurred Vision
  • Mental Confusion – if you’re having difficulty thinking or focusing
  • Seizures
  • Lack of Sweating

Your level of activity is one of the greatest indicators of the amount of water you should drink during hot summer weather.   For an activity that takes 30 minutes or less, one to two extra glasses of water will keep you hydrated. If you are exercising, going for a long hike, playing a game of tennis, you should drink three to four extra glasses of water to keep hydrated. And, any time you exercise in extreme heat or for more than one hour,  you should supplement the water with a drink that contains electrolytes.

Have fun outdoors, but be smart and plan ahead.

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Biking Injuries and How to Avoid Them

Most biking injuries occur as a result of an accident – falling off the bike, or as a result of repeated movements over time. Superficial soft tissue injuries and musculoskeletal trauma are the most common injuries.

Many problems are linked to poor posture on the bike, poor bike fit, and over training.

Although some injuries are impossible to avoid, there are some things every cyclist can do to prevent injuries. Here is a list of the most common and what you can do to avoid them.

Achilles Tendonitis

Achilles tendonitis is an overuse injury caused by inflammation.  (This is not an Achilles tendon rupture, which requires immediate medical attention).

  • Reduce you training and use ice, ibuprofen and massage to calm the inflammation
  • Make sure to re asses your bike’s fit specifically the height of your bike seat.  Having your seat too high keeps your foot flexed, causing constant contraction of the calf muscles.

Muscle Tightness

If you are an avid rider, you may not be aware that your calves and hamstrings are too tight.  A hamstring ‘strain’ occurs when the muscle is loaded either quite heavily, or repetitively, or both.

  • Tightness can lead to tearing so always warm up before you get on the bike
  • Stretch so your muscles are flexible
  • Rest the strained muscle

Low Back Pain

Riding for long periods of time, especially if the bike doesn’t fit you properly will lead to lower back pain by forcing supporting muscles to compensate for weaken muscles.

  • Make sure that you participate in year round core strengthening exercises
  • Make sure your back is in the right position for the specific frame of your bicycle

Neck Pain

Neck pain is caused by tightness in the muscle that starts at the base of the skull and runs along the sides of the neck all the way to the shoulders.   This pain can be caused by an incorrect bike fit, or tensing the shoulder muscles while holding the head in an extended position for long periods of time.

  • Make sure your bike fits you
  • Shortening the stem and moving the seat forward will place your body in a more upright position,
  • Allow the neck and back to be in a more neutral position.
  • Keeping your grip loose on the handlebars will help to avoid tight shoulder muscles

Knee Pain

Your knees can be irritated by the repeated motion of cycling, especially if you try and do too much too quickly, or your bike set-up isn’t quite right. The repetitive motion of pedaling your bike without sufficient leg strength can potentially bring on knee pain and injuries.

These are changes in equipment or a position on the bike that the body’s not used to, including:

  • Check the seat height and seat setback
  • Length of cranks
  • Cleat position
  • Strength training is crucial for keeping your cycling knees pain-free

Riding a bike is a  great low-impact exercise; you just have to have the right equipment and engage in the exercise correctly.

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You Know You Have a Sunburn When……

The problem with a sun burn is that you don’t feel any symptoms until a few hours after the sun exposure; and depending on how severe the burn is, it can take a day or two to see the full extent of the skins’ damage.

Some of the symptoms of a sun burn are:

  • Pinkness or redness.
  • Skin feels hot to the touch
  • Pain, tenderness, and swelling
  • Blisters
  • Headache, fever, and fatigue

Once you have the sun burn there are a few things you can do to feel better and to help heal more quickly.

  1. Drink water – A sunburn is a burn.  With this type of burn the skin is dried out, and dehydrated. Keep a bottle of ice cold water on hand and keep yourself hydrated.
  2. Aloe vera gel – Aloe vera gel is soothing, and helps reduce the redness and sting of a sunburn.
  3. Pain medication – Topical over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream may help relieve sunburn symptoms like pain, itch, and swelling. Pain relievers such as ibuprofen can help relieve sunburn pain and inflammation.
  4. Bathing in cool/tepid water – Make sure that the bath is fairly quick as a long soak in the tub can dry out your skin. also make sure your bath is tepid, or slightly on the cooler side. Really cold water will close your pores and causing your body to trap the heat: a sunburn is hot enough that tepid water will feel cool/cold. When you have a sunburn, never bathe in soapy water such as a bubble bath; as soap will dry out and irritate your skin.

What can you add to the bath:

  • Vinegar – use pure unfiltered apple cider vinegar, soak a wash cloth in the vinegar and place on the sun burned area after a tepid shower or bath.
  • Oat meal – use about 2 cups of uncooked rolled oats and place in cheesecloth/gauze and let it soak for a few minutes before getting in the tub.  Squeeze the the gauze every few minutes, until the water becomes cloudy. Let yourself air dry, when  finished.
  •  Cool milk compress – A cool milk compress is one of the quickest, simplest ways to treat sunburn. The initial coolness of the milk will ease the heat, while it also creates a layer of protein to protect your skin. If the milk in the bowl becomes room temperature chill it before re-dunking your compress.
  • Cornstarch – Add cool water-not cold-to the cornstarch until it has reached a paste consistency. Place the paste  over the burned area and leave on until pain has let up some. Rinse off completely.
  • Plain yogurt – Live cultured plain yogurt contains an probiotics and enzymes that help heal our skin.  Apply cool yogurt directly to your burn, and let it sit for at least 5 minutes. When the pain has subsided, gently rinse it off with cool or tepid water.

Consult a doctor for sunburn treatment if the sunburn is severe, with blisters and covers a large portion of your body.  The sunburn is accompanied by a high fever, headache, severe pain, dehydration, confusion, nausea or chills and if the sunburn doesn’t respond to at-home care.

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Allergies To Sunscreens and Oxybenzone

We all know that too much sun is bad for us…. but what happens if you have an allergic reaction to sunscreen? Many adults and children have allergic reactions to the chemical ingredients found in sunscreen.

Allergies to Sunscreen | health care victoriaHere is a list of what you don’t want in a sunscreen:  (courtesy of Environmental Working Group)

  • oxybenzone – One of the biggest culprits to making the sunscreens more of a toxin hazard.  The overall concerns with this ingredient is developmental/reproductive toxicity, Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Enhanced skin absorption, Biochemical or cellular level changes.
  • Vitamin A – The sunscreen industry often adds vitamin A to its products because it is an anti-oxidant that slows skin aging. That may be true for lotions and night creams used indoors, but the FDA study of vitamin A’s photocarcinogenic properties raises the possibility that it results in cancerous tumors when used on skin exposed to sunlight. Scientists have known for some time that vitamin A can spur excess skin growth (hyperplasia), and that in sunlight it can form free radicals that damage DNA.  It may also speed the development of skin tumors and lesions. This finding is quite troubling because the sunscreen production companies adds vitamin A to about 30 percent of all sunscreens.
  • benzophenone-3, homosalate, or octyl-methoxycinnamate – These ingredients not only behave like estrogen and are known to disrupt users’ endocrine systems, they are more readily absorbed through the skin.
  • Sprays or powders. They have a greater potential to be inhaled.  Choose cream based products instead. Make sure to reapply them often, because sunscreen chemicals break apart in the sun, wash off in pools and rub off on towels and clothing.

So now you know what you don’t want, what’s left?  Below are a few websites that will show you what types of natural and organic sunscreens are available.

Natural Living Ideas

Ewg.org

Organic Authority

There are many natural sunscreens on the market, but just like everything else make sure you do your homework.

Choosing the Right SPF for Your Skin Type

· Fair skin — can stay in the sun 10 minutes before burning
· Olive skin — can stay in the sun 15 minutes before burning
· Dark skin — can stay in the sun 20 minutes before burning

Multiply the SPF by the number of minutes you can stay in the sun before burning. For example: (SPF) 20 x 10 (Fair skin) = 200 minutes (amount of time you can stay in the sun before burning if you have Fair skin and use an SPF of 20).

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How To Increase Your Daily Physical Activity

We all know the benefits of exercise.  Yet many of use still find it difficult to incorporate physical activity into our daily lives. Most of use have good intentions, but do not seem to find the time to exercise.

Not enough time is the number one excuse for remaining inactive.  We believe that five or ten minutes isn’t going to effect anything.

Too tired is the second most common excuse. Sitting at a desk all day will make you feel tired and sluggish.

For any of the other excuses you come up with just remember, they are only that, acknowledge them for what they are and do it anyway. Remember it’s important for your well being to add physical activity into your lifestyle.

Stop thinking exercise and start thinking about fun recreational physical activities that you can do with friends.

What can you do at home?

Modern technology has taken most of the physical activity out of chores. You need to replace the lost physical activity with something else. For instance, when you are watching television, use the commercial breaks to, fold laundry or unload the dishwasher. When working at a your computer remember to take “physical breaks” every 40 minutes, for 5 minutes to tone your muscles with a few easy stretching and strengthening exercises.

What can you do at the office?

Next time you need to talk to a co-worker, why not hand-deliver a message instead of picking up the phone or texting. The simplest way to increase your physical activity at work is to walk during your lunch, and not to use the elevator or stairs.

Bring your runners to work and turn your coffee breaks into a “stress-reduction and revitalization break,”  you can also try biking to work a few days per week.

What can you do with our cars for short trips?

For most of us, it is just force of habit combined with very little time. If you stop to think about this, does an extra 10 minutes really make such a big difference to your schedule? Think of the saving of wear and tear on your car and think of the benefits a quick walk will do.

If you must drive, park in the farthest space in the parking lot, so you will have to walk for an extra few minutes – remember it all adds up!

Walking!

Walking is the easiest and most popular way to increase your level of physical activity. Try to incorporate walking every day… go window shopping, walk around your neighbourhood, remember if you make it fun, there is a greater chance that you will continue.

The key to success is variety; so change your routes, change your pace, change your stride.

Plan ahead

  • Get organized.
  • Planning helps to overcome the tendency to put off the activity when the time comes to actually “do it”.
  • Remember to place your runner and socks by the front door the night before so they are ready to leave with you to go to work.
  • If your family is going hiking on the week end, make sure that everyone’s out door gear is ready and near the door, also that all supplies including the food is ready to go. This will help you to overcome the “ I’m so comfortable and cozy let’s go next weekend” scenario.

Make this month, the month you make a commitment to increase your physical activity on a daily basis. You will soon find out that it is much easier than you thought and that the reward of feeling better and having more energy will motivate you to keep “up the pace” and to find more creative ways to fit fitness, into your daily schedule!

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Do’s & Don’ts of Pain Free Gardening

Here are some simple tips on the do’s and don’ts for pain free gardening, and how massage therapy can help  with pain relief if you overdo it.

1. Warm up with light movement or a brisk walk to loosen your muscles and increase your flexibility. The smooth coordination of your muscles and ligaments is an important part of safe exertion in gardening and avoiding aches and pains. Also set modest goals for each portion of the day and assess your progress and how you feel every couple of hours.

2. Know your strengths and limitations. Do not overexert, vary your activities, and take regular rest breaks. Every hour, give yourself 5 minutes to stretch, sit down, and drink to replenish the fluids lost from your exertion.

3. Avoid bending over repeatedly while standing upright when performing ground-level work like weeding. Get closer to the task by kneeling or sitting on the ground or a gardening bench, rather than bending and twisting from the waist.

4. Keep your back protected when you stand up from a sitting or crouching position. Rise up by straightening your legs at the knees, not by lifting your torso at the waist.

5. Lift dirt and plants by letting your arms, legs and thighs carry the load: bend and straighten at the knees instead of the hack and hips. You are most vulnerable to injury when you are bending at the waist and reaching, so lift the load close to the body’s torso and handle smaller, more manageable loads at a time.

6. Use long-handled tools to give you leverage and help avoid having to stoop down while raking or digging.

7. Switch hands frequently when doing prolonged raking, hoeing or digging actions. Repetitive motion on one side can bring on progressively serious joints imbalances and may produce postural mis-alignments and pain. Avoid repetitive-motion injuries by dividing up each task into sections that allow you to switch activities and posture often.

8. Don’t work too long in one position, especially one that is awkward or unusual. This can reduce circulation, restrict mobility, and promote strain injuries.

If you should find yourself with painful joints and muscle because of gardening, remember that massage therapy provides significant reduction in back pain, (including lower back pain), migraine headaches, neck aches, shoulder pain, joint pain, overused or sore muscles, arthritis, and muscle injuries.

At Diversified Health our Registered Massage Therapists tailor each session to your needs from a whole body massage to a quick half hour hand massage.

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