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Plantar Fasciitis Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia, a broad band of dense, inelastic tissue (fascia) that runs from the heel to the toe on the bottom of your foot. The main function of the plantar fascia is to protect the nerves, blood vessels, and muscles of the foot from injury. The repetitive, weight-bearing fitness activities such as walking and running, the plantar fascia may become inflamed Common symptoms of this condition are pain and tenderness under the ball of the foot, at the heel, or at both locations. The pain of plantar fasciitis is particularly noticeable during your first steps out of bed in the morning. If not treated properly, this injury may progress in severity to the point that weight-bearing exercise is too painful to endure. Uphill running is not advised for anyone suffering from this condition, since each uphill stride stretches(and thus irritates) the already inflamed plantar fascia. This injury can often be prevented by regularly stretching the plantar fascia prior to exercise and by athletic shoes with good arch support and shock absorbency.
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Shin Splints A general term for any pain that occurs below the knee and above the ankle is shin splints. More than 20 different medical conditions have been identified within the broad description of shin splints. Problems range from stress fractures of the tibia(shinbone) to severe int1ammation in the muscular compartments of the lower leg, which can imerrupt the t10w of blood and nerve supply to the foot. The most common type of shin splints occurs along the inner side of the tibia and is usu ­ ally a combination of a muscle irritation and irritation of the tissues that attach tIle muscles to the bone in this region. Typically, there is pain and swelling along the middle one-third of the posteromedial tibia in the soft tissues, not the bone.

Sedentary people who start a new weight-bearing exercise program are at the greatest risk for shin splints, though well­ conditioned aerobic exercisers who rapidly increase their distance or pace may also develop shin splints. Running is the most frequent cause of shin splints, but those who do a great deal of walking(e.g., mail carriers, waitresses) may also develop this injury.

To help prevent shin splints, wear athletic shoes that have good arch support and shock absorbency. If the severity of this lower-leg condition increases to the point that you cannot comfortably complete your desired fitness activity, see your physician.

Runner’s Knee An overuse condition known as runner’s knee describes a series of problems involving the muscles, tendons, and ligaments about the knee. The most common problem identified as runner’s knee is abnormal movement of the patella(kneecap). Women are more commonly affected by this condition than are men because their wider pelvis makes abnormal lateral pull on the patella by the muscles that act at the knee more likely. In women(and some men). this causes irritation to the cartilage on the back side of the patella as well as to the nearby tendons and ligaments.

The main symptom of this kind of runner’s knee is the pain experienced when downward pressure is applied to the patella after the knee is straightened fully. Additional symptoms may include swelling, redness, and tenderness around the patella, and a dull, aching pain felt in the center of the knee. If you have these symptoms in your knee, your physician will probably recommend that you stop running for a few weeks and reduce daily activities that put compressive forces on the patella until you no longer have any pain around your kneecap.

As women continue to raise the bar in the world of sports, we learn more and more about their potential. At the same time, however, we also learn more about their tendencies toward injury. As athletic achievement for women has grown, an unsettling injury pattern also has arisen. Although medical experts are unsure of the reasons, female athletes appear to be more susceptible to knee injuries, particularly injuries to their anterior cruciate ligaments(ACLs). Recent studies indicate that women are anywhere from five to eight times more likely than men to suffer painful, disabling ACL injuries at some point in their lives.

The ACL is a strand of soft tissue that, along with other ligaments, muscles, and tendons, helps stabilize the knee joint. It’s role in pivoting, jumping, and sudden changes of direction is critical. Once it is damaged, mobility is often reduced. This ligament is most severely compromised when women partake in contact sports, such as soccer, basketball, and volleyball, although injuries have occurred in noncontact activities as well.

Once injured, the ACL must be repaired surgically and requires months of painful rehabilitation for any chance of a return to normal athletic levels. Even with therapy, ACL injuries can predispose people to later bouts of immobility, injuries due to lingering instability, and various forms of arthritis.

Why are we seeing this trend? Does the explanation lie in the fact that female participation itself has increased, or are female athletes truly more susceptible to these injuries? A number of hypotheses, ranging from physiological and anatomical differences to hormonal variances, have been suggested and are being explored further.

Many researchers in sports medicine suspect that musculoskeletal differences serve as the basic reason for the greater risk of ACL injury. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the answers lie in physiological differences between males and females. Female athletes are thought to be at a disadvantage because of an imbalance in strength between the hamstring muscles, behind the thigh, and the quadriceps muscles in front of the thigh. When these two muscle groups work together, they act antagonistically to protect each other and supporting ligature, including that around the knee, from damage. Some researchers suggest that women tend to have underdeveloped or weak hamstrings, which results in increased stress placed on the ACL, particularly during unusual movements. In addition, during actions such as jumping and landing, it is felt that women tend to land more straight-legged and more flat-footed, a tendency related to weaker thigh muscles. In contrast, men often have much stronger quadriceps and hamstrings and tend to bend the knees and cushion the shock when jumping, thereby causing less stress on supporting structures. Thus, in women who are underexercised or have a severe imbalance between their quadriceps and hamstrings, the risk of ACL injury increases. In addition to lower muscle strength, sports medicine officials speculate that structural characteristics, such as wider hips, put greater pressure on the inside of the knee and less on the leg muscle.

Another hypothesis is that women are more prone to ACL injuries during ovulation, when increased estrogen works to reduce the production of collagen, the body’s connective tissue. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Edward M. Wojtys put this theory to the test by evaluating the injuries of 40 young women with acute ACL injuries. He discovered that a majority of these women did in fact sustain their injuries during ovulation, encouraging the need for further investigation.

So, what can women do to protect themselves from ACL injuries? At this point, Dr. Wojtys says that there is no evidence that hormone supplements will protect women against ACL injuries. For the time being, however, doctors advise women to get involved in sports at an early age and partake in weight training and other types of conditioning that will build the hamstring muscles. When knee injuries do occur, they must be taken seriously and treated with rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE). If pain doesn’t subside, a visit to an orthopedic surgeon may be necessary.

The midsole of a running shoe must absorb impact forces, but must also be flexible. One method used to evaluate the flexibility of the midsole is to hold the shoe between the index fingers of your right and left hand. When you push on both ends of the shoe with your fingers, the shoe should be easily at the midsole. If the force exerted by your index fingers cannot bend the shoe, its midsole is probably too rigid and may cause irritation of your Achilles tendon, among other problems. Other basic characteristics of running shoes include: a rigid plastic insert within the heel of the shoe(known as a heel counter) to control the movement of your heel; a cushioned foam pad surrounding the heel of the shoe to prevent Achilles tendon irritation; and a removable thermoplastic innersole that customizes the fit of the shoe by using your body heat to mold it to the shape of your foot. Shoes are the runner’s most essential piece of equipment, so carefully select appropriate footwear before you start a running program.

Shoe companies also sell cross-training shoes to help combat the high cost of having to buy separate pairs of running shoes, tennis shoes, weight-training shoes, and so on. Although the cross-training shoe can be used for participation in several different fitness activities by the novice or recreational athlete, a distance runner who runs 25 or more miles per week needs a pair of specialty running shoes in order to prevent injury

Eye injuries can occur in virtually all fitness-related activities, though the risk of injury is much greater in some activities than in others. As many as 90 percent of the eye injuries resulting from racquetball and squash are preventable with the use of appropriate eye protection-for example, goggles with polycarbonate lenses. One-eyed participants should wear polycarbonate prescription or nonprescription eyeglasses for all recreational activities.

Causes of Sports Injuries

There are two common sports injuries: overuse and traumatic. Overuse injuries occur because of cumulative, day-after-day stresses placed on tendons, bones, and ligaments during exercise. The forces that occur normally during physical activity are not enough to cause a ligament sprain or muscle strain, but when these forces are applied on a daily basis for weeks or months they can result in an injury. Common sites of overuse injuries are the leg, knee, shoulder, and elbow joints.

Traumatic injuries, which occur suddenly and violently, typically by accident, are the second major type of fitness­related injuries. Typical traumatic injuries are broken bones, torn ligaments and muscles, contusions, and lacerations. If your traumatic injury causes a noticeable loss of function and immediate pain or pain that does not go away after 30 minutes, you should have a physician examine it. Many people today are turning to personal trainers to help them avoid injuries or work around injuries they have developed from past exercise routines.

Overuse injuries Injuries that result from the cumulative effects of day-after-day stresses placed on tendons, muscles, and joints.

Traumatic injuries Injuries that are accidental in nature; they occur suddenly and violently(e.g., fractured bones, ruptured tendons, and sprained ligaments).

Treatment

First-aid treatment for virtually all personal fitness injuries involves RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Rest, the first component of this treatment, is required to eliminate the risk of further irritation of the injured body part Ice is applied to relieve the pain of the injury and to constrict the blood vessels in order to slow and stop any internal or external bleeding associated with the injury. Never apply ice cubes, reusable gel ice packs, chemical cold packs, or other forms of cold directly to your skin. Instead, place a layer of wet toweling or elastic bandage between the ice and your skin. Ice should be applied to a new injury for approximately. minutes every hour for the first 24 to 72 hours. Compression of the injured body part can be accomplished with a 4- or 6-inch-wide elastic bandage; this applies indirect pressure to damaged blood vessels to help stop bleeding. Be careful, though, that the compression wrap does not interfere with normal blood flow. A throbbing, painful hand or foot is an indication that the compression wrap was applied too tightly and should be loosened. Elevation of the injured extremity above the level of your heart also helps to control internal or external bleeding by making the blood flow uphill to reach the injured area.