Peroneus brevis is a more effective evertor than peroneus longus

/

"A primary function of the peroneus longus and peroneus brevis is to provide the eversion moment necessary to balance the opposing inversion moments. "
The peronei have to be rehabilitated when injured, and they have to be strong to effectively control that rear and midfoot and work in a balance fashion. This is not a simple task and this will take some specific focused efforts, in our experience. On example we would strongly suggest would be to put far more focus on loaded weight bearing peroneal challenges in various heel heights rather that waste time with non-weight bearing band/theraloop work, it just cannot replicate the loaded rear/mid/forefoot.

Foot and Ankle. 2004 Apr;25(4):242-6.Peroneus brevis is a more effective evertor than peroneus longus.Otis JC1, Deland JT, Lee S, Gordon J.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15132932

FAI: ankle instability. Proprioceptive issues

/

We have been saying this over and over, sorry for the repeated nature of this concept. But ankle sprains should not be taken lightly. This study showed:
"Conclusions: Individuals with unilateral FAI had increased error ipsilaterally (injured limb) for inversion movement detection (kinesthesia) and evertor force sense and increased error contralaterally (uninjured limb) for evertor force sense."

No only do they have loss of kinesthesia on the injured side, but this presents along with a reduced evertor force sense as well as contralateral processing deficits. The Brain is paying close attention to the first things that hits the ground, and noting how stable/unstable it is.
Ankle sprains cannot be taken lightly, even the mild ones. Plus, do not forget about the corruption of the frontal plane at the hip that often occurs after these events.

 

Bilateral Proprioceptive Evaluation in Individuals With Unilateral Chronic Ankle Instability

Andreia S. P. Sousa, PhD; João Leite, BSc; Bianca Costa, BSc; Rubim Santos, PhD

Escola Superior de Saúde do Porto, Centro de Estudos de Movimento e Actividade Humana, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Portugal

Andreia S. P. Sousa, João Leite, Bianca Costa, and Rubim Santos (2017) Bilateral Proprioceptive Evaluation in Individuals With Unilateral Chronic Ankle Instability. Journal of Athletic Training: April 2017, Vol. 52, No. 4, pp. 360-367.

Talus dislocation: Trampoline ankle

/

Trampoline gyms are fun but risky places. It is fun leaping like spiderman from one trampoline to the next. 
But, Foot placement from such a height onto a pliable sloped surface (ie. if you do not hit the next trapoline smack dab in the center) is just a bad place to load a foot. Hence the foot that i saw today in the office, 4 weeks post talus and forefoot dislocation, complete, as you can see here. Oy, no trampolines for my peeps. Nope. Never.

Walking and Running Require Greater Effort from the Ankle than the Knee Extensor Muscles.

/

 

Attached is an older video from a few years back , it is very similar in execution to the heel-rise ball squeeze exercise which is the precursor to this more functional engagement as shown in this video today.  


The important premise is that you have to have command of the entire posterior compartment if you are to get safe, effective, efficient and adequate ankle plantarflexion. As we have discussed many times, if you do not have the requisite skills as shown in this video you are in trouble and ankle sprains and other functional pathologies are not unlikely to visit you.  Additionally, without requisite posterior compartment endurance and an ability to engage what I like to refer to as "top end" strength in the heel rise is an asymmetrial loading issue and can lead to compensatory adaptations up the kinetic chain. Make no mistake, the load will go somewhere, and thus the work will be done somewhere. In this video you should be able to clearly see and understand that one must be able to achieve top end posturing and have command of lateral and medial forefoot loading responses and challenges if clean forward function and power is to be achieved, and injuries from extremes of motion medially and laterally are to be avoided. Furthermore, as eluded to here and in several of our podcasts (and in the study included below), an inability to achieve top end posturing will lead to changes in forefoot loading, may spill over into endurance challenges prematurely in the posterior mechanism, and create changes in the timing of the gait cycle (things like premature or delayed heel rise, premature or delayed forefoot loading, recruitment of other components of the posterior chain just to name a few). This parsing and sharing of loads and responsibilities is laid out in the Kulmala study referenced today. The study could be extrapolated to say, I believe, that particularly in sprinting, a failure to achieve top end heel rise through effective posterior mechanism contraction, will change the load sharing between the posterior compartment and the quadriceps. After all, if the calf is weak, the ankle is not in as much plantarflexion, this could mean more knee flexion and thus raise demands on the quadriceps, logically changing knee mechanics.  This is exactly why we spend so much time at every patient visit looking for full range of motion at the joints and then determine the skill, endurance and strength of the associated muscles in supporting that range. Then, of course, comparing this function to the opposite limb.  Symmetry is not everything, but it is definitely a major factor in safe efficient and injury free locomotion.

* Please give great thought to the part in the video where I discuss the drop phase in jumping. All too often we at looking for the propulsive mechanics and forget that a failure there will also be represented during the adaptive phase. Ankle sprains rarely occur from propulsive pushing off, they occur from a failure to properly reacquaint the foot to the ground on the following step.
-Dr. Shawn Allen, one of the gait guys.

In this study the authors noted:
"During walking, the relative effort of the ankle extensors was almost two times greater compared with the knee extensors. Changing walking to running decreased the difference in the relative effort between the extensor muscle groups, but still, the ankle extensors operated at a 25% greater level than the knee extensors. At top speed sprinting, the ankle extensors reached their maximum operating level, whereas the knee extensors still worked well below their limits, showing a 25% lower relative effort compared with the ankle extensors."

And concluded that:
"Regardless of the mode of locomotion, humans operate at a much greater relative effort at the ankle than knee extensor muscles. As a consequence, the great demand on ankle extensors may be a key biomechanical factor limiting our locomotor ability and influencing the way we locomote and adapt to accommodate compromised neuromuscular system function."

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016 Nov;48(11):2181-2189. Walking and Running Require Greater Effort from the Ankle than the Knee Extensor Muscles. Kulmala JP1, Korhonen MT, Ruggiero L, Kuitunen S, Suominen H, Heinonen A, Mikkola A, Avela J.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27327033

Podcast #115: Brain logging injuries and patterns

/

We go deep on how injuries get logged deep in the CNS, what to do and how to get around it all.  Join us today !


Show sponsors:
newbalancechicago.com
altrarunning.com

www.thegaitguys.com
That is our website, and it is all you need to remember. Everything you want, need and wish for is right there on the site.
Interested in our stuff ? Want to buy some of our lectures or our National Shoe Fit program? Click here (thegaitguys.com or thegaitguys.tumblr.com) and you will come to our websites. In the tabs, you will find tabs for STORE, SEMINARS, BOOK etc. We also lecture every 3rd Wednesday of the month on onlineCE.com. We have an extensive catalogued library of our courses there, you can take them any time for a nominal fee (~$20).
 
Our podcast is on iTunes, Soundcloud, and just about every other podcast harbor site, just google "the gait guys podcast", you will find us.

* Podcast Links: 

http://traffic.libsyn.com/thegaitguys/pod_115f.mp3


http://thegaitguys.libsyn.com/podcast-115-brain-logging-injuries-and-patterns

_______________________________________
Show Notes:

Imagining workouts can improve strength
http://globalnews.ca/news/2885514/imagining-a-workout-may-be-almost-as-good-as-the-real-thing/

Your injuries are not forgotten
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312665.php

Brace2Play ankle brace. Caveat emptor.

/

Lets be clear ! This brace is for above the ankle mortise sprains, ie. low and high ankle sprains, sprains to the syndesmosis. It is NOT for ankle mortise and below sprains (ie. lateral and medial stabilzing ankle ligament sprains, ATF, PTF, deltoid ligs etc). If you use this brace on those injuries, good luck......you will not have any protection to those torn ligaments. 
Also, i am hesitant to buy into the "treats shin splints". Braces are supportive, nothing more. So, "supports" shin splints is more accurate IMHO. 
I would also make a case that a syndesmosis sprain (low-high ankle sprain) is not an injury you should be looking for a brace to enable you to continue to play on. Rather, rest and heal and do your initial phase low load rehab. 
Like most things, devices like this have a place and a purpose, but you have to know what you have injury wise, and know what you are dealing with. For example, if you have both a syndesmosis (low-high ankle sprain) AND a deltoid or lateral ligamentous complex sprain, this brace is not what you should chose in our opinion.

https://www.edgemobilitysystem.com/products/brace2play-above-the-joint-ankle-brace?variant=21314299587

/

More on landing mechanics.
Here is a recent article on landing mechanics. This article talks about the landing mechanics far past where I feel the first stage of vulnerability is, which is initial forefoot load, as i discuss in the video pertaining to landing from a jump or if sprinting (forefoot loading). IF landing occurs in low gear (lateral half of the forefoot), inversion risks are higher.
The medial foot tripod, high gear toe off (1st and 2nd mets) is where we should be taking off from, and landing initially upon. Anything lateral is vulnerable without the lateral column strength (lateral gastrocsoleus complex, peronei longus/brevis).
This article talks about knee flexion angles and ACL vulnerability, far after this initial loading response. The article some valid conclusions in that phase.

- Dr. Shawn Allen

Posture specific strength and landing mechanics.

http://lermagazine.com/article/posture-specific-strength-and-landing-mechanics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T9UzOaYxmo

Ankle sprains and the reorganization of the sensorimotor system

/

“Our subjects with unilateral chronic ankle sprains had weaker hip abduction strength and less plantar-flexion range of motion on the involved sides. Clinicians should consider exercises to increase hip abduction strength when developing rehabilitation programs for patients with ankle sprains.”-Friel et al

Awhile back we wrote about the principle that if the hip abductors are weak, the leg will posture more adducted (ie, cross over type pattern) and this places the foot more directly below the body midline plumb, this will posture the foot in inversion and thus at greater risk for future inversion sprains.  This sets up the vicious cycle of hip abductor weakness, frontal plane drift of pelvis, inversion of the foot and more ankle sprain risks/events.  The cycle must be broken. The hip must be addressed. That lateral chain must be restored all the way up from the foot.  

Another newer study by Bowker discusses the somatosensory feedback necessary for postural adjustments, walking, and running stating that they may be hampered by a decrease in soleus spinal reflex excitability.  The study adds more validity to what we are all growing to know more clearly, that the central nervous system via supraspinal circuitry plays deeply into chronic ankle instability (CAI). The studies suggest that CAI may be more about coordination and control of dynamic stabilizers and changes in the motor neuron excitability rather than the function of static stabilizers.

“A successful reorganization of the sensorimotor system after an initial ankle sprain is the critical point when individuals suffer chronic ankle instability or become copers [individuals who do not develop chronic instability after an ankle sprain] who break the cycle of recurrent injuries and disabilities seen in CAI,” Masafumi Terada, PhD

According to LER and the Terada work, 

The slow-twitch fibers in the soleus muscle are mostly innervated by small alpha motoneurons, Terada explained, so the study findings suggest that some people may restore their ability to reflexively recruit alpha motoneurons after ankle injury, and some may not.

“Therapeutic interventions that can increase the H-reflex in the soleus may help to break the cycle of recurrent injuries and disabilities seen in CAI,” he said. “Lower-intensity transcutaneous electrical stimulation, joint manipulations, and reflex conditioning protocols may be effective in increasing the soleus spinal excitability.”

The Gait Guys


Reference:

CAI and the CNS: Excitability may influence instability. Larry Hand

http://lermagazine.com/news/in-the-moment-sports-medicine/cai-and-the-cns-excitability-may-influence-instability

Taken from original source:

Bowker S, Terada, M, Thomas AC, et al. Neural excitability and joint laxity in chronic ankle instability, coper, and control groups. J Athl Train 2016 Apr 11. [Epub ahead of print]

J Athl Train. 2006; 41(1): 74–78.PMCID: PMC1421486Ipsilateral Hip Abductor Weakness After Inversion Ankle SprainKaren Friel,Nancy McLean,Christine Myers, and Maria Caceres
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1421486/

The diaphragm and chronic ankle instability.

/

I have been treating the global manifestations of unaddressed chronic ankle sprains for decades now. I am never unsurprised to find frontal plane hip weakness and dysfunction of the same side obliques , shoulder and spinal stabilizers. Here is one more piece of proof that unaddressed ankles are monster problems, slowly eroding the stability of the system.
But, shame on those who attempt to simplify this, just correcting the breathing and throwing some corrective spinal stability work at this problem. This approach will fail, repeatedly. At some point the ankle has to be addressed and the impaired supra spinal programming. Gait will have to be retrained as well, forget to do this and your efforts will be muted.
-Dr. Allen

“Previous investigations have identified impaired trunk and postural stability in individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI). The diaphragm muscle contributes to trunk and postural stability by modulating the intra-abdominal pressure. A potential mechanism that could help to explain trunk and postural stability deficits may be related to altered diaphragm function due to supraspinal sensorimotor changes with CAI.”

Reference:

Diaphragm Contractility in Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability.

Terada, Masafumi; Kosik, Kyle B.; McCann, Ryan S.; Gribble, Phillip A.  Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise:

http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/publishahead/Diaphragm_Contractility_in_Individuals_with.97497.aspx

Ankle spains and hip abductors

/

We see it ALL THE TIME. But sometimes it is nice to point out the obvious, just in case you are not looking for it.
“Conclusions: Our subjects with unilateral chronic ankle sprains had weaker hip abduction strength and less plantar-flexion range of motion on the involved sides. Clinicians should consider exercises to increase hip abduction strength when developing rehabilitation programs for patients with ankle sprains.”-Friel et al
Dr. Allen: if the hip abductors are weak, the leg will posture more adducted (ie, cross over type pattern) and this places the foot more directly below the body midline plumb, this will posture the foot in inversion and thus at greater risk for future inversion sprains.  This sets up the vicious cycle of hip abductor weakness, frontal plane drift of pelvis, inversion of the foot and more ankle sprain risks/events.  The cycle must be broken. The hip must be addressed. That lateral chain must be restored all the way up from the foot.  All stuff you likely already know, but good to find another study to validate.

Dr. Allen

J Athl Train. 2006; 41(1): 74–78.PMCID: PMC1421486Ipsilateral Hip Abductor Weakness After Inversion Ankle SprainKaren Friel,Nancy McLean,Christine Myers, and Maria Caceres
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1421486/

Podcast 91: Gait, Vision & some truths about leg length discrepancies

/

Show sponsors:
www.newbalancechicago.com

A. Link to our server:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/thegaitguys/pod_91f.mp3

Direct Download:
http://thegaitguys.libsyn.com/91

Other Gait Guys stuff

B. iTunes link:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gait-guys-podcast/id559864138

C. Gait Guys online /download store (National Shoe Fit Certification and more !) :
http://store.payloadz.com/results/results.aspx?m=80204

D. other web based Gait Guys lectures:
Monthly lectures at : www.onlinece.com   type in Dr. Waerlop or Dr. Allen,  ”Biomechanics”

Our Book: Pedographs and Gait Analysis and Clinical Case Studies

electronic copies available here:

Amazon/Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/Pedographs-Gait-Analysis-Clinical-Studies-ebook/dp/B00AC18M3E

Barnes and Noble / Nook Reader:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pedographs-and-gait-analysis-ivo-waerlop-and-shawn-allen/1112754833?ean=9781466953895

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/pedographs-and-gait-analysis/id554516085?mt=11

Hardcopy available from our publisher:

http://bookstore.trafford.com/Products/SKU-000155825/Pedographs-and-Gait-Analysis.aspx

Show notes:

Gait and vision: Gaze Fixation
What’s Up With That: Birds Bob Their Heads When They Walk
http://www.wired.com/2015/01/whats-birds-bob-heads-walk/
 
Shod vs unshod
 
Short leg talk:
11 strategies to negotiate around a leg length discrepancy

From a Reader:

Dear Gait Guys, Dr. Shawn and Dr. Ivo,  I was referred to this post of yours on hip IR…http://thegaitguys.tumblr.com/post/14262793786/gait-problem-the-solitary-externally-rotated   I am impressed by the level of details of your understanding of the gait and biomechanics. Although I am still trying to understand all of your points in this post, I would like to ask you:  What if my IR is limited due to a structural issue? The acetabular retroversion of the right hip in my case. 

I.e. if I am structurally unable to rotate the hip internally.
What will happen? 
What would be a solution to the problem in that case? 

Single-leg drop landing movement strategies 6 months following first-time acute lateral ankle sprain injury - Doherty - 2014 - Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sms.12390/abstract

Hey Gait Guys,

I understand that 1st MP Joint dorsiflexion, ankle rocker, and hip extension are 3 key factors for moving in the sagittal plane from your blog and podcasts so far. I really love how you guys drill in our heads to increase anterior strength to increase posterior length to further ankle rocker. I’ve seen the shuffle gait and was curious if you had a good hip extension exercise to really activate the posterior hip extensors and increase anterior length. 

Podcast 52: Limb Dominance & Other Cool Stuff

/

A. Link to our server:

http://thegaitguys.libsyn.com/podcast-52-limb-dominance-other-cool-stuff

B. iTunes link:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gait-guys-podcast/id559864138

C. Gait Guys online /download store (National Shoe Fit Certification and more !) :

http://store.payloadz.com/results/results.aspx?m=80204

D. other web based Gait Guys lectures:

www.onlinece.com   type in Dr. Waerlop or Dr. Allen,  ”Biomechanics”

________________________________________

* Today’s show notes:

Neuroscience:

1. The Potential Downside of Wearable Biomechanical Monitoring Devices for Running

http://runblogger.com/2014/01/downside-of-wearable-biomechanical-monitoring-devices-for-running.html

2. Google’s Next Crazy Project: Smart Contact Lenses | Entrepreneur.com
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230927
3. How Humans Burn Fewer Calories Than Other Mammals
http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/how-humans-burn-fewer-calories-than-other-mammals
4. Update: I was listening to your podcast and you said Ice Bug was out of business. I sell them in my store in Fairbanks Alaska where we have snow and ice on the ground for 6-7 months a year. The US distributor is Ice Bug USA. I also carry a the Salomon Snow Cross studded shoe.
The effects of limb dominance and fatigue on running biomechanics
http://www.gaitposture.com/article/S0966-6362(13)00702-9/abstract
5. Email case:
Dear Gaitguys,
   I have been on a search since October to determine the cause of my chronic tendonitis in my knees and right hip. Through my search I was told that my femurs are rotated internally and my tibia are externally rotated. This is causing my patella to face inward.
  I was told by one PT that I will never be able to run long distances without developing tendonitis. I want to believe he is wrong because I love running. I came across something called Femoral Anterior Glide in my research and was wondering if you guys believe this is a real condition. Also is there a way a person can know if they have this problem?
Thank you for all of your great posts!
 Kate 
6. Blog reader:

My 11 year old son walks with a very noticeable external tibial torsion. We just recently noticed this and I came upon your site while trying to research it. I also read that many time it has to do with a problem with the patella. Both my husband and daughter have had patella problems but do not have the duck walk like my son. I did ask a a pediatric sports medicine specialist about the problem and he said some kids just walk that way. Where should I bring my son for help with this?

7. Blog reader asks:

About a year ago there was an article posted called: “A case of the non-resolving ankle sprain. Things to think about when the ankle and foot just do not fully come around after a sprain”. I am 15 weeks into an identical problem and I was wondering if there was any way you guys could follow up with “MR” to see if he was ever able to resolve his issue. It is such a unique and frustrating case (being able to walk but not run) and I haven’t found any other instance of it until now. Thank you.

8. Shoe Fit Certification program
Link:Gait Guys online /download store (National Shoe Fit Certification and more !) :

http://store.payloadz.com/results/results.aspx?m=80204

9. Second metatarsal osteotomies for metatarsalgia: A robotic cadaveric study of the effect of osteotomy plane and metatarsal shortening on plantar pressure - Trask - 2013 - Journal of Orthopaedic Research - Wiley Online Library

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jor.22524/abstract;jsessionid=BCFFA5207512C41214E7F3D601729EFE.f01t01

Podcast 45: Spock, Ankle Syndesmosis injuries and Subways.

/

A. Link to our server:

http://thegaitguys.libsyn.com/podcast-45-spock-syndesmosis-and-subways

B. iTunes link:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gait-guys-podcast/id559864138

C. Gait Guys online /download store (National Shoe Fit Certification and more !) :

http://store.payloadz.com/results/results.aspx?m=80204

D. other web based Gait Guys lectures:

www.onlinece.com   type in Dr. Waerlop or Dr. Allen,  ”Biomechanics”

________________________________________

* Today’s show notes:

Neuroscience:
2. Coyote Joins 5K at Arizona State XC Championships
http://www.runnersworld.com/high-school-racing/coyote-joins-5k-at-arizona-state-xc-championships
4.Scanadu scores $10.5M and paves the way for FDA trials
5 . National Shoe Fit Program
Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2010 Oct;18(10):1379-84. doi: 10.1007/s00167-009-1010-y. Epub 2009 Dec 18.

Rotational laxity greater in patients with contralateral anterior cruciate ligament injury than healthy volunteers. Branch TP, 

 7.from a blog reader:
schwad01 asked you:
Guys. I am a Parkinson’s patient … 
 
8. FAcebook reader:
9. In the News:
Russian Subways Now Accept Squats for Payment
10.In the research:
11.GAME:
/

Can you see the problem in this runner’s gait ?

You should be able see that they are heel impacting heavy on the outside of the rear foot, and that they are doing so far laterally, more than what is considered normal.  
This is a video of someone with a rear foot varus deformity.
These folks typically have a high arched foot, typically more rigid than flexible, and they are often paired with a forefoot valgus.  
Q: Do you think it might be important as a shoe fitter to know this foot type ?
A: Yes
Q.Should they be put in a shoe with a soft lateral crash zone at the heel ? 
A: No, absolutely not. Why would you want to keep this person deeper and more entrenched on the lateral heel/foot ?!
This foot type has a difficult time progressing off of the lateral foot. The lateral strike pattern and the tendency for the varus rear-foot (inverted)  keeps this person on the lateral aspect of the foot long into midstance.  This eats up time when they should be gradually progressing over to the medial forefoot so that they can get to an effective and efficient medial (big toe) toe off.  This gait type is typically apropulsive, they are not big speed demons and short bursts of acceleration are difficult for these folks much of the time. Combine this person with some torsional issues in  the tibia or femur and you have problems to deal with, including probably challenges for the glutes and patellar tracking dysfunction. What to see some hard, tight IT Bands ?These folks are often the poster child for it. Good luck foam rolling with these clients, they will hate you for recommending it !
They are typically poor pronators so they do not accommodate to uneven terrain well.  Because they are more on the outside of the foot, they may have a greater incidence or risk for inversion sprains. You may choose to add the exercise we presented on Monday (link  here) to help them as best as possible train some improved strength, awareness and motor patterns into their system. In some cases, but only when appropriate, a rear foot post can be used to help them progress more efficiently and safely. 
These foot types typically have dysfunction of the peronei (amongst other things). A weak peroneus longus can lead to a more dorsiflexed first metatarsal compromising the medial foot tripod stability and efficiency during propulsion while also risking compromise to the first metatarsaophalangeal (1st MTP) joint and thus hallux complications.  Additionally, a weak peroneus brevis can enable the rear foot to remain more varus. This muscle helps to invert the rearfoot and subtalar joints. This weakness can play out at terminal swing because the rear foot will not be brought into a more neutral posture prior to the moment of heel/foot strike (it will be left more varus) and then it can also impair mid-to-late midstance when it fires to help evert the lateral column of the foot helping to force the foot roll through to the big toe propulsive phase of terminal stance.  (* children who have these peroneal issues left unaddressed into skeletal maturity are more likely to have these rearfoot varus problems develop into anatomic fixed issues…… form follows function.)
You can see in the video the failed attempt to become propulsive. The client speeds over to the medial foot/big toe at the very last minute but it is largely too late. Sudden and all out pronation at the last minute is also fraught with biomechanical complications.
One must know their foot types. If you do not know what it is you are seeing, AND know how to confirm it on examination you will not get your client in the right shoe or give them the right homework.
* caveat: the mention of Monday’s exercise for this foot type for everyone with Rearfoot varus is not a treatment recommendation for everyone with the foot type. For some people this is the WRONG exercise or it might need modifications. Every case is different. The biomechanics all the way up need to be considered. Medicine is not a compartmentalized art or science. 
Shawn and Ivo, The Gait Guys

 

/

The “Top-End” Peroneal Walk Foot Skill: Another Restoration Foot Trick by The Gait Guys

Have stability problems in your ankles ? Lots of people do !
Here is a brief video of a simple, but difficult, functional exercise to strengthen the peroneal muscles in full plantar flexion (we will give more detailed tricks and techniques away on the Foot-Ankle DVD exercise series, once we get some time to get to it !). The key here is to not let the heel drop during single fore-foot loading and to keep the ankle pressing inwards as if to try and touch the ankles together medially …..if you feel the heel drop on the single foot loaded side (or you can feel the calf is weaker or if you feel strain to keep the inward press of the ankle) then it might be more than the peronei, it could be the combined peroneal-gastrocsoleus complex. The key to the assessment and home work is to make sure that the heel always stays in “top-end” heel rise plantarflexion. But you have to strongly consider the peronei just as seriously. Studies show that even single event sprains let alone chronic ankle sprains create serious incompetence of the peronei. Most people do not notice this because they never assess the ability to hold the foot in full heel rise (plantarflexion) while creating a valgus load (created by the peronei mostly, a less amount from the lateral calf) at the ankle. This is why repetitive sprains occur. The true key to recovery is to be able to walk on the foot in this heel-up “top-end” position while in ankle eversion (ankles squeezed together) as you see in this video. This is something we do with all of our basketball and jumping sports athletes and it is critical in our dancers of all kinds. And if they cannot do the walking skill or if they feel weakness then we keep it static and put a densely rolled towel or a small air filled ball between the ankles and have them do slow calf raises and descents while squeezing the towel-ball with all their ability. This will create a nice burn in the peroneal muscles after just a few repetitions. The user will also quickly become acutely aware of their old tendency to roll to the outside of the foot and ankle because of this lack of awareness and strength of those laterally placed ankle evertors - the peronei. It is critical to note that If you return to the ground from a jump and cannot FIRST load the forefoot squarely and then, and only then, control the rate of ankle inversion and neutral heel drop (ankle dorsiflexion) then you should not be shocked at chronic repetitive ankle sprains. Remember, the metatarsals and toes are shorter as we move away from the big toe, so there is already a huge risk and tendency to roll to the outside of the foot through ankle inversion. Hence why ankle sprains are so common. We call this “top end” peroneal strength but for it to be effectively implemented one must have sufficient top end calf strength as well, you cannot have sound loading mechanics without both.
It is not as easy as it appears in this video. We encourage you to give this a try and we bet that 1 out of every 2 people who try it will notice “top end” weakness felt either in the peronei and/or in the calf via inability to keep the heel in “top-end”. Oh, and do not think that you can simply correct this by more calf work, not if the peronei are involved, which they usually are.
One more trick by The Gait Guys………bet you cannot wait for the foot dvd huh !? Ya, it has only been on our list for 3 years now !
 We talk more about this kind of stuff on our National Shoe Fit Certification program.
Email us if you are interested thegaitguys@gmail.com

Oval Track Running Injuries, Part 2. The Details.

/
Last week we did a blog post on the problems that oval track running can set up in terms of injury and promoting asymmetry, LINK).  We wanted to briefly go back to that article to hit some details that many folks did not put together. 

Keep in mind as you read on that the scenario is the typical counterclockwise oval track running.  As it said in the study, “analysis indicated that the left (inside limb) invertors increased in strength significantly more than the right (outside limb) invertors while the right evertors increased in strength significantly more than the left evertors.”

What this means is that someone who runs repeatedly counterclockwise on an oval track will drive skill, endurance and strength (the 3 basic tenets to solidifying a motor pattern) into the inside limb invertor muscles. This means the tibialis posterior, medial gastrocsoleus complex, flexor hallucis longus (likely) as well as some of the medial foot intrinsics. Because they are invertors, they are fighting the pronatory eversion forces on the track surface. These muscles will help to keep the ankle and foot neutral and slow the rate of foot pronation.  When these muscles are weak we see posterior shin splints in the left foot/ankle early in the track season. 
Whereas, the outside limb will be staving off the forces that want to launch the person off of the curves and off the outside of the track. Hence this limb will constantly redirect the forces inwards into the center of the track so that centripetal forces can continue to act to keep the runner on the curve (centripetal force is defined as a force which keeps a body moving with a uniform speed along a circular path and is directed along the radius towards the center). This means that the evertor muscles of the outside leg will be gaining skill, endurance and strength with every lap of training.  Hence, improvements in the peroneal group, the lateral gastrocsoleus namely.  Without these improvements the outside ankle would eventually fail and the forces are synonymous with inversion sprain mechanics.  Remember, here as well, these improvements in these muscle groups are designed to try and hold the ankle in a safe neutral biomechanical position and avoid inversion injury via the imparted forces.

It is also imperative to point out that the inside foot will see more ankle (mortise) dorsiflexion and eversion and the outside ankle will be seeing more (mortise) dorsiflexion and inversion.  We know that there are two heads to the tibialis anterior, one helps create more eversion and one more inversion.  Do we also want to see an imbalance and experience differential there as well ? If you have been with The Gait Guys for the last 4 years you will know that we harp on symmetrical ankle rocker range and function.  How can we expect to stay injury free with all this purposely driven asymmetrical skill, endurance and strength ?
Then one must remember that these muscular chains do not stop locally. If the inside foot invertor muscles are strengthened it is likely that the tonus and capabilities of the inner leg chain will be improved upon let alone the spiral chains as well.  Inner thigh groups including the adductors improve lower abdominal function from what we see in decades of clients. But remember, the outside leg is not seeing this same chain of muscles getting ramped up, rather it is seeing the lateral chain higher up improving which included the right gluteus medius to name just one. Furthermore, and we have talked about this until blue in the face, when  you have asymmetrical lower limb function you have asymmetrical upper limb swing.  We see shoulder and neck imbalances in our track athletes all the time.  And, then think about this, on non-track days what to many track athletes do ? They then go and drive massive strength into these asymmetries by going into the weight room and drive the problem deeper.

Our point here is that we are driving massive asymmetry into the human track machine. As as with any machine, loosen one bolt on one side and tighten the same bold on the other side and there will be a price to pay in the function of the machine. In the short term it will be one of performance, in the slightly longer term it will be one of injury.  As this study suggested, “ a high incidence of lower extremity injury (68%) occurred in this sample of runners, corresponding to an injury rate of 0.75 injuries per 100 person-hours of sport exposure. Although sample size was limited, secondary analysis indicated that strength changes were not significantly different for injured (n = 17) and uninjured (n = 8) runners (p > 0.05)”. Our response to the later statement is “give it time!”.  If you are one of these track athletes and are not injured, we like to say that you are likely lucky……. for now.
If you are a coach or an athlete, for the sake of your feet and legs……. use your head.
Shawn & Ivo
details, details, details……… because details matter.
______________________

Clin J Sport Med. 2000 Oct;10(4):245-50.

Asymmetrical strength changes and injuries in athletes training on a small radius curve indoor track.

Beukeboom C, Birmingham TB, Forwell L, Ohrling D.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

1) To evaluate strength changes in the hindfoot invertor and evertor muscle groups of athletes training and competing primarily in the counterclockwise direction on an indoor, unbanked track, and 2) to observe injuries occurring in these same runners over the course of an indoor season.

DESIGN:

Prospective observational study.

SETTING:

Fowler-Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario.

PARTICIPANTS:

A convenience sample of 25 intercollegiate, long sprinters (200-600 m) and middle distance runners (800-3,000 m) competing and training with the 1995-1996 University of Western Ontario Track and Field team.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

A standardized protocol using the Cybex 6000 isokinetic dynamometer was used to measure peak torques of the hindfoot invertor and evertor muscle groups of both limbs using concentric and eccentric contractions performed at angular velocities of 60, 120, and 300 degrees/sec. Changes in peak torques between the preseason and postseason values were calculated and compared using a repeated measures analysis of variance test. Injury reports were collected by student athletic trainers and in the Sport Medicine and Physiotherapy clinic.

RESULTS:

Primary analysis indicated that the left (inside limb) invertors increased in strength significantly more than the right (outside limb) invertors (p = 0.01), while the right evertors increased in strength significantly more than the left evertors (p = 0.04). A high incidence of lower extremity injury (68%) occurred in this sample of runners, corresponding to an injury rate of 0.75 injuries per 100 person-hours of sport exposure. Although sample size was limited, secondary analysis indicated that strength changes were not significantly different for injured (n = 17) and uninjured (n = 8) runners (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS:

The observed small, but statistically significant, asymmetrical changes in strength of the hindfoot invertor and evertor muscle groups can best be described as a training effect. Altered biomechanics proposed to occur in the stance foot while running on the curve of the track are discussed in relation to the observed strength imbalance. A causal link between strength changes and lower extremity injuries cannot be inferred from this study, but suggestions for further research are made.

Chronic ankle instability alters central organization of movement.

/

Haas CJ, Bishop MD, Doidge D, Wikstrom EA. Am J Sports Med 2010 Apr;38(4):829-34.

Epub 2010 Feb 5. Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology,University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.

 This is a recycle article from our “The Gait Guys” blog archive, June 2011. This article focuses on altered proprioception. Proprioception (or kinesthesis) is our ability to orient our body or a body part in space.  Poor proprioception can result in balance and coordination difficulties as well as being a risk factor for injury. Think about people with syphillis who lose all afferent information from a joint coming in through the dorsal root ganglia, this ultimately leads to a wide based ataxic gait (due to a loss of position and tactile sense) and joint destruction (due to loss of position sense and lack of pain perception). The same consequences can occur, albeit on a smaller scale, when we have diminished proprioception from a joint or its associated muscle spindles. As you read on, keep the thought in your mind that walking or running are both actually repeated attempts at finding a stable single leg stance, one after the other. Impairment of one single leg stance will affect the involved side locally as well as the contralateral side due to accelerated or abbreviated loading responses coming off of the affected side.  Arm swing will also be altered and require compensation.

Proprioception is subserved by both cutaneous receptors in the skin (pacinian coprpuscles, Ruffini endings, etc.), joint mechanoreceptors (types I,II,III and IV) and from muscle spindles (nuclear bag and nuclear chain fibers) . It is both conscious and unconscious and travels in two pathways in the nervous system. 

Conscious proprioception arises from the peripheral mechanoreceptors in the skin and joints and travels in the dorsal column system to ultimately end in the thalamus, where the information is relayed to the cortex and cerebellum.

Unconscious proprioception arises from joint mechanoreceptors and muscle spindles and travels in the spino-cerebellar pathways to end in the midline vermis and flocculonodular lobes of the cerebellum. This unconscious information is then relayed from the cerebellum to the red nucleus to the thalamus and back to the cortex, to get integrated with the conscious proprioceptive information and then central program generators (CPG’s). We have spoken about receptors more recently in the Gait Guys podcasts, #19 & 20 and CPG’s in our previous blog post this week if you care to delve more deeply into these topics.

Information from both systems (both separate and combined; the nervous system loves redundancy) is then sent down the spinal cord to effect some response in the periphery. As you can see, there is a constant feed back loop between the proprioceptors, the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex. This is what allow us to be balanced and coordinated in our movements and actions.

Chronic ankle instability is merely a more serious form of dysfunction on the continuum of ankle pathomechanics. It refers to subjects with both coronal and saggital plane stability problems due to altered proprioception. This results in a loss of fine motor coordination of the foot (ie foot intrinsics) and a recruitment of larger motor units about the joint (peroneus longus,  flexor and extensor digitorum longus, tibialis posterior and anterior, etc) . This is equivalent to writing a letter with a pencil taped to your wrist, rather than in your fingers. 

This study looked at plantar pressure changes (actually it measured the amount of deviation in forward/backward and side to side motions, which are corrective motions by the CNS due to a loss of fine motor control). As expected, they were greater in the group with ankle instability, particularly when they led with that foot (ie the impaired foot). Thus they lacked the skill necessary to perform the task and developed another movement or recruitment pattern to compensate.

This would be an excellent example of restoring function (ie skill)  for rehab, rather than just increasing strength. If fine motor control is not mastered 1st and you do not change the central pattern, you are carving a turnip with a chainsaw.

We are…. The Gait Guys

Podcast #13: Caffeine, Nicotine & Lance

/

here is the link for podcast 13

http://thegaitguys.libsyn.com/webpage

______________________________

1- Malcolm gladwells piece on drug doping (PEDs) in sports:

“Gladwell argued that we should think about cycling the same way we think about auto racing — where teams should be rewarded for using science and bending the rules to their breaking point to succeed.
"When you look at what Lance is alleged to have done. Basically he was better than everyone else at using PEDs,” Gladwell said. “He was the guy who sat down and was rigorous and focused and thoughtful and intelligent and cutting edge in how to use them, and apply them and make himself better. Like, I don’t know, so is that a bad thing?”

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/malcolm-gladwell-lance-armstrong-2012-10#ixzz29QBKJpAJ

2- Caffeine: A PED ?
Mens health online magazine, also found in our Sunday edition Oct 14th, 2012 newspaper:

http://news.menshealth.com/chew-gum-before-races/2012/04/12/

Chew on this: Caffeinated gum can improve your athletic performance—if you start chewing it at the right moment, finds a new study from Kent State University.

NICOTINE: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/50_hits_of_nicotine
Nicotine has been used in energy drinks in Japan for years.
stimulates the release of acetylcholine, providing a sense of increased energy. Arnold used to do commercials for them.
Nicotine can improve reaction time.
Nicotine can be addictive, much like caffeine. But addiction to nicotine gum, lozenges, or patches is rare, if not unheard of.
MAYO clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-edge-newspaper-2009/apr-24b.html

3- DISCLAIMER:We are not your doctors so anything you hear here should not be taken as medical advice. For that you need to visit YOUR doctors and ask them the questions. We have not examined you, we do not know you, we know very little about your medical status. So, do not hold us responsible for taking our advice when we have just told you not to !  Again, we are NOT your doctors !

4: Maryland Guy Running a marathon in flip flops:

“Some of the rules: It can’t be a heal strap. There can’t be any other means to hold the flip flop on your shoe besides just the normal thing between your toes,” Levasseur said. “I don’t know what happens if I get a blowout.”

Read more: http://www.wbaltv.com/news/sports/Man-to-run-Baltimore-marathon-in-flip-flops/-/9379464/16917220/-/remeou/-/index.html#ixzz29QDIyW4d

5-Managing Ankle Sprains:
http://www.running-physio.com/anklesprain/

6- HIIT
 http://www.the15minutes.info/2012/10/12/what-is-hiit-and-what-can-it-do-for-you/

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/anatomyandphysiology/a/Deconditioning.htm
Studies have shown that you can maintain your fitness level even if you need to change or cut back on you exercise for several months. In order to do so, you need to exercise at about 70 percent of your VO2 max at least once per week.

7- EMAIL FROM A Blog follower:

middleagedathlete asked you:
I searched the site and didn’t see anything on bow-leggedness (if that’s a word) and it’s impact on gait. I have mild to moderate bow legs and never even knew it until I started running and it was pointed out to me by a PT I was seeing for knee pain. Is there an optimal (or at a minimum least bad) strategy for running with bow legs? I am 6'0" tall and have a gap of about 2" between my knees when standing with my ankles together and my legs straight. I am curious to hear your thoughts.

8- from the newspaper:
from Barefoot Running University.com
Article: Running up Hill

 http://barefootrunninguniversity.com/2012/10/12/uphill-running-technique/
9- Blog post we liked recently: October 5th, Gait Running and Sound. Are you listening to your body ?
 
 
10- Random topic: Wednesday october 10th Peter larson who runs Runblogger did a review of the following article:

Minimalist Running Results in Fewer Injuries?: Survey Suggests that Traditionally Shod Runners are 3.41 Times More Likely to Get Hurt

we have not gotten through the research article yet but we will, and we will try to address out thoughts on it and pete’s in the next 1-2 podcasts.  We want to make sure our thoughts are heard as well.  We bet Pete did a phenomenal job but we like to see things for ourselves, just like pete does. He is a stickler to details like we are, which is why we like alot of his work.  So, stay tuned !

11- Our dvd’s and efile downloads
Are all on payloadz. Link is in the show notes.
Link: http://store.payloadz.com/results/results.asp?m=80204


/
A case of the non-resolving ankle sprain.  Things to think about when the ankle and foot just do not fully come around after a sprain. Gait Guys, A while back I had a severe ankle sprain while trail running.  As I stepped on a rock my toes pointed d…

A case of the non-resolving ankle sprain.  Things to think about when the ankle and foot just do not fully come around after a sprain.

Gait Guys,

A while back I had a severe ankle sprain while trail running.  As I stepped on a rock my toes pointed downward, my ankle was rolled in and I felt a pop. This was follow by a lot of swelling and bruising both on the inside and outside of my ankle.  Being experienced with ankle sprains, I jumped on the initial treatment immediately. The reduction in swelling and bruising lead me to believe that I was in for a 4-5 week recovery, then I would be back at what I love doing. I was proven wrong:  

1.       Initial treatment consisted of immobilization, icing, and a very high dose of Ibuprofen (3 days only). After a couple weeks of this I began stretching, massage and trying to get into some modified activities as the pain allowed me to. I was able to  do some hiking but running was too painful.

2.       After 6 weeks, I was still having pain in the posterior tibial tendon area as well as the deltoid ligament area. I tried running but, I was met with severe pain beginning in the middle of the gait cycle through  the push off. I saw a PA at this time and was told to give it more rest. For the next few weeks I wore a soft brace and spent most of my time in a chair.

3.       By week 9, there was no improvement. I could walk fine but, I had the same pain when I tried to run. I visited the PA again and was put in a walking cast and had an MRI. The MRI should a low grade deltoid and ATFL sprain as well as a bruised bone. I spent 2 weeks in the walking cast then returned to the soft cast for another week. During this time I did nothing besides give it rest.

4.       At week 11, I did not see a noticeable improvement. I still had a sharp pain in my posterior tibial tendon area and deltoid area during the middle of my gait (when trying to run). At this time, I had another visit with the PA. After looking at my MRI more closely, he saw fluid buildup behind my talus. He thinks that I had an impact injury to my Os Trigonum. He also noticed that I had very limited dorsiflexion.  He has advised me to stretch and give it a few more weeks. If it’s not going in a positive direction he recommended a cortisone shot.

As it stands today at week 12, in a dorsiflexion position, I have a sharp pain in what feels like my Achilles tendon and posterior tibial tendon area (the MRI shows these are intact). I also have a lot of tenderness in the deltoid area. Walking, I am almost pain free but as soon as I begin to run, the pain starts in the areas described above. This is the first injury I have ever had where I haven’t seen a steady improvement when recovering (maybe I am just getting old). The pain I am having now when trying to running is the same as it was at week 4. This really concerns me.

I guess my question is, where do I go from here? Do I keep doing what I am doing? Should I seek a second opinion?  Any help or guidance you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

On a side note, your blog has helped me to get though the last 12 run-less weeks without losing my mind or falling into a deep depression.  You guys do some great stuff.  Keep up the good work!

Best Regards,

MR

____________________

Dear MR:

Somehow we missed this email. Sorry about that.

Whenever things are not resolving with reasonable intervention one must think of two things: either the injury was severe or the diagnosis is incorrect.

Without seeing you we are unable to determine either. But here are our thoughts.

The Os Trigonum syndrome is a good thought. It seems to be in the correct area of your complaint. These “Os” bones can be embedded in tendon or soft tissue and they can be fixed to the posterior talus by either bone or a cartilagenous bridge. It is possible for this to be your problem if the inversion event was severe enough although it is not that common in this described mechanism.

One must also be suspect of osseous compression of the medial talus against the medial calcaneus, which will bring thoughts of a posterior subtalar facet fracture. We pulled up an article we read a few years ago on this issue (click here), the article is entitled, “Pseudo os trigonum sign: missed posteromedial talar facet fracture”. Obviously this needs to be considered in your case since there are similar components in area and symptom of your complaints. Posteromedial talar facet fracture (PMTFF) is a rare injury, sparsely reported in the literature and it must be chased as a diagnosis of suspicion when all other clinical presentations have not panned out. Damage to the sustentaculum tali must also be assessed, as this too can be fractured.  Osteochondral defects are also always on the list in violent inversion events; they are classically seen anteromedially and posteriolaterally at the ankle mortise joint.

Something else that is often missed in ankle inversion sprains is avulsion or rupture of the extensor digitorum brevis on the lateral foot. As the rearfoot inverts and forefoot plantarflexes the EDB is tensioned to the point of tearing. Although you seem to have no symptoms in this area it can never be overlooked. These are easy to discern from the lateral ligamentous structure damage because the areas are clearly separate from eachother.  Look for tenderness down into the top of the metatarsals into the forefoot. Also test for weakness and pain of toe extension.

So, lots to consider here in this case. When things to not resolve you have to start looking for less common problems and damage.  We would love to hear how you are doing MR. Drop us a line.

Shawn and Ivo……. also geeks of orthopedics.  We paid the piper long ago.