The material that a shoe is made of lends a lot to its stability. For instance, leather shoes tend to be sturdier than mesh shoes. When it comes to the actual construction, shoes are divided into two main parts – the upper shoe and the lower shoe.
That answer to that question would be inflammation. Trigger finger occurs when the space within the sheath that surrounds the tendon in the affected finger becomes narrower due to inflammation. Tendons exist in each of our fingers (and all over our body, for that matter) and are the fibrous, cord-like material that attaches muscle to bone.
Wearing high heels puts the feet at a rather unnatural angle which, in turn, pulls muscles and joints out of alignment, meaning that the painful effects of said footwear aren’t limited to what’s below the ankle. In fact, it’s not at all unusual for those who spend LOTS of time in heels to suffer from low back pain, neck pain, and even shoulder pain…all ailments that are a direct result of the fact that the shoes disrupt the natural form of the body.
Let’s start with mobility. When it comes to mobility, it’s important to note that adequate mobility is a huge factor in being able to run fast AND stay healthy. Why is this? Well, if you don’t have complete range of motion throughout your lower body, you will be MUCH more susceptible to injury. Plus, obtaining optimal mobility allows you to improve performance as well as cover more ground – remember, stride frequency and stride length are the two factors that determine running speed. Maintaining flexibility and mobility via proper methods of stretching to lengthen muscles can go a LONG way toward helping all of the above.
Heel striking – being a heavy heel striker is common in those with a slower running cadence because of the simple fact that their body mechanics are not allowing them to perform at their maximum potential because, when you’re striking with your heels it tends to mean your hips are behind your feet, so to speak. Not sure what we’re referring to? Well, think of is this way – your hips HAVE to be over your feet to propel you forward (which is the point of running, right?) but, if your feet are in front of your hips you won’t ever be able to effectively propel yourself forward.
There are LOTS of areas in our athletic lives that we do have the ability to control in regards to staving off injury and what not. This involves everything from making sure that we’re wearing the appropriate gear – be it safety (like helmets, pads, shin guards, etc.) or otherwise (sturdy shoes, etc.) – to ensuring proper body mechanics and the like. Now, obviously, each and every sport will have its own set of “rules” in regards to what’s right and what’s wrong when it comes to form and function.
The athletic shoes of today have come a long way from their predecessors, and are highly diversified at that. Present day athletic footwear is designed with specific activities in mind – including running, hiking, baseball, softball, soccer, basketball, football, tennis, and volleyball. And, it’s recommended that if you’re participating in a particular sport more than two times per week you should be fitted for and purchase shoes that have been specifically designed for that sport (such as a running shoe, court shoe, cleats, etc).
For as high impact and collision prone of a sport as soccer is, the amount of protective gear worn by the players is pretty minimal. Shin guards, obviously, are paramount, because they protect the lower leg. In fact, it’s been shown time and again that a good portion of the lower leg injuries that occur in soccer are due to inadequate shin guards. Aside from mouth guards and the occasional lightly padded gear that goal keepers often wear to protect themselves from obscene amounts of turf burn, shin guards are pretty much “it” when it comes to protective gear and soccer players.
Let’s start with the basics – an ankle sprain occurs when there is tearing of ankle ligaments. The most common types of ankle sprains involve the outside (lateral) portion of the joint and, as stated previously, can occur during virtually any activity.
Having flat feet (which is when the arches on the inside of your feet are flattened, allowing the entirety of the sole to touch the floor when standing) is a relatively common condition, and can occur because arches didn’t develop properly during childhood, due to an injury, or from age and wear-and-tear.
