SOLUTIONS Physical Therapy Solutions Quarterly Newsletter Spring 2017 Visit us at www.ptsiowa.com for links to physical therapy resources, dynamic stretching videos, past newsletters and more! Quick Links... Our website: www.ptsiowa.com Meet Our Staff... Are Minimalist Shoes Right for Me? by Josiah Ertz, Student DPT It seems that you hear more and more about minimalist shoes these days. What started as the crazy looking black and yellow Vibram FiveFingers has become a variety of popular brands with styles available in a wide array of colors. Before throwing out your current tennis shoes, it's important to better understand minimalist shoes, see how they effect running biomechanics, and then determine whether or not they are beneficial for you. 1. What are minimalist shoes? Jason Putz, PT Josiah Polito, DPT, CSCS Barefoot Shoe Minimalist Shoe Some people confuse minimalist shoes with barefoot running shoes. The biggest difference is the heel height. In barefoot running shoes such as Vibram FiveFingers, the heel is the same height as the front of the foot. While minimalist shoes have a smaller heel height compared to normal running shoes, they have heel height nonetheless. Another aspect of minimalist shoe is the lack of stability. Most minimalist shoes can be twisted and flexed in your hands due to the lightweight and
limited stability of the shoe. Ted Kruse, DPT, CSCS Rachel Polito, DPT, OCS Shelly Deutmeyer, PTA, BS 2. What effect do minimalist shoes have on running mechanics? Most people have heard that running in minimalist shoes improves your running biomechanics by making you more of a forefoot runner. One recent research article compared runners that used minimalist shoes versus regular running shoes. Initially the minimalist shoe runners had more of a forefoot running pattern, but as they fatigued (after 30 minutes) they went back to a similar running pattern as the regular shoe runners. The researchers believed that this was due partially to the length of the running (50 minutes total). This was similar to previous research that showed distance runners heel striking more as the distance increased. Another reason the researchers thought the minimalist shoes didn't change the running biomechanics because the runners weren't experienced with running in minimalist shoes. This is important because many runners that consider buying minimalist shoes are not experienced with using the minimalist shoe and many times have developed a heel striking pattern over many years of running. Expecting the minimalist shoes to fix your running mechanics is highly unlikely according to this article. As a result, people running with minimalist shoes will have less heel cushion and will be landing on that heel just as much which could lead to potential leg and foot injuries. Michelle Shere, PTA Jill Heiderscheit, Office Manager 3. Are minimalist shoes beneficial? This is a hard question to answer for the reason that people have a variety of different running patterns, running distances, and feet types. My
Ashley Pins, BA Wellness Coordinator personal opinion is that people susceptible to leg and foot injuries should stay away from minimalist shoes and instead opt for shoes with more foot and arch support. For the runners out there with a mid-foot or forefoot running pattern, minimalist shoes could be beneficial if worked into properly. Many running injuries occur because the volume or intensity was increased too fast before the muscles and bones were ready to handle the load. In order to prevent running injuries with minimalist shoes, start slowly by running short distances and stretching the calf muscles well. References: Lussiana T, Hebert-Losier K, Millet G, Mourot L. Biomechanical Changes During a 50-minute Run in Different Footwear and on Various Slopes. J Appl Biomech. 2016;32:40-49. Barb Kluesner Patient Care Coordinator NEW Staff Member!!! Women's Health Update! Rachel Polito, a PT in our Dyersville office, just attended the Level 2 continuing education course on Pelvic Floor Function, Dysfunction and Treatment in March. If you are having problems with pelvic pain, feel free to call Rachel to see if she can help! 563-875-8615. DIZZY??? Meet Barb Kluesner, our new Patient Care Coordinator. She joins Jill in our front desk office personnel and will be the first to greet you when you arrive for your appointment. Barb was raised on a farm in the Worthington area and attended Western Dubuque High School. She received her Medical Transcription degree in 2010. She joined Physical Therapy Solutions staff in March. She enjoys meeting all the patients and seeing the progress they make while in therapy. Barb and her husband, Steve, reside in
Did you wake up dizzy suddenly one morning when getting out of bed? Don't feel like you have to suffer from this dizziness day after day! This sudden onset of dizziness can be easily treated in just a few PT sessions! If you have as sudden onset of dizziness, call us and we'll try our best to get you in the same day! Worthington with their 3 children William, Kathryn and Wyatt. In her spare time she enjoys reading, hockey, being outdoors, watching her children in their activities and spending time with family and friends. LSVT BIG Recently diagnosed with Parkinson's or know someone with Parkinson'slike symptoms? Give us a call for a new treatment program designed to help control the progression of the symptoms of this disease. Check it out!!! Be sure to check out our weekly videos on Facebook coming up this Spring on PT and wellness tips. Upcoming topics... Elbow pain Spinal fusions AED's Traction Frozen Shoulder Proprioception Joint Replacements Jobsite analysis Osgood-Schlatter disease Ask the Professional... Q: My doctor said I have stenosis in my low back. What does this mean? A: Spinal stenosis is a narrowing within the vertebrae of the spinal column that results in too much pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. The most common causes of stenosis are related to the aging process in the spine: Osteoarthritis is a deterioration of the cartilage between joints. In response to this damage, the body often forms additional bone (called "bone spurs") to try to support the area. These bone spurs might cause pressure on the nerves as they exit the spinal canal. Normal aging and wear and tear can result in a flattening of the disks that provide space between each set of vertebrae. This narrowed space allows less room for the nerve to exit from the spinal cord, and sometimes pieces of disk material cause pressure on the nerves. The good news is that most of us will recover without the need for surgery-and conservative care such as physical therapy usually gets better results than surgery. Only the most severe cases of spinal stenosis need surgery or more aggressive treatments. ------------------------------------------------------------ Q: I've got some pain in my hip/buttock. What can be done for this? A: We've been talking about the gluteus medius muscle in our facebook videos and radio ads this week. We commonly see people that come into the clinic with pain in their buttock, but there are many things that could be causing this pain. It is the job of the PT to differentiate this pain to see if it's coming from the back, the hip or if is a muscle weakness issue. In cases of muscle weakness, we often find that the gluteus medius muscle in particular that is often involved and can be a source of pain when it is weak. This muscle
Check it out!!! Click HERE for a link to our dynamic stretching videos individualized for each specific sport!! runs just on the back side of the hip joint and when weak can cause you to limp. Weakness of this muscle can cause the hip to drop slightly when walking called Trendelenburg gait. With this, we focus on hip and buttock strengthening exercises as well as core strengthening to resolve the weakness and pain. ------------------------------------------------------------ Q: What is the rotator cuff? Click HERE for a link to our body diagram on our website for different conditions that we treat. A: The rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles in the shoulder joint: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor. The shoulder joint is a very shallow joint anatomically which helps allow more movement for reaching, throwing, etc. However, since the shoulder joint allows for more movement, you may see more injuries associated with it. Therefore, the job of the cuff muscles is to increase shoulder stability. Clinically, we often see patients with shoulder impingement where one of the cuff muscles is weak causing pain. We also see rotator cuff tears from falls or repetitive stresses over time. Physical therapy can be a first line of treatment for any of these injuries to help diagnose and treat the pain, weakness or lack of movement. We can also help direct you where to go if your shoulder requires more than just physical therapy intervention. Physical Therapy Solutions, 1129 11th St. SE Ste. A, Dyersville, IA 52040