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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.
The purpose of a backpack is to allow an individual to carry a fair amount of items in a manner that’s not only practical but also in a way that distributes the weight of the load across the shoulders and back. Unfortunately, overload can easily occur which, in turn, can strain the shoulders, back, and neck – the exact areas that the pack was meant to spare excess strain. If our backs, in particular, are subjected to bearing heavy weights for extended periods of time, the body will attempt to compensate for the extra load.
The Achilles tendon is one of the biggest tendons in the body and it’s also one of the most frequently injured. The Achilles tendon is the tough band of connective tissue at the back of the ankle, which connects the calf muscles to the heel bone. Athletic endeavors are the number one cause of an Achilles tendon rupture, affecting men more often than women. There are both surgical and non-surgical treatments available, both of which are something that your orthopaedic surgeon or podiatrist would most certainly discuss with you.
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.
As we age, some of that perfectness of our skin begins to fade away. We tan. We burn. We’re out in the elements exposing it to sun and wind. We don’t use sunscreen. We forget to moisturize. We’re too tired to take our makeup off at night.
Blistering. If the burn is bad enough, the cells in the dermis (which is below the epidermis, or outermost layer of skin) will become damaged as well, creating a 2nd-degree burn as well as blistering.
Melanin. Melanin is a type of pigment molecule that resides in your skin. Melanin is, surprisingly enough, responsible for some of the warmth that you feel when you’re out in the sun – in fact, that feeling of warmth comes from those pigment molecules absorbing and converting all those UV rays (that are hitting your skin) into heat.
The vast majority of overuse injuries are easily recognizable by the associated pain and/or a decrease in ability and loss of function. It is so incredibly important to note that pain should not be ignored because, even if the pain isn’t affecting performance in the present, ignoring it will NOT make it go away. In fact, ignoring the pain of an injury can lead to much greater damage being sustained in the future.