Common Injuries in the Cross-Country Runner

Osgood Schlatters Disease: Osgood Schlatters disease is a condition affecting the patellar tendon in young athletes usually between the ages of 10 and 15. This condition occurs due to a period of rapid growth combined with an individual that is extremely active. When the bones grow the tendons are expected to do the same and at the same rate. With Osgood Schlatters, the patellar tendon can’t keep up, which puts a lot of tension (and pain) where it attaches, at the tibial tuberosity.. A solution to this problem is wearing a patellar tendon strap which unloads the attachment of the patellar tendon at the tibial tuberosity (that boney knot) By unloading the tension, we reduce the aggravation, which in turn will take care of the symptoms (pain). The only way to get rid of the condition is to outgrow it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t manage the pain with a jumper’s knee strap and icing a few times a day.

Patellar tendonitis: Patellar tendonitis is a condition that affects the tendon that connects the knee cap to the shin bone. This inflammatory condition comes from repeated running, jumping, or kicking. The condition can affect anyone but loves to show up in distance runners. This is an injury that should be treated with plenty of rest and ice. As a precautionary measure a patellar tendon strap should be worn.

Severs Disease: Severs disease is another condition that affects adolescents and teens. This condition affects the Achilles tendon and forefoot. The condition is usually seen in kids ages 8 to 15. Again this is a condition that occurs due to rapid growth spurts, when the bones are growing quickly the muscles and tendon are pulled taut because they can not keep up with the boney growth. Pain will occur from running (the pounding and vibrative forces), and will be in the back of the foot. There may even be a lump, and tenderness to the touch. An easy solution to this condition is using a heel cup. A heel cup will help control the pressure and give a lift so the tendons not as stretched out, while also providing cushioning. When shopping for heel cups, it’s important to find some that are resilient, since the gooey and squishy ones won’t do as good of a job elevating the heel bone (and subsequently, unloading that Achilles tendon).

Shin Splints: The term “Shin splints” is a general term when referring to pain in the shin area. Shin splints tend to appear when an athlete is unconditioned, unaccustomed to a playing surface, or poor biomechanics. Shin splint pain shows up on the inside portion of the lower leg (tibia.) Short-term, ice and stretching should be used to manage symptoms, but it’s important to address the underlying cause. In most cases, an orthotic can be used to control the motion of the foot. At the Sports Medicine Store, we recommend an off-the-shelf, semi-rigid orthotic to control the foot’s motion, while still offering some comfort. Most of the off-the-shelf orthotics you tend to find in sporting goods stores and pharmacies tend to be too soft. If you’re able to easily flex the material in your hands, imagine what happens when you run with it.

A side note with shin splints- there’s a few things to keep a look-out for: Stress fractures and a condition called compartment syndrome. As usual, the information contained on this website is merely a general outline and should not be referenced in place of a health care professional.

'tis the season...for injuries :-(

August has been a very busy month for us here at B&A Sports Medicine. With fall sports starting, we're seeing a ton of kids right now that are walking (or limping) in who need our help. After noticing the same issues showing up repeatedly, we thought it might be a good idea to create a profile for each sport and the common injuries associated with it. Keep in mind that this list isn't meant to be all inclusive- simply a rough background so that you may have an intelligent conversation with your athletic trainer, physician, coach, etc. The first profile will be cross-country, since that's what I ran in high-school and I'm biased :-)

Superfeet Sale (Select Models)

Just a heads up, we're discounting our Superfeet Orange and Superfeet Berry insoles. They're a good product, but we're going in another direction. They're taking up valuable space, so we're cutting our friends a deal. Once they're gone, they're gone...first come, first served.

Superfeet Berry

Superfeet Orange

Happy Friday!

Ankle Sprain Friday!

Tis the season for ankle sprains so today we're going to do a brief overview of the most common ankle sprain we see- the lateral (outside) ankle sprain:

What is a sprain?
A sprain occurs when your body’s ligaments are stretched or strained beyond what they can normally handle. Ligaments are what connect one bone to another bone inside the body. A lateral ankle sprain occurs when the foot rolls inward tearing or stretching the ligaments of the ankle beyond their ability. It is the most common ankle injury and can range in different severities. They often occur from a fall, misplaced footing, or turning the ankle in an awkward manor.

Ligaments of the ankle:
On the outside of the ankle (lateral ankle) there are three main ligaments which include the anterior talofibular ligament (ATF), the calcalcaneofibular ligament (CTF), and the posterior talofibular ligament (PTF). These are the ligaments most commonly sprained.


Diagram of the most commonly sprained ligaments of the ankle.

How do you know if you sprained your ankle?
You may have an ankle sprain if you are finding it hard to put weight on your foot, feeling an overwhelming amount of pain in the ankle area, noticable swelling and bruising on the outside of the ankle and down the foot, or are unable to move your foot normally. If your symptoms occur for more than seven days or you’re younger than 18, then you should consult a doctor.

How bad is the sprain?
With ankle sprains there are three different grades of severity. The higher the number, the greater severity.

Grade 1: Foot is in plantar flexion (pointed down) and inverted (turned in), this is a slight stretch of the ligaments.
Most times you’re able to walk without crutches but not participate in activities like running or jumping for a few weeks. This can be treated with rest, ice, compression, elevation (RICE).

Grade 2: Moderate force is placed on the ankle while it is in a position of inversion and plantar flexion.
This results in a partial tearing of the ankle ligaments and requires you to immobilize the ankle for 1-2 weeks. RICE should be implemented as well.

Grade 3: Significant force of inversion, combined with plantar flexion. This is a complete tear of the ligaments of the ankle, and the most painful.
A weight bearing brace (walking boot) should be worn for 3-6 weeks with crutches. RICE and NSAIDS (non steroidal anti-inflammatory) should also be utilized.

If your ankle sprain persist after these six weeks it is highly recommended to go back to the doctor to make sure there are no further complications.

Prevention:
In order to prevent any kind of ankle sprain from occurring again an ankle brace should be worn for the first six months following the sprain to provide extra support. Physical therapy can be utilized to help strengthen the tendons of the ankle, leg, and foot to make sure the inverted ankle sprain does not happen again. On your own you can take precautionary measures by working on stability of the ankle, wearing proper shoes, staying away from uneven surfaces and properly warming up before activity.

Bonus Hour!

In our constant pursuit of providing our customers with world class customer service we decided to stay open an additional hour every Thursday, starting August 26th. That means our store hours will now be:

Monday: 10a-6p
Tuesday: 10a-6p
Wednesday: 10a-6p
Thursday: 10a-7p
Friday: 10a-6p
Saturday: 9a-2p
Sunday: Closed

Note: These new hours start August 26th!

New stuff!

Everything that we carry here in our store is here for a reason. That is, we don't just bring something in because there's a promotion from one of our suppliers that month- we bring it in because either the physicians (or PTs, ATCs, DCs, etc.) we work with want us to stock it or we have people looking for a particular item. Limited space, coupled with our refusal to carry junk means that if we do bring in a new product, it's kinda of a big deal for us. Both of our new product offerings come from a family-owned company called Medi, which has built their 80 year-old reputation on providing quality compression therapy goods. Medi is not new to our store- in fact we have been carrying the Genumedi, Epicomed, and Levamed braces for well over a year now with nothing but positive feedback. In fact, we brought those particular braces in because one of the occupational health clinics in town asked us to.


Medi Mediven Comfort Compression Stockings- sexy legs!!!

Our first new product is the Medi Mediven Comfort medical compression stocking. With the amount of foot and ankle injuries, elderly, and tired legs we see, this is really a product that we should have started carrying years ago. We decided to go with the "natural" color which is calf high, and a mild compression (15-20 mmHg). There's a ton of different directions we could have went in, but decided on these because they wick sweat, kill odor, are soft, reinforces, and easy to get on and off.



Medi Seamless Knit Knee Support w/ Silicone top band- Sexy knee!!!

Our second addition is the Medi Seamless Knit Knee Support with Silicone top band. While we have an entire wall dedicated to the knee (hinged, stabilizers, lateral J's, jumper's straps...) we started noticing that a lot of people (especially the ladies) just wanted something that was short, discrete, cool, and comfortable. The reason we brought this on was because it ticked all of those boxes. The material is breathable, wicks sweat, comes in a beige color, and offers soothing compression around the knee. Since there are no seams (just a continuous weave) there's very little chance for irritation. What's more is that around the top of the sleeve, there are little silicone dots to keep the brace from slipping down. Someone was thinking when they designed this "brace".

We're still a small mom and pop organization and we rely heavily on the conversations we have with our customers. If you don't see something listed on the website but think we should carry it, feel free to drop us a line.

Patellar Tendonitis

We've been seeing a bit of this at the store lately and one of our Facebook friends requested a bit more information about it, so we put together a nice overview of Patellar Tendonitis (Patellar Tendinitis). When I say "we" I really mean our athletic training student intern, Sara S.

What is Patellar Tendonitis?

Patellar tendonitis is inflammation of the tendon that connects the patella (knee cap) and the tibia (shin bone). This tendon connects the muscle of the thigh as well. The tendon originates from the quadriceps muscle (thigh muscle) runs over the knee cap and down to the tibia. With patellar tendonitis the pain will be felt just below the knee cap right on your shin bone. Other common names that refer to patellar tendonitis are runners’ knee, or jumpers’ knee.


Patellar Tendonitis

Do you suffer from Patellar Tendonitis?

The main symptom that can be associated with patellar tendonitis is pain. Pain with this injury comes in a variety of stages:
Stage 1: Pain only after activity
Stage 2: Pain during activity and after activity but still able to perform at an appropriate level.
Stage 3: Pain during activity and prolonged after activity. Performance is affected.

During these stages the pain felt can be mild to severe. The pain can be felt most intensely after a tough work-out, going up and down steps. The pain may persist after exercise. Resisted contraction of the thigh muscles with the leg completely straight will also aggravate the inflamed tendon.

What causes Patellar Tendonitis?

There are a number of causes resulting in patellar tendonitis. The most common of these is overuse. Patellar tendonitis is most frequently seen in basketball, soccer, and track due to the repetitive nature of running and kicking, and the constant pounding of running up and down a basketball court. Other causes of patellar tendonitis include being overweight, this is due to the added pressure that is placed on the tendon in regards to a larger waist circumference. Tight leg muscles is also a cause, if your thigh muscles are tight and not stretching as much as they need to when bending your knee this is going to put your tendon under added pressure resulting in tiny tears and increased inflammation. A few other causes are misalignment of your bones, and your patella sitting up closer to the thigh than the shin.
The intensity of someone’s activity level and the ground they walk on also play a big part in the condition of your patellar tendon.

How to treat Patellar Tendonitis:

Treatment for this condition is usually conservative and does not require surgery. The condition can be managed with generous amounts of icing with your leg propped up and rest. Rest is crucial to getting the inflammation (swelling) down. Anti-inflammatory (Tylenol ect.) will help manage the swelling and pain. Being cautions of your form when working out can also help control the tendonitis by making sure proper form is executed a person can take some extra unwanted pressure off the tendon. Someone may seek help from a physical therapist to gain a stretch and strengthen program to control their tendonitis once the swelling has gone down. To prevent further tendonitis a patellar knee strap can be worn just over the tendon to alleviate the added pressure placed upon it.

Management of Patellar Tendonitis:
The most important thing to remember when dealing with a tendon issue is to not play through the pain felt. By playing through pain the tendon will just become more aggravated and more swollen and inflamed. Secondly, a patellar tendon strap can be worn to “trick” the body into thinking that the tendon does not attach to the shin bone instead it attaches where the strap is placed. A third management technique is to make sure you are using proper form when doing anything active, even when walking up and down the stairs, along with this you want to make sure that your muscles are nice and strong and can support the pressures placed upon them.

Peletonia!

For the last couple of summers, the Ohio State University has been putting on a charity bike ride to help raise money for cancer research at "The James", part of Ohio State's Medical Center family. Last year a well known cancer survivor/cyclist by the name of Lance Armstrong even showed up to ride. While Lance might not be participating in this year's event, scheduled for 8/20/10-8/22/10 (you read that correctly- you can ride 180 miles over 2-days if you'd like), a couple friends of the store will be making the ride- Team Speranza!
An Italian noun for "hope", Team Speranza is a group of individuals brought together to help fund raise through charity athletic events. If you would like to learn more about these guys, check out their website. You can find their donation page here.

Memorial Day!

Just a heads up: We will be closed Monday, May 31st in honor of Memorial Day.

Thanks,

B&A Team

Now renting...Knee Scooters!

While it's arguably not really "sports medicine" per se, they do fall within our mission of "improving your quality of life". The pronoun I'm speaking about of course is the "steerable knee-scooter". As the name might imply, A knee-scooter is really a scooter that you kneel on to unload the foot and ankle. Doctors are recommending them more and more for people who have lower leg injuries (stress fractures, foot/ankle reconstructions, etc.) and who need to be non-weight bearing for extended periods of time. I would much rather scoot around than use crutches!

Please call the store for details at 614-326-1490.

Louie Vito Mini-Interview

People like Louie Vito are a rare commodity. He's done more in his 21 years than most people fare to do in their entire lives. He's broken bones, won competitions, danced in front of millions of people, and even represented the United States in Vancouver last month. Most people know Louie as either that guy from Dancing With The Stars or as an athlete from the past Olympics- both reasons enough to warrant a Wikipedia page. Unfortunately, most people probably don't know what a stand-up guy he is. He could have easily ignored my request for a mini-interview...but he didn't. If he did, I can't say I would blame him, either. After all, his time is stretched traveling the world over, winning contests (he actually just won Bronze at the European X-Games), and answering questions for other journalists. The fact that he was willing to give me 10 minutes of his time should say something about his character, never mind the fact that every year he hosts a contest to help support an Ohio food pantry. Louie may be a citizen of the world, but he hasn't forgotten where he's come from.

You’re from Ohio. Gretchen Bleiler is from Ohio. Danny Davis is from Michigan. You and Gretchen made the US team and Danny Davis was pretty much a lock prior to his ATV accident. What’s the deal with all these riders coming out of the Midwest?

I think we really appreciate good snow and good mountains. Plus we have to work super hard to stay up with all the people who grew up around bigger mountains. We’re all just hard workin’ Midwest people.

Since you claim central Ohio, you must be a Buckeye- who’s your all-time favorite?

I’m a HUGE Buckeye fan. I was really stoked on AJ Hawk and Eddie George, but I mean I like to switch it up. Right now I’m stoked on (DeVier) Posey.

For the past few years, you’ve hosted a rail jam at the ski “resort” you grew up on- Mad River Mountain. Can you tell me a bit more about it?

I have done it for a while now. Since the Mad River Mountain is your typical Midwest hill, we do a rail jam. It’s all for charity. Instead of the entry fee being money, we do canned food or paper products, which is all donated. Then I have all my sponsors send stuff out for prizes for the age groups and we do a last man standing raffle where the longer you stay in, the better the prizes get with the grand prize being a fully paid for trip to Windell's snowboard camp in the summer. There’s also a paid raffle for a Kicker Car Audio system that’s donated (by Kicker Audio). Since that’s a paid-for raffle for anyone, all that money is donated. I wanna get the kids in my home town stoked, get them a bunch of free stuff, and give back to the place that helped get me where I am today.

It’s no secret that you’re close friends and teammates with some of the biggest names in snowboarding. Since they’ve both competed and medaled, did Todd (Richards) and Danny (Kass) offer up any advice regarding the Olympics?

Yea they both did. I mean they have both been there and have been big mentors of mine. I appreciate everything they do for me.

While we’re on the topic of Todd Richards (whom founded and owns O-Matic Snowboards, the company Louie rides for and also owns part of), he’s mentioned a few times that your experience last fall on Dancing with the Stars paid dividends with your ability to compete at the world-class level. What are your thoughts on this?

It did for sure. I mean I had to wear clothes I wouldn’t really wear on Halloween, do a dance that I didn’t have a lot of confidence and self esteem in, in front of a live audience, spot lights, judges, and 22 million people watching. Now I go to a snowboard contest, wear what I want to wear, know what I am doing, know I’m good at it, makes everything A LOT easier.

The Olympics had been in your sights for a long time- ever since the games in Salt Lake. Now that you finally made your dream a reality, was it everything you imagined it to be? What was the best (and worse) part of being in the Olympics?

It was like a dream come true for sure. It’s crazy how it is already over so fast. The best was doing the opening ceremonies and the actual event itself. Worst, hmm, probably just dealing with security and how hard it was to drive anywhere.

Can you speak Canadian, fluently now?
::Laughs:: I know everything people are talking aboot. It was a good time eh eh eh.

Most people don’t know this, but professional snowboarders have lives outside of the Olympics. What’s on tap for the rest of the season? The Summer? Next season? I hear Shaun’s working on a triple cork…

::Laughs:: …maybe he is. I am looking forward to riding in the spring sun and slush. Start jumping a little more, chill in the summer, skate, and snowboard in Mt. Hood (Oregon) and New Zealand.

Since this is a “sports medicine” blog, I guess I should include some stuff about injuries and such. It’s unfortunate that injuries and progression tend to go hand in hand. What are some of the things you do to minimize these risks? What are some of your riding-related injuries?

Stay healthy and eat healthy. I have broken my femur, had a bone graft for my wrist, sprains, ligaments, meniscus, which I had to get 10% taken out and a cyst drained. It’s a pretty long list.

Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions- anything else you’d like to add?
Nope, I think that covers a lot. THANKS.

For more information, check out Louie Vito's personal website.

Ohio Orthopedic Center of Excellence Lecture Series

Jerry and I had the honor of attending an injury prevention workshop for runners, hosted by The Ohio Orthopedic Center of Excellence last night. The presenters Geoff Omiatek and Nicole Verbus covered topics ranging from foot types and the associated biomechanics to proper stretching and nutrition. The Ohio Orthopedic Center of Excellence will be organizing other community education lectures throughout the year. Access to some of the top medical minds in central Ohio...for free? Check out their schedule, here.

Winter weather in the mid-west!

We're getting pounded by some heavy snow fall, here in central Ohio. Judging by the huge spike in Crutch/Cane Ice-grip attachments (or Crutch crampons as I like to call them) orders, it looks like we're not the only ones with snow!

Be safe everyone!

New look- Go Team USA!

We're getting into the Olympic spirit here at B&A Sports Medicine, which is why we decided to add Team USA's widget to our blog. In reality, I added it so that I can easily follow Louie Vito's progress in Men's Half-Pipe, and Team USA (and Buffalo Sabres) hockey goalie Ryan Miller here at the store.

A conversation with the Don

This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with physical therapist, operations manager, and co-owner of Burkam & Associates, Don Radlinski. The McKenzie-certified therapist was kind enough to take a few minutes out of his busy schedule to provide our readers with some thoughtful insights. When Don’s not running Burkam & Associates newest clinic in Hilliard, OH, he’s chasing his two kids around, spending time with his lovely wife, and finishing up his doctorate course-work.



The new Hilliard, OH clinic located at 3780 Ridge Mill Drive.


So tell us a little about yourself. How did you get into physical therapy?

When I was growing up, I was involved with sports and subsequently had my share of injuries. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time around athletic trainers and physical therapists when I was rehabbing- I became familiar and interested in the whole healing process. In school, I found that I had a knack for my science courses. Putting those two together made my career choice an obvious one.

Are you a Tar-Heel or a Buckeye?

Definitely a Buckeye.

You’re a McKenzie-certified therapist- what does that mean exactly?

The McKenzie-certification means that I have satisfied all the criteria the McKenzie Institute required. This includes coursework regarding the McKenzie method (assessment, treatment, and prevention) as well as passing a written and practical examination. The McKenzie certification is unique because of its mechanical diagnosis and the subsequent therapy associated with it.

A few years ago, Ohio passed legislature for direct access. What is that and why should people care?

Direct access means that patients no longer have to go through a physician before they can receive physical therapy. Essentially, individuals with most musculoskeletal injuries can enter the health-care system through a physical therapist. I say most because in the case of something nasty, say a suspected fracture, you’re going to want to get that x-rayed and/or see a specialist. In Ohio, direct access allows physical therapists to not only evaluate but also treat the patient without a physicians referral. Most states have some sort of form of direct access, but the scope will also vary state to state.



Clinic view: I spy with my little eye, a Rotater!

What have you been seeing a lot of lately (injury-wise)? Any guesses as to why? Any suggestions to prevent it?

That’s an easy one- foot and ankle issues! (Note: Don’s Hilliard, OH physical therapy clinic is in the same building as a group of podiatrists). Before that it was mostly back issues, but again, that’s my specialty. Even if it wasn’t, I still think I would see a lot of back issues, with shoulders and knees rounding out the top three. I think the biggest reason is because of our sedentary life-style. The population in general spends a lot of time sitting down and usually, with really poor posture.

So my doctor prescribed physical therapy and gave me a list. What sort of things should I look for when I’m shopping around for physical therapy? What sort of questions should I ask?

My opening question would be “Is my physical therapy provided by a physical therapist?” I know that sounds like an odd question, but in certain settings you can receive treatment from a PTA (Physical Therapy Aid) or an ATC (Athletic Trainer). Sometimes the physical therapist will perform the initial evaluation to assess the situation and set you up with course of treatment. Within that course of treatment, the PT might not be the one administering it. The benefit from having the same person evaluate, and treat you is obvious. Along with consistency of care, I would also look to see if the treating therapist is certified in a specialty and more specifically, an appropriate specialty. For example, if I was a high-school football player, I would probably look for a physical therapist who was specialized in sports. If I was rehabilitating from a total knee replacement, I would look for an orthopedic specialist. That’s not to say that an athlete or a total knee should only see a specialist, but it’s important to know that there are physical therapists which have specialty disciplines.

What makes Burkam & Associates different from other PT practices?

Burkam & Associates prides itself on quality care at an affordable price. The therapists we hire are all highly educated and majority are specialty board-certified. At Burkam & Associates, we decided not to use aids or techs in providing care because we strive to have each patient see the same therapist every visit. Our company is also physical-therapist owned and managed.

Where do you see physical therapy in 5 years? What about in 10?

In the short-term, physical therapy is shifting towards an increase in education. Currently, there’s two degrees you can earn to the title “physical therapist”- a masters and a doctorate. The shift is well under-way and I believe in 5 years, there will no longer be a masters route to becoming a physical therapist. Long term, I think you’ll see an increase in the number of direct access cases as more and more individuals understand what sort of options are at their disposal.

Louie's Going to Vancouver!

In just 21 years, Louie Vito has amassed quite a few hats. He's a Columbus native, a TV-star, professional snowboarder, and now an Olympian. Over the weekend, Louie Vito was named to the US Snowboard team (half-pipe)for the 2010 games in Vancouver. We wish him the best of luck!

Holiday Gift Guide

With the holidays quickly approaching, I wanted to make offer up my annual Holiday Gift Guide:

Insoles: A pair of quality, off-the-shelf orthotics will make any pair of shoes your new favorite shoes! The Softec Regulars and Superfeet Green will fit winter boots, ski boots, snowboard boots the best. Going to be standing around a lot? Try the Sole Slim-Sports or Superfeet's Black or Blue offering. Need them to wife into your wife's flats? Go with the Superfeet 3/4-lengths. She'll be thankful her feet no longer hurt and it will get you out of foot-massage-duty. You're welcome.

The Stick: Got an athlete on your holiday list? Get them this. They'll appreciate it when they notice how quickly they've started recovering from work-outs. Week-end warriors will appreciate being able to get out of bed the following Monday.

ASO Ankle Brace: Didn't want to get the stick for your basketball athlete? That's alright. They'd appreciate an ASO ankle brace more, anyway.

Biofreeze: So what do you give the person who already has 2 of everything? Give Grandma some Biofreeze. It will sooth her aching hands and back. A lot of people like this stuff better than Icy/Hot or Bengay. Clinical-strength for the masses!

Moist Heat Pack: Are you tired of listening to your husband complain about his sore back from shoveling the side-walk? Get him a moist-heating pad! He'll be loose and limber (and warm!) before he heads out into the tundra.

McKenzie Lumbar Pillow: Does your loved one have back pain? Do they spend a lot of time in a seated position? Give them the gift of perfect posture this season.

If you're going to spend money on your loved ones this season, why not get them something that they might actually use. Sure, socks would work, but is that going to take care of the heel-pain your wife gets every morning? Probably not. That is, unless it's the Stassburg Sock.

Happy December!

When you're a kid, the month of December means one thing- presents. However, when you're an adult in the real world, December takes on a new meaning- "scramble to use up health care benefits for the year because we lose the money we don't use". This holiday season, I'm inviting you guys to spend your remaining "flex-spending" funds with us.

Cheers!

Superfeet DMP now available online!

I was always under the impression that the Black DMP was a special type of insole where only select (medical) retailers were allowed to carry it in their store. I also thought that putting it on our website was a "no-no" but I've noticed that a couple other retailers have it on their website. Until I hear otherwise, the DMP will be available to the masses.

Shameless Facebook Page Plug:

B&A Sports Medicine Store's page on Facebook.

Mother Knows Best...

So I'm not sure how people are finding this, but there's an article in the New York Times talking about the usage of the Thera-Band Flex-Bar to help treat tennis elbow. My mom was the first person to tip me off...then my dad told me about it...then we started getting people in the Columbus area asking about it. Now the PT clinic down the street utilizes this little gizmo. I just checked with our resident physical therapist and he said the exercises are legit.

Here's a nice video of the exercise:

Hot...or Cold?

One of the best parts of my job is that it isn't very monotonous. I mean sure, there's things that need to be done over and over again just like any position, but when working with a general population, you never know what to expect when someone walks into the store. With that said, there's one question I can count on being asked daily: Which is better to use for an injury? Is it hot, cold, or a combination of the two? I would like to address some of this confusion and introduce you to one of the most effective modalities in the business and when they're appropriate. Before we take a look at the two, I'd like to start off with a brief discussion (and analogy!) of trauma (injury):

Trauma Overview: A simple way to think of trauma is that it's essentially a disruption in circulation to tissue. Whether it's an ankle twist or a tennis ball to the chest, it's all a disruption of blow flow to tissue. Bruising is just the blood that used to be in veins and capillaries, flowing into the surrounding tissue. With that said, when trauma is sustained, cells die and collect in the area because they don't get the blood they need (remember, blood cells carry oxygen to tissues). Our goal for injury management is to limit the amount of cell death and disruption. This should be a fairly obvious goal- If we limit the amount of destruction, we will also limit the down town, which lets us get on our merry way, more quickly. Now that we've got a working knowledge of trauma, let's move on...

Heat Therapy (Thermotherapy): Heat is what we would call a "vasodilator" which means that it causes the veins and capillaries to swell (get bigger) and allow more blood to flow. You could think of this phenomenon as turning on a water faucet all the way up. If we were to heat up an injured tissue, this would allow more blood to flow into the area and in turn, pool up. This is why it's almost never a good idea to heat up the area of an injury within the first 48 hours. With that said heat does have it's place within injury management...just not right away. In most cases, the only time that you would heat up an injured tissue is prior to activity. Due to heat's ability to "get the juices flowing", heat also allows for tissue elasticity (makes stuff stretchy) to work through physical therapy activity (or competition, etc.), which is a stop along the way to the road of recovery.
Of course heating up an injured tissue makes you feel better, but it's instant gratification. Cold will do the same but is not counter-productive to recovery. More on that in just a bit...

Cold Therapy (Cryotherapy): When cold is applied for no longer than 15ish minutes, it acts as a "vasoconstrictor", which we can correctly infer, is a constriction of the veins and capillaries (shrinks them up). When this happens, less blood gets pumped to the tissue. Going back to our faucet analogy, this would be like turning the water down, so that there's less water to leak out. So why would we want this? Easy, less blood will pool in the area which will prevent swelling. What's also neat about cold is that it lowers the cellular metabolism of a tissue. If we recall, blood carries oxygen to tissue and if this flow is disrupted, then the tissue dies. By slowing down the metabolism (consumption of oxygen), we reduce cell death, which in turn, limits the extent of an injury. The sooner you ice, the sooner you'll be better off. Ice also acts as a "numbing agent" which helps limit pain associated with injury. The body is complex, but is only able to "feel" one stimuli at a time- the most intense one. The cold stimuli will be greater than the pain experienced, so you'll focus on being in cold instead of being in pain. Heat works the same way as well as any topical analgesic (pain creams like "icy-hot", "biofreeze", etc.) This response is why your natural reaction to banging your shin on the coffee table is to rub it right after wards. That tactile (touching)sensation is greater than the pain.

Now that we have a general understanding of the physiological effects of cryo and thermotherapy, let's talk contraindications. Contraindications are instances which are present that would make hot or cold therapy inappropriate to use. Due to the significant interaction hot and cold therapy have with the circulatory system, it's ultimately the patient (reader) and their health care professional's responsibility to know which modalities are appropriate for their body and their pertaining condition(s). As always, this blog (or anything you read on the internet for that matter) is no substitute for a health care professional.

Kneeto!

With football season among us, I thought I might take this chance to talk about the magnificent knee. Let's be honest, the knee is the body part that receives so much coverage (no football pun intended) and attention in sports, so we might as well have a basic knowledge of the structures and function of it. Due to the complexity of the knee (you'll see!) I'm going to focus mainly on the basic bones, ligaments, tendon and cartilage.


Anatomy of the Knee

Bones:

Femur- Also known as the thigh bone, the femur is most commonly the longest bone in the body.

Tibia- You probably know this bad boy as your shin bone. It's wider than it's brother, the Fibula, because it holds up most of the body's weight.

Fibula- The little brother of the Tibia, most people kind of forget about him.

Patella- Your knee cap. The patella is actually embedded in the patellar tendon and acts as a pulley for the thigh muscles onto the lower leg. Without the patella, running would be incredibly difficult/inefficient.

Ligaments:

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)- This ligament gets more ESPN time than my poor Buffalo Bills, so I thought we'd start here first. The ACL's job is to prevent the thigh bone for sliding too much on the shin bone, kind of like the stoppers in the back of a drawer. In fact there's even a way to check the integrity of the ACL called "the anterior drawer test" Neat. If the ACL is ruptured, then the knee becomes pretty unstable, increasing the likelihood of additional damage. Speaking of additional damage at the knee, the mechanism for an ACL rupture also tends to damage the two other structures: The Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) and Medial Meniscus. Not surprisingly, they call this the "Unhappy" or "Terrible Triad".
There's 2 problems with the ACL and healing: 1) It's not highly vascularized (it has a poor blood supply) and 2) It tends to fray like a wire, which makes the ends difficult to put back together. A lot of times, for a rupture, surgeons will just clean out the old ACL and replace it with either a cadaver's (a dead guy's), part of the patellar tendon, or part of the hamstring.

Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL)- Not nearly as glamorous as its ACL brethren, the Posterior Cruciate Ligament crosses (cruciate is actually Latin for "cross") the ACL and prevents the tibia and femur from sliding too much in the opposite direction. Part of the reason you don't hear much about a PCL rupture is that they're relatively rare. The most common way of rupturing one in athletics is falling down on the knee when it's in a bent position. Of course off the field, most PCL ruptures occur in car accidents when the dashboard rams into the knee. Owy.

Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL)- The Lateral Collateral attaches the femur to the fibula. Like a lateral in football, it refers to being outward or away from the center of the body.

Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL)- The Medial Collateral attaches the femur to the tibia. Medial = Middle, so...towards the middle. It would be on the inside of the knee.

Cartilage:

Medial Meniscus- Menisci are rings of cartilage that keep the knee bending and moving smoothly. They can also be thought of as shock absorbers between the thigh and shin bone. The medial meniscus is shaped like a "C"...the term meniscus comes from "moon" which refers to its shape.

Lateral Meniscus- Same as the medial but on the outer edge. This one looks more like an "O"...

Tendon:

Patellar Tendon- This is the big tendon that feeds from the quads (thigh muscles) down in front of the knee and into the shin bone.

Hopefully the knowledge you've gained from today's article will not only impress your bar room buddies but the next time your fantasy football team falls 4 spots because your QB blew out his ACL, you'll know what the heck that means.

Dancing With The Stars!

In case you haven't heard, local prodigy/Olympic hopeful/contest winning snowboarder, Louie Vito will be on the hit ABC show, Dancing With The Stars on ABC.
Don't forget to watch (and vote for) Louie next week, September 21st, 22nd, 23rd at 8/7 Central!

ATH TRAIN 101: Introduction to Knee Braces

Welcome to Intro To Knee Braces (ATH TRAIN 101).
Required Text: None
Schedule: M F W 10:30am-11:20am

As an athletic trainer, your primary goal is to tend to the injured athletes under your watch. Whether it's acute, chronic, or preventative, bracing is an integral part of athletics.
Due to the complexity of the structure of the knee, there are various types of injuries that your athletes can sustain. Consequently, there are different knee braces that will address the wide variety of trauma that can occur to the different parts of the knee.

This survey course we will discuss the main types of knee braces (orthosis):

a) Knee Sleeves: As the name implies, a knee sleeve is simply a sleeve that will encompass the knee joint. Sleeves, by definition, are cylindrical in nature and are traditionally comprised of neoprene material. Neoprene is dynamic in nature (it stretches), retains heat (which is why SCUBA divers use it for wet-suits), is durable (it's made out of rubber), and relatively inexpensive. In the past few years companies have also begun to offer an alternative to neoprene. As with all things, there are usually one or more trade-offs when compared to the original.
Within the realm of knee sleeves, there's a few different options, including open patella (knee cap shows through), closed patella (the knee cap is covered), closed popliteal (it's closed in the back behind the knee), open popliteal (open behind the knee), etc. A brace can have all or none of those openings. Due to the simplistic nature of a knee sleeve, it has a variety of indications from controlling adema (swelling) to arthritis.


[Open Patella Knee Sleeve]

b) Patellar Tendon Straps: While not a brace per se, this is the ubiquitous strap you see all over the place. Worn just below the patella (knee-cap) it puts pressure on the patellar tendon. We want pressure there for one of two reasons- a) The patient has Osgood Schlatters Disease, which reduces the pull of the patellar tendon on the tibial tuberosity or b) The patient has Patellar Tendonitis, which compresses the inflamed tendon and changes the angle of insertion on the patellar tendon.



[Patellar Tendon Strap]

c) Knee Stabilizers: This is essentially a knee sleeve but with additional support, usually in the way of "spiral stays". As the name implies, these are metal wires spun around tightly and flattened. What's great about this particular type of support is that it offers a good amount of support, but it bends with the knee, is light weight, and low profile. It provides compression around the knee but will also address some minor instabilities. Customers with arthritis and/or cartilage issues tend to gravitate towards this type of support.



[Knee Stabilizer]


d) Patellar Centralizing Braces: In a "normal" knee, the patella (knee cap) sits in this little groove on the tibia (shin) and femur (thigh). Sometimes though, the knee cap will jump out of that groove (a dislocation) or just start grinding on one side. Both of these events tend to cause pain which is where bracing comes in. A patellar centralizing brace does just that- keeps the knee cap centered. It does this a few different ways but they're all basically the same. It's essnetially a a knee stabilizer but with a firm buttress around the knee on at least the lateral (outside) aspect. Since the tendency is for the knee cap to slide outward, the lateral buttress prevents this from happening.



[Patellar Centralizing Brace- Lateral "J"]

e) Hinged Knee Braces: This type of brace is probably the one that you think of when you hear the words "knee brace" It's usually made up of neoprene (but call be made entirely out of metal) and has a pair of metal bars on each side. The hinge at the middle allows for the natural motions (straightening and bending) but prevents any side-to-side motion. Depending on the type of hinge, there is also the possibility to "lock" the brace up to prevent full flexion and/or extension (making the knee straight or bending it all the way). A hinged knee brace has been known to help protect all 4 of the main ligaments of the knee (ACL, MCL, LCL, PCL)...



[Hinged Knee Brace]



f) Osteoarthritis Braces: If you recall, a hinged knee brace keeps the knee and leg straight. An osteoarthritis brace (OA Brace) looks just like a hinged knee brace (some have metal bits on both sides, others just on one) but it actually pushes the knee out to the side just a little bit. At first that sounds a little bizarre, but if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Osteoarthritis occurs when a bone rubs on another bone at a joint. In most healthy joints, there's cartilage and fluid to make the motion of a joint smooth and pain-free. After wear and tear (age, injury, etc.) the stuff that kept the joint smooth, is now gone, making motion a bit more painful. Base on anatomy most people get arthritis on the inside of the knee (medial compartment). An OA brace actually pushes the leg bones over, so instead of rubbing on the bone where the cartilage has worn away, it is shifted over to wear where there still is cartilage. It's no wonder that's why people refer to these braces as "unloading" braces.


[OA unloading brace]

I look forward to having you in my class and I hope we'll have a great semester together!

Murphy's Law...

Murphy's Law, eloquently states that "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong" While this adage is usually applied to product development, I have noticed that it may also relate to vacations. It seems in the past few weeks, we have had an influx in broken bones. To make matters worse, our patients conveniently get casted just a few days before they leave for vacation (the destination is almost always sandier than Columbus, OH). There is, however, a product on the market that has the ability to salvage beach vacations- The Dry Pro Waterproof Cast Cover.

The design of the Dry Pro is elegant in its simplicity. Simply insert your cast in the blue cover, pump out the air, and remove the bulb. When you're done, simply break the seal (sticking your finger into the cover will suffice) and pull the cover off. Honestly, that's it and you're good to go.

While the cast cover is made of durable, surgical-grade latex, it's always important to smooth out any rough edges on the cast (fine grit sand paper will do the trick)so that they don't puncture through. Speaking of punctures, the cast covers for the lower extremities are not only reinforced, but textured to prevent abrasion and slipping on pool decks and plastics. The cast cover is durable, but you do have to take care of it, just like anything else.

The most popular question when fitting this in the store is "can I really wear this to go swimming?" The answer is "yes" (look at the picture) and is attributed to the vacuum seal. By removing the air from the cast cover and creating a vaccum, there's no more air for the water to displace, which keeps the cast dry. The seal also "hugs" the cast, which prevents the cover from sliding or being pulled off. Words can't really describe just how cool this product is. The feedback from our customers have incredibly positive.

Video Demonstration:

Thanks!

I just wanted to extend my gratitude to Mrs. B, a loyal customer who buys up all our 2" J&J Elastikon in the store every couple of weeks. Last week, as I was ringing her out, she noticed our sign by the register that talks about how wasteful plastic bags are. I explained that because we're trying to limit how much waste we produce in the store (and outside, of course), we often bring in the plastic bags that we get from grocery shopping. It was at this point that she volunteered to bring in her bags because she "had a ton of them".

Much to my surprise, the next day she walked into the store with a HUGE bag full of bags. It was like Christmas!

This post is dedicated to Mrs. B and her generosity in the form of trashed bags!

If you're in the Columbus area and want to donate your plastic grocery bags, we'll be more than happy to take them off you hands, like we did for Mrs. B.

People read this thing?!

I received a lovely email this afternoon informing me that SOLE insoles (www.yoursole.com) have added this very blog to their blog index. Looking at the list, it's "dude that climbed Everest a few times", "Team Nike", "American Podiatric Medical Association", and us.
Needless to say, we're in very good company!



It looks like they've saved the best for last! ;-)

SOLE: I'll keep writing if you keep making some of the best off-the-shelf orthotics in the market. Deal?

Coming soon...Tennis Elbow.
Not like "Oh, you're going to get tennis elbow soon" but more of "I'll write something about tennis elbow, soon".

They hatched!

Well just as Wikipedia predicted, it took about a month for those Canada Goose eggs to hatch. Here are some pictures from in front of our store:



Mom on guard...



Some gosslings...



Some more gosslings...

Boxes (Part 2)

In a previous blog entry, we discussed the different factors that made a great box, great. I'm proud to unveil the B+A Sports Medicine Store box, which encompasses all of those factors:



Expect these babies to be at your doorstep when you order via UPS. If you're USPS, you're still getting envelopes :-)

More Geese Pictures (w/ Eggs!)

Bath time in the rain puddle!



Mid-flight...to stretch the wings.




Mom on her nest...



The eggs!



Mom covering up the eggs!

My friend Pat...PATellar Tendinitis, that is...

Today I would like to highlight a condition we're starting to see a lot of in the store: Patellar Tendinitis. As the name implies, the patellar tendon has become inflamed. This condition is usually set off by too much flexion to extension (the straightening motion) of the knee. You know, those movements associated with running, jumping, squatting, and kicking..."Too much" is a bit vague but in the athletic training world it can be tied in to a sudden increase in strength, duration, or frequency of activity. Maybe you just joined a basketball league after a 5 year hiatus. Maybe you increased your training pace for the marathon, or just decided to start squatting weights. Any of these instances (and many not mentioned here) could lead to a case of patellar tendinitis.
It's because of these different factors that patellar tendinitis can be broken down into 3 different grades, focusing on the pain and tenderness at the bottom of the patellar tendon, under the knee cap (patella).

(Patellar Tendinitis)
Grade 1 is classified as pain after activity. Grade 2 is pain during and after activity. Lastly, Grade 3 is pain during activity as well as long after the activity. Grade 3 has been known to progress into prolonged pain and even a complete rupture. Ouch.

It seems like most cases (Grade 1s and 2s) of patellar tendinitis can be managed by simple modalities include resting, icing, and compression with a knee strap. In more severe cases, ultrasound, iontophoresis (using an electrical current to deliver medication), and cross-friction massage have been utilized with positive results.

As always, B&A Sports Medicine take no responsibility for the accuracy of this article, nor what you, the reader, does with the information. For medical advice, contact your local physician or physical therapist.

Lance is coming to Columbus!

Check it out, here.

...and by "Lance" I mean Lance Armstrong...bike-rider Lance Armstrong.

April Fools!

The best April Fool's prank of all time- Spaghetti-Trees!

"On April 1, 1957, during his widely respected news program, Panorama, Richard Dimbleby voiced a two-minute segment on “spaghetti harvesting” in Switzerland. As he championed the practice, viewers watched “real” footage of spaghetti farmers pulling pasta from trees. “There’s nothing like real, home-grown spaghetti,“ he concluded."

-FastCompany.com

Jump to the video, here.

Spring Fling!

We've had some sketchy visitors come by the store recently...I wish they'd just buy something or leave already!



The Visitors



Narcissist.



Looks like they're going to be here for a while.

Let's talk Sever's Disease (Calcaneal Apophysitis)

With the snow all but melted, soccer season is upon us. Unless of course you've been playing indoor all winter. Regardless, now is the time that we get a lot of kids coming in with heel pain. More times than not, heel pain in active adolescents is caused by a condition known as "Sever's Disease", named after JW Sever who described the condition in the New York Medical Journal way back in 1912. A bit of trivia that has nothing to do with heel pain- 1912 was also the year the Titanic sank on the way to New York. Coincidence?

As the medical name implies, Calcaneal Apophysitis means that the heel bone is inflamed (Calaneus = Heel bone, Apophysis = Bony tuberance, -itis = Inflammation) or more specifically, the spot where the Achilles tendon attaches to the heel bone is inflamed. The explanation for this is really quite simple: Adolescents are hitting their growth spurts. "Spurt" implies quickly which means while the bones are growing, the tendons haven't caught up. Of course this means that the Achilles is under higher stress and is being pulled from it's insertion (the heel bone). Throw in running and jumping activities and the stress on the heel is magnified.

Sever's is characterized as heel pain (usually in both) in active children between the ages of 11 and 14. It's not uncommon for kids to limp and there be visible redness and swelling. All in all, Sever's sounds a lot worse than it really is.

So now what? Luckily, there's a few things you can do to manage these "growing pains". The most obvious one would be to rest and the condition will usually take care of itself. Of course the word "Sports" in our name would imply that we're an active population and that sitting out a season isn't always an option. So let's focus on other more "realistic" ways of dealing with this heel pain in active teens...
1) Stretch- If you can stretch the tendon, you're effectively lengthening it. If you lengthen the tendon, then it won't be pulling as hard on the heel bone, which will reduce the discomfort.
2) Heel Cups/ Pads- If you're able to put something under the heel, then you're elevating it, which will reduce the tension of the Achilles tendon. If the Achilles is under less tension, then the heel pain should go away. Lee, our resident physical therapist, likes to recommend a Warwick Adjust-a-Lift, but most of the kids that try that find it too firm, which is why they choose the Tuli's heelcups.
It's my experience that for everyday walking around and "high volume" shoes, the Heavy Duty heel cups are the way to go. When it's time to wear cleats, most kids opt for the Tuli's Classics, since they're much lower profile.
*Note* The Tuli's heelcups are soft, but also substantial. Most generic heelcups are soft, but gooey, which is why they don't usually work- they don't do a good enough job elevating the heel!
3) Ice- Remember I mentioned that "itis = inflammation" a bit ago? If you're able to ice it with a Cryocup, ColPac, or bag of peas, then you're bringing down the inflammation (read: discomfort)

As always this blog, or anything you find on the internet, is not a substitution for proper medical care. Only your licensed health care professional can differentiate between Sever's Disease and other sources of heel pain (Plantar Fasciitis, fractures, etc.)

Lost in Translation...Global Economy!

Since all of our email is read by real human beings, I'm often left sifting through SPAM to find actual customer emails. Hands down, the biggest spammer for our "info" email are the Chinese companies. Perhaps you'll enjoy this email as much as I did.
Note-I didn't change anything...just removed the company's name.

Dear Sir /Miss,


This is Jack Product Manager from _________, Ltd, taking charge of our handheld electro ECG monitor Products bushiness.


Now please allow me take this opportunity to give you a brief instruction on our handheld ECG monitor,so we hope this product is suit for your product line.

As you know ,the heart disease is the biggest killer for sprot man ,there are a lot of sprot man to be killed by all kind of
heart disease,including some famous sprot star,so ,we hope this disaster can be avoided through our handheld ECG mornitor ,so,all sport man can enjoy happy life .

A few of my (new) favorite things:

I've added some new products to our online store, since we added some new products to our brick & mortar store. Comments are ALWAYS welcomed.
Some of the new stuff:

Medi Genumedi Knee Brace

Med Spec Dynatrack Patella Stabilizer

B&A Sports Medicine Goniometer

McKenzie Cervical Roll

McKenzie Lumbar Roll

AXIS Foam Roller

More to come in the very new future...enjoy!

Retail is detail...

It's true. Retail is all about detail. It's the little things that make a customer feel welcomed into your store. It's the little things that keep them coming back. And in a competitive retail environment, the little things set you apart. Take, for instance our ankle braces. Sure, there's probably 10 different places to purchase an ankle brace in Columbus, OH, but let's review why you should stop by the store to get that ankle brace (or knee brace, or orthotics) from us:

1) We carry the good stuff- Everything we carry is professional grade stuff. The cold packs are the same ones most physical therapists use in the clinics. The braces we stock are the same ones you would find in your doctor's office. How do we know this? We sell them the same stuff we sell you. We're buyers for our customers, not sellers for companies

2) We know what we're talking about- everyone that works in the store has a health care background. Heck, the store's owner is an incredibly accomplished physical therapist. We made it a point to bring in smart people who are passionate about medicine and customer service.

A specialty store that hires average people and sells average products isn't very "special". Our customers deserve the best, so that's what we give them.

If you see something wrong with the website or if you have an idea that would make it better, PLEASE shoot us an email at: info@basportsmedicine.com

Why I do this job...

"I just wanted to let you know the Stretch-Out Strap arrived in today's mail. It will hopefully go a long way to help rehabilitate my injured knee. Thank you for you fine service and fast delivery."

-Harvey from New Jersey

It's always nice hearing from our customers- your feedback's one of the few ways we know if we're doing a good job :-)

Thanks, Harvey!

Alternate uses...

If you recall, a few weeks ago, I had a pretty bad fall snowboarding, to the point of getting an x-ray. I made mention of using the Ossur Form-Fit wrist brace and ColPac, but I'm here to tell you that the ColPac does more than just keeping your wrist (or knee, back, shoulder...) cold. After closing up shop last night, I felt the urge to pick up a nice 6er of IPA (Stone Brewery's to be exact). I went over to the local grocer's to procure some hoppy goodness when I realized that most of their beers were not refrigerated. The problem with this is that I didn't want to drink warm IPA. When I got home, I removed one of the long-neck bottles and wrapped it in my oversized colpac and began making dinner. By the time dinner was completed, the brown bottle (and it's contents) were ice cold. The moral of the story? ColPacs keep beer cold.

We're now on:

Feel free to check us out for off the cuff updates about the happenings of the store. Don't worry, the blog will still see love, too.

Check it.

2009...the best year, yet!

"Each and every year makes us that much wiser." I think I've read that somewhere, once. Regardless, it's true. We're always trying to come up with better ways to make your shopping experience a memorable one at BA Sports Medicine. For starters, we've increased our workforce! It was getting harder and harder to fulfill the orders that were coming in with our previous staffing, so we've increase our laborers to keep our "speedy shipping" promise to you guys. This staff increase also means there will now be more frequent blog entries! This new year means a fresh start and an increased budget as well. For our loyal customers, this translates to a few surprises up our sleeves. Keep your eyes peeled for new features on the website, in the coming months. If you have any ideas, or things you'd like to see changed, please feel free to email me at "info@basportsmedicine.com". I promise to personally respond to your message.
While we've grown considerably in the past year, our focus remains the same- to provide access to professional grade medical products coupled with the world-class customer service you not only expect, but deserve.

Thanks again for all your support,

James the manager

Scaphoid: You've got one, and I hurt mine.

I fell on my wrist Monday. After snowboarding for 11 years and not a broken bone in my body, I thought I was about due for one. Fortunately, the initial x-rays came back negative (they always do!). Protocol is to come back after 5 weeks to make sure there's no fracture. I guess this means no snowboarding until then...right!

For the medical nerds, the scaphoid (or hand navicular) is a cashew-shaped bone that is found in the wrist. If you do a thumbs up you can feel it at the bottom of that pit, that's formed by those two tendons. I can wait while you try it on yourself...found it? OK, good. Back to Scaphoid talk.

It's particularly susceptible to fractures when people try to catch their falls with outstretched hands (like I did). Men between the ages of 20-30 are the most common to get this injury (like me). There can be a lot of swelling or none at all, and many people dismiss the pain as just "a really bad sprain" (like what I thought). Although it's a small bone, it doesn't get the attention in needs and deserves from the body's blood supply which means it's: a) difficult to heal and b)takes a very long time. This can lead to casts and hardware (and even bone grafts if part of the bone dies- avascular necrosis). What a stinker. I guess the whole point of this entry is just to show off cool x-ray pictures of my wrist. Take THAT HIPPA...One more note- this episode allowed for me to use the Ossur Form-Fit wrist splint and the Chattanooga ColPacs. Both are really great products!



(Scaphoid hi-lighted)



(Unaltered X-Ray)



(Multiple views)

Happy New Year!

From the B&A Sports Medicine Family to yours, we wish you a Happy New Year!

SnOhio!

Opening day was yesterday at Columbus' local ski/snowboard resort, Mad River Mountain and stomping ground for Olympic hopeful, Louie Vito. In spite of global warming's attempt to push it back until after Christmas, the folks over at MRM have been diligently making snow for the past week and a half. If you're a winter sports enthusiast like myself, be sure to check out stuff for your boots, knees, and wrists!

Edit:
Speaking of Ohio snowboarding...CONGRATULATIONS go out to Louie Vito on his victory at the Copper Mountain stop of the snowboarding Grand Prix!

Deal of the Day!

We're trying a new thing over here at B&A Sports Medicine Store. As the title implies- we're going to be putting up a deal every few days (Deal of Every Few Days just doesn't have that ring to it...) on products that we like, but have too much of. Most places just try to dump products that weren't moving for them...if you've been to our store, you know we're not like most places. If you don't like what's on the D.O.D, keep checking back, since we're constantly switching up our offerings!

Our inaugural Deal of the Day:

McDavid Ankle Brace

Happy Holidays!

My mom likes it when I mention her on the blog so here's another shout out: She's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet and her heart is filled with nothing but kindness and generosity. Case in point- she does her Christmas shopping throughout the year. You see, between teaching her elementary students, tutoring kids after school, and spending time with her family,her time to holiday shop is pretty limited. She can't afford to spend it standing in long lines at the mall, when everything's picked over, which is why she'll pick stuff up for her family when she sees something good. The point of this blog isn't to brag about how awesome my momma is, but to say to you guys "hey, think of us, when you're Christmas shopping!".

Here's a few last minute gift ideas for the people you love (or just tolerate because you're related to them):

Off-The-Shelf Insoles: Life is really hard on your feet. It's even harder if you're running, skiing, bowling, ice skating, or hiking on the weekends. Your shoes look great, but they're killing your feet. Time to pull out the 5-cent "insole" they came with and replace them with something much better. Like some Superfeet or SOLEs :-)

Underwrap: This is a great little stocking stuff because it's cheap, active girls love it for putting up their hair, and you can never have enough of it.

Stretch Out Strap: Increased range of motion (ROM) should be on everybody's list!

Biofreeze: Another good stocking stuffer for anyone with arthritis, sore muscles, or just addicted to the scent of menthol.

Thera-Therm Moist Heat Pack: Take the cheap heating pad you bought at Wally-world/Tar-jay add a digital temperature/duration guage and a healthy dose of moisture and this is what you get. Clinical-grade means you holiday cheer throughout the year.

With so many options this season, why not get them something they'll actually use/need? This season, give the gift of health!

Awesome.

We should sponsor this guy:

We can't stand still!!!

For our customer's convenience, we're proud to announce that we've added sub-categories on the left-side navigation. We hope this is a positive addition to your shopping experience...especially since it took me all day to do. :-)

Happy Turkey Day!

I know it's tomorrow, but I thought I would put this up, anyway. And that thing in the lower left corner is NOT a space alien, nor is it a doo-doo. It's a cornucopia.
Like all retailers we'll be open on Black Friday, at least in the AM.

"I've got that planter's fasha-latta..."

The birds are singing. A lone ray of sunshine slips past the curtains, saturating your bedroom in a warm, orange hue. Moments later, the sound of Styx from your clock radio penetrates the morning silence, signaling to you, that it's time to start the day. Groggy, you push the warm comforter off your pajamas, swing your feet off the bed, and sit up. It's at this moment when you're met with a sharp pain in your feet. Rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, you look down in search of the thumb tacks you had just stepped on. After your eyes adjust to the light, you realize that there aren't any push-pins on your floor. Nor are there any toy cars, yet the pain in your heel remains. Confused by this mystery twinge of severe discomfort, you make your way to the shower, the stinging pain dissipating ever so slightly with each step. By the time you finish your cereal and coffee, the foot pain is gone. You write it off as just a bizarre episode of "old age", until you get up from your desk at work. It's back.

It seems that more and more customers are describing this situation to us in the store(albeit the ridiculous imagery). So I thought it would be time to talk Plantar Fasciitis. Say it with me: "PLAN-Tar-FASH-E-EYE-TIS". It's not planter's fashalatta. Planter's fascism would also be incorrect. Heck, planter's fasheeitis is wrong, too(though that's much closer). It's Plantar Fasciitis.



As the name implies it's an inflammation (that's what words that end in "-itis" mean in the medical world) of the plantar fascia (or aponeurosis is you ever find yourself on Jeopardy). Your plantar fascia/aponeurosis is this thick, fibrous band of tissue similar to a tendon that starts (originates) on the heel bone (Jeopardy synonym: calcaneous) and fans out to the metatarsal heads on the bottom of the foot. Asides from becoming inflamed, the PF (that's more doctor's speak for you) aids in supporting the medial longitudinal arch (the big one we all know and love) of the foot and propulsion when running and walking. Plantar fasciitis has been associated with individuals who are overweight, increased their training too much/too soon, wore flexible shoes, excessively pronate, have tight calf muscles, or even a leg-length discrepancy.

It's at this point in the blog that you say to yourself "Alright, it sounds like I might have a case of PF, but what can I do? My heels are killing me!" Fortunately, because there's such a large percentage of the population which suffers from this -itis, there's quite a few things to try. We all learned in kindergarten that everyone's different. Because of this sterling fact, different people respond to different treatments...differently. In spite of us being a retail outlet, I'll start with the inexpensive suggestions and progress to more (financially) involved treatments. Keep in mind that you might respond to just one recommendation, no recommendations, or a combination of recommendations...
Alrighty, here it goes:

1) Stretch! One of the most effective ways to combat PF is to stretch it. Oddly enough, this entails stretching your achilles tendons and calves. You know which one's I'm talking about, too. The classic "try to push the tree/wall over" and "try to push the tree/wall over with a bent knee". Hold 10-15 seconds, 10 or so times per heel, a couple times a day. Rinse. Wash. Repeat. It's like anything else, though- don't overdo it right off the bad. A little can go a long way.
You might also want to try taking a towel in the morning (before you even get out of bed!) and pulling your toes back. This will stretch the plantar fascia, which should feel pretty good.

2) Ice, Ice, Baby! If you're still hurtin' for certain, try the ice-bottle trick: Freeze a cheap plastic bottle 3/4s of the way up, with water and freeze. When you come home, roll it around under the foot. Between the massage and cryotherapy, you're well underway to foot-bliss. Oh, and stay away from the Fiji water bottles- they don't roll so good.

3) Being Supportive: If you're reading this far, it might be time to introduce some arch supports- there's a few different ways of going about this...
a) Tape- There's a few different ways out there where you can actually use athletic tape to pull the arch up, and provide support. Google is an amazing little tool. If you want something with a little easier application, you might want to look into the Count'R Force Arch Support- it's essentially taping the arch with hook-and-loop straps. And by "hook and loop" straps I mean Velcro straps. Velcro.
b) OTS Orthotic- OTS simply means "off the shelf". I try to pepper abbreviations in whenever I can. In any event, an off the shelf orthotic will unload the plantar fascia, which in turn, will relieve the pain in your heel. The tricky part is finding one feels good for you. Check the Superfeet cheat sheet for a bit of guidance.

Side notes:
a) You know those gel inserts you put in your shoes that thought would take care of your heel pain? You know how they're not working? They're not supportive enough. If you can twist/bend/squish an insert with your fingers...imagine what your body weight will do to it. Something that flexible won't unload your plantar fascia...

b) I like OTS orthotics for a few reasons (which is why we sell them in the first place): they're cheaper than customs. They're usually more comfortable than customs. There's no literature that suggests a custom is any better than an OTS. There's also no guarantee that a custom (or OTS) will work. However, if they don't work, I'd rather lose $40 dollars, than $400...

4) Doin' the splints! If you're still not finding relief, it might be time to step it up (no pun intended, they just come naturally) to a night splint. As the name implies, these devices tend to keep the foot in a stretched position while you sleep. When you're stretching at night, you're allowing for the foot to heal in a "more optimum"- stretched position. There's two basic types- The traditional night splint and "the sock". The "best" one is the one that's most effective. I like the hard, bulky one, because I think it does a better job holding the foot in place. Some people, however, like the sock because it's a bit more natural. They both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Of course, I'll make the usual disclaimer that NONE of the information you've just read is an appropriate substitution for a consultation with your local health care professional.

Well, I think this more than makes up for the lack of entries this past month. Thoughts?