Photo from Bark

Foot pain is a common problem for sports lovers, and can even afflict less athletic walkers and golfers. Plantar fasciitis is characterized by stabbing pain in the heel or arch, and is responsible for injuring about ten percent of runners, and many others involved in sports like soccer and basketball.

In a recent article published on the New York Times website, author Gretchen Reynolds takes a closer look at this common injury.

“…plantar fasciitis is, essentially, an irritation of the plantar fascia, a long, skinny rope of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot, attaching the heel bone to the toes and forming your foot’s arch.”

When the fascia get irritated, it causes pain. Often this pain is most intense in the morning, since the tissues tighten during slumber. Though the reason behind the pain is known, experts disagree on what causes the initial inflammation.

“For many years, “most of us who treat plantar fasciitis believed that it involved chronic inflammation” of the fascia, said Dr. Terrence M. Philbin, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at the Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Center in Westerville, Ohio…”

It was proposed that activities like running–which involves repeated pounding of the heels on the ground–would initiate the inflammation. However, the pain of plantar fasciitis doesn’t diminish quickly, whereas acute inflammation would fade within a few days of the injury. Instead, the problem would persist, eventaully causing tissue damage. Much the same as tennis elbow, or other overuse injuries.

“But when scientists actually biopsied fascia tissue from people with chronic plantar fasciitis, “they did not find much if any inflammation,” Dr. Philbin said. There were virtually none of the cellular markers that characterize that condition.”

Instead, researchers found that plantar fasciitis started as small tears in the foot tissue. In most cases, the body will repair those tears. However, in the case of plantar fasciitis, the tears don’t heal. Eventually, the tissue begins to shred, though doctors can’t explain why the body doesn’t heal this damage like it normally would. Treatment for plantar fasciitis has included cortisone injections, recipients of which have reported less heel pain.

“But whether those benefits will last is unknown, especially if plantar fasciitis is, indeed, degenerative. In studies with people suffering from tennis elbow, another injury that is now considered degenerative, cortisone shots actually slowed tissue healing.”

In my office, I take a very different approach to treating plantar fasciosis (notice that I drop the -itis ending, which designates inflammation).  I look for poor movement patterns that contribute to the condition – such as a lack of core stability, poor hip mobility, hip abductor weakness, or poor ankle mobility.  There is a reason why the plantar tissues are stressed; we need to drill down and discover it.

I like to use the Functional Movement Screen to identify poor movement patterns that lead to stress on the plantar and other tissues.

I also use Graston tools to break down adhesions and scarring to stimulate regeneration of the plantar tissues.  Most cases of plantar fasciosis resolve in a few visits.

The link between exercise and mental health is growing stronger, supported by a recent study from the University of Illinois. The study looked at brain scans of 120 older adults. Of the test group, half had been enjoying moderate exercise three times a week for the previous year, while the other half maintained a sedentary lifestyle.

Researchers found that participants following the exercise program actually increased their brain mass. On the other hand, the non-exercising group lost some mass.

“…individuals in the control group lost about 1.5 percent of their brain volume, adding up to a 3.5 percent difference between individuals who took part in aerobic exercise and those who did not. Further tests showed that increased brain volume translated into better memory.”

These findings reflect animal research, wherein rodents were exercised, and their brain mass tracked. In this study, researchers found more neurons in the rodents brains, as well as stronger connections between those neurons and increased blood flow overall. The brain, like any organ, depends on an ample supply of blood to function well.

In addition to physical exercise, exercising your mind can help ward off dementia.

“The brain loves novelty, so if you do crossword puzzles, try shifting to a different type of puzzle — Sudoku, for example, he says. Or learn a new language. Play a new instrument.”

Being social can also help your brain. In one study, researchers followed 1,100 individuals over the course of up to 12 years. They found that those with minimal active social lives were twice as likely to develop dementia compared to those with active social lives. The act of interacting with others, as well as getting out of the house, goes a long way toward maintaining brain health.

Diet is another avenue that shows some promise when it comes to battling dementia. Antioxidants found in vegetables and omega-3 oils found in fish may help nourish the brain, as well.

“Putting it all together, [neuroscientist Art] Kramer jokingly suggests that the best advice might be to join a book group that walks and drinks red wine while talking about the book. Red wine contains antioxidants, Kramer notes. You’d be discussing a stimulating topic with good friends while exercising your body. “How can you beat it?” he says. “It’s got all four!”

Getting kids to exercise is a good way to burn off excess energy and establish a baseline of physical fitness. A new study shows that exercising when you’re young may increase bone density in the later years, as well.

“‘Exercise interventions in childhood may be associated with lower fracture risks as people age, due to the increase in peak bone mass that occurs in growing children who perform regular physical activity,” the study’s lead author, Dr. Bjorn Rosengren, of Skane University Hospital in Malmo, said in a news release.”

The Swedish study looked at 2,300 children between the ages of 7 and 9. The control group, which consisted of about 800 boys and 800 girls, received the standard 60 minutes of physical education per week. The test group–362 girls and 446 boys–received 40 minutes of physical education per day.

“The study’s authors followed the children and monitored their skeletal development, recording any incidents involving broken bones. Over the course of the study, they found that a similar percentage of children had fractures in each group.

“But the study also showed the boys and girls in the daily exercise group had greater bone mineral density than the children in the control group.”

But researchers looked at more than just data collected from the children. They compared the bone density and fracture rates of about 700 former athletes–average age 69–with that of almost 1,400 non-athletes with an average age of 70. Bone mineral density dropped only slightly in the former athletes group, when compared to the same data from the non-athletes group.

“‘Increased activity in the younger ages helped induce higher bone mass and improve skeletal size in girls without increasing the fracture risk,” Rosengren said. “Our study highlights yet another reason why kids need to get regular daily exercise to improve their health both now and in the future.’”

With the weather warming up, more opportunities for physical activity start blossoming everywhere. From softball to soccer to weekend hikes, the options are vast and varied.

Photo used under Creative Commons license from Economic Development Brandon

Being active in your every day life could be just as important as getting to the gym on a regular basis. A new study, examined in an article from HealthDay News, shows that people focused on movement throughout the day often get plenty of exercise.

“Researchers looked at more than 6,000 American adults and found that this ‘active lifestyle approach’ appeared to be as effective as structured exercise in providing health benefits such as preventing high blood pressure, high cholesterol and the group of risk factors known as metabolic syndrome that increases the risk for coronary artery disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

“Short stretches of physical activity — such as taking the stairs or raking leaves — throughout the day can be just as beneficial as a trip to the gym.”

Researchers found that those participants who made it a point to be more active during the day did more than get in the equivalent of a gym workout. Nearly half met the federal recommended activity guidelines.

“The researchers also found that 43 percent of adults who did short bouts of exercise met the federal physical activity guidelines of 30 minutes a day, compared with less than 10 percent of those who did longer exercise sessions.”

This statistic works to counter the idea that Americans, as a whole, don’t get enough exercise. Though only 10% of Americans exercise, according to the standard definition, more than 40% get in plenty of activity. In addition, this research can be helpful to persuade more people to be active.

“Many people say they don’t get enough exercise due to lack of time. These findings are promising in that they show that simply incorporating movement into everyday activities can provide health benefits, Cardinal said.”

So instead of struggling to make it to the gym, try incorporating small doses of exercise into your daily routine.

Photo used under creative commons license from Mizrak.

Could the timing of your midday meal be affecting your weight loss goals? A new study shows that eating lunch late could have an adverse effect on losing pounds. Reported late January in the International Journal of Obesity, the study looks at a number of overweight and obese men and women in Spain.

“Researchers found that of 420 people in a weight-loss program, the late-lunch crowd lost about 25 percent less weight than those who usually lunched before 3 p.m.”

However, the results are not as straightforward as “eat early, lose weight.” There are other factors to take into consideration, including metabolic rates and the tendency of participants to eat breakfast. Participants in the study who typically ate later in the day were more likely to skip breakfast altogether, which may adversely affect their metabolism.

“Some studies have suggested that evenly spaced meals – eating every three to four hours – are helpful in weight control, noted Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis.”

So, when one skips breakfast and eats a late lunch, they’re often going twelve or more hours between meals.

The researchers did account for other factors which may have hindered weight loss. The amount of sleep participants got, for example, was comparable. This is important to note, because earlier studies have shown that reduced sleep may cause slowed weight loss or even weight gain. Additionally, all participants in the study had similar activity levels.

Researchers have some theories as to why the data showed inhibited weight loss in those late lunchers.

“It may have to do with effects on the body’s circadian rhythms, which influence a range of functions, including the sleep-wake cycle and metabolism. There is a ‘master clock’ in the brain that coordinates those rhythms, but there are also ‘peripheral clocks’ in tissue and cells throughout the body, Scheer, [senior researcher and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston] explained.”

Additional research is needed to see just how important meal timing is to weight loss.

Photo used under creative commons license from DeaPeaJay.

When it comes to weight, where you live may play a role along with diet and exercise. A recent article published by the Sustainable Cities Collective looks at how an area’s walkability affects those people who live there.

“The new study, led by Seattle Children’s Research Institute looked at several factors including kids nutrition, local neighborhoods and levels of physical activity in Seattle and San Diego.”

The study noticed a few things that differentiated Seattle from San Diego, including resources available in a given area.

“The researchers used GIS software to map children’s access to fast food and more healthy sources of food such as supermarkets. They found that San Diego has a much bigger appetite for junk food than Seattle, with an average of two fast food restaurants on every block in San Diego County, almost twice that of Seattle.”

The study also looked at various neighborhood’s walkability and access to nearby parks. (Check your own neighborhood’s walkability at WalkScore.)

“Children who lived in walkable areas, with a child-friendly park nearby and access to healthy food had 59% lower odds of being obese.”

Conversely, the children living in neighborhoods with a high rate of fast food restaurants and low levels of walkability were more likely to be obese. The US average for childhood obesity is 16%.

“But only 8% of children were obese in walkable areas with access to more healthy food.”

This study shows that the standard ideas of health and wellness–diet and exercise–are intrinsically affected by the area in which one lives.

Photo used under creative commons license from compujeramey.

When Hollywood builds a set for an ideal suburban locale, the streets are inevitably lined with trees. But could those trees be good for your health, as well as property values? New research from the U.S. Forest Service looked at the connection between loss of tree growth and health, and the results were eye-opening.

Researchers looked at data examining demographics, human death and forest health from 1990 through 2007. Their data spanned over 1,300 counties and 15 states. In areas where ash trees were killed by the emerald ash borer–a type of beetle that targets ash trees–they found 15,000 more deaths caused by heart disease and 6,00 more deaths from lower respiratory disease, when compared to other areas.

However, while the data may look alarming, researchers urge caution.

“Although the study adds to existing evidence that exposure to the natural environment can improve health, the researchers pointed out that their findings do not prove a causal link, so the reason for the association between trees and human health remains unclear.”

And yet, the authors of the study took into account other health factors, including socioeconomic status, race and education. After taking these into account, the data still showed a higher rate of human deaths in areas hit by the emerald ash borer.

While the results of the study are inconclusive, it does raise an interesting question. How much does your environment–pavement versus plant life, brick & mortar versus grass & trees–effect your health?

Photo used under creative commons license from Gonmi.

An article published by HealthDay News takes a look at this study and it’s unnerving–if not surprising–results.

“Researchers found that those who spend the most time doing multiple things at once, such as yakking on the phone while driving, were actually the worst at multitasking.”

The study surveyed 310 college psychology students about their perceived ability to multitask. Most of them–seventy percent–believed they were above average at multitasking. They were then given tests to determine their skills.

“…students took a test that forces them to memorize letters and do math problems at the same time. It’s designed to mimic the challenges of multitasking.”

Surprisingly, the 25% who scored highest were also the least likely to multitask while driving. This leads researchers to question the reasons behind multitasking.

“People who do multitask have a variety of motivations, Strayer [study co-author, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah] said. “We tend to be impulsive or looking for sensations, or we’re bored.”

While the term ‘multitasking’ has gained traction within the last couple decades as a strong buzzword, researchers have been looking at the effects of individuals performing multiple tasks simultaneously for over a century. Their conclusions: people can’t perform tasks that requite the same type of thinking without one–or both–tasks suffering.

“Why is this the case? There seems to be a “bottleneck” in the brain as it tries to respond to two tasks, [John Lee, a professor with the department of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison] said. “When two tasks require a response, one of the two will be delayed.’”

Lee has criticized the Utah study for creating tasks that don’t directly correlate to multitasking while driving. However, the study shows that multitasking is a lot harder, and less beneficial, than many choose to believe.

Photo used under creative commons license from Oregon DOT

Television and video games often bear the brunt of blame when it comes to talking about childhood obesity and physical fitness. A new study shows that it may be not getting enough exercise in general–as opposed to spending time on the couch–that leads to overweight kids.

In an article published by Reuters Health, writer Kathryn Doyle takes a look at this study.

“Researchers found that the more minutes kids spent exercising at the pace of a fast walk each day, the lower their body fat percentage was. But the time they spent as couch potatoes made no difference, according to results published in the Journal of Pediatrics.”

The study, conducted by pediatric researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago, pays particular attention to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommendations for exercise for children and teens: moderate intensity for 60 minutes per day. According to Soyang Kwon, lead author of the study, findings support that level of activity.

“A group of 277 boys and 277 girls were measured at eight, 11, 13 and 15 years old for body composition and fat content using a precise X-ray technique originally developed to assess bone density…

“The same children wore an accelerometer, which measures body movement, for several days in a row sometime in the same year.

“Even among kids who exercised the least, sitting didn’t make much of a difference.”

The study found that children “who sat less than, more than or equal to the average six and a half hours per day all had about the same body fat mass”, but those who exercised the least had between 7 and 11 pounds more body fat than those who exercised most.

Which is not to say that kids should be allowed to spend hours in front of the television.

“Previous research has shown a link between sedentary screen time and weight gain, probably because watching TV often goes hand in hand with snacking…”

Overall, the study seems to conclude that children should get more exercise, which in turn reduces the amount of time spent in front of a screen.

Photo used under creative commons license from Chicago’s North Shore Conventions & Visitor’s Bureau.

First, the study looked at the effects of strenuous exercise:

“…strenuous exercise alone commonly results in a small amount of intestinal trauma. A representative experiment published last year found that cyclists who rode hard for an hour immediately developed elevated blood levels of a marker that indicates slight gastrointestinal leakage.”

Thankfully, the damage caused by strenuous exercise to the gut is short lived, generally repairing within an hour. However, one of the biggest side-effects of ibuprofen–and other anti-inflammatory pain killers–is damage to the intestines. The researchers were interested to see what kind of damage happens when both elements are combined.

In order to get the best information possible, researchers organized four visits for the men involved in their experiments. On the first visit, the men lounged for an hour. On the second, the men were given a normal dosage of ibuprofen–400 mg–and then lounged for an hour. The third and fourth visits followed the same pattern, only with the men riding an exercise bike instead of lounging. Researches tested the men’s blood at the end of each period.

“Dr. van Wijck found that blood levels of a protein indicating intestinal leakage were, in fact, much higher when the men combined bike riding with ibuprofen than during the other experimental conditions when they rode or took ibuprofen alone. Notably, the protein levels remained elevated several hours after exercise and ibuprofen.”

Though the overall implications of the findings are unclear, researchers are concerned.

“It may be that if someone uses ibuprofen before every exercise session for a year or more, [Dr. van Wijk] said, “intestinal integrity might be compromised.” In that case, small amounts of bacteria and digestive enzymes could leak regularly into the bloodstream.”

The combination could also impede the absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream, a more immediate concern. If that’s the case, taking ibuprofen could actually delay healing in stressed muscles.

This is not the first study to find dangers associated with regular ibuprofen use and strenuous exercise.

“In a famous study from a few years ago, researchers found that runners at the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run who were regular ibuprofen users had small amounts of colonic bacteria in their bloodstream.”

The higher levels of bacteria led to higher rates of overall inflammation.

“They also reported being just as sore after the race as runners who had not taken ibuprofen.”

So while it may seem like common sense–not to mention common practice–to take ibuprofen to prevent sore muscles, it may be making the problem worse.  And there isn’t evidence that the ibuprofen actually reduces muscle soreness.

Photo used under creative commons license from Brighton Photographer.