DOCTORS WHO HELP U.S. ATHLETES MAKE IT TO THE OLYMPICS CAN HELP YOU GET ON YOUR FEET
DOCTORS WHO HELP
Podiatrists, many who are athletes themselves, know how to get Olympians, as well as mere mortals, back in the game
If foot problems are keeping you from staying active, whether going for a brisk walk on your lunch hour or squeezing in a Pilates class at the gym after work, take note from the pros (as in, those Olympians on your TV screen competing for the gold come 8 pm on Aug. 8, 2008): get off the couch and call your favorite foot doctor.
That’s exactly what Shalane Flanagan did. Flanagan, an Olympics alumni and a member of this Olympics’ Track & Field team headed to
After traveling around the country to consult with eight doctors (each of whom offered a different diagnosis and treatment plan), Flanagan found Dr. Amol Saxena, a podiatric surgeon in
Maybe Saxena and the other members of the California Podiatric Medical Association,
one of the groups he belongs to, have been treating so many U.S. Olympians because many of these podiatric physicians are amateur athletes themselves, and understand how to avoid, but also how to treat, injuries. (please see sidebar below with recommendations)
Saxena, who had more than a dozen patients qualify for the Olympics, took part in last year’s World Duathlon Short Course Championships in Hungary (a race consisting of a 10K run, 40K bike ride, and 5K run) and placed third in his age group among American competitors. He will compete in this year’s event, which will be held in September in
Howard Liebeskind, a podiatric sports medicine physician with practices in West Hills and Santa Monica, is an expert in everything related to soccer, and has been retained by both the
men’s and women’s soccer teams headed to
And
Little wonder then, from all this experience, that these three doctors have five sound recommendations for both non-Olympians trying to stay physically fit while holding down a job and raising a family, and those who are working steadily towards a future Olympics competition.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET—THEY’LL REALLY TAKE YOU PLACES
1. If you have foot pain or a foot injury, don’t despair.
“Injuries are a given; most athletes will have an injury at some point,” Dr. Saxena said. “The important thing is to not just resign yourself to the pain and curb all movement. Don’t give up trying to find a solution. Podiatric physicians offer the full service of foot and ankle treatment. That means before and beyond surgery, expertise in knowing when an athlete can resume certain activities, exercises after the surgery. We have a lot of arsenal at our disposal.”
2. Proper warm-up is key. Know which warm-up exercises are best for each sport.
“In Gymnastics, 22% or about one in four athletes will sustain some type of injury, most of which can be prevented,” said Dr. Elardo. "This number will likely increase as the gymnast ages and the skill level becomes more difficult. Preventing these injuries is key to long term success in the sport.” This is accomplished by proper coaching, strength training, flexibility training and adequate warm up of 20-30 minutes before any practice session. The foot and ankle are often at risk because of the difficult landings from extreme heights with rotational components involved.
3. The shoe must fit.
And properly. Dr. Liebeskind wrote an entire paper on the right kind of cleats for different
types of soccer fields. “Between the ages of 8 and 14, we see heel pain in young soccer players as a most common problem, and it’s oftentimes due to improper shoe selection and
overuse,” Dr. Liebeskind said. “An orthotic device may need to be placed inside the shoe, or
a different type of shoe may be necessary. With soccer, it’s two opposing principles: control and comfort; the more comfortable, the less control, and vice versa. You really need to find the right balance.”
4. Know when to take a break.
“Cross training is very valuable because there is a tendency to overuse certain parts of your
body when you do one sport,” Dr. Saxena said. “It’s important to take some time off and rest. And if your feet hurt, chances are you’ll get injured, so try to stop as soon as possible and find out why you have pain.” Dr. Liebeskind is seeing the overuse syndrome especially among club soccer players, because of the heavy demand on them. “A training session, no matter how wisely designed, can be problematic if youth players don’t have the opportunities to properly regenerate and recover from hard or vigorous play,” he said.
Dr. Elardo echoes the importance of taking time off. “When it comes to gymnastics, if a child or adolescent is training more than 18-20 hours per week, they may be at risk for restricted growth, delayed maturation and overuse injuries. This often occurs when intense training is combined with insufficient energy intake. Gymnasts must have adequate nutrition and proper rest between training periods to allow for muscle recovery."
5. Keep your feet healthy by keeping the rest of your body healthy.
“The foot is often considered the health mirror of the body,” Dr. Liebeskind said. “Keeping the body fit as a whole is important, no matter what sport you’re taking part in. “Strengthening the whole body core creates stability and helps prevent injuries.” And proper nutrition is also part of that healthy equation, said Dr. Elardo. “It’s sad to see eating disorders start in gymnasts as young as age 10,” he said. “When an athlete restricts their diet to maintain a lower weight, there is often a risk of osteoporosis, which may in turn lead to stress fractures and bone injury.”
For more information on foot care, visit the
The
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Note to editors: Drs. Saxena, Liebeskind and Elardo are available for interviews on foot health before and during the
