| I had an email last week from a | | | | and neck pain! |
| relatively new runner asking who they | | | | How? Your feet affect your postural |
| should see for their knee pain. I asked | | | | control. Postural control is the ability |
| if they twisted, fell, or jammed their | | | | to maintain the body's center of mass |
| knee or if it was just a wear and tear | | | | over the supportive foot, a.k.a. being |
| injury? They confided that as they | | | | able to keep your balance. Often, |
| increased their mileage and distance, | | | | balance or proprioception is lost in |
| their knee pain started to increase. New | | | | patients with chronic foot and ankle |
| shoes helped, but didn't fix their | | | | instability from an underlying |
| nagging pain. Sounds like a | | | | congenital foot type. This leads to lack |
| biomechanical problem to me! But it | | | | of postural control which leads to knee, |
| could still be a traumatic injury they | | | | hip and back pain a.k.a. postural |
| can't remember...especially if they were | | | | symptoms. Many studies have concluded |
| out dancing on tables on a Friday night | | | | that a functional orthotic reduces |
| ... Just kidding! | | | | postural sway and improves stability, |
| Seriously, mechanically induced knee | | | | therefore reduces further injury in |
| pain is extremely common in runners. A | | | | patients with congenital or acquired |
| good analogy is that if you need a tire | | | | foot and ankle instability. |
| realignment on your car, the struts can | | | | How is biomechanical knee pain treated? |
| wear out. In fact, you may have no acute | | | | A complete biomechancial exam can help |
| foot and ankle problems at all and they | | | | to assess how to realign your feet and |
| can still be the cause of your symptoms. | | | | lower extremities. Functional orthotics |
| The best way to assess a runner's knee | | | | can be made to precisely fix your foot |
| problem is to start with a sports | | | | deformities and functional |
| medicine orthopedist who can rule-out a | | | | abnormalities. |
| primary knee problem, like a tear in the | | | | Bottom line, if your knee pain is |
| meniscus (cartilage), ligaments or | | | | chronic and you have ruled out a primary |
| tendons. If a primary knee problem is | | | | knee problem, look to your support |
| ruled-out, but you just keep having this | | | | structures known as your feet. |
| nagging pain; or if your tendonitis | | | | Pain slowing down your run? Dr Marybeth |
| keeps recurring in spite of being | | | | Crane is a board certified foot and |
| compliant with physical therapy and | | | | ankle surgeon and a veteran marathon |
| rest; it's time to look elsewhere for | | | | running podiatrist. For a copy of her |
| the cause. | | | | FREE BOOK or more information on running |
| Your feet affect the function of all | | | | injuries, she can be reached at her |
| their contiguous structures or in | | | | website or peruse her musing on her |
| English, everything they are connected | | | | blog! She also offer doctor-approved |
| to. Yes, your feet can even cause back | | | | foot care products for your health! |