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!

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!

"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?

"I got SOLE, but I'm not a soldier" - The Killers

When I think of Canada, I conjure up images of frothy rivers of beer, games of hockey played on ponds, and funny accents. While my passport might be from the United States, I grew up in Buffalo, NY. If you know anything about geography (and more specifically, geography of the northeastern United States) you would understand why I consider myself an honorary Canadian, allowing for me to verify the accuracy of the aforementioned stereotypes.
One generalization that I had never made about Canada, however, was their competence in designing and manufacturing shoe insoles. That was until I tried some of SOLE's heat moldable custom insoles. I now have no problem adding SOLE Insoles to my list of "favorite Canadian things", right next to maple syrup and the lower drinking age (it's 19, by the way).

Now you're going to say, "James, what are you doing? Hyping up another insole? You made the Superfeet sound like God's gift to man in previous blog entries! What's all this bologna about Sole insoles?!"
First off, I like that you said "bologna" out of a grocery store context.
Second, I still love and believe in Superfeet's lineup. Don't get me wrong, the Superfeet are an incredible product and we will surely continue to carry them. However, since we've been open, there have been instances when, *gasp* not one model in the entire off-the-shelf Superfeet line fit a customer.
This is where our newest addition to our off the shelf orthotics come in. In our quest of "improving the quality of life for our customers by providing access to the best sports medicine, orthopedic, products available" we have noticed that it is necessary to offer another type of shoe orthotic for our customers.

As you probably know by now, SOLE is a "heat moldable" custom insole. What this means is that you can either wear the insoles out of the box (which is recyclable) and over time, the orthotics will conform to your feet. Or you can expedite that process by popping them in the oven, pulling them out and standing in them. Personally, I prefer the latter. To see how simple the process is, watch this:


Much like the Superfeet line, SOLE has a variety of offerings based on foot type and application, which essentially affects the width of the insole and the thickness of the foam. B&A Sports Medicine Store will be initially carrying the "Softec Regular" and "Slim Sport". Personally, I like the "Regulars" for my running shoes, while the "Slim Sports" are awesome for my Doc Martens.

I have no idea as for the reason why Canada makes such a good insole. Could it be because they were developed in proximity to the University of Calgary, home to one of the most renowned researchers of the biomechanics of the foot and ankle, Dr. Benno Nigg? Could it be because they have so much free time while waiting for a doctor's appointment, not uncommon with a universal health care system? It's difficult to say. It is, however, easy to say that if the Superfeet haven't worked for you, then SOLE certainly deserves a chance.


(Softec Regulars)

Two additional things,
a) In a previous post, I spoke about our "Green Initiative" and how, whenever possible, we would take necessary steps to limit our impact on this fragile planet. I'm proud to say that our partnership with SOLE is congruent with this program. The kind folks over at SOLE use vegetable-based ink on their 100% recycled stock for their print materials and Ecopac packaging, which is a corn-based petroleum product.
b) Our SOLE shipment came! In store feedback with this product has already been pretty incredible.