[at-l] Achilles, spurs, chins

[mathews at uga.edu (Doug Mathews)]

List,
As a long time runner, I've experienced a myriad of foot-leg problems. My 
bout with heel spurs & plantar faciatis(pf)  was interesting as it occurred 
about 6 months before my 2002 through hike & I was worried it would be a 
problem  on the trail. The only time I felt it was if my toe was rotated up 
toward my leg at a very acute angle....then I would feel a little twinge. 
But even that passed before I finished the trail.  There  were several 
things that really helped me get rid of it. First, I'd make sure I 
stretched every day. Next, I'd ice my Achilles after strenuous use. Lastly, 
I slept in a "night" boot that caused my foot to stay at a 90 degree angle 
with my leg. Most folks foot flops away from their leg at night and lets 
the Achilles tendon shorten so that when you get up in the morning, its 
painful to walk at first until the tendon stretches. Once I started wearing 
the "night" boot, I seemed to get better very fast. Again, I had no real 
problem with PF or my heel spur on mu hike. For shin splints, since I run 
so much I have no problem, but a simple way to strengthen these little 
muscles is simply keep your heels on the ground and raise the toes up and 
down. If you do this standing and have not been doing these exercises, you 
will be surprised how quickly you can feel the effects of these exercises.

If a spur is very very bad, then yes, there will have to be some medical 
procedure done......non of which sound too good to me!

Anyway, that's my 2.5 cents worth on this topic. Oh, those "night" boots 
are available without prescription from running houses. I can find the url 
for the one I used if anyone wants it.

Mainframe -AT2002