Where’s the Proof?

Olympic Physical Therapy
Middletown, RI

“Expert”: A guy from out of town with a slide show

If you steal from one Author, it’s called Plagiarism;
If you steal from many Authors, it’s Research

• Brain Flush, Stress Relief
• Mental Health: “Spark”; John Raney M.D.
• Physical Conditioning/Fitness
• Social Runs
• Competitive Juices
• Health Issues: Diabetes, Immunity, Bone
• Live Longer, Weight Loss

Blame it on Her

Where Science Meets the Road

• “Rubber Bands and Mayonnaise”
• The Cause is Not Where the Symptom Is
• Front Leg or Back Leg? You Better Find Out!
• “Loading and Unloading” the Kinetic Chain
• Loading: Front Leg: Rearfoot Loading and Shock Absorption
• Unloading: Back Leg: Forefoot Propulsion Phase
• “You are One Giant Coil”

• Propulsion Phase: Understudied
• Late Phase Pronation
 Hallux Limitus : “Big Toe Doesn’t Move”
 Dr. Howard Dananberg, DPM
 Forefoot Varus: Malalignment
 Dr. David Tiberio, P.T., Ph.D.

“The Big Toe, the Belly and the Butt”
Gary Gray, P.T., “The Father of Function”
Gray Institute; G.I.F.T. Fellowship

“When the Foot Hits the Ground…”
1983, Functional vs. Anatomical
“Adductors don’t adduct”
“Peroneals INVERT the foot”

“Your Friend, the Proprioceptor”
Retrain the Proprioceptors
(“You can go now…”)

• Injury to soft tissue occurs when:
 You go too far: hypermobility
 You go too fast: lack of muscle control
(stability)
 “Mostability” = Motion + Stability
 Example: Peak Tibial Acceleration
 “Born to Run”: Minimalist Shoes? Debunked
 “Running Research Junkie” Blog

• Pre-Run All-Inclusive Stretch: 2 minutes
 Triplanar ; “The Sarcomere Story”..
 Proprioceptive: ‘rev up the engine’
 Loading and Unloading
 Kinetic Chain: mid-range load
 Dynamic stretch
 Cardiovascular prep
 Functional stride position
 (Remember: Adductors Don’t Adduct…)

• Good Shoe vs. Bad Shoe
• Research Proven Shoe Features
• Fashion Item?
• 3-Point Method: Dr. Bruce Williams, DPM
• 3 seconds to test the shoe

• Gait Analysis

• Precisely measure contact time vs. flight time
• Compare your different running shoes
• Drift and efficiency of gait
• Step length and cadence
• Measure Insert Effectiveness
– Functional reach test

• Most precise measurement tool
• Full weight bearing, Full contact
 Combine with Functional Testing and with
OptoGait and we can IMMEDIATELY tell you if the orthotics are valuable and functional.

• L.E.R. Magazine: Free Biomechanics/Sport
• Running Research Junkie Blog: Free
• Simon Bartold: Bartold Biomechanics
• Training and Conditioning Magazine: Free
• Dr. David Tiberio : “Pathomechanics…”