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Podiatrist - Clark, NJ
1114 Raritan Road
Clark, NJ 07066

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Foot Notes

Posts for category: Exercise

By Clark Podiatry Center
January 23, 2019
Category: Exercise
Tags: stretch   workout   walk   comfortable shoes  

Have you been keeping up with your New Year’s Resolutions to be healthier this year? One way you can do that is to stay active and eat nutritious foods!

You might argue that:

  • You don’t have enough time to fit in a gym workout every day.
  • You’re too tired to exercise after a long day and commute home.
  • You lack the motivation to keep up an exercise routine.

Well, we are here to help you remedy that! We’ve got many ideas on how you can increase your physical activity where you spend many hours in your day. That’s right, you can add to your step count right at work!

Here are some sneaky ways to increase your energy output, where you might normally feel like you’re at an idle desk job:

  • Park at the other end of the parking lot, or get off the bus or subway one or two stops earlier.
  • Schedule water breaks. Set an alarm every hour (or more often if you plan to drink smaller amounts) to get a cup of water. Not only will you be sitting less all day, but you’ll also increase your step count AND meet your daily hydration goals. As an added bonus, the increased water intake will also prompt you to take more bathroom breaks as well! (Hint: take the long way to the kitchen or bathroom!)
  • Walk during your lunch. Pick up food at a restaurant down the street, make some phone calls as you walk, run an errand, or just take a walk at a nearby park during your lunch break. If you plan well enough, you may be able to eat while you work, so that your lunch break can be better utilized. (Hint: form a walking group and bring comfortable walking shoes to wear during your longer walks).
  • Carry your “instant” message to your coworker instead of sending a chat or ping. That may sound so foreign and inefficient, but that’s not the goal here. Our goal is to add steps, remember? Bonus points if your coworker is not on the same floor with you and you take the stairs rather than the elevator.
  • Stand up, stretch, and walk in place every 30 minutes to an hour. This will help increase your circulation and encourage an energy spike. Your posture will probably benefit too!

All of these little tricks can help you increase your activity and help you stay focused and alert! It’s a win-win situation at work!

If getting up so often is not appealing or might be distracting to co-workers or your boss, get some exercise by doing some toe exercises under the desk. If nothing else, it will help you strengthen your feet, ankles, and toes, as well as increase circulation. It’s especially important if you’re prone to swollen feet if you stay sitting for a long time. (We’re hinting at you, pregnant ladies!)

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By Clark Podiatry Center
November 27, 2018
Category: Exercise
Tags: swelling   stretch   compression socks  

Got a long flight coming up? Got kids going with you? You might prepare for it by testing out neck pillows, noise-canceling headphones, and maybe some eye masks. But what will you do to make the flight more comfortable for the feet?

Here are some foot-related items you could test out:

  • Compression socks - to promote circulation and reduce swelling.
  • Disposable slippers or flip-flops – Unless you’re used to it, you might not want to be seated with your shoes on the whole flight, which could be 10+ hours. (Hint: ask your airline if they will give you disposable slippers!).
  • Footrest or hammock – there are a few products out there for people who want to rest their feet higher than the floor. Many folks with short legs (like your children) might be more comfortable if they can prop their feet up.

More importantly, however, you and your children should try to keep your feet active as much as possible throughout the flight. Why? That’s because the long period of inactivity (in an upright position) can cause your feet to be uncomfortable due to low circulation. When you do get up, your feet might not fit as comfortably into your shoes, and you might even feel some numbness or tingling. In rare cases, it can also lead to blood clots, especially if you are prone to them.

Here are some of the foot-related activities you can do on a long haul flight.

  • Drink a lot of water and go to the bathroom. Hydration is helpful for circulation. It also makes you want to go to the bathroom more, which gets you up and out of your seat more. Make sure you have your children drink water every time you do.
  • Gone to the bathroom? Great! Use it as an excuse to spread and stretch. Walk up and down the aisle and get moving!
  • Draw circles with your toes. Rotate at the ankle and make them larger or smaller as you go. It will also help you with some stretching, pointing and flexing your feet.
  • Scrunch your toes, hold, and then spread them wide, hold. This exercise will wake up many tendons and ligaments in your feet and engage the whole foot!
  • Try some toeholds if you have space. While sitting, trying bringing your knees up (engaging your abs) so that you can reach your feet. Gently pull your toes back and stretch the plantar fascia and your Achilles tendon.
  • Finally, conduct an orchestra with your feet. It’s a great movement for your feet and ankles.

Which of these exercises were you and your children able to do? If you noticed any pain or problems with your feet while doing these movements on board, come to see our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy. He can assess your feet, and find a solution to treat your pain. Come to see him at Clark Podiatry Center. Make an appointment at our Clark, NJ office so we can keep you walking. 

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By Clark Podiatry Center
March 15, 2018
Category: Exercise
Tags: exercising  

Well, what we mean is, you can still work out! Okay, so you might not necessarily WANT to keep exercising. Or if you love working out, maybe you DO!

Regardless of which camp you’re in, we do encourage you to keep up your physical activity, at least 3 times a week. If you routinely do exercises that include running or jumping, you may feel stumped about how to keep active. That’s why we’ve come up with some ideas for alternative exercises you can do instead!

Get approval from our podiatrist or your physician before performing the following exercises, depending on the extent of your injury:

Exercises to try at home:

  • Leg extensions on the couch. Lean back and place your hands behind you on your couch. With your feet lifted off the ground, straighten your legs, hold for a few seconds, then bend at the knees and release. Do several repetitions as you feel the strain in the abs and thighs.
  • Ab crunches: On a mat or carpeted floor, do some ab crunches with your feet up, knees bent. Crunch up to the knees, then release. Variation, crunch up with the elbow touching the knee of the opposite side.
  • Upper body workout: Use items around the home, like bottle or gallon of water, thick book, or laundry detergent to do some arm workouts, like bicep curls, tricep extensions.
  • Pushups: If only one foot is injured, you can do pushups with the injured foot resting on the other foot.

Exercises to try at the gym:

  • Swimming: If your injury is mild, and it can hand some movement, swimming might be a good alternative, especially to get your cardiovascular workout.
  • Machine workouts: Try any of several machines, such as a lateral pull down machine, leg curl machine, or chest press machine. These do not require the feet or ankle at all.
  • Upper body workout: You can also add free weights to do certain workouts, such as seated body twists while holding free weights.
  • Pull-ups: step up to the pull-up bar with your uninjured foot and go to town. Just be sure to step down softly again on the uninjured foot.

You have probably come in to see us about your foot or ankle injury. If not, or if you plan to workout, make an appointment to see our board-certified podiatrist, Brandon Macy, DPM at Clark Podiatry Center. He can assess your feet and give you options to make your workouts possible. Come see him at our Clark, NJ office, which serves the surrounding Union County areas. 

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January 11, 2018
Category: Exercise

 

Why Do My Toes Go Numb WHen I Exercise?

Many patients notice that when they exercise, particularly on a treadmill or elliptical exerciser, that the toes on one or both feet go numb, relieved when they stop the workout.   The sensation is similar to when you sit down in an awkward position and your foot or leg “falls asleep”.

What actually occurs in these situations is some form of prolonged or repetitive pressure on a nerve that creates a nerve block much like when you receive a local anesthetic. In the exercise example, this can be the result of a shoe that is too tight in the toe box—by fit or from wearing thicker socks.  The surprising fact is that this can also happen in a shoe which is too loose-fitting where the foot can slide forward and jam into the toe box of the shoe.  This can also happen on the top of the foot when shoes are too tight across the instep.

What to do about it?  Make sure your workout shoes fit properly taking into account the socks you wear.  If the problem is on the top of the foot, the lacing pattern needs to be adjusted, either loosening them in the spot of maximum pressure or by changing the lacing pattern of the shoes, avoiding the pressure spots. Click here for shoe lacing ideas.

The takeaway point is this:  If the shoe fits, wear it—unless it is too tight in the toes or the top of the foot. That should prevent or relieve exercise-related numbness.

For more information or an appointment, contact us at 732-382-3470 or visit our website at www.clarkpodiatry.com. 

At Clark Podiatry Center, we want to keep you walking! 

#ClarkPodiatryCenter #NJCFHI #numbtoes

 

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By Clark Podiatry Center
January 25, 2017
Category: Exercise
Tags: Martial Arts  

Have you ever seen those movies or videos where a martial artist kicks through several wooden boards in succession and at different heights? It’s not an illusion or trick – it’s very concentrated energy and practice, practice, practice.

So how do they do that without hurting their toes, feet, and ankles? The answer lies in
physics!  When the foot hits the wood, it causes the board to vibrate, stretching and compressing the wood until it can no longer hold together. The force of the kick breaks the elasticity of the wood since our feet (bones, fat, and tissues) have a higher elasticity than wood does.

To get the movement just right to break the elasticity, however, it requires focused energy and sharp, accurate movement. The only way to do this is to perfect your technique and your strength in martial arts classes. Without proper instruction and practice, you may quickly become frustrated and even risk major injury, from swelling and bruising to fractured or broken bones.

Does someone in your family want to explore the martial arts? A good way to get exercise and develop self-discipline, martial arts is a great activity for both parents and children. Make sure to check with your pediatrician and podiatrist to make sure you are clear to begin classes, since previous injury or growth issues can worsen with certain exercise or repeated movements. Make an appointment today with our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy at Clark Podiatry Center. Our team is ready to help at our Clark, NJ office. We keep you walking (and Kiai-ing!).

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Podiatrist - Clark, Dr. Brandon Macy, 1114 Raritan Road, Clark NJ, 07066 732-382-3470