Accelerate Physical therapy was incorporated on March 6th, 1989.  We opened our first clinic in The Arbor Building at 7850 Vance Drive, Arvada in April of that year.  Our main office moved to 64th & Simms, where we have been in the Friendly Square Shopping Center since 1995.  Ross Hutchinson, Bill Steinberger and Paul O’Brian have worked together since 1991.  Bill opened his independent franchise office in Thornton in 2003.

Joggers, runners, even walkers should be sure not to land on their heels with impact.  To prevent shin splints, ankle, knee, hip and back pain, all field athletes need to play, or at least run on the front of the foot and avoid heel striking, especially in football, baseball and softball. In more enduring athletic efforts like soccer, rugby and distance running, landing on the flat foot, minimizing the intensity of heel contact protects the leg from destructive and compressive joint impact.  Players who don’t learn to run off of their heels are victims of their own over striding and this angle of heel strike may be the physics problem we must solve.

Recent discussion suggests the need for firmer soles, based on the premise that running shoes offer too much cushion.  Changing your running style to foot flat or forward on the foot may take concentration, but improves the whole leg’s ability to absorb shock..  If you exercise on a treadmill, elevate the incline 5% to easily learn this technique, and perhaps instantly reduce your pain.

When you land on your heels, you are decelerating, or braking. Stay off your heels, and avoid slapping your feet. To run faster, lean forward, leading with your chin, holding your spine straight with core muscles. This puts the center of gravity in front of the planted, or stance leg. The more you lean, the faster you MUST move.

Learning to run is well managed by speed coaches who help teach athletes to recognize inefficient running in others and to take responsibility for their own peculiarities. Some people say you can’t coach speed, but athletes with talent and horrible techniques are prime arguments to the contrary. Becoming stronger while the season progresses (with speed training and progressive weight training) are the key elements of our most famous success stories.

Everyone should wear supplemental arch supports in their shoes, slippers, athletic footwear, training shoes and cleats.  Orthotics, or at least foam arch supports have been repeatedly effective in curing pain and dysfunction of foot, ankle, knee, hip and back.

Arch supports reduce the degree of:

· Flat feet or falling arches (pes planus)

· Foot pronation

· Ankle eversion

· Q angles at the knee (valgus)

· Uneven hips (pelvic obliquity)

· Lumbar scoliosis.

Mechanically adding height to the navicular bone at the medial arch changes the functional position of the foot, knee and hip, and dramatically reduces, and prevents most problems. Residual pain can take a few weeks to go away, but the problem will not get better if left uncorrected. Leg and back pain sufferers benefit from supplemental arch supports and orthotics. Even if you only stand all day, arch supports will control pain and manage many progressive problems that we commonly treat.