Zederna Insoles

Silk Feet – a New Callus Product

I love new products that promote healthy feet. And, as many of you know, I don’t like calluses. So I was happy to get a chance to test a new callus reduction product.

First, I need to say that I am not a fan of pumice stones and most of the callus files I see most commonly advertised as tools to help you reduce your calluses. In my opinion, they tend to tear the skin, leaving it rough and scaly. While they reduce callus, I don’t like the after effects on the skin. I have tried the Pedi-Egg and while a bit better, it still leaves a lot to be desired.

There’s always room for improvement. The nice folks at Silk Feet sent me a sample of their product. Here’s a bit of text from their website.

Silk Feet is the first ever Bladeless Exfoliating Microscreen. It’s designed to quickly remove dry, callused skin revealing smooth, healthy skin beneath. The oval shape and flexible design adapt to the contours of the foot for professional results in minutes. 

Silk Feet is a new generation of foot care products designed to provide fast, effective treatment to eliminate dry, dead skin cells from an individual’s foot; producing the most effective smoothing results available in a single application.

The product’s oval shape and flexible design adapt to the contours of your foot and allow the abrasive to maintain continuous contact with your skin for professional results in minutes.

I found the oval shape to be pliable and easily shaped to my heels and the balls of my feet. I could hold it in the palm of my hand and rub it over the skin with as much pressure as I wanted to apply. It worked very well. In just two short sessions, my wintertime calluses were reduced dramatically. I used it on one heel and not the other so I could compare. While a bit tricky because of its size, it can also be used on toes. The oval is the same coarseness on both sides, so it can be reversed when one side starts to wear down. Wash it under running water after use.

My recommendation is to use it over a wastebasket or the side of your tub as the fine skin dust has to go somewhere – or just use it outside. It’s small enough to pack in a travel bag to take on the road. I’d suggest putting it in a baggie to keep it from snagging on other things.

At a price point of $6, I think Silk Feet is a great buy. Their website lists stores that are supposed to carry it. If you can’t find it at a local store, it’s easy to order it from their website.

A Foot Care Success Story

Every so often I hear a foot care story from an athlete that intrigues me. It’s fun to read their story about their issues with their feet and then the steps they took to find answers.

One of the best examples of this is Nathan’s story on page four in the 5^th edition of Fixing Your Feet. He told the story of how he studied foot care techniques and learned hot to manage his feet – and successfully finished Racing the Planet’s Australia race.

Then the other day I received an email from Karen. I liked her story and asked if I could share it with my readers. She agreed. Here is what she wrote.

First, I am extremely prone to blisters. Initially I thought it was friction. I tried Hydropel, but its sticky nature attracted dirt but did nothing to calm my problem. At Fruita one year, Lisa and Jay (Smith) Batchen shared their knowledge in a presentation about the three primary causes and the light bulb went off. Hydration is my primary issue – specifically bloating.  The bloating happens because I’m no longer processing fluids.

After working thru formulas and cause and effect for several years on my own, I finally solicited help from Scott Jurek -I knew him from Coyote events. Mutual friends had helped me focus on running nutrition, but I wasn’t making progress on my own. Scott helped me maintain my ability to process fluids and enabled me to delay bloating and blisters.

When I get blisters, they’ll either start as a hot spot on my pads or a painful toenail. I get them under my toenails (which I keep extremely short) or the entire pad of my foot/feet will get it. Over New Years with a very low mileage base, I went to California and ran/hiked 34 miles. Had a hot spot early that I actually taped, and a blister on a toe but that was it – a sign that I was on the right track!

I’ve also become smarter on dealing with my blisters. I still get them, but they aren’t crippling. Once after my first attempt at the Leanhorse 100, they were so bad they caused me to miss the cutoff, and they got dangerously infected. Two years later, I went back and finished – it was my first 100. I still got blisters but they didn’t prevent me from meeting my goals.

Here’s what I do now for my feet other than monkey with hydration:

• Work on my calluses and keep my toenails trimmed
• Get my orthotics re-surfaced at least a couple months before event
• Keep my shoes and socks current too and only use Smartwool socks
• Train on the exact terrain I expect and work on the plan for my feet – it’s just as important as my physical and nutritional race plans
• My starting feet recipe is to use BodyGlide on my feet before putting on socks. Then change my socks every 20 miles if I’m running anything over 50K.
• Carry a foot kit on my back at all times with a couple Engo Pads for hot spots on my orthotics, a couple of alcohol wipes, blister pads and a safety pin, and duct tape for real emergencies on a pencil or on my water bottle
• A full fledged foot kit for crew or in a later drop bag with new supplies for my carry kit, Desitin if it’s wet conditions, and tape/scissors/tincture for the next defense. An injection devise and zinc oxide and Second Skin/New Skin as final defense. I had to do all three lines of defense to actually finish Leanhorse, but we did it.

Thank you Karen for sharing your foot care plan.

Working Your Ankles

Recently a question about ankles was asked on an ultra email forum.  Here’s an edited version.

“Rolling ankles seemed to be a weekly thing. So just wondering if there are any specifics to the alphabet drawing feet. Sitting, standing, flatfooted or pointed toes? One of these or all of the above? I have already been messing with it and: 1. I have very uncoordinated feet and 2. I can already feel a little “work-out” going on, so this is very promising! Any specifics would be much appreciated. Whatever that I can do to help my running while at the office is a major victory!”

Most athletes know the importance of strong ankles. Whether a runner, adventure racer, triathlete, hikers, or walker, you’ll benefit from making your ankles stronger. I responded with some basic advice.

“I’d suggest a wobble board or balance board. The best ones are round. They have a rounded ball on the bottom and when you stand on them, you are forced to work your ankles as you try to keep you balance. They are very good at strengthening ankles. Keep one at home and the office. You can always alternate standing on one foot with your eyes closed and arms out. Depending on your sense of balance, that works the ankles too.”

The reference to the alphabet in the question is about using your toes and feet to write the letters of the alphabet. The motion of the writing the letters works the ankle. It’s a very effective exercise.

I also like the simple and no-cost method of working your ankles by standing on one foot, arms out to the side, and then closing your eyes. This is harder than it sounds but is also effective at strengthening your ankles.

FitterFirst has a great line of wobble boards. Here is some text from a wobble board page on their website.

Regardless of your age or ability, daily use of a balance board or wobble board is an asset to your fitness, health and well-being. Our Professional series wobble boards are made of a durable 3/4″ Baltic Birch and feature our patented Tri-Level adjustment system, which allows for a quick and easy change to any of the three difficulty levels. Simply spin the sphere and select which setting suits your balance ability and in seconds you can be working towards better S.A.M. (Stability, Agility, and Mobility). A patented dual level fulcrum allows the board to adjust from basic to advanced with a simple twist of the wrist. Try our wobble boards for daily balance maintenance at the office, while talking on the phone, or while watching television. 


You will experience:

• Improved balance & coordination
• Heightened sense of body awareness
• Increased core strength & stability

13 Christmas Gifts for Your Feet

What better time of the year to pamper your feet than Christmas. Our feet are encased in heavy socks and footwear. We take them for granted. Here’s a look at my favorite things for your feet this year. My suggestion is to check out these items at Zombierunner.com. Don and Gillian support athletes with great service. You can click on their link and at their website, click on Foot Care or any other items. Zombierunner has everyone of these items, except a callus file.

Engo Footwear Patches – these slick patches go in your shoes to reduce friction. A must for any foot care first aid kit.

Drymax Socks – my favorite socks that hate moisture. Their micro-fiber technology is a sweat removal system to keep your feet dry.

Injinji Socks – the original toesocks that are perfect for many sports, and a must for those who are prone to toe blisters.

Sportslick Lubricant - Prevents blisters, chafing and skin rash during sporting activities. This skin care product also cures jock itch, athlete’s foot, and other skin conditions.

Stuffitts Portable Drying Solutions – for shoes, gloves, helmets to defeat wet and stinky gear. Their soft, lightweight forms combat moisture and kills odor in personal wearable gear.

BlisterShield Powder – a great powder, especially for those who prefer powder over a lubricant.

Kinesio Tex Tape – a great tape that breathes and conforms to the shape of any part of your feet. 1, 2, and 3 inch widths.

Leukotape – one of the stickiest tapes available. 1 ½ inches wide.

Superfeet Insoles – one of the best insoles for support. They are available in a number of options.

Toenail Clippers – everyone needs a good clipper to tame their toenails.

Callus File – a callus build-up can lead to problems that can result in blisters underneath this hard layer of skin.

Natural Running – this is a great book that teaches you to run the way nature intended, mimicking the healthy, efficient barefoot style you were born with, while keeping feet safe from rough modern surfaces.

Fixing Your Feet, 5^th edition – my best-selling book that covers all aspects of footwear and foot care.
Here’s the Amazon link for the Fixing Your Feet print edition.
Here’s the Amazon link for a Fixing Your Feet Kindle edition.

I hope you’ll consider one or more of these as gifts either to yourself or a friend.

Disclaimer: I am an affiliate of Zombierunner and make a few pennies when you buy through my link.

Lubricants – One Bad and Lots of Good

This post came about because of a Backpacker magazine article about skills. One of the items was about endurance and was for, “Blistered feet during a high-mileage trek.”

The tip was to, “… protect against hot spots by applying a skin lubricant like Vaseline to high-friction areas…”

I’m sorry, but I think Vaseline is a bad choice.

When I ran my first ultra, back around 1982, there was not a huge choice in lubricants so Vaseline was commonly used. But I learned very quickly that its stickiness helped it collect dust and grit, sand and dirt, and other things that found their way into your socks and shoes. Once absorbed into my socks, it also became stiff. I looked for an alternative and discovered Bag Balm, which I used for years.

Over the years, Vaseline has been surpassed by lubricants that are slicker without attracting “stuff’ that can cause hot spots and blisters, that last longer, that don’t cake up on your socks, and that are much more effective.

So, here’s my choice for a bad lubricant: Vaseline.

And here are my choices for good lubricants:

Sportslick Skin Lubricant 

•             Tube
•             Solid Stick
•             Pocket Slick

BodyGlide 

•             The Original Anti-Chafe Balm
•             FootGlide Foot Formula
•             Ant-Chafe with SPF 25 Balm
•             BodyGlide Anti-Chafe for Her
•             Liquefied Powder
•             WarmFX Anti-Pain Balm

BlisterShield

•             Powder
•             Roll-On
•             Towelettes

RunGuard

•             Anti-Chafe Stick
•             Anti-Chafe Stick, Sensitive Formula

Hydropel Sports Ointment

Bag Balm

Many of these are available through ZombieRunner. Click on “Anti-chafing & Skin Care.” I you are looking for a new lubricant, or want to try one of these, check them out through  ZombieRunner.

Disclosure: Clicking through to ZombieRunner and making a purchase credits me with a few pennies to support this website.

Ankle Sprain: Going Beyond R.I.C.E.

Back in January I had a guest post on the AFX – Ankle Foot maXimizer – Part I. This is part II where ankle sprains are discussed. This is a guest post by Timberly George, a Sport Physiotherapist (bio at the end of the article). Here’s Timberly’s post. The photos demonstrate the Ankle Foot maXimizer.

Slippery roots. Rocks. Deep puddles. Steep slopes. Momentary lack of attention to the trail and suddenly – pop! There goes your ankle. Uneven terrain, speed, fatigue, previous ankle injury, poor balance, weak foot and ankle muscles – they can all be to blame for the ankle sprain that plagues many an outdoor adventurer. In a study of 300 adventure racers 73% of them reported an injury over an 18-month period.ⁱ Ankle sprains were the most commonly reported injury.

Most of us are aware of the immediate treatment protocol for an ankle sprain, following the old acronym R.I.C.E (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation).  Do this! It definitely helps in the initial phase of injury management. But, recovering from an ankle sprain doesn’t end there. Just because the swelling has gone down, and the pain has diminished, that doesn’t mean your ankle is ready for the trails again. Research and clinical experience shows us that a person needs to go beyond R.I.C.E. to focus on the instability of the ankle caused by the sprain, in order to prevent another sprain from occurring.ⁱⁱ

So what exactly is an ankle sprain?

In order to understand why you need to go beyond R.I.C.E, you need to understand what exactly happens when an ankle is sprained.

The term “sprain” refers to an injury that involves damaging a ligament.  Ligaments are passive structures that connect bones to bones and help stabilize the joints. A ligament sprain can be as simple as a minor stretch or as complex as a complete disruption or tearing of the ligament fibers that give stability to a joint.

There are 3 main types of ankle sprains:ⁱⁱⁱ

Inversion (lateral) ankle sprain - Over 90% of ankle sprains are inversion, making it the most common type of ankle sprain. It occurs when the foot is inverted too much, affecting the lateral side (i.e. outside) of the foot.

Eversion (medial) ankle sprain – far less common due to the strength of the medial ligaments and the mechanics of the joint.  Affects the medial side (i.e. inside) of the foot.

High Ankle Sprain - An injury to the large ligaments above the ankle that join together the two long bones of the lower leg, called the tibia and fibula.

Ankle sprains can be classified in to 3 categories: ^iv

Grade 1: minor damage to a ligament or ligaments without instability of the affected joint. Mild swelling may be apparent but you can usually walk without too much discomfort;

Grade 2: partial tear to one or more ligaments, in which they are stretched to the point of becoming loose. Moderate swelling and some bruising are likely apparent; and,

Grade 3: complete tears of one or more ligaments, causing instability in the affected joint.Moderate to severe swelling and bruising will occur around the ankle and most people will be quite hesitant to immediately bear weight on their foot.

Once ligaments have been damaged, the ankle is left with a loss of range of motion and a mild to severe level of instability. As a result, it is more susceptible to further injury and recurrent ankle sprains are very common. Unfortunately, a ligament does not regain its ability to stabilize the joint and therefore, we are left to rely on the muscles and tendons surrounding the ankle to provide the active stability.  A solid rehabilitation program guided by a physiotherapist to regain full mobility, proprioception, and a proper strengthening program is crucial to getting you back on the trails and running again with confidence.

What do you do to recover from and/or prevent an ankle injury? 

To begin with, do your own R.I.C.E protocol and get some help from a physiotherapist as soon as possible.^v Many people choose to “wait and see” how the ankle repairs itself with time.  The trouble with that approach is most Grade 2 and 3 ankle sprains will never regain full mobility and strength on their own without assistance.  Even a simple Grade 1 ankle sprain, left untreated, will likely result in another ankle sprain down the road.

Rehabilitation following an ankle sprain cannot be overemphasized. Restoring the normal mechanics and improving the stability of the ankle will allow for a return to safe activity and will decrease the risk for another sprain.ⁱⁱ Your physiotherapist will also be able to determine whether you may have caused other damage, outside of just ligament damage, such as a fracture or cartilage damage which may require further investigations such as x-rays or other imaging.

 

Once the swelling and range of motion have improved, the next step is strengthening and regaining the control, or proprioception, of the joint.  Proprioception refers to our ability to sense where our joints are in space, and to be able to control them without necessarily looking.  This is essential when hiking and running in trails when your ankle is constantly adjusting to the terrain of the earth beneath your feet. Proprioception is controlled by nerve receptors in the ligaments around a joint.  When the ligaments are damaged in an ankle sprain, so too are the proprioceptive nerve endings.  Some simple balance exercises are a good way to start.  See the Balance Standing photo at the start of this post.

 

In order to build the active stability system around the ankle, strengthening the muscles that cross the joint is critical.  There are 4 main motions that should be focused on.  Your physiotherapist will assess the strength of each muscle group to determine which muscles need the most work, and to ensure balanced strength across the joint.

 

Strengthening can be done using resistance bands and tubes, or more preferably for many therapists recently, using the AFX-Ankle Foot maXimizer ^TM foot and ankle strengthening system (www.afx-online.com).  The AFX allows for far more controlled and specific strengthening in more variety of planes of movement than the typical bands and tubes, as well as for more balanced strengthening across the ankle joint.  The photographs shown here demonstrate the motions.

 

 

Plantar Flexion – The motion you do when going up onto your toes, or pointing your foot like a ballerina. Primarily uses your big calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus), but also gains assistance from some deeper calf muscles helping to control the position of the foot.

 

 

Dorsiflexion – the opposite of plantarflexion. Required for lifting the toes off the ground as you swing your leg through in running and hiking. Necessary for clearing the ground and not tripping on rocks and roots. The muscles involved cross the front of your ankle joint.

 

 

 

 

Eversion – Movement of the sole of your foot away from the midline of your body. Requires strength of the peroneal muscles running along the lateral or outside border of your calf. Strong peroneii are crucial to help prevent the ankle from rolling over, into inversion, and spraining the ankle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inversion – Movement of the sole of your foot towards the midline of your body, similar to the direction you would move into as your sprain your ankle in an inversion sprain.  Although one might think this would be counterintuitive to strengthen, it is an important motion as the muscles that cause it to occur are crucial for the strength and stability of the arch of your foot.

A thorough ankle rehabilitation program is essential for protecting ourselves from further injury.  An ankle that does not re-gain full range of motion, strength, and proprioception will learn to adapt to its new, less than ideal, way of functioning.  This in turn leads to overcompensation of other muscles and an imbalance of strength and flexibility around the joint.  This imbalance can not only be the cause of further ankle sprains, but potentially also the cause of overuse injuries in the feet, knees, hips and back. In addition, because we rely on our feet and ankles to take between 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day (and endurance athletes much more!) even minor strength and stability issues can lead to major problems.

But it is not all doom and gloom. The good news is that with a little bit of effort and a good rehab program you can get back on your feet, hiking and running the trails, perhaps even stronger than before.

References

1. Fordham S, Garbutt G, Lopes P. Br J Sports Med. 2004 Jun; 38(3):300-3.
2. Barr, K, Harrast, M. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2005 (779-799)
3. Brukner, P & Khan, K. Clinical Sports Medicine. 3^rd edition 2007
4. Brotzman, SB, & Manske RC. Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation. 3^rd ed 2011
5. Levin, S Early mobilization speeds recovery. Physician Sportsmed 1993; 21:70-4

Timberly George’s Bio

Timberly is a Sport Physiotherapist holding a post-graduate Diploma from Sport Physiotherapy Canada and is a clinical instructor at the University of British Columbia. She is very active in the sport physiotherapy community at the regional, national, and international levels. She was Venue Medical Manager for the Richmond Olympic Oval during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games and is a therapist for Rugby Canada. Timberly is one of the Vancouver Sun Run’s “Ask an Expert” panel members and provides injury prevention advice to runners through the Vancouver Sun newspaper and at local running clinics throughout Vancouver. In her spare time, Timberly can often be found running the trails or riding one of her bicycles around the mountains of the North Shore and Sea to Sky corridor.  Her primary areas of interest are treating sport related injuries, injury prevention and pre and post-surgical rehabilitation. *Timberly has no financial interest in AFX.

AFX Product Site

Moleskin

I have held a pretty firm position on moleskin for many years – I don’t like it and I don’t use it.

Here are my reasons. It doesn’t stick. It doesn’t shape to the foot’s curves. And it’s too thick.

I have no objection to other athletes using it, but I don’t touch the stuff.

Several years ago, I worked provided foot care at the 3-day Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk in San Francisco. They had a pretty good supply of powder and Vaseline – and boxes of moleskin. Everyone sat around and cut the stuff into small, medium and large ovals. Hundreds of moleskin ovals. It didn’t take long for the rest of the medical staff to figure out the stuff sucked. They quickly learned that I had my own supply of tapes – and they wanted some.

Reluctantly I took it out of the packet. I my mind, it was moleskin – pure and simple. But I wanted to give it a fair test. I cut an oval, peeled off the backing, and applied it to my heel, right over clean skin without any tape adhesive. It stuck extremely well and stayed on for two days. It’s not thick and is very soft so it formed itself to the curves of the side of my heel.

This evening I took another piece and put it on my heel and a piece of a different manufacture’s moleskin on the other heel. The ProFoot moleskin was superior and stuck better than the other brand. The ProFoot moleskin is shown in photo #1. It is softer than any other moleskin I have seen. It’s stickiness is better than everyone else’s too. After wearing it for two days I found it did not stick to my sock. It stayed in place.

The other brand is shown in photo #2. It’s much coarser in feel and easily comes off. If you look closely, you’ll see the far left edge lifting off the skin. That comes from it’s inability to form to the curves of the foot.

Here’s what ProFoot’s webpage says about their moleskin: “Velvetex is a unique breathable material that is softer and more durable than ordinary moleskin, it also performs better under pressure. The unique Microfiber texture moves with your foot to help reduce friction, further protecting your sore spots. It soothes, relieves, and prevents blisters, calluses, corns, sore spot, and red tender skin. It’s also latex free.”

I can honestly say I like ProFoot’s Velvetex Moleskin. I will be purchasing some to keep in my foot care kit for cases where I want something thicker than tape – probably for the balls of the feet and heels. I will use Compound of tincture of benzoin to help it stick even better. ProFoot has a winner in their moleskin. You can easily add a strip to your kit.

The Velvetex Moleskin is packaged with two 3.25” x 5” sheets to a pack. The ProFoot web page has a button to buy from Amazon, Walgreens, and other online websites. Amazon has it for $3.11 per pack.

Fair disclosure: ProFoot sent me their Moleskin to test. I have no financial investment in the product or company.

When Tape Goes Bad

Today I worked the medical aid station at mile 20 of the Oakland Marathon. Saturday I restocked my foot care box, adding supplies that I had depleted during the past events. I also cleaned up my Baggies of patches, and other small items.

One of the things I noticed I was short was tape. I added a roll of Leukotape and some Kinesio Tex. The Leukotape was out of a box off my shelf. I knew it had been on the shelf for while, but was unsure how long.

A short time into the race, I had several runners come in for some taping over hot spots. I cleaned the skin with an alcohol wipe, assessed the problem, and peeled off a bit of Leukotape. The first strip stuck okay. But after that, I could tell the tape did not have its usual stickiness.

I unrolled more and more, but the tape was bad. It would not stick.

Thinking about it, I think the tape was several years old. Maybe even three years. I am pretty good about checking my tapes – but this one slipped by me. So my advice is to check all your tapes before a race.

Foot Care Video Ideas

Making a Foot Care Clinic video is one of my major objectives for 2012. I had the whole project laid out and wanted to know what others wanted to learn. Of course, I have my own ideas of what to teach, but I value the input of others. So a while back, I asked for suggestions. Here a summary of what I received.

Three Topics – I can think of 3 video topics that I would like to see covered. I’m always referring runners to your book. My experience at aid stations and answering runners’ questions tells me there are many runners that neglect basic foot care. While many runners are expert at caring for their feet, there are also many that are getting by but with the grace of God. I think a video as basic as demonstrating foot washing might be needed.
1. The Daily Routine: What the ultra runner should be doing every day to keep feet healthy and race ready.
2. The Race Routine: Preparing feet race morning or the evening before.
3. Race Emergencies: The emergency race supplies to be carried or stored in drop bags that allow the participant to be independent and successful with race foot care. Include special weather conditions. ~ Todd Baum

Blister Care – Definitely blister care, small ones to the nasty, start to finish when athlete rolls in, hows its done, tools, tricks, when to leave them alone, when to advise them to consider oh no stopping. ~ Wayne Kehr

Toe Blisters – I’d like to see a picture of toe blisters and how to tape them. The tape always seems to fall off from the toe, especially if it is the little toe. ~ Kris Martinovich

Taping – Taping would be #1–preventative. Various shoe lacing techniques to reduce pressure on tender top of the foot (skipping holes, etc.) would be helpful for hikers. ~ Susan Alcorn

Blister Popping – I’d like to see the correct way to pop a blister. ~ Patricia Carroll

Callus Care – I would very much like to know the proper treatment for reducing calluses on  the ends of my toes and the balls of the feet. I’ve tried scraping, cutting, and the Ped Egg, no luck, they keep coming back, and they hurt. ~ Margie Withrow

Hydration – A section explaining why managing hydration and electrolytes can help avoid issues in the feet! ~ George Miller

Toenail Care – How about proper nail trimming and filing of the nail tip “forward” so there is no ridging to catch sock? ~ Rocky Shon

Taping, Blister Care, Toenails and Calluses – I really love the idea of a Foot Care Video. Obviously, as you mentioned, various taping techniques are a “must” when it comes to the content. I would also like to see proper treatment of blisters both on the trail and after the run at home. Another topic could be best preparation of toenails as well as calluses for ultra events. I am sure that you had those topics already on your list, but I just wanted to make sure that they are indeed covered. ~ Harald Vaessin

Specific Taping Techniques – I’d opt for some demonstration of how to properly tape one’s feet with Leukotape. I taped some sore areas early on the John Muir Trail last August, found I couldn’t remove the tape a couple days later and ended up tearing, cutting holes in my toes to get the damn tape off!  I successfully completed the trail in 17 days but did suffer because of my apparent taping errors. ~ John Cusick

Plantar Fasciitis – Information on how to deal with plantar fasciitis. ~ Ed Werner

Honestly, a few of the ideas were ones that were not on my list. I envision this as a tool to teach athletes stuff that is hard to describe in print. Taping is a prime example. It’s hard to fully grasp the concept of taping toes without a series of pictures. That’s where a video will shine.

As this project evolves, my readers will receive updates and will have more opportunities for input. If you have not sent me you idea and want to be heard, please comment below.

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