Runners, athletes and people in general who are dedicated to getting better and running faster are always looking for ways to improve their health & performance. Regardless of your level of commitment, dedication to training and available time, there are some things that you can do not only to improve your running performance but your overall health.

1.  Incorporate Strength Training Exercises into Your Workout Routine.

Most runners and people in general think that the only kind of exercise that they should be doing to improve their health and performance is walking, jogging or running. However,  cardiovascular conditioning exercises such as walking, jogging, swimming, biking or running can only improve one’s health to a certain degree. If you really want to get stronger, build lean muscle, improve bone density, increase your metabolism and function better overall – regardless of age, then you should really look into Strength Training Exercises. This being said, it is not recommended that you perform ‘body building’ routines, whose only purpose is to build big muscles for show and not for function. Make sure the exercises that you are doing are FUNCTIONAL.

2. Improve Flexibility by Stretching Better

What comes to mind when you think of stretching? There are better ways to improve flexibility than long bouts of static stretching (where you hold a stretch for 20-30 seconds). Here is some information on the latest and most effective stretching techniques, called Active Isolated Stretching (AIS).

3. Properly Align Your Body for Optimal Performance

If a car is not properly aligned, it’s not going to function as well as it could. You can put more horsepower in the engine, top it off with  the finest fuel, continually change the oil and put in the best parts, but if it’s not aligned properly, there is going to be decreased performance. The same is true with our bodies. It is possible to properly align your body. At Pain Resolution Institute, we ‘fine-tune’ your body by addressing how your foot interacts with the ground, thus ensuring proper alignment of your entire body. You can find out more information by visiting our Body Alignment through BioMechanical Analysis page or by attending our Seminar on Proper Body Alignment on June 1st.

4. Eat Right (and address the cause of eating wrong)

Mom was right. Eat your fruits & veggies.

Most people know that what they eat effects how they feel, their performance and their overall health. Many people ‘know’ that they should be eating better (more fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, good fats and less processed foods, sugars, and artificial foods), but still don’t do it. What needs to be addressed is the cause of eating the wrong foods. Is is a lack of knowledge? Is is stress  at work on in a relationship that causes you to overeat, or not plan meals properly? Regardless of what your reason is, it is recommended to address this cause before addressing the actual foods that you are consuming. After this is addressed, you can focus more on meal planning and striving to eat a more balanced diet.

5. Recover Better through Self Care and Professional ‘Body-Work’

Many people focus on training and exercising hard and intensely, but neglect that their body needs to properly recover to perform and function optimally. There are a few things you can do to improve recovery, reduce muscle soreness and increase performance, such as :

• Foam Rolling
• AIS Stretching
• Hot/Cold Plunges
• Deep Tissue Massage
• Hands on Function Restoration Treatment at PRI

If you take into consideration even 1 of these 5 top things to improve running performance and your overall health, you will see drastic improvement. Like anything worthwhile, it takes dedication, and especially consistency over time if you want to perform better, improve your health and reach your full potential.

What comes to mind when you think of increasing function and reducing pain?

Is is a good pair of shoes to improve function and a pain pill to reduce pain?

How about exercise to improve function and stretching to reduce pain?

Or a deep tissue massage and inactivity to reduce pain?

These are some of these ‘tools’ that come to mind (which some are effective, some are not) when thinking about improving function and reducing pain, but what is truly the most effective way to increase function and resolve pain?

Highly Effective Tool #1 –  BioMechanical Evaluation

If you want to improve function and resolve pain, you have to address what causes dysfunction and also causes pain. If you have shoulder pain, back pain, hip pain, knee pain – or any kind of pain for that matter, this will cause you to compromise and you will not function as efficiently as possible. However, and often overlooked aspect of restoring function and resolving pain is an analysis of your body structure and alignment to determine if your body is properly aligned. This can be done through a BioMechanical Evaluation.

Highly Effective Tool #2 – Customized Orthotics

If misalignment is detected, you can drastically improve function and reduce pain by properly aligning your body with custom orthotics. This will greatly improve your foundation. Foundation is essential to alignment. If your feet are properly absorbing force from the ground, then your entire body will function properly. Pain can be resolved and function can can be restored, but only if we address the cause rather than treat symptoms. Custom Orthotics addresses the cause of pain, dysfunction and energy inefficiency by properly aligning your body.

Learn more about Proper Body Alignment, Improving Function and Reducing Pain

On June 1st, 2013, Pain Resolution Institute Owner, Founder and developer of the unique approach of Function Restoration is giving a highly informative seminar on how to properly align your body to improve function and reduce pain. The best part about this seminar, other than the wisdom and truly life changing information that our founder and owner is going to share with you, is that we are giving away a FREE BIOMECHANICAL EVALUATION to ALL attendees. Are you in pain, have bad feet or just want to improve your overall function? Why not take advantage of getting a BioMechanical Evaluation ($136 value) for FREE?

Call our office to RSVP today (559) 436-8525

After attending the California Classic Expo this weekend (for those of you don’t know, is a 5k, 1/2 marathon and a bike race), I spoke with hundreds of people on what is hindering their ability to run more efficiently and what is causing them pain (for some people it is excruciating pain.)

Most People are out of Alignment

Misaligned Foot = Misaligned Body

What I found from the most of the people I spoke with is that their body’s are not properly aligned. They are out of balance, starting with their foundation) and how their foot interacts with the ground. If your foot is misaligned even a slight amount, this forces the knee to be misaligned, which makes the hip misaligned, which can make your low back misaligned and even cause problems up to the neck and throughout the body.

Many people that I talked with were well aware of this, but don’t know what to do about it. If you don’t      take care of it now and just ignore it, you are asking for trouble down the road.

How to Drastically Reduce Pain and Run Faster – Proper Body Alignment

If your body is not properly aligned , the only way to get it aligned is through a body alignment assessment, also known as a biomechanical evaluation. During this testing procedure, a trained therapist will analyze your gait (walking pattern)  through HD video and playback and perform a series of other diagnostic tests. These tests will reveal where your are biomechanicslly inefficient  (where there are problems). After being evaluated, the next step is to be custom fitted to your individual orthotics, which help you align your body properly. ( you can read more about the technology behind our custom orthotics here)

With custom orthotics, your body will be properly aligned starting from your foundation.

With custom orthotics you will be addressing the cause of conditions and ailments such as plantar fasciitis, foot pain, hammer toe, bunions, neuroma and knee pain (these were among the most common at the California classic)

With custom orthotics, now you can be as energy efficiency as possible.

With custom orthotics, now you can reach your full potential

June 1st, 2013 – PROPER BODY ALIGNMENT SEMINAR at PAIN RESOLUTION INSTITUTE

If you’re ready to properly align your body be your best, reduce pain and run your fastest, we are hosting an event on June 1st, 2013 on Proper Body Alignment.

Here is a quick video about it:

The best part about this seminar, other than the wisdom and truly life changing information that our founder and owner is going to share with you, is that we are giving away a FREE BIOMECHANICAL EVALUATION to ALL attendees.

…. a $136 value…

absolutely FREE…

Chances are you could really use a biomechanical evaluation. If you’re in pain, have bad feet or just want to improve your overall running performance, why not take advantage of getting one for FREE?

This offer won’t last long and we are limited to 50 people, so make sure you call and RSVP today!

I’m looking forward to seeing you then!

Have a great day!

Dave Fatula

Pain Resolution Institute

P.S. Our number is 559-436-8525 – call today to RSVP  because seating is limited

Shin splints, refers to pain located in the front of the shin.  The pain may be located toward the inside of the shin, or the outside of the shin. This condition usually occurs as a result of increased amounts of running or walking.  However, the main reason for its occurrence is inefficient foot function.  When the foot is not functioning as it should, the increased activity may then cause shin pain.

It may seem odd that a problem in the foot would lead to shin pain.  However, this is because many of the muscles that assist in supporting the foot actually extend up into the leg and attach to the shin bone.  Therefore, if the arch of the foot tends to collapse, these muscles will work extra hard in an attempt to help support the foot.  As a result, there is excessive stress at the attachment of these muscles on the shin bone, which results in inflammation and pain. The most effective way to treat shin splints is with proper footwear and the use of custom orthotics to restore normal foot function.

A neuroma may be referred to by many different names.  It is also known as Morton’s Metatarsalgia, Morton’s Neuralgia, Plantar Neuroma or Intermetatarsal Neuroma. It is typically characterized by pain or numbness on the bottom of the foot behind the toes.

A neuroma is a “fibroma” (fiberous tissue formation around nerve tissue). It involves a branch of the “plantar nerve” where it is located between the metarsals (long bones) of the foot.

Interestingly, neuromas have been found using MRIs in patients without symptoms. This means that the neuroma itself may not be the primary source of pain.  The pain may actually result from deficient foot function causing the metatarsals to pinch together, thus putting pressure on the plantar nerve.  As a result of this pressure, a neuroma may form.  Therefore, one of the most important aspects of treating this condition, is restoring proper foot function through the use of appropriate shoes and custom orthotics.

The intravertebral disc is the pad or spacer located between each vertebrae. Daily wear and tear, especially associated with poor biomechanical function can cause degeneration of these discs. This can cause the disc to herniate or ‘protrude’ and possibly result in pressing on the nerve roots as they exit the spine. Over time a disc may also compress or flatten out, decreasing the space between the vertebrae. This can also compress or irritate spinal cord or nerve roots.

However, even if X-rays or MRI results show abnormalities of the discs, normal, non-pain function is possible to achieve. By optimizing muscle function and biomechanics of the lumbo-pelvic region, detrimental effects of disc problems can be avoided. Studies have documented that 37% of normal functioning individuals who have had an MRI of the lumbar region may exhibit significant disc abnormalities, even though they have no pain.  This means that with appropriate treatment, you can be pain free even with apparent disc abnormalities.

Chronic pain conditions are common and dramatically affect the lives of many people. There are an estimated 116 million people in the United States suffering from chronic pain. People often feel that they must simply live with back pain, neck pain, headaches, pain in the feet, knees and hips. There is always a reason pain persists, and it is actually a warning sign telling you that something isn’t right. Therefore, if it all possible, the cause of pain should be identified and eliminated.

Many persistent painful symptoms are often signs of ongoing dysfunctions which can be addressed. These symptoms initially occur from common events such as injuries, strains, stress or other types of trauma that have occurred. Eventually, most people are able to return to some level of function. However, although healing has occurred, there remains a change in function which is often detrimental. With Function Restoration, these detrimental dysfunctions may be reversed.