ALEX HUTCHISON
From Globe and Mail August 14, 2011
During a one-hour run, your feet push off the pavement about 10,000 times — enough of a workout to build some pretty impressive foot muscles, you’d figure.
“Considering the countless miles that runners put in, most think that they have very strong feet,” says Matt Ferguson, the president of Vancouver-based Progressive Health Innovations. “And they do — but for only one motion.”
Running does wonders for the muscles involved in plantar flexion – pointing your toes toward the floor — but leaves a host of other small muscles throughout the foot and ankle weak. The result is an increased risk of common running injuries like plantar fasciitis, shin splits, Achilles tendon problems and even ankle sprains.
“What many don’t sunderstand is that all those miles running straight forward on flat ground can cause very significant muscle imbalances,” says Mr. Ferguson, whose company recently introduct an all-in-one foot strengthening tool called the AFX Ankle Foot maXimizer. “Those imbalance can affect their performace and be a major source of injury.”
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