How To Get Children Interested In Running

It can be a tough challenge today as a parent to get your children interested in anything beyond a television, video game, or computer screen. With all of the stimulation of today's world, simple things like going outside and playing are overrun with organized activities. While these activities have their merit, there is also great worth in unorganized or spontaneous play. 
One of these activities can be running, which can be something the entire family can participate in. But how do get your children to run regularly? 
Here are some tips from Runner's World on how to get children of all ages to run. 

Ages 6 and under
How far? Not very. At this age, get them to play chase or racing to a destination is a great way to get them started.
Run/walk ratio: Running periods should be no longer than 10 to 20 seconds. Walk times in between should be one to two minutes.
Ages 7 to 9
How far? Start with a quarter of a mile. Every week add another minute or two to your run until you have reached a mile. If they're enjoying it, get going until you can do a 5K together- 3.5 miles.
Run/walk ratio: Jog for 10 seconds and walk for 40 seconds. Each week increase the jog portion by five seconds and decrease the walk section by five seconds, until you have a 30/30 ratio.
Ages 10 to 12
How far? Begin with a half mile, and each week add a quarter mile. Build up to whatever mileage feels comfortable. Many children at this age can run a 10K.
Run/walk ratio: Start with one minute running and one minute walking. If that is too easy, run two minutes and walk one minute. Build it up to four minutes running and one minute walking.
If you are a runner with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Sports Medicine Podiatrist in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Ways To Safe Running On the Road

With winter juts around the corner and it getting darker earlier, usual routines of walking or running in the early mornings or late evenings can feel different. From the route you take, to how much traffic there is outside, to whether the traffic can even see you, there are ways to stay safe when you're on the road. Follow these tips from Runner's World:

1. Leave word. Tell someone or leave a note that you've gone out and where. That way, if they need to
   come find you, they'll know where to look.
2. Have ID. Carry your identification and your cell phone with emergency contacts with you every time you go out. 
3. Pretend you're invisible. Don't make the assumption that a drive can see you. Because they likely aren't paying attention to what you're doing- they're paying attention to what they're doing. Behave like they can't see you. 
4. Face traffic. It's easier to react and see when you're facing oncoming traffic. Drivers will also see you more clearly.
5. Make room. If traffic is heavy or the road narrows, move over to the side or on the sidewalk.
6. Wear colorful clothing. The brighter you can dress, the better. If you're running near or after sunset, be sure to wear reflective clothing, like a lightweight vest. Bring a headlamp or handheld light with you so you can see where you're going and drivers can see you as well. 
7. Forgo the iPod. We know it's tempting to bring along your favorite tunes to motivate you when you're running, but you're less likely to hear an approaching car. If you absolutely must bring your music with you, keep the volume on low. 
8. Watch for hills. As drivers come over hills, their vision can be compromised by sun glare or backdrops. 
9. Watch for high-risk drivers. Stay away from parking lots, bars, and restaurants, where there may be heavy traffic. 
10. Be aware of early birds and night owls. These types of drivers tend to be overtired and less mindful of what is on the road. 
11. Mind your manners. When at a stop light or stop sign, wait for the driver to wave through, then give a polite wave. By doing that, that driver will be more inclined to do it in the future. Use hand signals to indicate which way you're going. 

If you are a runner with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Sports Medicine Podiatrist in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Rookie Shane Larkin Sets Goal For Returning

Rookie Shane Larkin has had a disappointing couple of weeks.
The new Mavericks player was hoping to play victoriously through two cities he's called home most of his life. 
But a broken ankle kept him from doing so on Friday in Miami and yesterday in Orlando. Larkin said Wednesday that he is not far from making his NBA debut. 
When asked if there was a target date for his NBA debut, Larkin said, "Um, my target date and their [the Mavericks'] target are probably different. We got a couple practices next week. I would like to play the 20th against Houston. That's when I'd like to play."
Larkin has only been through a couple of practices since getting the clearance to play again on his surgically

repaired right ankle, but he's already caught the attention of Dirk Nowitzki. 
Nowitzki said he can already see signs of why the Mavericks chose Larkin in the June draft, 18th overall. 
"It is only going to get better when we get Shane back," said Nowitzki. "His speed is fun to watch in practice. He's so quick off the dribble, pushing the ball. I think he's going to help us tremendously in the backcourt."
Larkin, the son of Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin, grew up in Orlando and went to college at Miami, making this most recent trip a special one for him. He's had a long back since he broke his ankle in practice before summer league in July. 
He joked that he would get "a lot" of ticket requests when he was in Orlando. "It'll be cool to go home and see everybody," Larkin said. "It's not how I wanted it to be, but it'll be nice to go home."
Larkin has been pleased with how his surgically repaired ankle has held up in practice. He felt he gave it a good workout on Wednesday, too.
"I was out there guarding Monta [Ellis], so I guess it's getting better. It feels good. After the first day it was a little sore. But I just got to get used to using it again. It feels a lot better now," the rookie said.
The Mavericks' backcourt is stretched thin right now with Larkin's ankle and Devin Harris, who has been out since foot surgery. When both return, it will take pressure off the backcourt.
Reference: Dallas News
If you are a basketball player with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Sports Medicine Podiatrist in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Pau Gasol Has Muscle Strain

Well, at least it's not his plantar fascia.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol revealed to reporters after Tuesday's 116-95 win over the New Orleans Pelicans that he has a muscle strain in his left foot. 
"I had a muscle strain there," Gasol said. "It's feeling better now. It's feeling a little better."
Gasol missed 20 games last year after sustaining a plantar fascia tear in his right foot and believes the two

injuries could be tied. 
"Now it's the left foot, maybe compensating," Gasol speculated. "Things like that happen... Hopefully we can keep it under control."
Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said before the game on Tuesday, "He's a big guy that takes a pounding, but he knows how to deal with it."
Gasol's foot has been bothering him since the end of training camp and the four-time All-Star was concerned there might be nerve damage in the foot. He underwent an MRI last week which showed the strain. 
He was reluctant to let on his foot was hurting him, saying, "It was sore a lot of times but I don't like to talk about things like that because they sound like an excuse. I don't like to make excuses when things go wrong."
Gasol recently recovered from a respiratory problem he had been dealing with since the beginning of the season. He had 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting, with eight rebounds, three assists, and a block against New Orleans. So far on the season he is averaging 12.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists with 38.2 percent shooting.
"I definitely physically felt better," Gasol said of his respiratory issue. "I was able to put a better effort together. I was sharper. I would like to continue to shoot over 50 percent if I can. I felt good. It was a good game overall."
Gasol knows that he needs to be his healthiest right now, as the team is without Kobe Bryant (Achilles) and Steve Nash (back, hamstring). 
"I think Pau knows that he has to lead us," D'Antoni said. "He has to be the guy that dominates the game, more or less. We got to get him into position to be able to do that. Again, it's not just one guy, but he's the most talented guy we have on the team and he'll have to be our leader." 
Reference: ESPN
If you are a basketball player with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Sports Medicine Podiatrist in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

MRI Shows No Further Damage to Manning

An MRI taken on Monday shows no further damage to Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning's right ankle. Now Manning and the Broncos will wait to hear what the NFL thinks of the hit the quarterback sustained in Sunday's 28-20 win over the Chargers.
Manning suffered the initial ankle injury last month against the Jacksonville Jaguars and it was aggravated the following week against the Indianapolis Colts. This past Sunday Manning was blindsided by Chargers linebacker Tourek Williams for a sack and fumble. After the game Manning was seen limping out of

Qualcomm Stadium.
"Somebody was around my feet," Manning said. "I've got to see the play. I don't know who it was. But they were near my lower limbs."
With regards to the condition of his ankles, Manning said, "Pretty sore. They kind of got me twice in that lower area. I felt better coming into the game after the bye week, but pretty sore. I'll get an MRI tomorrow, so I'll know a little more then."
Interim coach Jack Del Rio has sent copies of the play to league offices of Corey Liuget's dive at Manning's ankles. Manning stayed down after Liuget hit him, limping through the rest of the game.
"In the rules, there are certain areas you can hit and certain areas that are supposed to be protected," Del Rio said Monday. "And we thought that got into an area that was supposed to be protected."
Manning is still scheduled to play Sunday against Kansas City.
"I certainly plan on it, yeah," Manning said. "I had (an MRI) a couple of week ago. I took a couple hits today, so just kind of an update to see what it says. I'm hoping for no change."
"But he'll definitely play this week," Del Rio said. "He's ready to roll and that's good news."
In the game against the Chargers Manning got sacked 12 times and has been hit 27 times since Chris Clark replaced Ryan Clady at left tackle. In three straight games Clark has allowed Manning to be sacked and stripped from the blind side. Not good news.
According to Del Rio, "We're definitely on high alert, wanting to protect our quarterback."
References: Boston Globe and Denver Post.
If you are a football player with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Sports Medicine Podiatrist in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Jake Locker Done For the Season With Lisfranc Injury

We hate blogging about these Lisfranc injuries. Really, we do. 
And there have been so many of this season already. The latest casualty is Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker, who sustained the injury during Sunday's 29-27 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He will be out the rest of the season.
The third-year quarterback was injured in the second quarter on an 8-yard option play when Jaguars linebacker Russell Allen hit him. Locker tried to run one more play after he was hit, but he couldn't put

weight on his foot and he fumbled an attempted handoff to Chris Johnson. 
"I don't know exactly how it happened, but when I got up from that run, I could feel it," Locker said. He returned to the sideline late in the third quarter on crutches, with his foot in a protective boot. 
When Locker left the game, the Titans trailed 13-0. By the end of the game they lost by just two points, 29-27. 
Locker missed two games after suffering hip and knee injuries on September 29th against the New York Jets.
"A lot of times your character is tested through adversity," Locker said. "You try to deal with it as positively as you can."
Ryan Fitzpatrick replaced Locker and led a touchdown drive on his first series. Later in the game he had a ball taken out of his grasp by Jaguars defensive back Will Blackmon, who returned it for the game winning score. Fitzpatrick will likely start tonight against the Indianapolis Colts.
Locker will go into the 2014 season not knowing for sure if he will be the Titan's starting quarterback. Unlike the previous two years, Locker has played well in his seven appearances. He was 21st in QB efficiency, an improvement on the 31st ranking he held last year. Locker's completion ranking has increased from 51.5 as a rookie to 60.7 this season.
References: USA Today and CBS Sports
If you are a football player with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Sports Medicine Podiatrist in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Jay Cutler Out With High Ankle Sprain

We feel like we've seen a lot of football players this year with high ankle sprains. The latest to this growing list is Chicago Bears star quarterback Jay Cutler.
Cutler sustained the high left ankle sprain in Sunday's loss to the Detroit Lions. This injury came just 21 days after Cutler tore a groin muscle (Ouch!) in his left leg on October 20th in a loss to the Washington Redskins. It was his first game back since that injury. Cutler insisted that he was feeling 100 percent, but it was clear as the game wore on that his groin was bothering him. After one third-quarter throw he grabbed his groin and fell to the ground. He stood up and stayed in the remainder of the game, until he was pulled.
Coach Marc Trestman said Monday, "I think you all know he's got a high ankle sprain. He got it rolled up. It

was unrelated to the groin injury. It happened in the second quarter. They taped him up. There was no indication from the trainers there would be any further injury.
"I thought offensively he had one of his best games. I asked [the trainers] if the groin was an issue at all, [and they] didn't feel that there was. They told me even today, if he hadn't rolled up the ankle, he would have been able to play today."
Depending on how severe Cutler's sprain is, he may be out four to six weeks. In the meantime, the Bears will start backup quarterback Josh McCown on Sunday. McCown played in Sunday's loss with 2:17 left in the game. He led the Bears to a 10-play, 74-yard drive capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall.
Cutler sustained the injury with 2:56 left in the first half when he was hit by Detroit linebacker Stephen Tulloch as he completed a 12-yard completion to Alshon Jeffrey. On the next play Cutler appeared in obvious pain. Cutler was pulled after a short-hopped pass to Jeffrey in the fourth quarter.
"If you look at it closely, there was an indication that we should take Jay out," said Trestman. "It was on the last throw (of the fourth quarter as Cutler was pressured by Nick Fairley). He climbed the pocket. It was an awkward throw, and he threw the ball into the ground to Alshon."
"I just felt really restricted in the pocket in what I was able to do and it wasn't getting out as quick and some of the throws didn't have as much on them as I wanted," Cutler said. "And I knew Josh was ready to go and I just didn't want to get to a point where I was hurting us more than I was helping us."
Trestman was reluctant to pull Cutler as he was playing at a high level. He has watched the tapes from the games twice and has "no regrets" for the way he handled the situation.
"It's very tough to pull your starting quarterback out when he's throwing the ball with velocity, when he's hitting the receivers, and he's able to move in the pocket and complete a throwing motion," Trestman said. "All three of those indications confirmed with me that I should keep him in here. It's just a feeling thing. It's not percentages.
"He's our starting quarterback, he's our leader. If it's in the best interest of the football team and he can move the team and not hurt himself or the team, we want him to be in there. He wants to be in there. These things come up periodically in the course of seasons and in games with your starting quarterback, and you've got to make those decisions and they're not easy ones. But there are no regrets here."
"I thought he looked good up until a point, and I think the ankle started getting stiffer on him and decreased his mobility and- probably the series before, or the series or two before I went in, those series ended and he was trying to move and couldn't move," McCown said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN. "We were evaluating it, but I'll say this over and over again, Jay Cutler on one leg- his arm talent- Jay on one leg is as good as a lot of guys in the NFL just from what he can do and the throws you saw him make yesterday.
"The thought as we convened on the sideline was how we can evaluate. We got to a point where a) it was hurting him, he wasn't moving as well, and then we knew we were getting into a two-minute situation where mobility is crucial because you're throwing it every down. It's not like there's any deception. So that's when we said if it gets to this situation why don't you take it, and it just made sense to everybody. It's a tough thing what he went through yesterday, because he's a competitor and you don't ever want to take yourself off the field."
Cutler completed 12 of 18 plays for 148 yards in the first half, but hit just 3 of 12 plays for 59 yards in the second half, with the majority of that yardage on a 44-yard pass to Marshall. Cutler started the second half with incompletions on his first three passes.
References: Times Colonist and ESPN
If you are a football player with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Sports Medicine Podiatrist in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.