none is the doc that I know for sure is “the one.” So to speak. Hopefully everything will fall into place and I’ll get this done by summer. We’ll have 2 ART docs, 2 massage therapists and twice as much capacity. In this month’s issue, we’re going to dive into what I like to call “The Great Barefoot Running Experiment.” This experiment was carried out by me, primarily on me and to a lesser extent on Meredith (entirely of her own volition). The experiment was not based on the book Born to Run, which in my opinion is totally overrated. It was based more on the ideas of a Russian guy, the friggin’ knee pain that would not go away, and a foul mouthed anthropology professor from Harvard. Next, we’ll get your upper body moving in the morning. And we’ll finish with this month’s winner of the patient of the month contest. So sit back, kick your shoes off, and enjoy this edition of the newsletter. As always, I welcome your questions, comments, and objections.
ore on the shoes in a moment… On January 28 of this year, we were
the featured business on Groupon.com. We structured a deal with the very nice sales rep at groupon.com. The deal was for an Active Release treat-ment with me and a 1-hour massage with one of our massage therapists. We thought it would sell maybe 200 or 300 units – at most. Well, it did – in the first 3 hours. Panic set in as we passed 400, 500, 600. Finally we asked groupon.com to pull the plug at 1,200. Yes, 1,200 new patients / massage clients in one day. In my profession, this number is unheard of. Shock waves rolled through the whole Colorado chiropractic profes-sion. The truth is, this has pushed an already busy business to its limits. Most days the schedule has been full. On the surface this would seem to be a good thing, but it’s been tough to help people who get hurt and want to get in right away. Rest as-sured we’re doing the best we can. To that end, we’re in the process of ex-panding. I’ve been involved in long and surprisingly difficult negotiations with my building’s leasing agent (the building is half empty by the way) to take over the old Serenity Now! space next door. The idea is to double the size of the office and brin-ing in another Active Release provider. I have several interested providers, but
Losing my shoes & The future of Denver Chiropractic Center
M
Glenn D. Hyman, DC, CSCS 1780 South Bellaire Street
February, 2008… So, really, the whole thing started on my 39th birthday. I was flipping through what used to be known as Rocky Mountain Sports Magazine. I was perusing their “Keeper” issue which lists all of the outdoor events for the whole year in the Rocky Mountain region. I ran across Xterra Buffalo Creek. My friend and dentist Robert Martinich (a great dentist by the way) is the race director for Buffalo Creek, and I had been a sponsor for years. I decided there and then, on my 39th birthday, that I wanted to finish a triathlon before I turned 40. This was quite a departure for me. I had always gravitated towards the anaerobic, short-burst sports like skiing, hockey, and lifting. Endurance was not my thing. But since I was turning 40, it seemed like a good time to try some-thing new. Does that make it a mid-life crisis? May 2008… Moving forward- about 3 months into my training I devel-oped knee pain. It was May 24th, 2008. I know because I my parents were in town and we all went to the Rockies game that day (they lost 5-1 to the Mets). The knee pain started after my first “brick workout.” A brick workout is when you stack two or more of the tri-athlon sports (swimming, biking and running) on top of each other and do them back-to-back. I ran after riding my bike. And my knee hurt for a year and half. October(ish) 2009… I re-read my own article on denverback.com called “Will weak feet cause your defeat?” This article is based on conversations I had with Pavel Tsatsouline, the Russian godfather of the kettlebell movement. We’ve sort of lost touch over the last few years, but back in the day, we were friends. He hated shoes- supportive shoes, engi-neered shoes, pronation-correction shoes, you name it. His argument was that supportive shoes stole the role of the smaller supporting foot muscles and generally weak-
ened the feet. Pavel argued that this made your feet vul-nerable to injury. He further argued that developing na-tions had far fewer foot problems (and back problems) because they had stronger feet. This made intuitive sense to me, and Pavel is a smart guy, so I wore unsuppor-tive shoes when doing my kettlebell lifts. The trail running that is part of Xterra triathlons does not inspire one to throw away his shoes and go tiptoeing barefoot through the rocks, roots, and cacti. But in the warmth and relative safety of my basement I couldn’t stop the thought, “What if I ran on the treadmill without my shoes?” And so it began… I decided I would be sensible and just put in a half mile barefoot. I revved up the treadmill and warmed up a little. Then I popped off the shoes, tore off my socks, felt the breeze between my toes and away I went. Immediately, I realized the friction-producing belt on the tread felt like sandpaper and was uncomfortably warm. So the great barefoot running experiment actually would take place in socks. Close enough. As the running resumed, something very strange hap-pened. I felt very comfortable. My previously non-negotiable tendency to heel strike was replaced by a softer, springy midfoot landing. Nothing hurt. The stupid right knee didn’t even hurt. My half mile turned to 2 miles. I felt great. I had to stop at 2 miles because I was afraid that I’d some-how get hurt during the 3rd or 4th mile. I didn’t want to have to explain, primarily to Meredith, that my lifelong lack of common sense had once again led me to peril. So I stopped. I felt great. I was confused.
Never begin this or any exercise program without consulting your doctor first as you may be hurt or killed.
Pavel Tsatsouline
The great barefoot running experiment.
Page 3 www.denverback.com 303.300.0424
Was I really feeling this good or did I just want to believe? January 2010… A new patient, Harry H, comes to see me for a little foot pain. We get to talking about running, and it turns out he’s a serious runner who knows just about everything there is to know about the barefoot running movement. He makes me aware of Dr. Daniel Lieberman’s work. Daniel Lieberman is a professor at the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard. He’s studying both the role of endurance running in human evolution and the differences in impact forces when running with shoes versus running without. You can find his work on Harvard’s website. If you Google Daniel Lieberman, you’ll find him. In a nutshell, Dr. Lieberman’s work supports the idea that humans have been running barefoot for millions of years. His work also supports the idea that impact forces are less when running without shoes. Well, speaking with Harry and reading Dr. Lieberman’s work convinced me that I was on the right path. So much so that I bought “the world’s first barefoot running shoe.” The Terra Plana Evo (terraplana.com) touts itself as the first shoe that does nothing – no arch support, no shock absorption. All it does is protect your feet from getting scraped, punctured, and cut. All of this nothing came at a price, a whopping $170! Over the last month… Well, after a few months of running barefoot & in my Evos (mostly 3-5 miles) I can honestly say that the knee pain that’s plagued me since May 24, 2008 is gone. I guess
we’ll have to cancel its birthday party. To what do I attribute this remarkable recovery? Well, I believe that the very complex arrangements of the many bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments that com-prise the foot and ankle are better at absorbing and distributing forces to the big muscles above (calf, quads, hammies) than so-called running shoes are. By allowing these structures to do what they do with-out the shoe, they became stronger. And they did it quickly. It was strange, but it felt natural right from the get-go. So, what can YOU learn from this? Good question. You’re probably thinking that I’m here to tell you to cast aside your shoes and let your dogs run free. Well, I am. Sort of. The truth is that most of us need to work our way back to fully functioning unaided feet. If you’re already a run-ner, I ‘d suggest starting with short, moderately paced repeats on a track or grass. In the beginning, you’re acquainting yourself with how barefoot running feels. Warning– your feet will get dirty. Especially on grass. Vibram 5-fingers and the Evos are popular choices for “barefoot shoes” Sounds silly, but they’re worth a try. If you feel comfortable over the course of a few weeks, move up to your first barefoot mile. Again, see how you feel. Don’t push things too far. At the same time, work on those foot strength exer-cises I put in the newsletter a few months ago. Back issues are available on our website: denverback.com. Everyone, whether you’re a runner or not, can benefit from stronger feet. If you missed the issue on foot ex-ercises (hundreds of you are getting this newsletter for the first time) I really would like to encourage you to go to the articles page on the site and download the pdf. Happy trails to you...
Page 4 The Dr. Glenn Report
Never begin this or any exercise program without consulting your doctor first as you may be hurt or killed.
Keeping in step with our recent series on prevention and maintenance, this month we’re covering the neck. Once again these drills are adapted from our popular Primary Patterns Rehabilitation™ program. You can do this any time of day. Remember, not every exercise is right for every body. If something hurts, stop. And then call us. One of the most effective ways to increase mobility in your neck is to move it through cardinal directions: rotation, lateral flexion, and flexion-extension. Do these at a reasonable speed, through a full comfortable range of motion. Use your age for a rep count.
How to keep your neck & mid back happy.
Start by rotating gently from side to side. As the set pro-gresses, your range of motion should increase.
Then move to lateral flexion, or side tilting. Bring your ear toward your shoulder. Stay in a comfortable range.
Then look up and down, again increasing your range as you progress. Don’t push it too far; stay in your range.
Page 5 www.denverback.com 303.300.0424
I probably work on the area between the shoulder blades more than any other area (or at least it seems that way). It’s probably because so many of us spend so much time hunched over a computer. Try this stretch to combat tension in this area. Reach and tucks. Reach your right arm across your body. Turn your head to the left so it’s looking down the line of your arm. Tuck your chin and gen-tly pull your head to feel the stretch down the right side of your neck and into your right rhomboids. Repeat on the left (obviously).
Cobra. Since we do spend a lot of time hunched over, the fronts of our bodies tend to be tight. The good old Cobra pose from yoga is great for stretching out that fascia. 1. Begin in a prone position (face down). Place your palms on the ground at the level of your belly button with your elbows in. 2 Slowly push up so that your chest comes up but your belly stays in contact with the ground. 3. If you have no pain or disconfort, continue pushing up so that your belly comes off of the ground. 4. If still no problems, keep pushing until your elbows are locked out and look up. Hold this position for 3 slow deep breaths and then lower yourself slowly back to the start position.
My name is Katy Kristoffersen, and for four years, I had been dreaming of running a marathon. However, as I started my teaching career, I simply could not find the time or energy. I moved to Denver last year and began training on my own, only to hit several walls and stop due to injury. Then I met coach Peter Alfino, (milehighmultisport.com) who provided me with the patience, insight, and training that I needed to complete my goal. On one particularly snowy day, I ran my 15-mile run on a treadmill at the gym and finished with severe pain in my right shin and calf muscles. I panicked! I cried! I thought I’d have to pull out of my race. Last year’s nightmare was repeating itself, until my coach recommended that I see Dr. Glenn. I visited Dr. Glenn’s office about six times before my race, where he treated me with the Active Release, assured me that I could complete the race, and acted as my physical and mental therapist. The pain gradually improved to the point that after a mile or two, running was tolerable again. On January 8, my husband and I flew to Las Vegas and drove 30 min-utes to Boulder City, where we were to stay the night before the race. The marathon, known as “Running from Angel” was an out-and-back course around Lake Mead State Park, complete with eight HUGE hills. I started the race with a load of butter-flies in my stomach. I remembered to pace myself. I looked at each hill as a mini-race that I could easily conquer. I marked the people that passed me, and silently told them that I would see them again. I ran…and I placed FIRST in my age group!!! I don’t think I have cried that hard since I was a kid. By the way, my calf didn’t hurt at all. So, thank you, Dr. Glenn, and thank you, Peter Alfino, for supporting me when I thought I would fail, for keeping me strong, and for propelling me into a true love-affair with all things outdoors. Here’s to a triathlon in the summer…once I learn how to swim! And, Dr. Glenn, I WILL be back.— By Katy Kristofferson. Dr. Glenn says: Congratulations Katy! You are the patient of the month and will receive two free 1-hour massage gift certificates. BTW- Pete Alfino is a top-level multisport coach. He owns Mile High MultiSport. I know Pete and his wife Kathy personally, along with sev-eral of their coaches. In my opinion, these folks are the best coaches you can find. Check them out at milehighmultipsort.com.
We are in-network with: Aetna Blue Cross United Healthcare Great West Kaiser PPO (but not HMO) PacifiCare Humana Choice Care Rocky Mountain Health Plans Cigna– Out of network, but welcome
