I got a question in the Exercises for Injuries Secret Group which is a place where customers go that have purchased my products and they can ask me questions or they can ask the community questions when it relates to health, fitness, injuries or pain.

One question that came in from Simone was “I would like you to address a common concern of woman, what kind of exercise that can be done when can’t be on your knees and you can’t be on your hands because of extreme degenerative osteoarthritis?”

Exercises to Strengthen Your Knees If You Can’t Get On the Floor

CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube video.

There are two sets of exercises or more of like group of exercises that you can do.

1St Group – Utilize the Wall

You can utilize the wall to do different types of exercises.You can do various plank movements: out to the side, stepping on the spot, or your can increase the angle as well when it comes to the exercise. Make sure you are on a non-slip mat when doing things.

Various Plank Movements

Let’s say when it comes to your wrist, if you can’t place your hands on the wall, you can go with your forearms or you can use your fists when it comes to the exercises.

Utilize the wall if you are not able to kneel down or place pressure on your hands when getting on this hand position. Don’t devalue what you can with the wall.

Another thing I could do is I can grab a 1/2 foam roller and I can utilize that on my hands. I have my hands with it against the wall and then go through the various exercises if I can’t kneel down or I can’t place too much pressure on my hand or extend my wrist.

Use a Foam Roller

With my previous clients, what I have had success with is getting them into the pool and doing pool exercise. There is that buoyancy that lifts them up and they are able to add more intensity but decrease on impact.

2nd Group – Utilize Loop Tubing

I can step on the tubing and grip on the tubing or I can have the tubing placed on my hand. I can do various things.

Even if I can’t grip, I can lift it up and bring out the legs out to the side.

Bringing the legs out to the side

I can do pressing.

Pressing

I can utilize the loop tubing to various things and to exercise as well if I am not able to kneel down or place pressure on the hands and on the wrists.

Those are some ideas if you are not able to kneel down or place pressure on your wrists due to degenerative osteoarthritis. But remember, you can always work around injuries. I know when you search on the internet looking for different types of exercise you could do, most of the time it’s like fully abled young people doing exercise but don’t end up translating to yourself and your injuries and your pain. But there’s always ways of working around it like utilizing the wall, utilizing different types of tools so you can do the exercise, and utilizing the loop tubing.

If you are looking for a program to help you overcome knee pain, then check this out….

Take care and bye bye.

Rick Kaselj, MS

I was in the Exercises for Injuries Secret Group which is a place where people who have bought one of my products go in order to ask myself or my friends in the health and fitness world questions in order to help them with their fitness, or injury, or health problems.

A question came up in the Secret Group and it was about the Golf Stretch. I wanted to highlight and make sure that you are avoiding these 4 Common Mistakes when performing the Golf Ball Stretch for Plantar Fasciitis or Foot Pain.

Avoid These Common Mistakes When Performing the Golf Ball Stretches for Plantar Fasciitis or Foot Pain

CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube video.

If you search around the internet or if you talk with your friends, a lot of times if you have foot pain or plantar fasciitis they will say “Oh, you should take this golf ball and rub it along the bottom of your foot”.

Golf Ball Stretch

It is an excellent exercise, but there are four things that I have seen that a lot of people do wrong when it comes to the golf ball stretch.

#1 – Avoiding Painful Areas

When they are doing the exercise, people are avoiding the painful areas when it comes to doing the golf ball stretch. You want to work around that painful area but you also want to go into that painful area when doing the golf ball stretch.

#2 – Not Putting Enough Force into the Plantar Fascia and into the Golf ball

A lot of people just take the golf ball and rub their foot along it but you have to remember that the plantar fascia is an incredibly strong tissue, we walk on it everyday, we run on it, we jump on it, it takes a lot of stress and force through it.

In order to self massage it, as what we are doing with the golf ball stretch, you need to put some force into it. Just standing and rubbing it a little bit is just not good enough to do the trick.

If you do it in sitting, you are not get as much force into it as you need, unless you really lean on it and go through that golf ball stretch.

Golf Ball Stretch Sitting Position

Make sure that you are putting enough force in order to get some benefits from that golf ball stretch.

#3 – Not working the Heel

A lot of people are focusing just on the arch area but you got to focus on that heel and working on that heel area and really making sure you put good enough force into that golf ball and really working that heel and not just working the arch.

Golf Ball Stretch focusing on the Heel

#4 – Ignoring the Toes

If you look at the fascia using our hand, the middle is the arch and the heel of the hand is the heel of your foot and that fascia moves off into the toes. A lot of people just focus on the arch, not really dealing with the heel and not dealing with the toes.

Golf Ball Stretch moving into the Toes

You are moving into those toes and trying to go into the toes when it comes to working that fascia and not just the arch.

There you go! If you are giving that golf ball stretch in order to help with foot pain or plantar fasciitis, make sure that you don’t make these four mistakes.

1. Avoiding the painful areas. In some areas it’s going to be uncomfortable but you want to go into them cautiously.
2. Make sure you put enough force into it to really have an effect and a benefit in that plantar fascia.
3. Work that heel area.
4. Work into the toes.

Another thing that you could do if you are doing the golf ball stretch in order to get the benefits, you can put it in a freezer and have it frozen, that will increase how dense it is or how hard it is and which will also help cooling it down when it comes to the inflammation side of things of the plantar fasciitis or foot pain.

One other question that I commonly get is “does the brand of golf ball matter when it comes to golf ball stretch?” — No. It doesn’t matter what kind of brand of golf ball you use to do the golf ball stretch. It is more important to do the golf ball stretch and even more important that you do the golf ball stretch right.

If you are suffering from plantar fasciitis or know of someone that is, this will help…..

Rick Kaselj, MS

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I am getting a lot of questions when it relates to what to do about sitting. I wanted to go through the 4 Best Stretches to do if you are sitting all day.

Best Stretches To Do if You Sit All Day

CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube video.

With these stretches, you can pretty much do them anywhere. You can get off your chair and go through the stretches or at the end of the day you go through the stretches.

#1 – 90/90 Hip Flexor Stretch

I am kneeling down on a 90/90 position and contracting the abdominal area and I am moving my hips forward. I am looking for a light stretch in the front of the hip and I am like carrying on into the front of the hip joint.

90/90 Hip Flexor Stretch (front view)

From the side, I am at 90/90 position, nice and tall. Taking it through my abdominal area and bringing my hips forward and looking at a light stretch from the thigh and from the hip. That’s the 90/90 hip flexor stretch.

90/90 Hip Flexor Stretch (side view)

#2 – Kneeling Side Bend Lat Stretch

I can get up and off load my knee and off load the stretch and then I can go back to that 90/90 position. I am reaching out and then side bend a little bit and I am looking at stretching out that lat.

Kneeling Side Bend Lat Stretch

With the lat, when you sit that long period of time, your hip flexors get tight but also that lat gets tightened up especially on both sides. I am in that 90/90 position, bringing my arm overhead and then side bending. It’s not perfectly to the side, you move a little bit to the front and looking for a light stretch in that lat. When it comes to how intense the stretch is, I find it being a lot less than the 90/90 hip flexor stretch.

Now if you have back pain or history of back problems, you are not going over aggressive. You are really trying to focus on locking the hip and just moving that upper body to the side looking for a light stretch in that lat area.

#3 – Calf Stretch

I am taking a good step forward. I got both toes point straight ahead and my feet are flat and then I am leaning forward. It’s best to put your hand on something in order to get support and eliminate balance because we want to focus on the stretch side of things.

Calf Stretch

Moving forward, both toes are point straight ahead, that heel is flat and I am looking for a light stretch in that calf muscle.

#4 – Standing Full Nelson

I have interlaced the fingers behind the neck and I am opening up. I am really trying to focus on opening up.

Standing Full Nelson

Interlocking and opening up bringing those elbows back and looking at getting that light stretch in the front of the chest.

There you go, give those four stretches a go. I recommend for people to hold the stretch for 20 seconds and perform the stretch twice or twice on each side alternating.

Looking at the 4 Stretch Exercises:

1. 90/90 Hip Flexor Stretch hits those hip flexors.
2. Side Bending Lat Stretch targets the lats which sometimes get tight and shortening up when you are sitting especially if you are not sitting in perfect posture.
3. Standing Calf Stretch – When you are constantly sitting and if you move your feet across your legs and you put pressure on both of your toes, that ends up activating the calf. A lot of times the calf gets tight, we are loosening it up with that standing calf stretch.
4. Standing Full Nelson Stretch – what we are doing there is we are working on stretching out the chest, the lats, and also working on those muscles in the mid-back area activating and strengthening them up.

If you are sitting all day and you are looking at what you can do to help reverse that sitting, give those four stretch exercises a go.

Make sure to swing by ExercisesforInjuries.com, enter in your injury and pain, there’s a good chance that I have an article, a video, or an interview that will help you overcome your injury or pain.

Secondly, if you are watching this on YouTube, head up above and hit subscribe. What that would do is every couple of days you will get a video like this or a guest video from one of my friends in the fitness world or an interview all helping you overcome injury or pain.

Thirdly, head down below and leave me a question or a comment. Take care!

If you are looking for a program to help you with your tight hip flexors, then check out….

Rick Kaselj, MS.

Every January, I head to Florida.

Some may think that it is because I want to avoid the snow and cold but to be honest, I have enjoyed moving up to Kelowna and having a real winter and a full four seasons.

Plus the kids love the snow. The snow brings out the best in kids, especially when they close the schools down for the first time in 37 years due to a heavy snow fall.

Two weeks back, I headed to Miami and it was a full weekend of learning, networking and spending time with friends.

Here are 3 things that I learned while I was there…

#1 – Know What You Are Ordering On the Menu

When I travel, I try to take some risks on what I order. I like trying new things and 90% of the time, it ends up being great except that time I ordered sheep stomach as a meal.

On Thursday night, a group of us went out for dinner…

I would like a steak so I looked at the menu and decided to order a 22 oz steak.

The steak was great but 22 oz was way to much. If you go to a steak house, know how much steak would be enjoyable enough for you.

I enjoyed the first 12 oz but the last 10 oz were not enjoyable.

That being said, it is always great going to fitness meetings and seeing what other people eat and why they eat the way they do.

I always come away with different tips and ideas.

Here are a few tips that I got while in Miami:

• One that Shawna K does is she tries to have alcoholic drinks that have calorie-free mixes in them. By doing this, you decrease your calories from the alcoholic drink by about a half. The best drink that I had when I was in Miami was a pineapple infused vodka. It was incredible.
• When you head out of town, head to the gift shop or the local corner store and get some raw almonds. They are a nice light snack when traveling and they won’t pull you over in customs for having them if you end up bringing them back.
• A nice afternoon snack is to have a tea with a spoon full of cup of coconut oil and beef gelatin. I have not tried this yet but I am looking forward to giving this a go.
• Another one that I learned was try to have a glass of water after every alcoholic drink. This will hydrate you back up, fill you up, decrease the effects of the alcohol and decrease how much you end up drinking.

#2 – You Can’t Beat Working and Walking with Friends

I have been a part of a fitness info mastermind for about 5 years. We meet up every few months and over those 5 years, I have built a number of great friendships.

It is always great to meet up with those friends and chat, especially while walking in Miami….

Nothing beat breaking away from the phone, computer, laptop, TV, tablet and pager to spend time with friends, catch up with how life has been going, talk about what is coming up and go for a walk.

When I go to conferences, courses, seminars, meetings, etc I try to focus on enjoying the moment, connecting with old friends, meeting new friends and giving all of the technology stuff and work a little bit of a break. All that other stuff can wait until I get back home.

#3 – Improve Your Communication

I know when I started working in the health and fitness world, I focused on learning everything that I could when it comes to exercises and injuries. I attended courses. I bought books. I read research articles. I trained as many people as I could. I got good and I am good at working with people with injuries.

I thought the more knowledge I have about injuries and exercises, the more clients I would have and the greater success I would have but I was wrong. It isn’t all just about that.

That was kind of the case. The thing that really improved things was working on improving my communication and specifically, how to communicate with people on how I can help them overcome their problems.

A big part of that was speaking or presenting which I did while I was in Miami…

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The other part is writing….

(Like this blog post you are reading.)

With both, understanding the fact that with both you are selling something.

I know, too many selling is an evil word but it is a key to helping more people, move forward and getting what you want.

Just asked my kids. They are some the best communicators when it comes to getting what they want. Especially when there is an app or toy that they want.

Other examples:

• It is important for me to explain to my client why a certain exercise is important.
• It is important for me to discuss in my blog post why an exercise is good.
• It is important for me to convince my wife on why we need to go to Mexico to have tacos.
• It is important for me to encourage my kids to eat vegetable.

So now, I put equal time on my technical skills as I do with my communication skills, especially selling with those skills.

Thanks for reading and have a great day.

Rick Kaselj, MS

P.S. – One event that I will be attend in March that will be helping me improve my communication (and selling)  is this event. Hope to see you there.

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4 Worst Foods for Plantar Fasciitis

Do you have heel pain?

Perhaps you already know about plantar fasciitis or what’s also referred to as the heel pain syndrome. Also, if you’re reading this, you probably have some interest in what plantar fasciitis is or want to learn how to cope with it. Suffering from plantar fasciitis pain can be quite unbearable. Yes, sometimes, you may be able to endure the pain for a while, but eventually you’ll say to yourself: “There’s got to be a BETTER way to deal with this condition!” Have you ever wondered if you were the only person going through this type of pain? When you stand on the floor, do wince and dread your every step?

NO, you are NOT alone! There are a LOT of people going through these same issues. Unfortunately, this condition is very common and it has been categorized as the most common cause of chronic heel pain [1]. Also, we learn from the American Chiropractic Association that plantar fasciitis affects approximately 2 million people in the United States [2].

There’re various reasons why plantar fasciitis may occur. However, there could also be unknown reasons for its occurrence, which makes the condition even more depressing for many people because they do not quite know what to do to prevent or avoid the situation. Some reasons for the occurrence of plantar fasciitis include wearing improper shoes, carry heavy loads for prolonged periods and being overweight.

HOWEVER, did you know that there’s also a role that FOOD plays for those who have plantar fasciitis. There’re foods that can make the condition worse. Yes, certain foods can do you more harm than good and there’re certain foods that exacerbate certain ailments. Let’s discuss some of the worst foods for plantar fasciitis. If you are suffering from chronic heel pain related to plantar fasciitis, you do not want to miss learning about these 4 foods that can simply make the condition much … MUCH worse. So, let’s dive in a take a look.

#1 – Junk Food!

Yes, you might have guessed that this would be one of the choices … and if so, you guessed right. There is not much that comes from junk food that can do much for the body except help us pack on the calories and feel sluggish … or worse … really, really sick. Sometimes, a person’s body get’s accustomed to junk food and this is a bad, BAD … really bad idea. Why? Junk food typically contains high amounts of unhealthy sugar and fats. These unhealthy ingredients FEED diseases and ailments including plantar fasciitis. Hence, if you’re suffering from plantar fasciitis, you need to stop abusing your health with junk food. I mean, to be realistic, small amounts of these substances could be permissible and we do encounter this from time to time in meals. However, DO avoid junk food when dealing with plantar fasciitis.

#2 – Meats

Lean meat is certainly better than meat that has significant amounts of fat. These fats clog the body and prevent the healing and anti-inflammatory processes that help to tackle problems such as plantar fasciitis. Unhealthy fats from mea,t feed inflammation and this is bad news for chronic heel pain. When consuming this food with high amounts of unhealthy fat, the body is unable to tap into the resources it needs to fight out inflammation as a result of worn or absent tissue on the feet. So, REDUCING the consumption of red meat can be helpful. Try using other types of proteins. For example, you could find that fish is quite versatile and rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which is just what the body need to fight inflammation. Say NO to unhealthy, fatty meats.

#3 – White Flour

This is a common ingredient in things like bread, cakes, cookies and many processed snacks and foods. Sometimes, white flour is simply EVERYWHERE we look. Hence, it can be difficult to avoid but NOT impossible, though. Yes, there is hope. You could also switch out white flour with wheat flour and get the same desired results in foods and recipes but with a much healthier outlook, especially when treating the pain associated with plantar fasciitis. There’re many other meals that people that use white flour too as a major ingredient such as in soups as a thickener or as an add-on to foods that are presented with crispy coatings. Hmm … these foods may look yummy BUT what is the effect on your health and pain levels? NOT GOOD! Check the ingredients of foods and cut down or eliminate as much as you can.

4. Unhealthy Fats

“Unhealthy” is the keyword for this category of foods that you should avoid when dealing with plantar fasciitis. While there’re fats that are good for us, we should avoid fats that are unhealthy. Essentially, these are the type of fats that just make you pack on the calories with no significant nutritional value! This additional weight can wreck havoc on your feet and add to the torment you’re experiencing. NOT good at all!!!

It is important to note that EXCLUDING all types of fats from your diet is the NOT solution. INSTEAD … stick to the healthy kinds of fats such as those in nuts and avocados. While consuming these healthy fats, you’ll also need to do so in MODERATION! So, avoid the unhealthy fats that can be found in many fried or similar foods and eat the healthy fats in moderate quantities. You can also FIGHT the effects of unhealthy fats through exercise. Low-impact exercise such as walking has been effective in addressing foot pain [3]. Hence, if you have been consuming unhealthy fats and have added some weight as a result … there’s HOPE … you’ll find that exercise could be quite helpful.

In general, sticking to healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, wheat flour and similar foods can do a lot more for the body than consuming any of these 4 worst foods for plantar fasciitis. Avoiding these worst foods and you may just notice that changes that you have been longing for. Oh … wouldn’t that just be GREAT! YES, IT WOULD!! Yes … there’re ways to treat plantar fasciitis which include the use of medications, soft-tissue manipulation, chiropractic manipulation, shock-wave therapy and surgery. However, you should note that these treatments have various levels of efficacy [4].

What if I told you that there was a way to get rid of heel and foot pain through EXERCISE! Is this too good to be true? No, it isn’t. There’re effective and safe exercise routines that may help eliminate the need for those expensive surgeries, drugs and medical devices [5]. Really, what do you have to lose by trying out exercise routines, especially if living with plantar fasciitis has become quite unbearable! In addition to lessening the symptoms and resulting pain from plantar fasciitis by eating the right foods, consider exercise as a viable path to healing and improved quality of life too. Life’s too short to live with chronic heel pain DAY AFTER DAY. So, STOP the pain – EAT RIGHT and avoid foods that are really bad for plantar fasciitis.

If you want to see what foods to eat if you have plantar fasciitis then check out Plantar Fasciitis Relief in 7 days here:

Rick Kaselj, MS

References:

[1] Journal of Foot and Ankle Research: Ultrasound guided injection of dexamethasone versus placebo for treatment of plantar fasciitis
[2] Plantar fasciitis: American Chiropractic Association
[3] Plantar Fasciitis: A Concise Review
[4] Plantar Fasciitis: Diagnosis and Therapeutic Considerations
[5] Plantar Fasciitis Relief in 7 Days

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Total body health includes taking care of you feet too!

If you think your feet are not important … THINK AGAIN! Feet need care and health too. Many groups remind us of the importance of our feet and why we need to pay attention to this vital part of the body that helps us get around by walking, running , jumping and much more! Feet can be a mirror to our general health and there are many conditions that could affect our feet including bone anomalies, structural alignments issues, problems with gait, flat feet, corns, calluses, skin thickness and others [1].

Other statistics we should know about feet include the fact that 75% of Americans will be experiencing problems with their feet at least one time during their lives [2]. Such statistics could be similar to many other parts of the world too.

For certain health concerns such as diabetes, foot care becomes even more critical and there should be sufficient attention paid to foot health to prevent drastic outcomes. For everyone, taking care of your feet is a no-brainer and something we SHOULD all be doing! Other problems that people develop can also be traced back to problems with their feet. Do you know that in your lifetime, if you compare the amount of walking you’ve done, you’d have walked around the world … and not just once, but up to five times! This is about 115,000 miles during a person’s lifetime [3]. HENCE, let’s consider 7 keys to foot health. Yes, sign me up TOO in terms of learning these important keys to keeping my feet in GREAT shape. The MORE we all know about our foot health, the better-off we’ll ALL be.

#1 – Know Your Feet.

First, we need to know our feet!

We NEED to understand the type of feet we have. For example, do you have flat feet?

Have you have had foot problems in the past?

When a child is born, he or she has flat feet because the foot of an infant is still developing. However, for some adults, this condition may persist and create occasions for clumsiness or tiredness when using the feet for prolongs periods of time. If you do not have a fully developed foot arch, you’d NEED shoes that provide arch support. You can create excessive strains and pressure on your feet when you increase certain activities. THUS, you do need to BEWARE of this! Knowing more about your feet and how you could affect ligaments such as the plantar fascia ligament around the heel area could help you avoid foot problems.

#2 – Buying the Right Shoes

Another key for successful foot health is to buy the right shoes. Once you identify what your feet need, consider buying shoes that provide the RIGHT fit for your feet. Your feet can expand and contrast based on the time of the day. At the end of the day, feet tend to be at their largest size. Hence, when attempting to buy shoes that fit properly, you may want to consider this too and not buy shoes in the morning!

Certain types of shoes can also create foot conditions that I’m sure you’d rather do without. An example is bunions which is quite prevalent in women who wear pointy shoes. The abnormal pressure that the WRONG shoes place on the feet gives rise to painful spots on the feet too. There are 26 bones and at lots of joints in the human foot and you want to ensure that you find shoes that give your feet room to breathe and move. When shoes do not fit properly, this can cause about 80% of the problems people have with their feet.

#3 – Love the Low Heels!

Are you a high-heeled shoe fan?

If yes, you may want to embrace a low-heeled shoe life-style instead. Look at your feet in its NATURAL state. It sits low on the ground. This lowness and lack of stretching as seen with high-heeled shoes minimizes the risk of harming the metatarsal bones. If high-heeled shoes must be used, it is recommended that no more than 2 inches high is attempted. Nevertheless, if you are using low shoes, you are doing your feet a favor and contributing immensely to your FOOT HEALTH!

Bunions are also common in high-heeled shoe wearers because of the pressure exerted on the feet. Apart from bunions, high-heeled or poorly fitting shoes can also create a deformity known as hammer toe in which a toe is bent due to shoes that just do not fit properly. With the wrong shoes, a person could also suffer from metatarsalgia, which is a pain in the ball of the foot.

#4 – Let Your Feet Breathe.

Sometimes, we simply do not give our feet a break. YOUR FEET need to breathe. We find ourselves in many types of places including the gym, damp areas and also in damp clothing, sometimes. We should also exercise CAUTION, though. Despite the desire to have feet breathe, shoes like flip flops which provide wide-open spaces for the feet, are actually considered one of the worst shoes a person can wear. Yes … at the beach or near water, flip flops do come in handy. Hence, in these environments, flip flops may be the more reasonable solution. However, for long-term wear, seek other shoes with better support. Also, feet have sweat glands but this does not cause foot odour. Instead, foot odour is caused by bacteria.

#5 – Keep your Feet Active.

There are stretching exercises that could be used to ensure that your feet remain in great shape. If we don’t use our feet as we should or if our feet begin to suffer from inflammation, we may notice the onset of arthritis. This has also been referred to as an acute gout attack and such an attack could affect other joints of the body like the knees and the fingers. Walking can help to lengthen your life. It’s great for your heart and some cardiovascular activity is recommended for general health. However, beware of over-activity TOO, which could lead to INFLAMMATION and conditions like PLANTAR FASCIITIS. Exercise routines could be used to tackle foot ailments such as plantar fasciitis and these exercises may eliminate the need for costly medical interventions such as surgery, drugs and medical devices [4].

#6 – Other Conditions Affect Foot Health.

There are medical conditions such as diabetes that can adversely affect a person’s feet, if sufficient care is not taken. Improper care, especially when a person is diabetic, for example, could lead to the amputation of the feet or the entire leg. YES, this is quite serious!!! Hence, it is imperative that we know how other medical conditions could be directly related to foot health. With conditions such as diabetes, a person has a certain level of vulnerability to foot problems. Hence. VIGILANCE to foot health is ESSENTIAL!!!

#7 – Throw Out Old, Worn Shoes.

If you have shoes that are old and worn, you should throw these shoes OUT.

Also, please note that you can also have new shoes that have aged and become LESS IDEAL to wear such as shoes sitting on a shoe shelf somewhere with shoe glue drying out or shoes with air pocket cushions dissipating. Another thing to watch out for regarding your foot health is … SALES! SALES!! SALES!!! Yes, you’ll often find that these types of sales may include some shoes that are ultimately not good for your feet.

So, a good question to ask is: How long has the store had these shoes? Hmmm … perhaps the store clerk may not tell you this, but it’s good to consider just how “new” those shoes really are. Athletic shoes typically last up to 500 miles. If you’re actively using your shoes, consider changing shoes every 6 months or so. You could also recycle old or worn shoes rather than throwing such shoes in the trash.

We see that taking care of our feet involves being mindful of different aspects related to the health of our feet and what we wear on our feet. If you do want to wear high heels, anything over 2 inches can be linked to problems associated with the feet and heel pain is the most popular type of foot pain, while bunions are more likely found in women than in men.

Wearing shoes can help protect the feet! However, we need shoes that provide adequate support and footwear that protects us from becoming infected with fungus, which causes conditions like athlete’s foot. Viruses could also infect the feet and cause conditions like plantar warts. Other conditions that affect the feet include arthritic gout which is a swollen toe, calluses and corns caused by thickened skin and in-grown toe nails caused by cutting nails too short.

Want to learn more about Plantar Fasciitis and how to treat it check out Plantar Fasciitis Relief in 7 Days here:

Rick Kaselj, MS

References:

[1] Facts: Canadian Federation of Podiatric Medicine
[2] Foot Facts: Foot Health Network
[3] Foot Facts Resources: Solo Laboratories
[4] Plantar Fasciitis Relief in 7 Days

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SHOES!

There is a very high probability that we all wear these items. BUT … what are our shoes doing to our feet? Are the shoes you’re wearing good or bad for you? At least 75,000 miles can be accomplished by feet by the time a person reaches the age of 50 [1]. However, to accomplish this, our feet would need to be in good condition and this in turn is directly related to the SHOES we wear! Well, let’s dig a little deeper, shall we? Yes … yes… we know that shoes can be an important part of our lives and sometimes the reason we wear shoes is to protect our feet from the myriad of stuff that could harm us including pointy edges, fungus, bacteria, viruses and MUCH more. BUT, who is protecting us from our shoes.

Ahhh …. that’s the question we should be asking! Yes, BE AWARE that the shoes on your feet could be quite DETRIMENTAL to your foot health, if you are wearing the WRONG type of shoes.

Particularly for certain people with ailments or health issues, the shoes you wear could help or worsen the condition. Think about people with conditions like plantar fasciitis, poor circulatory issues or diabetes … in these situations (and MANY others too), wearing the wrong shoes can spell DOOM! So, without any delay, let’s discuss just what these 7 worst shoes for your feet are and why you’d want this information before making shoe choices that can ruin your foot health!!

#1 – High, Stiletto-Type Heels

Have you admired those high stiletto shoes … possibly from a distance OR you HAVE some in your closet at this moment?

Yes … the seemingly cool beauty of these high-heeled shoes can be very deceptive as well. However, DO NOT be fooled! The feet were not meant to be placed at such an angle. If the position of the feet deviates too much from the normal angles, especially for PROLONGED time periods … GUESS WHAT! You SUFFER!! Maybe not immediately, but over time … this action of stretching the feet beyond its natural limits can be very bad for your feet. Do you hear people who wear high heels complain? Yes, indeed!! With these high-heeled shoes, the Achilles tendon can get stretched and NO … this is not good. Stiletto heels can also cause calluses and unevenly distributed weight [2]. Then … we wonder why people complain after wearing such shoes?!! PAIN, my friend … it’s all about the pain from high-heeled, stiletto-type shoes. Stylish, maybe. Painful, definitely!

#2 – Ballet Flats

No, these are not ballet shoes that ballet dancers wear to dance ballet. However, these are shoes that do have similar structures to the actual ballet shoes. Ballet flats are … well … FLAT … and with minimal support for the feet too. Within these shoes, the feet are able to move and sway as you thread on surfaces. When such surfaces are uneven and potentially treacherous, ballet flats are LESS likely to give the feet the support needed. Especially around the foot arch area, support in these types of shoes is REALLY minimal, if present to start with. Due to the flatness of this shoe, there is typically insufficient padding on the insoles as well. Some folks may try to add more insole padding after purchasing the shoes to help provide additional support.

#3 – Flip Flops

Yes, I know … I could almost hear you groan when you saw that flip flops made the list of worst shoes for your feet.

Honestly … flip flops could probably win the award for worst shoe!!

While ballet flats may not typically affect a wide range of people, flip flops on the other hand could cast a wide net and come back with lots of victims! Research studies have shown that flip flops increase peak plantar fascia pressures and these types of shoes can place the feet at a greater risk for pathologic abnormalities [3]. Flip flops can be BAD NEWS for your feet because these types of shoes simply DO NOT have adequate support for the feet and as a result, can lead to foot pain.

#4 – Sandals

Sandals were quite popular in historic times and were a type of footwear that both males and females wore constantly.

Think back to the Roman Empire and the type of footwear you would associate with that era. Yep!! Sandals, right! Just like flip flops, sandals also fall into the category of providing poor support for the feet. Ok …ok… what’s all this fuss about support, you may ask. Why do our feet need so much support? Well … think about it … as we move our hands, this can be less impactful as moving our feet … when we move our feet, we are also moving the full weight of our body! Thus, there can be an increased chance for INJURY if we do not quite position the feet properly. Uneven surfaces and improper shoe support can be the worst combination EVER! So, let’s stick to shoes that have PROPER SUPPORT!! New technologies are beginning to provide better support for some brands of these types of shoes, though.

#5 – Pointed Shoes

Pointy shoes are just not natural. Take a LOOK at your feet right now … Do your feet POINT or are your toes in a relaxed spread? Most likely, your feet are relaxed and sitting pretty at the end of your foot and are not bunched up in pain, trying to point LIKE an arrow. This is the effect we get from pointy shoes. NO … NO, we cannot magically transform our feet and toes to pointy little soldiers whenever we want to. The feet and toes were just NOT meant to be so pointy. Hence, when people wear pointy shoes, they give room to the occurrence of inflammation and subsequent pain.

#6 – Platform Shoes

Platform shoes may look cushiony, but this can be far from the truth too.

Unfortunately, the bottom part of platform shoes can be quite rigid and this presents an unnatural support for the feet. Rather than let the foot flex naturally while working, platform shoes respond with rigidity and this HURTS the feet! In addition to providing unnecessary rigidity for the feet, platform shoes may also provide high heels and the same stretching and pressure that high-heeled shoes provide. Another PROBLEM with platform shoes is the potential for ankle instability. REALLY … just take a LOOK at these shoes! By merely LOOKING at these shoes, you can see how UNSTABLE the shoes are! With such high thresholds for instability, these shoes are a BIG HAZARD!!

#7 – Worn-Out Shoes

If shoes are worn-out … and I mean TIRED, BROKEN DOWN, NO GOOD FOR ANYONE shoes, you should THROW the shoes OUT.

Don’t be tempted to keep the shoes because if it’s worn, it has most likely lost its support and as a result, it’s NO GOOD for you too. If you continue to wear such shoes, you may actually create problems for your feet. For instance, imagine shoes designed to support feet in a certain way but over time these shoes lose their functionality. This absence of design functionality provides gaps in the function of the shoes through which serious injury could occur. BESIDES creating injury, worn shoes could make existing injuries worse.

So, just how important are your shoes? Shoes that do not fit properly can be detrimental to foot health and the forefoot is the main area of complaint for foot problems [4]. Wearing the wrong shoes can also exacerbate conditions like plantar fasciitis and while trying to stamp out heel and foot pain through treatments methods that include exercise routines, wearing the wrong shoes while doing so can create more harm than good. So … what can you do? You’d need to know about these worst shoes for your feet if you want to get on the RIGHT track!

Want to learn more about shoes and how they effect your foot pain then check out Plantar Fasciitis Relief In 7 Days here:

Rick Kaselj, MS

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References:

[1] Foot Health: American Podiatric Medical Association
[2] The Dangers of Stilettos: Are They Worth the Risk for Bone Health?
[3] Computerized Analysis of Plantar Pressure Variation in Flip Flops, Athletic Shoes and Bare Feet
[4] The Effect of Shoe Toe Box Shape and Volume on Forefoot Interdigital and Plantar Pressures in Healthy Females

People laugh when I tell them that I have about 125 products.

I am amazed that I have that many but I have a lot to share and say plus everyone has an injury or pain that slows them down.

Looking back at 2014, here are the most popular products from EFI world.

Enjoy!

Rick Kaselj, MS

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#10 – SI Joint Solution

Big problem, especially with women and there are no any good solutions out there except this one.

#9 – Gluteus Medius Exercises

Most people focus on gluteus maximus but these ignored glute muscle which is very important to help recover and prevent so many injuries.

#8 – Fixing Tight Hip Flexors

With most of the world sitting, enough said.

#7 – The 0-6 Pack Abs System

Another abdominal program. Shows the interest and need for this.

#6 – Fix My Knee Pain

Surprise that this is so high but with people aging, their knees are always the first to go.

#5 – Fighter Abs

Great program on strengthening and toning your abdominals.

#4 – 101 Superfoods that Stop Your Joint Pain & Inflammation

The resource when it comes to eating and joint pain.

#3 – Recovery Workouts

The solution on what to do after your workout.

#2 – Bodyweight Corrective Exercises

Great product and resource on how bodyweight exercises can help you move and feel better.

#1 – Ruthless Mobility

This was a huge surprise but knowing the content and importance, I know why.

I hope this information is helpful for you and if you are interested in any of these products go ahead and click the links to learn more.

Rick Kaselj

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