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Don’t Let an Achilles Injury Stop You in Your Tracks

Don’t Let an Achilles Injury Stop You in Your Tracks

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By James Gucciardi

Myth has it that the mother of Achilles dipped the infant in the River Styx, which supposedly offered powers of invulnerability. Holding him by his heel his whole body was submerged in the magical water making him invincible. That is, his whole body except for his heel where his mother held him.

Achilles tendinitis is one of the most frequent injuries suffered by runners. If you run long enough, there is a good chance you’ll suffer from Achilles pain at some point. There can be many reasons for this, but one clearly stands out the most among the rest and that is over-use. Let’s take a look into greater detail of the anatomy of the Achilles, how it breaks down, and what you can do to have more resilient ankles. Read more →

Why New Year’s Resolutions Suck

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By James Gucciardi, D.C.

It’s that time of year again when millions of people make a New Year’s resolution. One of the most popular resolutions, that’s broken year after year is to lose weight and get fit. Check out how crowded the cardio room is at your local gym, it’s busting at the seams!

We’re about 3 weeks into the New Year. This is where people typically start skipping work outs and fall back into old habits. If you’ve made a resolution to basically get into better shape and your resolve is starting to break, you’re not alone. Your health is so vital for living a quality life, don’t relegate it to something that has become so trivial like starting to make good choices on an arbitrary day. That’s not how it works.

resolution [res-o-lu-tion]: a firm decision to do or not to do something.

Forbes found that just 8% of people who make resolutions actually realize them. A study in 2007 by Richard Wiseman, a British psychologist and author from the University of Bristol, found that out of 3000 people who made New Year’s resolutions, 88% didn’t keep them. New Year’s Resolutions suck because they overwhelmingly lead to failure. When you fail, it can be discouraging to some and downright depressing for others. If you’re one of the few that has the will-power to keep them, stop reading. However, if you’re like the statistical majority, then read on.  Read more →

Should Runners Stretch?

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By James Gucciardi, D.C.

What we really should be asking is, what are your goals and would stretching be effective at helping you achieve them?  If you’re trying to prevent injury before activity, the research doesn’t support it.  As far as running is concerned, it isn’t an activity that requires your joints to go through a great range of motion anyway so you really aren’t in jeopardy of acutely tearing anything.  But if you’re a mixed martial artist that isn’t very flexible and someone starts cranking on your joints, you’re in trouble. So it would behoove you to stretch often to have and maintain appropriate flexibility. But you’re a runner, not a mixed martial artist, so the question begs… Read more →

Small Changes that will Make You a Better Runner

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James Gucciardi, D.C.

So you’ve been running awhile and hopefully you’ve been consistently making progress.  If you’re savvy, you’ve realized how using strength training not only improves your times, but hopefully has made you more resistant to injury too. But there is one area for improvement that rarely gets any love even though it can make a huge impact on the quality of your life.  What is it?

Learn to move efficiently and then make it a daily practice.  While this will certainly help your running, the truth is moving more efficiently will also reduce your potential for injury and simply make you feel better in your own skin with everything you do.  This article is not about the best running style.  There really is no such thing.  “But wait…I thought you’re supposed to land on your mid-foot. No, heel strike!  Mid-foot!  Heel strike!”  Less Filling; Tastes Great!  You get the idea.  Although there is no best running style, elite runners all have one thing in common…they are efficient.  Amateur runners who are often injured also have one thing in common…they’re not. Read more →

It’s Just a Blog, Get Over It!: An Introduction

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When I approached Lou a couple of weeks ago about writing a blog on the Selden Hills website and he thought it was a good idea, I was very excited for several reasons. First, it is an opportunity for Dr. James Gucciardi and me to share our knowledge and expertise regarding injuries, strengthening, rehabilitation, conditioning, etc. as it relates to running. This brings us to the second reason; assisting the Selden Hills Warriors with their running-related questions or concerns to help you recover from injury and/or become improved runners. And lastly, by doing so, it allows us to hone our skills as sports rehab doctors. It is a win-win situation for all of us because we can get a better pulse regarding what information runners find valuable and deliver that information to the group to help you all become better runners. That being said, we thought it would be a good idea to formerly introduce ourselves and tell the group a little about our background and what we do as sports chiropractors for our first blog.
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