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Proformance Physical Therapy

Matt Bornschlegl has over seven years of experience in the general orthopedic and sports rehabilitation areas. He has worked with collegiate and professional athletes from many sports, most notably in track and field and adventure racing/endurance sports.    

He served as a physical therapist for the Ford Adventure Sport Challenge which included several world champion teams from the Eco-Challenge Adventure Race and the Raid Gauloises. He has also served on the medical teams for competitions involving many of the world’s best rock climbers and trail runners.

Previously, as an athlete, Matt ran the fastest high hurdle time in class B during his final year of eligibility. He has held numerous high hurdle and intermediate hurdle race records at several major track meets. He has presently shifted his interests towards competitive adventure racing and also shares an interest in high altitude hiking/climbing with his wife, Staci.

Matt has a Masters degree in physical therapy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE and a BS in exercise science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In addition, he received his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) in 2000.

SHIN SPLINTS

January 15, 2008

Training in the winter is hard anyway as it is usually cold, wet, and windy.  It is also a time when fitness levels seem to decrease and the risk for injury rises.  One of the most common injuries in the early training season is “shin splints” (aka:  medial tibial stress syndrome).  The term "shin splints" refers to pain along the shinbone (tibia) and is usually the result of an overload on the connective tissues that attach the muscles to the bone.  Specifically, a muscle called the posterior tibialis is usually the culprit.

Who gets it?
Shin splints are common among runners and other athletes and can deter training quickly. However, the risk of shin splints is no reason to give up on early season training. Most cases of shin splints can be treated with rest, ice and other self-care measures — and wearing proper footwear and modifying your exercise routine can help prevent shin splints from recurring.

Symptoms
Usually shin splints show up as soreness or pain along the inner part of your lower leg bone that progressively gets worse.  Mild swelling can accompany this pain, but not always.  Initially, the pain may stop when you stop running or exercising. Eventually, if untreated, the pain may be continuous, even at rest.
Again shin splints are caused by an overload on the muscles and connective tissues that attach to the tibia/shinbone, this overload is often caused by specific activities, such as:
   - Running downhill
   - Running on a slanted or tilted surface
   - Running in worn-out footwear
   - Training too hard, too fast or for too long.

Again, shin splints are most common among runners, particularly those just beginning a running/training program. Runners that have flat arches are very susceptible to shin splints as their feet have a tendency to roll too far inward (pronate).

Treatment
In most cases, you can treat shin splints with simple self-care steps:
   - Relative Rest. Avoid activities that cause pain, swelling or discomfort — but don't give up all physical activity. While you're healing, try lower-impact exercises, such as swimming, bicycling or water running.  Increase your training time gradually.
   - Ice the painful area. Apply ice packs to the affected shin for ~15 minutes at a time, three times a day for several days. To protect your skin, wrap the ice packs in a thin towel.
   - Decrease swelling. Elevate the affected shin above the level of your heart, especially at night. It may also help to compress the area with an elastic bandage or compression sleeve.
   - Take an over-the-counter pain reliever. Try ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Aleve) to reduce pain and inflammation.

Prevention
   - Wear proper shoes.  Use shoes that support your arch and reduce pronation (rolling in).  Replace your shoes about every 350 to 500 miles.
   - Consider orthotic supports. Orthotics can help cushion and disperse stress on your shinbones. Off-the-shelf orthotics come in various sizes and can be fitted immediately. More durable orthotic supports can be custom-made and will last much longer.
   - Resume your usual activities gradually. If your shin isn't completely healed, returning to your usual activities too quickly may only cause continued pain.
   - Add strength training/flexbilitiy training to your workout.  There are several good strengthening exercises/stretches that can significantly help to decrease shin splint pain.  At the very least, make sure to stretch your calf muscles consistently.

Hot Spots

March 15, 2007

During an adventure race, there is not a part of the body that takes more of a beating than your feet.   Lieutenant Dan’s advice (to Forrest Gump and Bubba when they arrive in Vietnam) of “For goodness sake, take care of your feet!” holds true also in adventure racing.  Poor fitting shoes, cotton socks, wet feet, and debris in your shoes can all contribute to hot spots which can lead to blisters.  A bad blister can, at the very least, slow you down, and at the very worst, cause you to drop out of the race.  This article will cover the basics of treating a hot spot.

A hot spot is an area of localized heat, redness, and soreness and are the early stage of a blister.  They should be treated early on before symptoms get worse.  Locate the area of the hot spot and find out what is causing it.  Common causes are debris in the shoe or sock and tight fitting/tightly laced shoes.  Also, cotton socks that are damp will cause friction against the skin.

A silicone based lubricant (i.e. Hydropel tm) works great to apply on the areas of your feet that tend to have the most friction against them.  Also high quality polyester (i.e. Coolmax tm) or wool socks (i.e. Smartwool tm, Injinji tm) tend to work the best against protecting against friction. 

Simply carrying an extra pair of high quality socks in a waterproof bag or plastic bag and changing into them after having wet and/or sandy feet can often be all the treatment that is needed.  However, make sure to carry alcohol wipes and duct tape with you if more drastic measures are required.

If the cause is tight fitting shoes, loosen them up, of course!  If, after loosening, they continue to cause friction against the skin, you can always cut a small hole in the shoe where it is rubbing and cover the hole with duct tape.  Don’t worry about the hole in your new shoes…you won’t want to wear poorly fitting shoes again anyway so cut your losses.  Next, clean off any lubricant over the hot spot with an alcohol wipe and cover the area with a small piece of duct tape.  Be sure to overlap the hot spot by at least ¼ inch on all sides.

Usually, if caught early and treated correctly, a hot spot will be only a minor nuisance.  Treatment of a full-fledged blister will be covered in the next article.

www.proformancetherapy.com
TRAIN LIKE A PRO . . . PLAY LIKE A PRO . . . PROFORMANCE


4525 South 86th street, Suite B
Lincoln, NE  68526
327-9000

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