“I’m seeing patients right now who have sprinted from low to very intense activity too fast,” says Podiatrist Matthew Wilber, DPM, of Orthopaedic Specialists, Davenport. “Typically, the biggest problem we see is that people overdo their workouts by hitting the jogging path or elliptical too quickly and develop foot and ankle injuries.
“If you haven’t been walking or running large distances over the winter, don’t expect to go out and start logging 3 or 4 miles twice a week without some pain. It’s not wise,” Dr. Wilber advises. “Establish a lower baseline and gradually work your way back into a higher intensity.”
Matthew Wilber, D.P.M
To run or to walk?
The answer is yours to choose, but focusing on the activity rather than the results is more likely to lead you in a positive direction. If you enjoy walking, walk; if it’s running that keeps you coming back for more, then run.
Whether running burns more calories than walking depends primarily on how you measure the burn. Per mile, really brisk walking burns about the same calories as running. Yet running covers more miles than walking for the same amount of time, so in calories-per-hour terms, you can run through more calories than you can walk through. Tortoises and hares both make the most calorie-burning gains by increasing distance.
Your own weight plays a hefty role burning calories. It only takes a little physics to understand that moving a 250-pounder is going to burn significantly more fuel than propelling a greyhound-physiqued 110 lb. marathoner will.
Injury pain means no gain.
Walking and running both put pressure on your bones and joints. That is both good and bad. While both weight-bearing exercises increase bone strength and fitness, they can both also lead to injury, especially when form and technique are improper. The first step toward injury prevention, of course, is to go to a technical running shoe store to make sure you get the best shoes – and the best fit – for you.
Walkers and runners both often find themselves icing their sore shins. Shin splints for both can result from over striding – lengthening the step to try to go faster – and from foot-strikes that are too flat.
Simply shortening stride length can help with both problems, as can exercises to strengthen those pesky below-the-knee muscles and joints.
Exercises include writing the alphabet in the air with your toes, holding your leg still and using your ankle to make the lettershapes.
Less wacky exercises include toe raises while standing in a step so you can flex your ankles far enough to dip your heels down low. Some experts recommend walking on your heels only for up to a minute before beginning your workout; those experts evidently do not work out in public places.
Ankle injuries
Anyone who has had an ankle sprain – and, since they’re among the most common orthopaedic injuries, that’s many of us – can tell you that ankle-stabilizing ligaments lose in a contest with force going in an awkward direction. Depending on how much force or how far off-target it’s directed, ligaments can be stretched or completely torn. Walking is quite difficult with a complete tear, and healing can be uncomfortable.
While braces, casts, cam-walkers, or boots can reduce pain considerably, they can also cause joint damage if used too long. Ligaments heal better when the ankle moves; restricting movement can scar the ligaments and make them painful and prone to re-injury.
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