Stolen from a patient's email signature...I Love It!

If we work hard at what we're most passionate about, we'll be rewarded with a few thrilling moments of perfection.

I do not run to add days to my life.  I run to add life to my days.

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.

Robert Collier

RUN HAPPY!

At mile 20 I thought I was dead.

At mile 22 I wished I was dead.

At mile 24 I knew I was dead.

At mile 26.2 I realized I had

become too tough to kill.

Back Pain Fron Running?

Did you know that low back pain at some point in time will inflict over 80% of the population? Proper footwear can potentially prevent, reduce and treat biomechanical factors associated with low back pain in runners. Back pain can be a mysterious thing. Every time your feet hit the ground, the reacting shock is transferred up your legs to your hips and spine, and any biomechanical imbalance can ultimately cause lower back pain.

It could be that you have flat feet, and your over-pronation (rolling in of your feet) is causing your back ache. It could be that you have really high-arched, rigid feet and the lack of pronation is causing your back pain. It could be that one of your legs is ever-so-slightly shorter than the other, or that your pelvis is just a tiny bit uneven or tilted. You could have a curve in your spine. More seriously, one of the discs between the vertebrae of your spine could be degenerating or arthritis is setting in.

Back pain can be a tough mystery to solve, but with a little help from your friendly neighborhood sports medicine specialist you should be able to track down the cause. By far the most common diagnosis in patients with low back pain is the lumbar sprain/strain, which accounts for about 75% of all cases of low back pain. While muscle strain is the most common cause of back pain for runners, play it safe and visit a sports medicine orthopedist or a chiropractor to have your spine and vertebrae examined if you are experiencing severe pain.

If you have ruled out all the worrisome spine issue, you may have an uneven pelvis or unequal leg lengths. These conditions are relatively common and can be ascertained with a good biomechanical exam. With either, the muscles on one side are being pulled. They're tense to begin with, and the added stress of running can put them into spasm. Relatively weak abdominal and lower back muscles might also contribute to the problem. Running generally tends to cause strength imbalances between these muscle groups. Add tight hamstrings, another common condition among runners, and you have a nifty recipe for back pain. Core strengthening exercises and a lot of stretching can help.

Finally, the root cause is often in your foot, the last place most people look! Back pain is one of the many possible injuries associated with flat feet and over-pronation. Likewise, if your feet are rigid and high-arched, their lack of stress relief and under-pronation can cause stress imbalance resulting in back pain.

For immediate relief, cut back on the mileage, moist heating pads, anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen, and a good massage. If the problem is disc deterioration or spinal arthritis, surgery may be necessary, and an adjustment in training is absolutely required. Take this condition seriously, and see a spinal specialist. If your spine is merely out of alignment, manipulation by a chiropractor or physical therapist may help ease your pain. This may also ease your muscle strain.

If your doctor confirms that you have an uneven pelvis or unequal leg lengths, the solution will likely be to try to correct the problem with a heel lift on the short side. This may be as simple as putting a piece of 1/4" foam or cork into the heel of your running shoe. If you don't get any relief at all within a week, go ahead and take the lift out. If it does no good, its better just not to wear one; your body may have adjusted to different leg lengths, and "fixing" it may cause more discomfort. Whatever the case, make sure that the remedy matches the problem; do not use a heel lift if your doctor does not confirm that you have an uneven pelvis or unequal leg lengths, or you may only make your problems worse.

If your problem is in the structure of your foot, your solution may be as simple as wearing different running shoes or adding orthotics to the mix. Most shoes loose 75% of their shock absorption after approximately 500 miles. This appears to be the critical point in which injuries tend to develop as a result of shoe wear. Thus it is important to have a rough idea how many miles are on your shoes and to replace them before soreness begins. If your shoes are not worn out, see your podiatrist for recommendations of shoe types and to see if an orthotic will help decrease the biomechanical strain causing your back pain. . In most cases of lower back pain, you will benefit from exercises to strengthen your back and abdominal muscles.

Back pain can be an indicator of a serious problem and can lead to a cascading injury that slows your running to a complete halt! Muscular back pain is the most common and can be annoying and complicated to treat due to the myriad of causes. If you have severe pain, seek medical attention immediately. If your pain is mild and seems to be directly related to your running, look to your feet as a possible contributor to you pain.

Run Happy! And Pain-Free!

Too Hot To Handle Lives Up To It's Name!

I have to admit, it was too hot for me to handle this morning! I ran the 15K at Whire Rock Lake this morning and perished at about 5 miles into the race. I managed to hang on, after puking at 5 miles, to finish in 1:17....not my best showing by far! 95 degree heat coupled with minimal shade and way too fast first 3 miles was my undoing. This is one of the times when the doctor needs to take her own advice!

Congrats to all the winners who handled the heat much better than I did! My running peep, Heather Wallace, took second in our age group with a 1:13 and looked strong as she passed me walking at 5.5 miles! Lot's of Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers were out and the club made a good showing in the age group ranks including a first place overall woman's winner!

RunOn! was a great host and Stampede beer (infused with B vitamins) tasted wonderful after the run! Nothing better than a few beers after a less than successful race! And a good excuse to drink a few beers before 9:30 in the morning!

I survived for another day! And the technical shirts and hats were a great give away!

Run Happy! Keep Cool....the summer has just begun!

Shin Splints

“My shins are killing me after running,” is a common complaint of new runners or runners increasing their mileage or intensity. My daughter Caitlin complained of shin splints after only two weeks of running summer track! It has been estimated that "shin splints" account for approximately 15% of all running injuries and may account for up to 60% of leg pain in runners. Many terms have been used to describe exercise-induced leg pain, including shin splints, medial stress syndrome, tibial stress syndrome, recurrent exercise-induced ischemia, and chronic exertional compartment syndrome. "Shin splints" has been commonly used as an all-encompassing term for many disorders causing lower-leg pain so that’s how I’ll refer to it during this discussion.

So what is a “shin splint”? Shin splints are pain in the lower leg usually caused by a variety of overuse or chronic stress related fatigue syndromes. The root cause of most shin splints is chronic biomechanical imbalances of the lower leg and feet. What does that mean? Bad feet, muscle imbalance, bad shoes, or improper training. In Caitlin’s case, she was running too much, too soon, too fast like many new runners and needed better stretching and arch supports.

What can a “shin splint” represent? The underlying pathology of a shin splint can be a fatigue injury of almost ever tissue seen in the lower leg. This can include:

1. stress fractures
2. periostitis (irritation of the covering of the bone also known as medial stress syndrome)
3. Muscle fatigue or fascial herniation (compartment syndrome)
4. Tendonitis
5. Peroneal nerve entrapment
6. popliteal artery entrapment or intermittent claudication (decrease blood flow)
7. spinal radiculopathy (spinal nerve compression causing referred pain).

Wow! That’s a lot of things that can cause shin splints!

Caitlin Wins the Summer Rodeo at Ride with Pride in Southlake, Texas cantering home in the barrel races.

Watch her ride in the clip below! Proud Mom!

Happy 4th of July!

I"m proud to be an American because at least I know I'm FREE! Free to run the annual 4th of July 5K road race! This year we decided to run in The Colony Texas. They put on a great race. Love the Knights of Columbus, tapped the keg at 9am after an 8am road race start! The doc ran well finishing in 21:31....first place in the old lady age group but not a bad showing overall...I remember the old days of breaking 19 minutes....but no more....but overall a great race! Nice to see a large group of young people out running...and FAST! The winner was about 18 years old (looked about 15 to me) and ran under 15:45!!!!

Happy 4th! Hope yours was great!

Run Happy....and fast for today!

Research on Heat Acclimatization in Athletes

Bottom Line:

As challenging as heat and humidity are, people can acclimate. Blood volume expands, which reduces the strain on the heart from the increased demand for blood flow to the skin and muscles. And sweating increases — people who are heat adapted sweat sooner and more profusely, allowing their bodies to cool more efficiently.

The key to acclimation is to exercise in the heat daily and to be sure you are sweating profusely — wearing extra layers of clothing can help if you are exercising indoors or in cooler weather. Given a choice between spending more time in the heat but exercising less intensely, or less time and exercising more intensely, it is safer to choose to go longer and work less intensely.

For the complete article click here.

Run Happy! And sweat on.........

Dr Crane on TV again....we love the media...this time on "Deal or Dud?" on Fox 4 in Dallas

Check it out! I even look and sound like I know what I'm talking about....maybe I'll get my own show some day???? :)

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/myfox/pages/ContentDetail?contentId=6850573

Run Happy! That will trim your thighs much better than Fit Flops (although they are comfortable)

The Dreaded "Side Stitch"

My daughter experiences them regularly, early in the season when she is training for summer track. They can take your breath away. My advice is always to “run through them,” but often times it has been known to slow her down to a walk or crawl until the pain subsides.

1. Improve your cardiovascular fitness.
2. Warm up properly before you run. Yes, that 5 minute warm-up walk again….
3. Strengthen your core muscles (lower back, abdominal and oblique muscles).
4. Avoid too much, too soon, too fast syndrome (my daughter’s problem).
5. Avoid eating one to two hours before a workout. Having food in your stomach during a workout may increase cramping by creating more force on the ligaments.
6. Stretching may relieve and even prevent a cramp. Raise your right arm straight up and lean toward the left. Hold for 30 seconds, release, and then stretch the other side.
7. Slow down your pace until pain lessens, or walk it out.
8. Breathe deeper to stretch the diaphragm when you feel a cramp coming on. Then, breathe slowly out of your mouth with pursed lips; this tends to relax the diaphragm.
9. Drink before exercise; dehydration can increase muscle cramps. An electrolyte sports drink may be even more helpful than just plain water. Avoid any carbonated beverages one to two hours prior to running.
10.  Massage or put firm pressure on the area with pain. Bend forward to stretch the diaphragm and ease the pain.

If you continue to experience pain, seek medical attention. A side stitch that lasts more than a few minutes could be early signs of appendicitis (or just simply annoying constipation). Pain radiating into your shoulder, chest or back may even be heart-related.

For most runners, a side-stitch is just a signal to slow down and relax! In my family, it gives my daughter an excuse to skip the end of a grueling workout! Maybe she is the smarter one?!

Run Happy! And without the mysterious side stitch....

HAPPY SUMMER! CROCS SANDALS ARE NOW IN STOCK AT HEALTHY STEPS!