Learn about specific foot and lower limb conditions, injuries, footwear and orthotic facts on the blog...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis; it affects more Canadians than all others forms of arthritis combined. 1 in 5 Canadians are affected, and these numbers are increasing. OA is a progressive disease and can be described as a result of the bodies failed attempt to repair damaged joint tissue. Bones come together to form a joint; cartilage at the ends of the bones act to cushion against impact. Gradually, as cartilage breaks down, it becomes rough and fra

Properly fitting shoes can make all the difference when it comes to comfort and foot pain. Here are 5 tips to remember when doing your shoe shopping: 1. Length, use the rule of thumb. A shoe needs to be a thumbs' width (or 1-2 cm) longer than your longest toe while standing. You should be able to freely wiggle your toes when the shoe is on. If one foot is slightly bigger than the other, accommodate the larger foot. You can also check by removing the insole from the shoe and c

Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS) or what most of us call "shin splints" is a musculoskeletal overuse injury that produces generalized pain along the inside bottom two-thirds of the shin bone (tibia). It is different from other injuries such as stress fractures, tendonopathies and compartment syndrome that affect the tibia. Classified as an overuse injury, shin splints are common to runners but can also be present in other populations, often affecting beginner runners and

Cycling is often considered a healthy exercise choice because it is low impact, this typically means less pounding on your joints and often less injuries compared to other higher impact sports, which is a good thing! But cycling comes with its own plague; repetition. Unfortunately the repetitive nature of cycling can overload tissues; with the repetition of a slightly incorrect movement pattern you can be predisposed to injury. If you wear orthotics in your everyday life, it

Runners', the use of multiple pairs of shoes for running (different brand, model or version, but having the predominant pair used on average only 58% of the time) lowers running-related injury by ~40% (!) over runners who strictly wear one pair of shoes. Incorporating cross training also has a protective factor on running related injuries. Incorporating multiple pairs of running shoes and activities may be effective at reducing repetitive stress injuries because load placed o