Summer Running in Philly

Getting Some SPRING (or summer) in Your Step: Dr. Sklar Shares His Running “Wisdom”

Yahoo! It’s summer. To me that means I am going to be on the street running. I love to hear that my patients are running. Most of you are familiar with my favorite tag line, which is Newton’s first law of physics - “Objects in motion stay in motion unless acted on by another force.” Very often that other force is a couch and a remote control! But now is not the time to “chill”…the weather beckons you outside to challenge the force of gravity.

Okay, so you think that running might be bad for your knees. Some of us do have a predisposition for knee pain, especially if we were athletic in high school and still continue to be a weekend warrior on any field or court. However, there are ways to combat your pain. If you haven’t heard of glucosamine sulfate, start listening. If none of your friends are taking it, I’ll bet at least a couple of their friends are. GS is a natural component of your cartilage that creates cushioning from the pounding we experience with weight bearing activity. If you catch degenerative change early, GS can help rebuild the cartilage and offer you a reduction in your pain, or even provide prevention against imminent wear and tear.

Moreover, as concerned as I am for you knees, and I am, the chiropractor in me wants to focus especially on your spinal health. If we keep your spine healthy, the rest of your body will respond to stress much more efficiently. As the cartilage and meniscus act as shock absorbers for the knees, the spinal disks are the vertebral shock absorbers. The disks themselves do not have their own nutritional supply. For example, our heart has coronary arteries that bring in fresh blood with oxygen and nutrients; the lungs have pulmonary arteries, and the liver the hepatic artery. Without its own supply, the disk is known as avascular tissue. It counts on surrounding tissue to supplement it with nutrient and fluid. The motion and impact of running creates imbibition. This is the force of creating fluid flow into the region. If you are a runner, maybe this has happened to you: Life takes a turn and you can’t get your runs in. Next thing you know, your back starts to hurt. Then you get out for a run and the pain is gone – imbibition at work.

There is not just one way to keep from degenerating, but hydration is huge. At Triune we are known as water pushers. You should be drinking at least half your weight in ounces all year long. I don’t care how cold it is or whether you don’t feel thirsty. Fortunately, you can train yourself to be thirsty! The more you drink, the more the body requires fluid; the healthy association begins! Our spinal muscle and joints need the lubrication. You keep your car oiled and lubed. The chances of you having another car in your life are pretty high, but another spine, very doubtful in this lifetime. Take care of it — get a good quality pair of sneaks, orthotics and a nice running path. Philly is filled with short and long runs that are scenic and fun. Just ask me for a recommendation. Then you may need to ask me to shut up. Happy Trails!

Dr. Jeffrey Sklar