The Pujols Tale Continues

Really, we feel badly when we have to blog multiple times about one athlete. What that means is their foot or ankle condition has not gotten any better and has typically worsen to the "no looking back" stage.
I blogged just two weeks ago about Albert Pujols and how he was considering having surgery on his plantar fasciitis once the season was done. However, it looks like Pujols won't have to wait until the end of the season to get that surgery done on his plantar fascia.
The Los Angeles Angels announced Sunday via Twitter that Pujols was being placed on the 15-day disabled

list: "Today the club placed A. Pujols on the 15-day DL (retro to 7/27) with a partial tear of the left plantar fascia."
Rut roh. According to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, manager Mike Scioscia believes Pujols will miss a substantial amount of time: "Angels MGR Mike Scioscia said DH Albert Pujols will be out "for a significant amount of time."
So how long? Well, Yahoo! sports writer Tim Brown believes the 33 year old will likely be out the rest of the season, tweeting, "Source: Pujols has been told he's likely done for the season. Surgery possible, but undetermined."
How long do we think, since we're experts on plantar fascia tears? Likely the rest of the season, as Brown has reported. Even two months rest would bring him into October and the postseason, and at that point, he might as well stay out the rest of the season.
Pujols has been dealing with plantar fasciitis on and off for close to ten seasons, but this is the worst it has ever been. He had been hopeful the four day break for the All-Star game would give it some time to rest, and he had been hitting well since the return- 11-for-29- but his pain is no better.
"It's been the same," Pujols said in Spanish. "I still feel some pain. I still feel it bothering me a bit. That's something that in the offseason, with time and rest, hopefully the pain can go away."
In the past Pujols has been able to deal with the pain, but this season the pain hasn't gone away and all of those years playing through the pain have caught up with him.
"That's how it is when you've been playing with something nine years," he said. "That's what the doctor told me. He said, 'Look, you've been nine or 10 years playing with this and it gets worse.' It's like if you have an injury in your arm and you keep throwing. What do you think? It's a long year, and it's going to catch up to you. That's what happened."
It looked like he aggravated the injury on Friday night against the Oakland Athletics, which could explain the partial tear he now has in his plantar fascia.
Compared to years past, Pujols is putting up low- to average numbers, hitting just .258 with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs. Certainly not terrible numbers, but nothing compared to what he used to put up in the past. Pujols' struggles are reflected in the performance of the team, which is currently 12 games back in the American League West and 8.5 games back in the wild-care race.
If you've been following sports at all this year, you know how bad a plantar fascia tear can be. Los Angeles Lakers player Pau Gasol was out a couple of months while his plantar tear repaired and we've seen several other professional athletes fall victim to the curse. The moral of the story is to rest, rest, rest. Playing through an injury does not make you look like a tough guy, or even a team player. Where will your team be when you're out for multiple months, or even a full season? You'll be in a similar situation as the Angels are in right now.
Reference: Bleacher Report and MLB
If you have heel pain, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Newington
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Bears' McClellin Says Plantar Fasciitis Gone

Chicago Bears defensive end Shea McClellin wants to make it clear the plantar fasciitis in his right foot

he suffered with at the end of last season is gone.
"It started in February," McClellin said during one of the first days of mini-camp last month. "I went in right away to see what it was and just got treatment, and it hasn't affected anything. So I'm good."
McClellin reportedly received Astym treatment, which stimulates the body's healing response. The result is the remodeling of scar tissue and regeneration of degenerated tendons. It's a non-invasive procedure and also involves physical therapy with an acrylic stone.
McClellin was a Bears first round pick in 2012 and stressed that he was not affected by plantar fasciitis during his rookie season and it has not been a significant issue during the offseason.
"I haven't missed anything, so it hasn't been affecting me at all," McClellin reiterated.
When asked if he would pay any attention to his foot in the future, McClellin replied, "No, I don't think so."
We'll have to argue a bit with McClellin's rather flippant reply to that question and point out the case of Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson, who suffered from problems with his heels for year and finally retired this year because of it. Heel pain and plantar fasciitis are not conditions to ignore or brush under the carpet. Baseball player Albert Pujols has been dealing with plantar fasciitis for seven seasons and is considering surgery, usually a last resort, to ease his pain.
McClellin was also asked if his pain was completely gone, and he replied, "Nothing right now. I feel good."
When the pain first appeared for McClellin he described it as "needles in the bottom of your foot." Now he says he has "no worries" going forward.
McClellin also dealt with a knee injury and concussion in his rookie season, finishing with 2.5 sacks, seven tackles, and two tackles for loss in limited playing time in 14 games.
As long as McClellin is feeling healthy, expect to see a lot more of him this season. New Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker will be more creative with McClellin in blitz and nickel packages.
Reference: Sun Times
If you have heel pain, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Newington
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow our tweets on Twitter.

Albert Pujols Thinking About Surgery For Plantar Fasciitis

Albert Pujols has had enough with his plantar fasciitis. Any fan watching an Angels game can clearly tell that Pujols is in terrible pain, especially when he's trying to run the bases. 

Pujols is batting .244 with 13 home runs, 49 RBIs, and a .736 OPS in 83 games this season and is nowhere near the production he has provided in the last ten years. This the worst he has played in his career.
While suffering from his latest bout of plantar fasciitis, he has played designated hitter in 52 games. His usual position, first base, has seen the likes of him just 31 times.
Several weeks ago Pujols told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times that, "When we get to that point, we'll talk about it. I'm definitely going to try to do something after the season to help me out and not play in that pain I've been playing in. There's no doubt I'll be a full-time first baseman next year."
What Pujols needs, at this point, is to be on the DL for a lengthy period of time to rest the inflammation he's experiencing in his foot. It's admirable that the Angels player wants to continue playing, but he's playing worse now at DH than he was at first base. Comments from fans have included that "my grandfather runs better than Pujols" and "there's a difference between being admirable and idiotic [and] Albert is being idiotic at this point." Even the fans, who always want to see their star player at their best and on the field, recognize that Pujols needs to take a break in order to get back to his All-Star form.
Reference: NBC Sports
If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Exercises For Posterior Heel Pain

Athletes will often experience posterior medial heel pain because of degenerative changes to the plantar fascia, known as plantar fasciopathy. Without a properly functioning plantar fascia, the joints of the big toe, ankle, and hip do not move properly and posterior medial heel pain will develop. Here are three exercises that will help ease your pain:

1. Big toe stretch. Cross your right ankle over your left knee when you are sitting. Take your right big toe and and push it towards your shin. Attempt to push your big toe back into your hand, holding the position for five to seven seconds. Relax and push the toe further back to your shin. Repeat the exercise three to five times and switch legs. 
2. Goblet squat. This squat trains the hip and the ankle to reduce stress on the foot. It will align the arch of the foot and use the muscles of the hip to control foot and ankle actions. Take a kettleball with both hands and hold it at chest level against your body. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly pointing out. Now shift your weight to the outside of your foot to pop your arch. Squat down, keep the arch in your foot, and return to standing. Repeat up to three set for ten repetitions.
3. One leg lateral anti-rotation press. The hip reduces stress on the posterior medial heel by preventing total collapse of the kinetic chain and the stresses on the body afterwards. Stand with your shoulders perpendicular to a cable column with one foot furthest from the cable column. The cable should be even with your rib cage. Press the cable in front of you and resist the weight pulling you toward the cable column. Do ten repetitions and switch sides. Repeat up to four sets. 

Reference: Livestrong
If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.