Expert Advice

By Jeremy Joslin, M.D. and Brian Krabak, M.D., MBA Overview Term "shin splints" is used to describe a painful condition involving the tibia bone in your lower leg. Although professionals use the term loosely to represent several disorders that cause the same pain, we will use the term more strictly here to discuss pain associated with repetitive use of the leg, but not related to stress fractures or compartment syndrome (a painful condition where lactic acid builds up in a fleshy compartment...

By Alice Chiao, MD and Brian Krabak, MD MBA Overview Patellar tendinopathy or tendonitis (also referred to as jumper’s knee) is a common overuse injury that occurs with repeated stress on the patellar tendon, which attaches the kneecap to the shin bone. It typically occurs from overuse or an abrupt change in your training schedule, and is most commonly found amongst athletes who strain their knee joints by regularly performing sports that involve direction changing and jumping movements. Ath...

By Alice Chiao, MD and Brian Krabak, MD MBA Overview The plantar fascia is a thick tissue that stretches along the bottom of the foot from the heel bone towards the toes, with some of the fibers close to the skin. It provides support for the foot and helps to maintain the dynamic alignment of the foot and leg while walking and running. Overuse and repetitive microtrauma cause inflammation and degeneration of these fibers. When this tissue becomes painful and stiff, it is described as plantar...

By Brian J. Krabak, M.D and Allen Chen, M.D. Overview Hyperthermia is defined by Webster's simply as "abnormally high temperature."[1][1] Taken into context of the athlete, the term encompasses a myriad of syndromes and disorders that can also be grouped under the term "heat illness." Human body temperature is closely regulated by a complex system of control mechanisms, keeping a fairly regular rhythm of temperatures ranging from a low of 36 degrees Celsius in the early morning to a high of ...

BY Brandee L. Waite, M.D., Danielle Manning, and Brian J. Krabak, M.D. Overview Hyponatremia (low sodium levels in the blood) has increasingly been recognized as a potentially serious complication of prolonged exercise, especially in ultradistance sports. Exercise associated hyponatremia occurs when an athlete loses salt (sodium) and other electrolytes through sweat and replaces the fluid loss with just water, neglecting to replace the lost sodium. The intake of water during exercise maintai...

By Louis A. Davenport, MD, MPH and Brian J Krabak MD MBA Overview There are myriad causes for blisters to form. On the feet alone, reasons might include friction and moisture, fungal infections, allergic reactions, burns, or excessive perspiration. This article summarizes the causes, prevention, and treatment of foot blisters associated with physical activity. Causes Blisters typically develop due to friction on the skin. This can occur from the rubbing of clothing, shoes, or other sports e...

By Brandee Waite, M.D., June Ong, D.O., Grant Lipman, M.D. and Brian Krabak M.D. Overview Altitude sickness or acute mountain sickness occurs when a person does not get enough oxygen due to decreased oxygen content in the air at high elevations. This occurs when the body does not acclimate to the lower oxygen content quick enough to keep up with the ascent. It occurs more commonly in those who are not accustomed to higher altitudes and ascend quickly to greater than 6000- 8000 ft (approxima...

Overview Cellulitis, the medical term for skin infection, until recently has been a benign and easy to treat condition, except in those with underlying chronic medical conditions such as diabetes or peripheral artery disease. Cause In a normal healthy person, has almost invariably been caused by one of two microorganisms: staphylococcus aureus or streptococcus pyogenes, both of which were sensitive to many commonly prescribed antibiotics. More recently there has been an epidemic of MRSA (meth...

By Mária Némethy, MD OVERVIEW The human body is mostly composed of water, and adequate amounts are essential for all bodily functions. During exercise, water loss increases greatly, primarily through increased sweating, breathing and metabolism – which, during endurance events, is often coupled with decreased intake. In the hot, dry desert environment, these losses are greatly magnified – losing about 1 liter of fluid/hour due to sweating is not uncommon in these climates. Because dehydration...

By John Vonhof It should go without saying that runners should know how to manage their feet, before, during, and after a race. Counting on race volunteers or medical staff to patch your feet assumes that they know what your feet need and know how to treat and patch blisters. This is your race, your investment, and just as you train with miles on your legs, you need to learn foot care. Let’s look at some common foot care questions. All are relevant for RacingThePlanet events. If I don't norm...

Author: Leanne Eldridge As the most commonly reported running injury, blisters can mean the difference between a great day out, an awesome race or incredible discomfort. It should go without saying that road runners, trail runners and hikers should know how to manage their feet, whether doing an endurance race or heading out for a day on the trails. When competing in a race, counting on race volunteers or medical staff to patch up your feet assumes that they know what your feet need, and kno...

Robert Ripley, MD and Nancy Kadel, MD Overview Frostbite is damage to the skin and underlying tissues caused by exposure to cold temperatures. People usually suffer frostbite on their hands, feet, nose, cheeks, and ears. As the human body is exposed to cold temperatures, the circulatory system will decrease blood flow to these vulnerable parts in order to preserve the core temperature (see article on Hypothermia). With the decreased blood flow, the skin temperature will drop. When the skin te...