RSI in womens feet [Archive] - Kendo World Forums

Alison2805

05-09-2006, 12:57 PM

I found this article from 1997 - bit old, but it is specifically about women doing kendo. Ive never bothered much with stretching during warmdown, I think I will now!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=9132217&itool=iconabstr&query_hl=2&itool=pubmed_docsum

Beckmeisterrr

05-09-2006, 01:12 PM

Alison2805

05-09-2006, 01:36 PM

hehehe, I was searching for unbleached white hakama on the net, this just happened to pop up. Very handy to know!

I also found an article on the Brittish Kendo Association website that covers the best way for women to do jigeiko against guys and vice-versa. Awesome stuff!!!

ratdeau

05-09-2006, 02:52 PM

I also found an article on the Brittish Kendo Association website that covers the best way for women to do jigeiko against guys and vice-versa. Awesome stuff!!!
Yes, every kendoka (male or female) should read it. http://www.kendo.org.uk/newsevents/articlespast.shtml

runsyi

07-09-2006, 05:54 AM

I ran across this abstract before. Has anyone got the full article?

Alison2805

07-09-2006, 10:29 AM

My university library doesnt have that journal, alas. Any other students here able to get it?

kpmooney

07-09-2006, 12:50 PM

My university library doesnt have that journal, alas. Any other students here able to get it?

Our electronic archives only go back to 1998. We have the physical journal, though. If no one else has an electronic version, and you really want it, I can scan it and send it to you.

Alison2805

07-09-2006, 02:42 PM

That would be great!!!

Landorph

11-10-2006, 10:45 PM

interesting...

well some say use hot water wash your foot and massage your food while washing every day will be really good for you.

ben

12-10-2006, 09:14 AM

This is an issue not just for women, but it is interesting that (these) women seem to present with high rates of plantar facitis. Of all those things mentioned in the research, I think the crucial (and in a sense most insidious one) is the hardness of floors. It is possible that the small sample of women in this research were all doing kendo in the same or very similar locations, leading to the problems described.

Unfortunately so many floors in Aus are laid directly onto concrete slabs. The 'good' ones are supported by joists, which means they're springy until you do fumikomi directly on top of a joist and then it's as hard as concrete. Sometimes squash courts have truly sprung floors, which are the best surface but so hard to find in a regular dojo outside Japan. Old halls that had floors put in for ballroom dancing 50+ years ago are the best but they are rarely available to hire, or have often had their old floors replaced with something less giving.Even the Kenshikan in Melbourne, a 'purpose-built' kendo dojo has a floor made of hardwood that is so hard (a hangover from the days when it was a factory), that it feels as if it has a concrete substructure.

Personally I would encourage people never to train on a floor laid onto a concrete slab. I know this is not always possible, but altering fumikomi or wearing heel protectors are not real solutions. Fumikomi always becomes more vigourous in the heat of jigeiko.

Observing the other preventative measures mentioned in the article is definitley recommended.

b

ben

12-10-2006, 09:18 AM

Another contributing factor is genetics. Some people find simply walking around bare-footed can cause significant pain in their insteps. Others can punish themselves for years and present with no symptoms. The implied question from this thread I suppose is "are women genetically or biomechanically more disposed to these kind of injuries from kendo than men?" Based on this article alone it is not possible to answer. Would be interesting to hear from all the women on these boards. Maybe a poll is a good idea?

b

Alison2805

12-10-2006, 10:15 AM

From reading the author info it seems she herself was a professional kendoka, perhaps she just chose to study women out of preference? Dunno.

Ive never had a problem with feet myself, has anyone else seen more females with feet problems than males at their dojos? Women do have the added stress of wearing heels and other constiricting shoes that can aggrevate the problem. That may be a bigger factor than genetics! My mother wore highheels almost every day of her life and now cant walk barefeet without cramps because her achillies shortened.

Perhaps a poll is a good idea.

iceman_213

12-10-2006, 09:55 PM

Hi

I'm newish to this forum and haven't started kendo yet due to a shoulder injury. Anways, I have an idea of what your talking about since I play alot of football (soccer) and have personally had many foot/achilles/ankle related injuries and dealt with them. I stumbled across this website on Google, quite useful, short n sweet :-

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=144

Also warming down and stretching after exercise is SO important, since we use the leg muscles alot I do additional calf/heel stretches before and after. In the long run when one gets older it helps. I think its important to look after your feet/legs. I know sometimes the hard concrete floors cant be helped but what can help is wearing cushioned footwear so alot of the stress and impact of walking is taken by the cushioning before it reaches your feet/heels.

As it seems that mainly women are effected here, those of you who practise Kendo and wear heels (of any sort) all/most the time should from time to time change footwear to flat, so its almost 50/50 in ratio. When you're in heels the calf muscle naturally is always tensed up. So continuous tensing of the calf muscle can result in what Alison2805s' mother is experiencing.

I found when I had 3rd degree ligament damage to my ankle/achilles that constant massaging around the heel and achilles (obvious depending on which ligaments get damaged) helped a great deal. Also hot and cold treatment speeds up recovery bigtime. I'd get a bucket of freezing water with ice in it and one with water as hot as i could stand and would dip my foot in for like 20-30 seconds each until the hot water went cold. This method is good even when not in injuries. I know pro footballers, pro boxers etc sometimes have ice baths after a heavy game for a short period of time then shower, helps the blood flow.

I dont know how much of this can apply to those who have or are beggining to feel they will get injuries. If you want I have strengthening exercises for the ankle/foot. Although it may not primarily work on the heel, it will work the achilles and strengthen the ligaments which is only a good thing!

Cheers

Alison2805

13-10-2006, 11:02 AM

good advice! Ta

GreenArrow

24-10-2006, 05:01 PM

I also had a few feet issues- not so much with Kendo (although left foot would be very stiff and sore after practice) but more of toes getting numb when I cycled. Even with a recumbent and wider pedals, I would get numb toes within 5 mins of riding.

My chiropractor had a look, eased some of the joints, and after a few weeks of this, lo and behold my feet were better both for Kendo and cycling... As for causes... well, I did have a job requiring high heels as part of the "dress code" a few years ago, trained myself to wear them, hurt like hell at the time.

So my theory is that high heels could be at least partly responsible for higher incidence of foot problems in women...

Alison2805

25-10-2006, 09:45 AM

Yep, it certainly cant help. Thank goodness for the current fashion for flat shoes here.

I find during kendo the toes on my left foot will go numb for a while until about halfway through training. Its not painful, just annoying.

lucy

28-12-2006, 08:34 PM

Hello,

I thought I'd revive this thread because I'm experiencing foot problems at the moment. It's not heel pain, but rather somewhere between my big toe and the middle of the right foot as well as in ligaments from under my foot up to the inner shin area, also on the right foot. It's usually worst in the morning, when I've just gotten up, but also after other kinds of rest.

I've noticed a slight pain during practice some weeks ago already, but it was only very short pain, like little needles, and didn't remain, so I ignored it.

Now I couldn't ignore it any longer as it hurts when I only walk or stand still...

I went to the physiotherapist (my mother) and she told me that I must have irritated the tendons by training about 6 hours a week on a wooden floor, doing movements I'm not absolutely used to yet. She also said that that's why the ligaments are tight, even when I relax my foot, and because of that I'm to do various little execises she showed me.

Has anyone else ever experienced similar problems? How long did it last?
My last practise was a week ago, due to the holidays, and the next will be on January, 10th, so I hope I will be ok again until then. :(

P.S.: I don't wear high heels. :)

bullet08

28-12-2006, 10:07 PM

P.S.: I don't wear high heels. :)

my left archilles tendon has that problem. if i rest and stand up, it's tight and hurts. as far as shoe is concern, i'm not sure what is good or what is not. i have been wearing birkenstock for last 6 years. don't wear dress shoes unless my wife makes me to wear it for family photo and stuff. last time i was at the doc's office for the tendon problem, he told me i might think about better support by wearing shoes instead of birkies. so i tried wearing doc marten that i used to wear. that thing was crushing my toes and i couldn't stand it. then i found there's this shoes from company called keen. the thing is ugly has hell, but my toes are very happy. only problem is i'm not used to having back of my heel covered up and now i'm getting blisters on the back. i wish they will let me come to work bare footed.

pete

lucy

28-12-2006, 10:54 PM

Pete,

the thing is, I can understand why the achilles tendon on the left foot would cause problems as we demand quite a lot from it during keiko, but on the right foot, on the inside? My mother says it's because of the stabilizing the right foot has to do... Guess she's right, as the problems first occured during normal suburi when we do them up and down the gym.

At the moment any kind of birkenstock or similar footwear is horrible to wear for me because it seems to put pressure on just the wrong places under my foot and on top... I have to either wear sneakers or walk around barefoot. :)

Fonsz

29-12-2006, 05:37 AM

Sorry to barge in here but I have a message to Lucy.

Hiya Lucy,
I've sent you a PM a while ago and I haven't received an answer. Maybe things went wrong while the site was lost in cyberspace but let me know if you have received my PM or that I should send it again.
Let me know please.
And now back to the regular program.

lucy

29-12-2006, 06:59 AM