Hi Dan, sorry I haven't replied for a while, I have been in the middle of going back to uni and have been on here a couple of times, but never for long enough to be able to reply with a response that I felt would get what I want to out...so here goes...
Banga, yes I do have orthodics, they are foam (made of hard foam) ones that the physio made for me. When being assessed by him he found i have flat feet and suffered from the “roll in” you describe. I always wear them in my work shoes and my joggers and cricket shoes. However, I will probably go to a podiatrist to get “hard” orthodics (i think they are plastic with a foam covering) for my work shoes and some new “soft” (foam) orthodics for sports shoes. I was thinking of putting my old foam orthodics permanately in my snow board shoes, any one tried that? On another post I heard orthodics are no good for snowboarding cause they are too hard, but I assume the foam (softer) ones would be ok? Oh and I have had the orthodics for about 3 years.
Firstly, good to hear that you have had something done about your roll in, it is a huge cause of knee problems that quite often is overlooked, and it is good that you have had something done (with the soft orthotics) to hopefully start to alleviate some of the problem.
I would definitely recommend going to a podiatrist though to get some prescription orthotics, I have had them since I was 4, and have had various types throughout having them. I have had both the hard type (hard plastic "base" that is moulded to the foot with a slightly softer heel wedge, and a plasticky/fabric (don't really know how to describe it properly) covering) which were always half-foot (due to them being hard) and used with the footbed of the shoe still in; but the last 3 pairs I have had have been the 'softer' full length type, basically 3 layers of foam with a harder part under the heel, with the latest pair having a neoprene fabric coating because I wore through the last 2 pairs...
The only problem I have had with the foam ones, is that they have worn through a lot quicker than the hard ones, however they are so much more comfortable (in my opinion - you or anyone may find differently), and provide much better shock absorption than the hard type, so to me for the sports you play (jogging, cricket and snowboarding) they would seem the obvious choice, however I am no podiatrist, and they may have a different opinion on the matter...
(I am at uni at the moment, but when I get home I will upload some pictures of the different orthotic types)
As far as snowboarding goes, this would be the place where I would wear the pair of orthotics you have that provide the most relief in normal shoes - because it puts such a strain on your ankles and knees (even if you aren't hitting huge booters or riding park all day (don't know your riding style so can't comment
)) it would therefore make sense to protect your knees by at least correcting what you can correct, by wearing your orthotics in your boots. The only way I can see that it would be a problem in snowboard boots is with the hard-moulded ones as far as cushioning goes, but apart from that I have never had a bad experience with them. On top of that, if you are wearing them with your other shoes, it would seem silly to me to add the extra strain on your knees of being in an angle that they are not used to or made for, to the large strain snowboarding places on your knees anyway...
At the gym I use the 90 degree leg press and yeah open my foot stance a bit (like duck stance) to work the inner quads. I have done the stretch you mention but I have to admit its not part of my regualr routine (probably only done it a handful of times). I will start implementing that stretch more…
A quick run down on stretches and exercises (terminology may be a bit off) I do:
- regularly (4-5 times a week) stretch thighs, hammys, and calf.
- regular (average 3 times a week) exercises are leg press, wall squats, and wall sit (legs at 90 degrees, back against the wall and remain stationary, works wonders this one!!) while lying on back individually raise legs keeping the straight to about 45 degrees from ground (works inner quads with no impact or stress), calf raises, machine hammstring exercise (cant remember what its called, its where you lie down face first and lift weights with your legs)
- occasional exercises (once a week) are balance work on half ball, step exercises (aimed to work inner thighs).
I think thats about it…
Over the last 2 weeks I did most of those exercises 4 times a week, which was clearly too much for my knee…
Sounds like a good set of exercises for increasing strength where you need it (inner quad), however I think you might be right when you say you might have overcooked it a little initially
To begin with, lighter weights are good (even though you may not feel like you are getting anywhere) for ensuring you have the right technique, and also training the muscles to turn on when they need to be on, rather than the bigger, more powerful muscles switching on and taking over when the weight gets too heavy for the smaller muscles (that need to be trained). Once the muscles you need to be training have been programmed to switch on when you want them to (through good technique early), you can then progress the weights which will hopefully further increase the strength of that area.
Most of the adaptations (at least initially) in muscles and increased muscle strength are neural, ie "training" the muscles to work in a more coordinated and efficient way - kind of like a train interchange - the neural adaptations are like the timetable telling each of the trains where they need to be and when - without the timetable the trains are going everywhere without control or efficiency - with the timetable they are all working together for the same goal...
probably a terrible analogy...but hope some of this helps
)
