Run Fast and Recover Faster with Apolla Performance Socks

From racing shoes to headlamps and everything in between, runners can be quite picky about their gear. As time goes on and technology advances, runners want the best of the best to be able to perform well, stay away from injury, and recover as fast as possible. Believe it or not, socks play a significant role in foot health for athletes. They are not just made to add a layer of cushion in between the skin and shoe seams. They can provide the feet, and pretty much every joint up the body, with support and injury prevention no matter what your lifestyle dictates.

Comfort is Always Number One

The first thing we aim for when picking out any piece of an outfit, shoes, or socks, is comfort. Runners, in particular, don’t care as much about looks, as long as they can feel comfortable on their long runs and avoid issues like achy joints, blisters, and heaviness. This all can be solved with a good pair of socks. In comes Apolla Performance. Initially created for dancers, who we can all agree get the most beating to their feet, these styles are equally perfect for any lifestyle. Just recently a research study concluded their effectiveness in reducing force and received the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance.

Apolla Performance socks are all made in the USA with REPREVE, which is certified sustainable yarn. Runners are sure to be happy with the Amp (no-show), the Performance (crew), and the Infinite (mid-calf), since they all provide the perfect thickness to protect from impact, blisters, and moisture, without feeling suffocated in running shoes. Each has energy absorption padding in the heel and ball of the foot which helps cushion during both push-off and landing—the parts of the running cycle that damage the feet the most. If you suffer from plantar fasciitis, you will be grateful for this feature!

Instability is the Enemy

As a physical therapist, I am an advocate for creating the most stable surface during the running cycle. This means being extra picky about the shoes and socks you wear. Weak, overused, or tired ankle and foot muscles can lead to ankle rolls and strains in the tiny muscles of the foot from the constant work when your foot and ankle are not supported well. Apolla Performance socks are made with targeted high compression where you need it the most—around the ankle joint and the arch of the foot. The arch actually has three zones of compression to lift and stabilize, which makes a significant difference if you suffer from plantar fascia issues. In these cases you want to prevent your arch from getting too stretched out, which will end up tugging on your heel bone. It’s a tough condition to treat, so you want to do anything you can to avoid too much pressure to this area!

Work Hard, Recover Harder 

The mid-calf Infinite Sock from Apolla Performance is the best choice for both recovery runs and your rest days. Providing your feet and lower legs with compressive support is ideal to help with circulation—the key to recovering faster. This is best done with graduated compression up the calf, which is exactly what this pair provides. Using compression socks during and after runs, especially speed workouts and long runs, is ideal for those suffering from achy calves, shin splints, Achilles tendinitis, and any other foot and ankle conditions. You want good blood flow and comfortable cushioning if you want to be fully ready for your next workout. If you are looking for happy and healthy feet, Apolla Performance has you covered!

Awkward Tightness in the Legs? It May Be Compartment Syndrome

The most common area of the body in which runners complain of pain is the lower leg. Of course when you think about the mechanics of running, the lower leg receives the majority of the impact since it carries the most weight throughout the running cycle. This is why conditions such as knee pain, and more commonly plantar fasciitis are frequent. One of the more misdiagnosed conditions seen in recreational runners and elite athletes is chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS). During exercise blood flow increases and muscles expand. The pain from CECS is felt when the lower leg areas become swollen during exercise, if the fascia, which is basically a sheath that wraps around the muscles, does not expand with the muscles.

Symptoms

The type of pain usually felt with CECS is aching or burning in a specific area of the lower leg that begins at a certain time after beginning activity. Most commonly, the pain occurs in both legs and either in the posterior compartment (calves) or anterior compartment (shins). Along with pain, numbness or tingling, as well as tightness can be felt that worsens as you continue the exercise. These symptoms usually subside within 10 to 20 minutes after stopping the activity.

Differential Diagnosis

The reason this condition is misdiagnosed is because it resembles other more common conditions such as shin splints and tibial stress fractures. Shin splints are caused by overuse of the muscles connected to the shin bone, causing small tears which result in the muscle being “pulled” off the bone. The pain from shin splints is felt along most of the shin bone, whereas a tibial stress fracture is felt at a localized point in the bone. Both of these conditions, along with CECS, result in pain in similar areas and are usually caused by either improper biomechanics or overuse from adding mileage or intensity too soon during training.

If you are experiencing pain during exertion, especially if it begins within the first 10 to 20 minutes of a run and relieves within 10 to 20 minutes after stopping, get evaluated by a professional. If along with the pain is a sensation of significant tightness in the lower legs, CECS is most likely expected. An MRI will help rule out specific muscular issues. There are newer, more advanced MRI exams that can assess how much fluid accumulation there is in the compartments of the lower leg during activity, which has been found to be accurate in diagnosing CECS. It may limit the need to use the more invasive approach of diagnosing which is compartment pressure testing where needles are inserted into the muscles to evaluate the amount of pressure present.

Treatment

The goal of treating CECS is to relieve the pressure in the affected compartment during exertion. Unfortunately, the first step in treatment is avoiding aggravating activities, such as running. Doctors may prescribe NSAIDs and an icing regimen to help decrease the inflammation. During this rest time from activity, it is effective to include techniques to keep the muscles and fascia flexible such as massage and stretching. Once the symptoms are more controlled, it is important to ease back into running VERY gradually to be able to monitor returning symptoms. As you do this, strengthening all lower leg muscles, including the feet, should be incorporated.

Calf stretching should include performing with the knee straight, to stretch the outer muscles, and bent to stretch the deep soleus muscle.

The simplest way to keep the anterior dorsiflexors (along the shin) loose, is to use the foam roller or other deep tissue massager.

The first exercise most athletes include for the lower leg are basic heel raises. As mentioned above, the calves also include a deeper muscle called the Soleus, that often lacks sufficient strength. You can target these muscles by performing the heel raise exercise with a bent knee, or sitting adding weight to your lap.

Weakness in the ankle and foot may also contribute to lower leg issues. To target these ankle and foot stabilizers, using a resistance band is effective. Other exercises include single leg standing on a stable and unstable surface such as a foam mat or balance disc.

Unfortunately, in the majority of the more severe cases, a surgical procedure, called a fasciotomy, is required. Basically the fascia itself is cut open to relieve the tension in order to allow normal blood flow and muscle expansion to cause less pressure during activity. The recovery time after this procedure is quite short and allows athletes to return to their sport within 6 to 12 weeks. Post-surgical rehabilitation requires the same treatment as the conservative approach mentioned above.

Prevention & Maintenance

Biomechanics, or running form, is commonly blamed for lower leg dysfunction, such as CECS. Research has been done on evaluating foot strike patterns in runners and how these patterns may cause mechanical issues in joints from the lower leg to the hip and spine. When one uses the heel strike for landing during running, the anterior compartment muscles, the dorsiflexors, must act eccentrically to control the foot from slapping onto the ground with every step. This causes overuse and inflammation in the area. Many studies have evaluated the outcome of changing this foot strike pattern to a mid-foot or forefoot landing, and have concluded that this may help control and even resolve CECS. This is a change that should be done gradually, such as beginning with 5 minutes of forefoot strike in a single run and adding 5 minutes every few runs.

Another prevention option is running with shoes and/or orthotics that limit pronation of the foot. Overpronating requires even more work for the dorsiflexor muscles and causes increased tightness to the entire lower leg compartment muscles.

The exercises mentioned above should be incorporated to help prevent CECS and other lower leg dysfunction, as many times weakness and inflexibility are the cause. If you have been diagnosed with CECS or are experiencing symptoms, make sure to back off of the aggravating activities and always ease back into it during recovery. Seek medical advice if symptoms do not resolve or become severe. Remember, the quicker you take care of your pain, the quicker you will be back to doing what you love.

Sources

Tucker, Alicia K, Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome of the Leg, Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine, April 2, 2020.

Gallo, Robert A., Michael Plakke, and Matthew L. Silvis, Common Leg Injuries of Long-Distance Runners: Anatomical and Biomechanical Approach, Sports Health, April 2, 2020.

Gibson, Alexander, Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome and Forefoot Striking: A Case Study, International Journal of Athletic Therapy & Training, April 2, 2020.

Strong Calves for Fast Running

Runners basically require every muscle in their bodies to be strong in order to run well and with less risk of injury. Even knowing this we continue to pick and choose what body parts we feel are more important when fitting in exercise. What ends up happening is we run out of time during our weeks and squeeze in a few squats and lunges, and maybe a couple of core exercises and head on our way to run. One muscle group that is often ignored is the calves, which are composed of two different muscles—the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Runners are not the only ones who require these areas to function at their best, but everyone is in need of strong and flexible calves for basic daily activities.

The basic function of the calf muscles is to lift the heels up and shift the body weight onto the toes. This motion is required for pushing off during stepping, whether running or walking, as well as climbing stairs. The other important role of the calves is for circulation. These muscles are in charge of pumping blood and fluids out of the lower legs and up to the heart. They perform this function by compressing the veins around them when contracting, forcing blood upward and out of the area. When the calf muscles are relaxed, especially for prolonged periods of time such as when sitting at work, the veins in the muscles and the surrounding area fill up with blood and fluid causing swelling.

Calves for Runners

The calf muscles are in charge of that final push-off during running to propel our bodies upward and forward. They play a crucial role in our stride length and pace. Since this muscle group is smaller than the other main groups higher up in the legs, the quads, hamstrings, and glutes, they fatigue at a much quicker rate during runs. During long runs and races, our slowed pace may be greatly due to the calves tiring out. Even if the hip flexors are significantly strong to drive our knees high during a stride or our quads strong enough to extend our leading leg far forward to lengthen our stride, our pace gets affected if the calves are too weak and tired to push off efficiently.

Runners must rely on the feet and ankles in order to keep sufficient balance. Running, especially fast running is considered a single leg balance movement, therefore our stability is important in order to master faster paces. The calf muscles play a role in this stability as they provide the strength required to prevent swaying forward. If the calves are not strong enough for this role, the end result is increased stress to the Achilles tendon. The same goes for insufficient strength for the push-off—the Achilles will have to take the load. Achilles tendon issues such as tendinitis and strains can be a prolonged and limiting condition for runners, which may lead to tendon tears—an issue that will leave you out of running for several months to over a year.

Calf Strengthening

Runners should incorporate exercises for the calf muscles two to three days per week, along with proper stretching techniques after runs. Focusing on both the gastrocnemius and soleus groups and other supporting ankle muscles is key to keeping proper stability in the feet and ankles. Basic standing heel raises are the most common way to strengthen the calves, but since the gastrocnemius group has two heads—the lateral and medial heads, ideally one should also perform heel raises with their toes pointing outwards as well as inwards. To strengthen the soleus muscle group, heel raises should be performed with the knees bent, as in a squat if standing or simply sitting with a dumbbell or other weight over the thighs for added resistance.

To keep the calves flexible, stretching after runs is important. The easiest stretch is to place the balls of the feet on a step, keeping the heel on the ground and lean the body forward. Keeping the knee straight will mostly stretch the gastrocnemius muscles while performing with the knee bent hits the soleus more effectively. Foam rolling is also another great way to break up any adhesions in the muscle groups that are causing tightness. Significantly tight calves are what leads to Achilles tendon strains, therefore runners should emphasize flexibility exercises as much as possible.

Other effective exercises to keep the calves strong and ready for running are plyometrics. Jumping rope, box jumps, squat jumps and any other explosive movements are great additions to your exercise program that will strengthen the fast twitch muscle fibers of the calves and Achilles tendon. Strong fast-twitch fibers are required to perform an efficient push-off during running. Adding in one or two plyometric moves to your warm-up routine before easy runs or in between other exercises is an effective way to incorporate calf strengthening even if you are short on time. If you want to be a fast runner, you must keep in mind that stronger muscles are needed for faster paces.

Sources

Samuel R. Hamner, Ajay Seth, and Scott L. Delp, Muscle Contributions to Propulsion and Support During Running, Journal, Jul 22, 2018