Good News for Ironman Arizona Athletes!?!?

This week, the dam that holds the water in man-made Tempe Town Lake burst. That may seem like bad news for a triathlete. Unless you have ever been swimming in that lake.

There is a reason that they don't let people swim in the lake right next to the University campus. The stagnant water is just plain filthy. The first time I went for a dip there was in 2007 at Ironman Arizona. The day before swim practice began I walked up to the edge and saw a two-foot long carp munching on some pond scum.

I asked another athlete about the water quality. He said, "My understanding is that the city has organized a method to fight the stagnation in the lake by allowing 2000 athletes to splash around in the water this weekend." Great.

During the swim I made an effort to leave the water in the Lake. A guy a met at registration was not so lucky. He took in a couple of accidental gulps. That small error led to several bouts of vomiting out on the bike course.

Although I do hope the dam is repaired in time for Ironman Arizona 2010, I have to say that I also hope the unintentional draining of the lake will mean the cleanest water conditions on record for the race. But even if the water looks clean, I plan on keeping my mouth shut during the swim.

Dr. Christopher Segler is a sports medicine podiatrist in San Francisco currently training for Ironman Canada and Ironman Arizona. He makes house calls in the bay area to treat stress fractures, Achilles tendonitis, and other triathlon-related injuries. Learn more at San Francisco's best running injury prevention site.

Should I take Calcium if I have a Stress Fracture in my Foot? San Francisco's Running Doc Explains

If you are running and get a stress fracture, you likely want that bone to heal as quickly as possible. When you break a bone in the foot, the bone has to heal just like any other injury. Although calcium is the mineral that makes bones strong and visible on x-rays, it is not the only factor in bone healing. For this reason it is particularly important to make sure that you eat a healthy well-balanced diet when you are healing a stress fracture in the foot.

We know that your body needs many different nutrients to heal a stress fracture. For example, vitamin K is important in the clotting process right after a bone breaks. Vitamin C is essential to collagen formation that is an early step in the formation of soft bone callus that precedes the deposition of calcium where the bone broke. Calcium gets laid down in the repair of the fracture, but supplemental calcium won't be absorbed well without Vitamin D. Lysine is an amino acid that helps you incorporate calcium into the bony matrix as the fracture heals.

The medical literature is conflicting about whether or not supplements help bones heal faster. However there is general agreement that know that adults need about 1000 mg of calcium and 800 I.U. of Vitamin D daily for good bone health. Many nutritionists suggest that you will get all of this in a standard healthy diet. Having said that, there is very little risk and much potential benefit with taking some extra calcium.

Obviously your body will be working harder to repair the fracture by laying down calcium as the bone heals. You could take some Calcium and Vitamin D to help make sure you healing fracture has all the calcium needs. Just be certain that the Calcium supplements you take also have Vitamin D.

Dr. Christopher Segler is a runner, multiple Ironman Finisher and Sports Medicine doctor in San Francisco who focuses on running injuries. If you have a question about a possible stress fracture in your foot from running. you can post a question or call him directly at 415-308-0833. For more info on running injuries see San Francisco's best running injury site.

Do I Need X-Rays if I Sprained my Ankle?

San Francisco's Ankle Expert Explains When You Need X-Rays

If you are out trail running in Marin or Golden Gate Park and roll your ankle, your first thought is going to be whether or not you will be able to run with a sprained ankle. If the ankle is bruised and swollen, you will also probably wonder whether or not you need an ankle x-ray. This video explains how ankle surgeons and emergency room physicians decide whether or not you need to have x-rays after an ankle sprain.



Every single day thousands of people wait in line at the Emergency Room to get x-rays after they roll their ankles. After all that waiting, the ER doc will typically send you to an ankle specialist anyway. By seeing an ankle expert instead of going to the ER, you can be sure to get the best treatment for your ankle sprain. If you sprained your ankle, see an ankle expert today!

Dr. Christopher Segler is a sports medicine podiatrist who specializes in the diagnosis of sprains and fractures of the foot and ankle. Has has won multiple awards from the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons for his research on fractures of the foot and ankle that are often misdiagnosed as sprains. As a runner and triathlete himself, he believes that non-surgical treatment is best whenever possible. You can learn more about ankle sprains at the Bay Area's best ankle sprain info site. YOu can also learn more about ankle sprains and x-rays here. You can reach Dr. Segler at 415-308-0833.

How to Tell If You Have a Stress Fracture In the Foot by San Francisco Running Podiatrist

Last year just a few weeks before Ironman Louisville, I got an out-of-state call from a very worried triathlete. He said he had been ramping up his training for the big race. He had slowly been building milage over the past year. But then he started to get an aching foot when he ran. Slowly it turned into throbbing foot pain when he would run. And by the time he called, it was starting to hurt even while he was walking.

He was really distressed.

As a runner and prior Ironman finisher, he had been running long enough to know that a stress fracture in the foot was one of the most likely injuries that could force him to stop running. He was worried he wouldn't even be able to show up on the starting line at Ironman Louisville. The good news is that we were able to manage the stress fracture and he did complete the race without incident.

Training for any distance event (whether a half-matrathon, marathon or Ironman) can lead to a stress fracture in one of the metatarsal bones of the foot. But if your foot aches, there are some simple ways to tell how likely it is that you have a running-related stress fracture. This video explains how you can tell if you might have a stress fracture in the foot.

To learn more about stress fractures, visit the most comprehensive running injury site in San Francisco. All of the running education information has been created by San Francisco's Award-Winning Foot Specialist and Ironman Triathlete Dr. Christopher Segler. He's not just a running specialist who writes about running injuries, but he is a real runner as well.