Don’t Be a Part of the Herd Mentality
There are 25 of us foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons who meet every year where we rapidly exchange thoughts and ideas, argue some, present talks and greatly enjoy each other’s company. I like to call it a “think tank” because it sounds way important and cool. I will...
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Is Surgery Really the Answer? It Appears My Colleagues Think So
“Why do I need to stretch my calves?” I’ve been answering this question from my patients for nearly 30 years, if you can believe it. I’ve long said the following: A calf that is too tight is the primary cause of plantar fasciitis, and other foot ailments (22+ other...
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The Big Man Can’t Shoot
I agree Malcolm Gladwell…calf stretching is embarrassing. Here is the $64,000 question: Why would we not stretch when we know it will work? I have had countless desperate patients who have “failed everything” leave my office convinced that the calf is the problem and...
read moreMove Over Barefoot Running, Calf Stretching Has Arrived
What is the real reason runners get injured? Generally speaking, impaired runners are a group most likely to gravitate towards conventional wisdom when it comes to their treatment. The variety of training methods, products used, and treatments for these “injuries” is...
read moreMarshall and Warren, Burry, Markopolis, Amis: What do These Men Have In Common?
Each of them professed a disruptive message about an “undetectable,” serious problem and very few people listened to them. Each one was perceived as being wrong, bordering on a bit crazy until they were proved to be right. Except for me (Amis). Oh, I am correct in...
read moreMy Biggest Professional Mistake: Inventing the One Stretch
Yep, you read it right. Don’t get me wrong, the One Stretch is helping just about everybody who gets on it. So how can a product that is selling and helping people in one stroke be a mistake, you ask? My overriding objective for all 30 years of my professional career...
read moreWhy Do Flip Flops Make My Feet Hurt and My Dansko’s Make My Feet Feel…Good?
There’s a question that comes up - especially this time of year - over and over . . . “Why do my Dansko’s feel so good?” This can not be discussed without talking about why flip flops are getting a bad rap and don’t deserve it. This is what my patients ask when...
read moreThe Best Stretch For Your Body Takes Less Than 10 Minutes
Do you have plantar fasciitis? If you are looking to treat your foot, you may be setting yourself up for failure. The cause of the pain in your heel is your tight calves. Your tight calves increase mechanical stress on the bone, joints, tendons and ligaments in your...
read moreThat Isn’t Really a Foot Injury — And Why That Matters for Your Diagnosis & Treatment
All too common today is the misuse of the word “injury.” When it comes to the majority of foot and ankle issues people experience, these ailments should not be called “injuries,” unless of course they really are an injury. But why does it matter? It is critical in the...
read moreWhy We’ve Always Believed in Educating One Stretch Users
Can a solution be so simple that people don’t believe it can actually solve their problem? That’s part of the problem we face at the One Stretch: “You mean if I simply stretch my calves, three times a day, for three minutes a day, over a period of a few weeks to a few...
read moreFrom an Orthopaedic Surgeon: How a CrossFit Athlete Can Reduce the Likelihood of An Achilles Rupture
With much historic success at the CrossFit games, and known to have the work ethic, grit and heart of any true CrossFit competitor, as many are aware, Julie Foucher sustained an injury to her Achilles tendon at last last year’s Regional competition. The injury led to...
read morePlantar Fascial Tears: It’s Just Science
If you’re a football fan, you may have heard of plantar fascial tears thanks to Peyton Manning. News of his partially torn plantar fascia made headlines and contributed to his missing much of the NFL season this year. Over the years, I’ve seen my share of patients...
read more11 Simple Reasons Why the One Stretch is Your Best, Most Effective Way to Stretch
Like many people have recognized, you know the problem—and pain—you have in your feet is a result of your tight calves. Just like with other people who see the clear connection between tight calves and foot and ankle issues, you know it’s necessary to stretch your...
read moreMisguided Conventional Wisdom
I was talking to another doc the other day, and we started to talk about conventional wisdom. Conventional wisdom is “commonplace knowledge.” It’s information that people generally accept…and then hold on to. Economist John Kenneth Galbraith is said to have used the...
read moreThe Problem With Wearable Tech
Do you have a Fitbit, Jawbone, Garmin, Misfit or another wearable device? If you or a loved one is thinking about getting a fitness tracker this holiday season, or if you just got one, there are a few things to keep in mind…something the fitness tracker brands...
read moreWhy I Call Plantar Fasciitis the “Gateway Disorder”
I see between four and five patients per week with a “new” foot or ankle problem who suffered from plantar fasciitis at some point in their past. It might have been 15 years prior, 5 for others, and even more recently for some. They all have one thing in common: they...
read morePain in the Ball of Your Foot? Everything You Wanted to Know About Second MTP Synovitis
Second MTP synovitis No matter how much you think you know about Second MTP Synovitis, it might surprise you to learn that it’s very treatable without surgery and almost completely preventable. It might sound like a mouthful for those us not used to the term. Don’t...
read morePeople are Talking About the Isolated Gastrocnemius Contracture—Here’s Why You Should Listen
Finally, the human calf is rightly becoming the prime suspect as THE cause of the majority of non-traumatic acquired foot and ankle pathology. In my paper, “Gastrocnemius: A New Paradigm for the Human Foot and Ankle,” I explain why our calves get too tight, describing...
read moreAn Open Letter to Personal Trainers-a Message from an Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr. James Amis and his wife, Susan Amis. Dear Personal Trainers, I’ll admit it: I was skeptical. In the past, I doubted that personal trainers—at least for me—could offer real value. It’s not that I gave it much thought, or had anything against personal training, but...
read morePlay Golf? Then Stretch Your Calves
Golf Digest recently published a Fitness Friday article called, “Train your ankles to swing like an athlete.” I'm glad to see the topic of calf tightness (and poor ankle dorsiflexion) come up. Golfers are among the list of people who come to me with a variety of foot...
read moreHeal the Pain: Plantar Fasciitis Startup Pain in the Morning
Have you ever wondered why those first few steps getting out of bed in the morning, or when you get out of a car, it's so tough, and painful, to walk? Your doctor may have told you have you have plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, or really any number of pains...
read moreWarm-up Stretching is an Oxymoron: Separate “Warm-up” & “Stretching” For Success
Warm-up stretching: a bad idea held by many for a long time is still a bad idea. Warm-up stretching before exercise: is it really a good idea? Does it really do anything for us? The quick answer is NO. I am going to make a case for NOT doing any warm-up stretching...
read moreWhat It’s Really Like to Work with the Inventor of the One Stretch?
I have worked for Dr. James Amis for more 13 years. The other day, a patient asked me, “What’s it like to work with the inventor of the One Stretch?” What I told her was he is compassionate, easy to work for, and a genuine problem-solver. You know, all the usual...
read moreScience Shows Stretching Calves Will Get It Done with a Little Help…We Agree!
“Calf muscle or gastrocnemius and soleus muscle tightness with or without reduced range of ankle joint dorsiflexion are related to a number of lower limb disorders, including Achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, and tendon injury,” reads a report entitled, “The...
read moreFoot & Heel Pain: Why Now?
Most of us looking to relieve heel and ankle pain ask ourselves this very question at one time or another: “But why do I have this pain now?” especially when we’ve never had an injury or this kind of heel/ankle pain before. There is one very good reason for why “now”...
read moreFoot Surgery? The 7 Things No One Will Tell You (But You Should Know)
1. Surgery is not a cure. No matter what you may think you heard your doctor tell you, following surgery, your foot will never be exactly like it was before your problem started. The goal of your surgery is to have improvement, but realize that there will be a new...
read moreRunner Gifts: Father’s Day Gift Guide
Father’s Day is Sunday, June 21, and whether dad just started running or he’s been putting in the mileage for decades, here are 14 gift ideas so you can help him get his next PR. Freedom Sprint Headphones Sure, you have lots of options for headphones today, but the...
read moreOur 7 Favorite One Stretch Testimonials
The Marathoner “As a marathon runner injury prevention is just as important as a solid training plan. Especially if you plan to run multiple races in one year. I started having plantar fasciitis pain in the fall and could not seem to shake it for my upcoming January...
read moreThe VALUE of $80
The cost of the One Stretch might seem expensive until you consider the cost of the “standard of care” for problems, such as plantar fasciitis you will receive going to the doctor. The One Stretch is proudly made in America and it is a considerable value at $80. Let’s...
read moreWhen you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail
Surgeons do what they do….surgery! Did you ever hear the one about the scorpion and the frog? A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back. The frog asks, "How do I know you won't sting...
read moreBlack One Stretch Now Available and it is HOT
There were hours spent on the design of the One Stretch, and no doubt color choice was a significant part of that development process. After a lot of consideration, blue was the perfect color, in fact Pantone Coated 299 was our final choice. Once the...
read moreYour New Years resolution: succeeding may take preparation.
The New Year is quickly approaching and no doubt you are considering your resolution options. While there are many different New Year’s resolutions to choose from, loosing weight and getting fit are amongst the highest on the list. Of course this often means new...
read moreWhat in the heck are those numbers for? And what was I thinking?
What is the significance of the numbers 1-4 on the One Stretch device and why is the 4 in the opposite direction of the other numbers? This question is one of the most common we get at One Stretch. There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding the numbers on the One...
read moreWhy calf stretching does not work!
Simply put, calf stretching fails due to non-compliance: we just don’t do it! Why? Explainaing the purpose of daily calf stretching is unenthusiastic and cursory. The message from your source whether it be the internet, your doctor, or other goes something like “Give...
read moreHow are the calves related to plantar fasciitis?
The calf, soleus, and Achilles tendon (triceps surae) are attached to the calcaneus (heel bone), to which the plantar fascia is attached, which in turn is attached to the base of the toes. Every part is connected like a chain. If one is tight, they are all too tight....
read moreWould the One Stretch be able to alleviate the pain associated with Sever’s Disease?
Question of the day: Would the One Stretch be able to alleviate the pain associated with Sever's Disease? My 12 year old son has heel pain when he is growing, especially now with fall sports starting. My Answer: Sever’s is nothing more than pediatric plantar...
read moreUSA Women’s Gymnastics Team on the One Stretch
Lexie Priessman and Amelia Hundley of the USA Women's National Gymnastics Team show us how the One Stretch has helped them! In this short video clip the 2016 Olympic-bound gymnasts demonstrate how to use the One Stretch and they talk about the benefits it provides....
read moreQuora is one of my favorite sites. The answers are outstanding, the questions are even better.
Earlier this year I answered an excellent direct question on Quora, “Could you explain why calves are related to plantar fasciitis? Thanks.” "Thanks for asking! The gastrocnemius, soleus, and Achilles tendon (triceps surae) are attached to the calcaneus (heel bone),...
read moreWhy the name One Stretch?
The honest answer to why I named it the One Stretch is that product names are very hard to come by and this was the best I and others could do at the time. You should try it sometime. A good product name must at least have something to do with what the product does or...
read moreThe Most Frustrating Injury for Athletes
Suffer from that sharp pain on the underside of your heel, worst when you first wake up? That’s one of the most common symptoms of plantar fasciitis, the term for the foot condition that takes place as the band of tissue running from the heel along the arch of the...
read moreOne Stretch Position Statement
Calf Stretching- The One Stretch® Position Statement What would you do if you were a doctor, and you could prevent or help 65% of the feet and ankle problems walking through your door become pain free without surgery? I am that doctor! Hi, I am Dr. Jim Amis. I am a...
read morePlantar Fasciitis: The “Hidden” Truth
That sharp pain on the underside of your heel that hurts the most when you get up in the morning. Pain when you first start to walk in the morning is one of the most common signs of plantar fasciitis. That’s the medical term for the foot condition that takes place...
read moreWhat Lonnie Soloff Taught Me
I have been the foot and ankle consultant to the Cincinnati Reds for over 20 years and I have made my fair share of trips to spring training. A number of years ago I consulted Lonnie Soloff about my shoulder. Lonnie, at the time, was the Reds assistant trainer and now...
read moreNot Stretching? Heel Pain Will Be Back
Arnold Schwarzenegger was intrigued with his calves, at one point even calling them supernatural. “The calves are like no other muscle,” he once said. “And every day they seem to have a different mood.” Arnold – one of the most prominent figures in the history of...
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