Corewell Health Medical Group Orthopedics Tips

Read Dr. Axtman, DO (he, him, his) Bio 

Fueling Strategies for Race Day
Race week is finally here! You’ve logged the miles and adhered to your training plan. Now, it’s time to think about your fueling strategy. (read more)

Beat the Blister
Blisters are a common problem for runners and walkers and can seriously affect training when they occur. They are caused by excessive shear forces, or friction, across the skin and often form in areas of thick skin, such as the heels, toes and balls of the feet. (read more)

Runners Knee – All about patellofemoral pain

Have you experienced nagging pain at the front of your knee during or after a run?  A common ailment amongst runners is patellofemoral pain syndrome, also known as “runners knee.”  (read more)

An Unusual and Overlooked Cause of Leg Pain
The human body is the most complicated machine ever created.  It is an extremely regulated system that can alter its operations based on stressors, weakness, injuries, and functional abnormalities. (read more)

A Pain in the Butt
You are enjoying a nice summer morning run/walk, ramping up your distance, feeling great about where you are in your training and then suddenly you start feeling an ache in your lower back/buttock area that progressively worsens with each strike of your foot on the pavement. (read more)

Recharging Your Battery
When a race is coming up, you probably make a priority out of adhering to your training schedule.  Athletes spend so much time focusing on training, exercise techniques, cross training, and diet that they can lose focus on one of the most important things — doing nothing at all. (read more)

Every Breath You Take
The faster you run, the harder it is to catch me. What am I? Your breath!    There aren’t many things better than finishing a hard workout, covered in sweat and out of breath.  You feel healthy, satisfied and accomplished for completing the hard work. (read more)

A Workout Before Your Workout
Athletes always try to get the most out of their workouts and exercise at a peak performance level.  For runners and walkers, this could include cross training with weights, yoga and other cardio exercises as well as monitoring your diet and vitamin/mineral supplements. (read more)

The Weather Outside is Frightful, but Stretching Can Be Delightful
It’s the natural cycle of the seasons… it’s getting colder.  And the colder weather may necessitate a longer warm-up for tighter muscles, joints and tendons, especially if you are running or walking outside. (read more)

Give it a Rest
Getting into a workout routine is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your body. We all know that exercise improves your mood, physical conditioning and overall health. (read more

Shouldering the Pain
Have you ever been on a run or brisk walk and noted a burning, throbbing or stabbing pain in your neck or around a shoulder blade? Did you ask yourself why this was occurring? Shoulder and neck pain are very common in runners and walkers. (read more)

Walk This Way
What is one of the oldest and least injury-prone exercises that also provides the benefits of weight loss, decreased incidence of heart disease and diabetes, improved brain function and mood?  Walking! (read more)

Be Kind to your Feet
Runners often ask me: What is the best running shoe? This is not an easy question to answer and can require an in-depth evaluation.  Every runner’s anatomy and running gait is going to be different, much like a fingerprint.(read more)

Your Hips: Balance is Key
Imagine a game of tug of war. There are six ropes attached to a ring and extending in different directions. At the end of each rope is a 200-pound body builder. This tug-of-war would be a well fought and even battle and may take a while to declare a victor. (read more) 

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Your Best Shot
As I talk with experienced River Bank Run participants, one goal I consistently hear is that they would like to improve on their time from previous years. So how can you intensify or alter your training/workouts to improve your strength, endurance and overall health?  (read more)

Don’t Whip It: When heel whip can lead to injury
Remember the hit song “Whip it” by Devo? It is a catchy pop song (and a great running song, in my opinion) released in 1980 that has the repetitive lyric, “Whip it, whip it good.”   (read more)

Crossing Up Your Routine
The crisp breeze on your face, the rhythmic strike of your feet, the beating of your heart and the fresh air flowing through your lungs while beads of sweat flow down your brow. These are some of the simple pleasures of running. (read more)

Exercise Benefits Body and Mind
Everyone knows that exercise benefits the body. We exercise to stay in shape, lose weight and maintain overall health.  (read more)

Keep on Rolling: The Pros and Cons of Foam Rollers
Runners strive for peak performance in training and competition. Whether they are maintaining a specific diet, training program or brand of shoe, runners are very much creatures of habit. One common practice is foam rolling. (read more)

Supplement Your Healing from an Injury
In a perfect world, we would all be able to run and exercise to our heart’s content.  However, pain and injuries happen to even the most elite athletes.  That’s when runners may hear the words they never want to hear from their health care professional:  I would recommend that you do not run at this time. (read more)

Running on plants: A Culinary Medicine approach for athletes
An optimal diet for maximizing athletic performance in endurance sports should do the following:  (read more)

A Secret Ingredient to Boost Performance
Every runner is looking for an edge when it comes to competition or just a daily run.  Even small factors can make the difference between a “good” or “bad” run.  These include sleep, diet, hydration and stress, to name a few. Athletes may notice that if part of their daily routine is off, training may be more difficult. (read more)

The Bane of Many Runners: The Iliotibial Band
We have been seeing many runners in clinic and at training runs who are experiencing lateral thigh and leg pain. (read more)

Painful Yet Treatable: The Infamous Runner’s Knee
Knee pain is one of the most prevalent complaints of pain among runners.   (read more)

Wanted:  Pain-Free Feet and Ankles
The foot and ankle have more than 26 bones and 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments.  (read more)

The Weather Can Be Delightful, not Frightful
Running in the cold offers many challenges, including ice, snow, windchill and, here in Michigan, diminished daylight and sunshine. (read more)

Shorten Your Stride to Decrease Injuries
I see many runners in my clinic who have sustained overuse injuries. (read more)

Running or Walking to a Healthier You
Many of you have been running or walking as exercise for years; others may have just started, and still others are likely thinking about initiating an exercise program.  (read more)

More Than Just Running: Yoga and Pilates
Running is great form of exercise.  (read more)

Hydration:  A Key to Success
Water. The human body is 55-65 percent water.   (read more)

Ready, Set, Go!
I am excited about race day, but I would not be surprised if many participants are feeling a combination of excitement and nervousness.  (read more)

A Strong Finish Requires Proper Nutrition
As race day nears, we get a lot of questions on diet. (read more)

Shin Pain: When Should You Worry?
There is a lot more to running than just putting one foot in front of the other.  (read more)