This post is long overdue.  The season has been extremely busy but finals just ended and hockey will have a bit of a break until after Christmas while each hoops team still has a game this week.  The last couple weeks were filled with lots of games, workouts and preparing for the end of the semester.  I haven’t been able to sit down and really digest a good book, but what I try to do is read some articles and one very good one is Why Shoes Make Normal Gait Impossible?  This is a very good read about the effect that shoes has on the human body.  This goes along with another great read by a good friend of mine, Art Horne, who put out a book on barefoot training, entitled Barefoot in Boston.

I also just picked up a copy of an outstanding book regarding gait from Dr. Thomas Michaud, called Human Locomotion.  I’m excited to delve into this one as the topics in the table of contents really jump out at me.  Dr. Michaud has published numerous book chapters and journal articles on a variety of subjects ranging from biomechanics of the first metatarsophalangeal joint  and shoulder, to the pathomechanics and management of vertebral artery dissection. In 1993, Williams and Wilkins published Dr. Michaud’s first textbook, Foot Orthoses and Other Forms of Conservative Foot Care, which was eventually translated into four languages and continues to be used in physical therapy, chiropractic, pedorthic, and podiatry schools around the world. In addition to lecturing on clinical biomechanics internationally, Dr. Michaud has served on the editorial review boards for Chiropractic Sports Medicine and The Australasian Journal of Podiatric Medicine. Over the past 30 years, Dr. Michaud has maintained a busy private practice in Newton, Massachusetts, where he has treated thousands of elite and recreational runners.

Dr. Michaud is offering the book at the student price, which is $20 off the regular price of $100.  That’s a great deal for a book that covers many gait related issues that plague so many athletes. You can pick up a copy at www.HumanLocomotion.org, when you click on “The book”, be sure to click the link asking for student pricing.  I put the synopsis of the book that is on the back cover below if you want to find more info about the book.

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In the course of a year, more than 1.9 million runners will fracture at least one bone and approximately 50% will suffer some form of overuse injury that prevents them from running. Despite the widespread prevalence of gait-related injuries, the majority of health care practitioners continue to rely on outdated and ineffective treatment protocols emphasizing passive interventions, such as anti-inflammatory medications and rest.

With more than 1000 references and 530 illustrations, Dr. Michaud’s text on human locomotion presents a logical approach to the examination, assessment, treatment and prevention of gait-related injuries. Beginning with a complete  review of the evolution of bipedality, this textbook goes on to describe the functional anatomy of each joint in the lower extremity, pelvis, and spine. This information is then related to normal and abnormal motions during the gait cycle, providing the most comprehensive description of human locomotion ever published.

Human Locomotion also discusses a wide range of conservative interventions, including a detailed guide to manual therapies, a complete review of every aspect of orthotic intervention, along with illustrated explanations of hundreds of rehabilitative stretches and exercises. The final chapter summarizes state-of-the-art, proven conservative treatment interventions, providing specific protocols for dozens of common gait-related injuries, including Achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, stress fractures and hamstring strains. Whether you are a chiropractor, physical therapist, pedorthist or podiatrist, this text provides practical information that will change the way you practice.