A practical assessment of Golf Finger tapes by Mark Armstrong

” It summer, humidity and sweat makes me increase my grip on the handle and my left 5th finger starts to rub and friction on the end of the club. The tapes saved my fingers on my left thumb and first finger at the driving range of 2 bags of balls. But the 40°C heat, humidity and having to grip tighter than normal because of the moisture and blisters are forming.

So i used Golf Finger on my predictable “Hot spots” – my left index finger and thumb. Today’s elements were quite extreme so I used one also on my 5th finger. Happy to report no blisters. “

There are many great running shoes for hyper-pronation. The inside aspect of the sole of the shoe is usually solid and made of a denser material.  If the running shoe is very soft the excessive probation is increase.

A device that actually correct and prevents the hyper-pronation is ideal. Wave orthotics are very thin – less than a millimetre. The reinforced wedge in the inside prevents hyper pronation. Depending on the angle of foot deviation, the wave orthotic aligner can be adjusted to correct any excessive movement.

For example, if the foot leans-in by 13 degrees the medial wedge for the wave orthotic aligner can be tilted 13 degrees to counter act is and aligning the foot and ankle.

Children’s school shoes are very important to the health of the growing foot. Some children’s feet can have mild to severe misalignment just like the teeth can have.

Using a very thin foot Wave Orthotic aligner inside school shoes can keep the foot perfectly formed.

Usually heel pain starts only on 1 foot. It can be on and off until it is very very painful and feels like a broken bone inside the heel. Usually those suffering this painful condition called planter fasciitis feel like frauds. This is because when they wake up first thing in the morning the heel is very painful to put on the ground and after 20 steps it starts to feel better. Usually they can run 5 km or more without any problems and then after sitting for a while and standing up it is then very painful.

Family members can begin to believe that this person with your pain is making it up because how can they run for5 km or more and yet have pain in their feet when they go to stand up and take a few simple steps. Planter fatty, it is most commonly is the swelling of the heel bone where a very thick leather strap like structure called the planter fascia inserts into the heel bone.

Usually on the shorter leg every human being has a shorter leg this tilts the hip forward making that ankle slightly lean in and the arch to drop a little. This engages the plantar fascia to pull taught. If this goes on for too long the bone where it attaches into begins to crack microscopically which feels like a broken bone. Swelling builds up after periods of rest so that when the patient puts the foot on the ground it hurts as much as a broken bone but as walking begins to increase the circulation it removes the swelling so the pain feels better.

Using Hilbers cushions to heal and also the electro muscle stimulator helps with pain but also tightened and engages the foot arch muscles so that the foot is not reliant only on the plantar fascia to hold its shape. In severe cases and orthotic may have to be worn for 12 weeks to lift the arch and tilt the ankle straight to stop the overall engagement of the plantar fascia band.

When cycling, the front of the foot is the main power from which the force of the lower leg is pushed through the pedal. If the forfeit is not in the correct metatarsal position the intermetatarsal muscles will start to cramp and feel very hot like burning sensation.

The metatarsal position is similar to the tooth position at the front of the mouth. The layman’s term for an overbite is called buck teeth. When the metatarsals drop instead of being rainbow shaped giving a nice transverse arch in the forfeit the metatarsals drop and become a depressed arch which does not engage the intermetatarsal muscles and these are the muscles that begin to burn and feel hot when cycling after 20 km or so.

By using adhesive stretchy kinesiology tapes, Hot Foot Relief ^TM, specially designed for this part of the foot to engage the transverse arch this will allow those muscles to engage during the force of the pedal push resulting in longer kilometres before the hot foot starts to develop. In severe cases are special orthotic may also have to be worn during the day when not cycling to lift the metatarsals back up similar to orthodontic braces for the teeth. For mild problems, use the hotfoot kinesesiology tape while cycling and for severe cases, visit your podiatrist for an orthotic to lift these bones outside and use hotfoot tapes whilst cycling to perform to your best.