Division 11 player bitten by a shark

Of all the injuries college basketball players have sustained this year, Chad Renfro's may have been the scariest. Renfro, the leading returning scorer at Division II Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla., was paddling out on his surfboard to catch a wave at a beach near his parents home in Jacksonville when he felt sharp pain in his left foot. A shark bit him with enough force to slice most of a tendon, damage a bone and require 85 stitches to close the wound. "Immediately I knew what it was, so I just paddled back in as fast as I could — caught the next wave in," Renfro told WJXT-TV in Jacksonville. "I was sitting there and people kept looking at me. I was trying to get someone to help me, and then one girl had walked over and I told her to call 911, and then I saw the lifeguards drive by, and so I just hollered for them and they came over." The silver lining to the shark attack is Renfro's injuries could have been far worse. The 6-foot-4 guard expects to return to the basketball court in time for the start of next season and even hopes to get back on a surfboard as soon as possible. Experts have said what bit Renfro was likely either a four-to-five-foot bull or lemon shark, both of which are common off the coast of Florida. Renfro's mom joked with WJXT-TV that her son would be more likely to win the lottery than get bit by a shark while surfing. Hopefully he buys a winning ticket when he leaves the hospital because he's due for some good luck.

Suddenly All the Kids Have Diabetes

From the way diabetes gets talked about in the news, you'd think that everyone and their brother had it. Well, now it's looking more like everyone and their daughter has it. A new study has just been released which shows a pretty terrifying increase in the rate of diabetes and pre-diabetes among young people. In 2000, only 9 percent of teens were diabetic or pre-diabetic. By 2008, a whopping 23 percent of adolescents are. Jesus H. Christ on a cracker. That is a huge increase in just eight years. One small ray of hope is that the test they used, a fasting blood glucose test, doesn't give as accurate a picture of a person's health because it's a single snapshot of blood sugar rather than an average over time. So that number could be somewhat artificially high. Still, even considering that, this news is not good. The author of the study, Ashleigh May, who is an epidemiologist for the CDC, calls the findings "very concerning." Pediatric endocrinologist Larry Deeb, who is also a former president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association, says other research shows there could be "a 64% increase in diabetes in the next decade. [...] We are truly in deep trouble. Diabetes threatens to destroy the health care system." As if that wasn't bad enough, this study also found something else that's equally scary: [H]alf of overweight teens and almost two-thirds of obese adolescents have one or more risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or high levels of bad cholesterol. By comparison, about one-third of normal-weight adolescents have at least one risk factor. While it was already clear that we needed to do something to protect the health of our kids, this data suggests we'd better do something quickly. Not that there's any easy way to fix this problem, especially among modern teens who already have so many other things to worry about, like being bullied and not getting caught in a sexting scandal. Perhaps it's time to call upon some kind of health superhero. Will Mr. Metabolic Syndrome save the day and defeat evil Dr. Diabetes? Blood Sugar Man to the rescue? Can we even just get Jack Black in a spandex suit doing PSAs? Someone? Anyone? Help. By Cassie Murdoch

Born to run barefoot? Some end up getting injured

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Swept by the barefoot running craze, ultramarathoner Ryan Carter ditched his sneakers for footwear that mimics the experience of striding unshod. The first time he tried it two years ago, he ran a third of a mile on grass. Within three weeks of switching over, he was clocking six miles on the road. During a training run with a friend along a picturesque bike path near downtown Minneapolis, Carter suddenly stopped, unable to take another step. His right foot seared in pain. "It was as though someone had taken a hammer and hit me with it," he recalled. Carter convinced his friend to run on without him. He hobbled home and rested his foot. When the throbbing became unbearable days later, he went to the doctor. The diagnosis: a stress fracture. As more avid runners and casual athletes experiment with barefoot running, doctors say they are treating injuries ranging from pulled calf muscles to Achilles tendinitis to metatarsal stress fractures, mainly in people who ramped up too fast. In serious cases, they are laid up for several months. Many converts were inspired by Christopher McDougall's 2009 best-seller "Born To Run," widely credited with sparking the barefoot running trend in the Western world. The book focuses on an Indian tribe in Mexico whose members run long distances without pain in little more than sandals. While the ranks of people running barefoot or in "barefoot running shoes" have grown in recent years, they still represent the minority of runners. Some devotees swear they are less prone to injuries after kicking off their athletic shoes though there's no evidence that barefoot runners suffer fewer problems. In some cases, foot specialists are noticing injuries arising from the switch to barefoot, which uses different muscles. Shod runners tend to have a longer stride and land on their heel compared with barefoot runners, who are more likely to have a shorter stride and land on the midfoot or forefoot. Injuries can occur when people transition too fast and put too much pressure on their calf and foot muscles, or don't shorten their stride and end up landing on their heel with no padding. Podiatrist Paul Langer used to see one or two barefoot running injuries a month at his Twin Cities Orthopedics practice in Minneapolis. Now he treats between three and four a week. "Most just jumped in a little too enthusiastically," said Langer, an experienced runner and triathlete who trains in his barefoot running shoes part of the week. Bob Baravarian, chief of podiatry at the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, Calif., said he's seen "a fair number" of heel injuries and stress fractures among first-timers who are not used to the different forces of a forefoot strike. "All of a sudden, the strain going through your foot is multiplied manifold" and problems occur when people don't ease into it, he said. Running injuries are quite common. Between 30 to 70 percent of runners suffer from repetitive stress injuries every year and experts can't agree on how to prevent them. Some runners with chronic problems have seized on barefoot running as an antidote, claiming it's more natural. Others have gone so far as to demonize sneakers for their injuries. Pre-human ancestors have walked and run in bare feet for millions of years often on rough surfaces, yet researchers surprisingly know very little about the science of barefoot running. The modern running shoe with its cushioned heel and stiff sole was not invented until the 1970s. And in parts of Africa and other places today, running barefoot is still a lifestyle. The surging interest has researchers racing for answers. Does barefoot running result in fewer injuries? What kinds of runners will benefit most from switching over? What types of injuries do transitioning barefoot runners suffer and how to prevent them? While some runners completely lose the shoes, others opt for minimal coverage. The oxymoron "barefoot running shoes" is like a glove for the feet designed to protect from glass and other hazards on the ground. Superlight minimalist shoes are a cross between barefoot shoes and traditional sneakers — there's little to no arch support and they're lower profile. Greg Farris decided to try barefoot running to ease the pain on the outside of his knee, a problem commonly known as runner's knee. He was initially shoeless — running minutes at a time and gently building up. After three months, he switched to barefoot running shoes after developing calluses. Halfway through a 5K run in January, he felt his right foot go numb, but he pushed on and finished the race. He saw a doctor and got a steroid shot, but the pain would not quit. He went to see another doctor, who took an X-ray and told him he had a stress fracture. Farris was in a foot cast for three months. He recently started running again — in sneakers. "I don't think my body is made to do it," he said, referring to barefoot running. Experts say people can successfully lose the laces. The key is to break in slowly. Start by walking around barefoot. Run no more than a quarter mile to a mile every other day in the first week. Gradually increase the distance. Stop if bones or joints hurt. It can take months to make the change. "Don't go helter skelter at the beginning," said Dr. Jeffrey Ross, an associate clinical professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and chief of the Diabetic Foot Clinic at Ben Taub General Hospital in Houston. A year and a half ago, Ross saw a steady stream — between three and six barefoot runners a week — with various aches and pain. It has since leveled off to about one a month. Ross doesn't know why. It's possible that fewer people are trying it or those baring their feet are doing a better job adapting to the new running style. There's one group foot experts say should avoid barefoot running: People with decreased sensation in their feet, a problem common among diabetics, since they won't be able to know when they get injured. Harvard evolutionary biologist Daniel Lieberman runs a lab devoted to studying the effects of running form on injury rates. He thinks form matters more than footwear or lack of — don't overstride, have good posture and land gently. In a 2010 study examining different running gaits, Lieberman and colleagues found that striking the ground heel first sends a shock up through the body while barefoot runners tend to have a more springy step. Even so, more research is needed into whether barefoot running helps avoid injury. "The long and the short of it is that we know very little about how to help all runners — barefoot and shod — prevent getting injured. Barefoot running is no panacea. Shoes aren't either," said Lieberman, who runs barefoot except during the New England winters. Carter, the ultramarathoner, blames himself for his injury. Before he shed his shoes, he never had a problem that kept him off his feet for two months. In April, he ran his fourth 100-mile race — with shoes. Meanwhile, his pair of barefoot running shoes is collecting dust in the closet.

Autism Linked to Mom's Diabetes

Mothers who are obese or who have diabetes appear to be more likely to have children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism.... According to Paula Krakowiak, MS, a PhD candidate at the MIND Institute at the University of California Davis, and colleagues, maternal obesity was associated with greater odds of the offspring receiving a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.56) or a developmental delay (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.20 to 3.61) by age 5. A combination of maternal metabolic conditions was associated with a range of impairments in the children's development, the researchers reported. Susan Hyman, MD, of the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., who is the chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' autism subcommittee, called the findings provocative. Although the observational study could not prove causal relationships, Hyman said the findings suggest that maternal metabolic disorders are contributing causes to autism and other developmental disorders. Roughly one in every 88 children has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a recent estimate from the CDC, and one in every 83 has another developmental delay. Hyman also said that if maternal metabolic conditions are adding to the burden of autism, it is likely a small contribution. She noted that other factors related to obesity that were not captured in the database could be involved in the relationships. She added that mothers of children with disabilities often scrutinize everything they did, ate, and were exposed to during their pregnancy to try to find an explanation. But, she said, "At the time of your child's diagnosis, that's all ancient history. What you have to concentrate on is what you can do, what are effective interventions ... being proactive and changing what you can change is really what research is all about. It's not about pointing fingers." Krakowiak agreed, noting that the study is preliminary and cannot prove cause and effect; it is possible there are other factors involved that independently affect obesity and autism. "So I would definitely not want moms to feel guilty for having any one of these conditions, and that being a cause of their child's disorder," she said. The exact cause of autism has not been identified, but both genetics and environmental factors are believed to be involved. Previous studies have identified an association between diabetes during pregnancy and general developmental impairments in the offspring, although research examining the relationship with autism has yielded mixed results. To further explore issue, Krakowiak and colleagues turned to the CHARGE (Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment) study, an ongoing case-control study of children born in California. The current analysis included 1,004 children ages 2 to 5 -- 517 with an autism spectrum disorder, 172 with other developmental delays, and 315 with typical development. All of the children were evaluated using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS), which assessed cognitive and adaptive development, respectively. The specific metabolic conditions assessed among the mothers were obesity, hypertension, and diabetes (either gestational diabetes or type 2 diabetes) during pregnancy. All three of the metabolic conditions were more frequent among the mothers of children with an ASD or other developmental delay. Combined, the rates were 28.6% for mothers of children with an ASD, 34.9% for mothers of children with a developmental delay, and 19.4% for mothers of typically developing children. After adjustment for sociodemographics and other factors, mothers who had one of the three conditions were more likely to have a child diagnosed with an ASD (OR 1.61) or developmental delay (OR 2.35). Maternal hypertension alone was not related to either outcome, and maternal diabetes was associated with greater odds of having a child with a developmental delay (OR 2.33), but not autism. Maternal obesity was associated both with ASD and developmental delay among the children. Among the children with an ASD, maternal diabetes was associated with "relatively small" impairments in expressive language. Among the children without an ASD, the combination of maternal conditions was associated with a wide range of deficits in cognition and adaptive development. Although a case-control study cannot prove cause and effect, there are some possible mechanisms to explain a relationship between maternal metabolic conditions and a child's neurodevelopment, according to Hyman. Maternal glucose, but not insulin, can cross the placenta. If the mother has elevated levels of glucose, the fetus will have to produce more insulin. The increased oxygen demand that results can induce intrauterine tissue hypoxia. Poorly regulated maternal glucose could also result in iron deficiency in the fetus. Both hypoxia and iron deficiency can harm the developing brain. An alternate explanation is that the proinflammatory cytokines present in mothers with metabolic conditions may impair fetal neurodevelopment. Hyman said all of these explanations are hypothetical and need to be studied further. "I think that we have to look at this as a call to our society that there are multiple implications of the obesity epidemic that we need to consider, and that we need to be proactive in what we can do," she said. "What we can do is we can eat healthy and exercise, and this is a positive suggestion for change. There are so many things we can't change. We can change this."

Banish Shin Splints Forever With One Magical Exercise

The sun is out, the weather's warm, and in a month or so you're going to be parading around the beach nearly naked. Time to shed that winter weight. So you start running. But lo! Just as you start getting results, you also get pain. In your shins. It's bad. Shin splints are one of the most common running and sports injuries, and they can really knock you off your routine. Luckily, with one simple exercise, you can kill your shin splints. Here's how to send them to hell, where they belong. Welcome to Fitmodo, Gizmodo's gym for your brain and backbone. Don't suffer through life as a sniveling, sickly weakling—brace up, man, get the blood pumping! Check back on Wednesdays for the latest in fitness science, workout gear, exercise techniques, and enough vim and vigor to whip you into shape. First off, what are shin splints? The medical name for them is tibial stress syndrome. They're a result of fatigue and inflammation in the muscle tissue in the front of your leg and the posterior peroneal tendon. Pain usually occurs around the front, outer side of your tibia (shin bone). It's generally considered to be an overuse injury, and it's incredibly common. What most people don't realize is just how insanely easy it is to treat. Back when I first started fixing my knees, my physical therapist had me do some very light running on a treadmill. After just a few sessions, I started getting shin splints, and they sucked. I thought it meant I had to stop. Nope. My doc said, "I'm going to give you one exercise routine that you're going to do once a day, and the shin splints will be gone within the week." Sounded like bullshit to me. But, to my amazement, he was absolutely right. Here's how you do it. Instructions: § 1. Find some stairs. Actually, just one stair or a curb will do. § 2. Turn so you're facing down the stairs. Scoot forward until just your heels are on the stair, with the rest of your foot hanging off (you can hold a wall or railing for balance). § 3. With your legs straight, point your toes downward as far as you can, then lift them up as far as you can. Repeat. § 4. Use a timer. Do as many as you can in 30 seconds. Do them rapidly, but with full extension and flexion. § 5. After 30 seconds, bend your knees at a 45-degree angle (about half way). Without pausing to rest, do another 30 seconds of flexing in that position. That's one complete set. If it burns like hell, then you're doing it correctly. § 6. Rest for a minute or two, then do another set—30 seconds with the legs straight, immediately followed by 30 seconds with the knees bent. Rest for a another minute, and repeat the two-part set. § 7. Each day, do three of these two-part sets. The total daily routine includes 6 30-second sessions. That's it. Toe raises. You think I'm crazy. That's fine. Try it. I've been spreading this wisdom for the past ten years like some kind of Johnny Shin Splint-seed and it has worked for literally everyone. I'm eager to hear the results from a larger sample size (that's you, dear readers). The usual disclaimer applies: Everyone's body is different, and if you feel like you're injuring yourself, stop and see a doctor or physical therapist. You may have something else that could require calf stretching, calf raises, shin stretching, or standing on tennis balls to do mid-foot stretching. Some people are told to walk around on their heels, but it seems that this would cause impact and stress on the knees. Really, I've never seen the toe raising exercise fail when performed properly, daily. Have you had shin splint issues? If you've fixed them, how? If you haven't yet, try this and tell us if it works. And tune in next Wednesday for more Fitmodo.

Health Tip: What Triggers Ingrown Toenails?

An ingrown toenail can result from a number of things, but poorly fitting shoes and toenails that are not trimmed properly are the most common causes. The skin along the edige of a toenail may become red and infected. The great toe is usually affected, but any toenail can become ingrown.

Ingrown toenails may occur when extra pressure is placed on your toe. Most commonly, this pressure is caused by shoes that are too tight or too loose. If you walk often or participate in athletics, a shoe that is even a little tight can cause this problem. Some deformities of the foot or toes can also place extra pressure on the toe.

The American Podiatric Medical Association says risk factors for ingrown toenails include:Nails that are not trimmed properly can also cause ingrown toenails.

•Wearing shoes that are too tight or crowd the toes.
•Having feet that are frequently subjected to injury during everyday activities.
•When your toenails are trimmed too short or the edges are rounded rather than cut straight across, the nail may curl downward and grow into the skin
•Poor eyesight and physical inability to reach the toe easily, as well as having thick nails, can make improper trimming of the nails more likely
•Picking or tearing at the corners of the nails can also cause an ingrown toenail
Some people are born with nails that are curved and tend to grow downward. Others have toenails that are too large for their toes. Stubbing your toe or other injuries can also lead to an ingrown toenail.

Vibram Hit With Five-Finger Class Action

It was just announced that a group of five law firms have filed a class action suit against Vibram USA, Inc. and Vibram FiveFingers, LLC in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts. This class action lawsuit alleges that the company made deceptive health benefit statements about their shoes and about barefoot running.

The lawsuit asserts that: 1) health benefits claims Vibram FiveFingers has used to promote the shoes are deceptive; 2) FiveFingers may increase injury risk as compared to running in conventional running shoes, and even when compared to running barefoot; 3) there are no well-designed scientific studies that support FiveFingers' claims. The class action lawsuit, filed on March 21 on behalf of Florida resident Valeria Bezdek, also represents more than 200 people with claims against Vibram. The claims totals exceed $5,000,000.