The Body - Designed to Move
How do we move? Why do sprains or torn ligaments affect how we move? How do we re-teach our bodies to move after an injury? Why does it take so long to resume activities after an injury? There are many mechanical parts of the body and, in some sense, it can be like fixing your car or a door in your house. To answer these questions and understand why it's important to properly train or 'rehab' requires that we first know a few 'body basics.'
Rotator Cuff Rehabilitation
Rotator cuff injuries, including tears, impingement or tendonitis, are very common, especially among active individuals. Whether you have a tear or simply tendonitis, the focus should be on keeping all of your range of movement and boosting your rotator cuff strength. While some people choose to self-treat with stretching and strengthening, this can be hit or miss and really cannot take the place of a hands-on examination and physical therapy. Either way, understanding how your shoulder works will help you take care of it in the future...be sure to read our great article on shoulder mechanics and the rotator cuff for a nice background on the basics of understanding your shoulder.
Low Back Pain...But Where's The Problem?
Lower Back Pain (LBP) is one of the few ‘sure’ things in life. Well, it’s almost a sure thing…there’s about an 80% chance you will have an episode of LBP at some point in your life. And, once you’ve had an episode, you are much more likely to have one or more repeat episodes. We’ve known this for 20+ years now, yet the statistics have not changed…so why can’t we do anything about it?
Tennis (Elbow) Anyone?
Having tennis elbow doesn’t necessarily mean that you play tennis! In fact, it is medically known as lateral epicondylitis. A painful elbow can affect almost all activities you perform throughout your day. From shifting your car to lifting a gallon of milk our of the refrigerator, nearly every motion that involves grasping something while moving your arm and elbow will result in pain.
Plantar Fasciitis
Your alarm goes off and you don't even need to hit snooze! You hop right out of bed but as soon as your foot hits the floor you let out an "OWWWWW!" There is a sharp pain on the bottom of your foot, right near your heel, that makes you jerk your foot up off the floor and want to crawl back into bed! Finally, you work up the courage to put your foot back down and now, more gingerly, you hobble across the floor to start your day. What could possibly cause such a sharp pain? What can you do to get rid of it?
Cross Friction Massage
Each type of soft tissue has a different makeup (%) of collagen (stiffer) and a gelatinous matrix that fills the area between the collagen fibers (softer and more flexible.) The more collagen the tissue has, the stiffer the tissue. Normal tissue is made up of fibers that run parallel (like the l's in parallel) to one another. The more collagen the tissue has, the stiffer it will be. This is particularly good for ligaments and capsules that hold joints together, however, muscles and fascia need to be more flexible.
Spine Stabilization Overview
Your lower back feels stiff when you get out of bed in the morning or after doing some work in the yard. We’ve all been there and we all joke that it’s, “…because we’re getting older!” While there is some truth to that statement, the reality is that we can do something about it. With a little focus and dedication, you can get yourself up to speed on a few exercises and then maintain your stability by incorporating a couple of exercises into your normal, everyday activities. First, you need to know why your muscles become stiff and sore and how to protect against it.
Spine Stabilization and Pilates
With Pilates programs increasing in popularity over the past ten years, Pilates and core stability have become common terms in exercise. Many people pursue the dream of the “6-pack abs”, or a flat stomach, by doing sit-ups, crunches, and working out on a variety of abdominal machines. Although having a toned abdomen looks good, and a “gut” can put a strain on your low back, traditional abdominal exercises do not provide core stability. These exercises, along with hip strengthening, increase superficial muscle strength or what’s called core strength. However, these muscles do not necessarily provide the stability that the spine needs to function.
Using Cold or Heat Therapy
Sometimes it can be difficult to know how to care for an injury. You might be asking yourself, “Should I use ice or heat?” It can be especially conflicting in the middle of winter when you feel cold to even think about putting an ice pack on your skin. Knowing the basics of hot and cold therapy will help you make the right decision. Read on…
Knowing Your Shoulder and Keeping It Strong
Does a day of yard work, a tennis game or a quick house project leave your shoulder aching for days? Shoulder pain can range from a constant, dull ache to a sudden sharp pain with movement. Whatever symptoms you are experiencing and no-matter how short-lived they are, they are a warning sign that you should pay attention to.
Cardiovascular - What Makes Us Tick?
It might be true that you can’t live without oxygen and food but it’s also true that you need a way to deliver oxygen and food to the cells of the body and then take away the waste products and get rid of them. The cardiovascular system takes care of this transportation function in our bodies and training it can make it more efficient.
Cardio (heart) Vascular (vessels) refers to the heart and blood vessel system in the human body. The cardiovascular system’s primary function is to transport blood throughout the body. We all know what blood is but do you know why it is important? Let’s start by looking at what is in ‘blood’ and then we’ll see why it is so important.
