In a word, YES.  But like most things in life, flexibility is a relative term and its importance really depends upon what activities you are performing.  Different activities have very different demands and our bodies respond to our training by improving in the areas that we stress them.  This is called specific adaptation to imposed demands and is really why when we lift weights we get stronger, when we run we get in better cardiovascular and aerobic condition, etc.  Our bodies respond by getting bigger, looser, stronger and more efficient.  Likewise, when we stop training our bodies respond by getting smaller, tighter, weaker and terribly inefficient!

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.

Remember when you were a kid and you heard that old song…”The knee bone’s connected to the leg bone…the leg bone’s connected to the hip bone…”?  Well, guess what?  It’s true!  The body really is a series of bones that are connected and inter-dependent.  That means that the movement of one bone or joint often depends upon the movement or position of another.

Being injured is NOT fun!  Your immediate concerns are usually, “How can I get the pain to go away?” or “When will I be able to get back to normal?”  These are great questions and we address them in separate articles.  But you also need to be thinking more actively (and proactively) about what you can do to help the process along as quickly as possible.

Pain directly underneath where the big toe is attached to the foot can be very painful and cause you to avoid shifting your weight properly, leading to many other issues.  Or, even if you can shift your weight, it can be almost impossible to push-off to take you next step.  Some people complain that it feels as though a tiny rock is in their shoe while others need to employ a significant 'limp' to make it across the room.  So what caused this pain and are you going to be stuck with it?

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 and you should pay attention to them.

The ‘shoulder’ is actually made up of four joints.  The shoulder joint itself is made up from the ‘ball’ of the upper arm (humerus) fitting into the shallow ‘socket’ of the shoulder blade (scapula).  The shallow socket is more properly known as the glenoid fossa and this joint is called the gleno-humeral joint.

Breathing.  We all do it but rarely think about it.  Breathing, or known by its more medical term, respiration, happens automatically as the diaphragm (muscle across the bottom of the rib cage) contracts and expands the lungs downward.  This is like stretching a rubber band and it creates a negative pressure (vacuum) within the lungs, causing outside air to rush in and fill the spaces called alveoli (small air sacs).  This is the first part of respiration, called inspiration or inhalation, and it occurs actively through muscle contraction.  The alveoli are covered with tiny little blood vessels called capillaries and this is where the ‘exchange’ takes place. 

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.

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…