Winter weather will be here soon, so we need to be prepared for snow. Shoveling snow can be a strenuous activity and could cause some serious injuries if done incorrectly. Here are a few tips to help survive the winter snow moving:
Find a good shovel with a curved handle to decrease bending in your back. A small, lightweight blade helps to minimize the weight.
Warm up first by marching in place or performing gentle stretches.
Use ergonomic techniques by lifting with your legs, by not twisting the back, and by keeping the weight close to your body. Also keep both feet on the ground to help minimize your chance of slipping and falling.
Pace yourself by taking a few minutes of rest for every 10-15 minutes of work or when you feel fatigued.
If you have access to a snow blower or plow, use it. Or hire it done!
Following these guidelines can reduce your risk of injury during the winter season.
Have you made plans for the holidays? Most people do travel planning and meal planning, but what about fitness planning? Holiday exercise sessions are not on most people’s holiday agendas. After all, holidays are for rest, relaxation, and fun! Right?
Well, exercise can be fun, and has been proven to help you feel better and rest better. Why skip it over the holidays? Schedule some holiday exercise sessions for fun and relaxation. What about ice skating or Christmas caroling around your neighborhood? If you can’t handle the outdoor temperatures or activities, don’t forget that walking done indoors at a shopping mall counts as exercise, but stopping to browse in the stores doesn’t! Don’t look for parking places near the store entrance. Park out in the lot and walk. You may get in the store faster than searching for a close parking space anyway. Plan fun-filled holiday activities, especially ones that keep you moving.
With so many of us working desk jobs, many of us experience shoulder and neck from slumped or rounded shoulders. In the video below, I share an exercise I have used to help minimize and even reduce rounded shoulders.
In the video, we placed a stack of magazines under the model's head. Before we start, we want to be sure that her head was parallel with the ceiling, not tilted back and not tucked either.
Next, she pushes her head into the magazines, which elevates the chest. She should hold that for three seconds and then relax for six seconds. Ideally, she would do this several times a day as she builds postural strength that would allow her to maintain good posture.
As she improves, we can begin to take away a magazine every 3-4 days until eventually she doesn't have any magazines underneath her head.
As with any exercise, we want to make sure we do not experience pain. The key is to feel comfortable with just enough effort to feel like you're performing the exercise.
Stop immediately if you begin to experience pain during this exercise.
After a long day at work, my shoulders and neck can be sore. So, I invented a way I can massage my own shoulder and neck.
In the video below, I talk about how I got a dowel or rod and set one end up on a surface that is approximately level to my shoulder height. I can then place the rod on my shoulder and rotate it up and down my shoulder, as seen in the video. It helps loosen that muscle tissue and really give some relief. Note that I keep the dowel against my skin and not against clothing.
As I rub my shoulders with the dowel, I hunt for sore spots in my shoulder. When I find a particularly tender area, I can just pause and hold pressure there until I feel a nice release.
I can also use the dowel as a anchor to stretch my neck. If I hold the dowel down on my neck, I can then gently let my head fall toward the other shoulder. It can really help decrease the tension or pain in shoulders.
As shown a little later in the video, you can also use this same technique on up your neck. I call it a "reverse roll." As I push the dowel up the side of my neck, I rotate the dowel downward.
While I used a dowel in this video, I have also bought PVC pipes from a local hardware store. I like to use a thicker walled PVC pipe, called Schedule 40. It's a three-quarter inch thick walled PVC pip.
I try to remind my patients that when they exercise, they need to be careful on posture or form to be sure that they do not injure themselves further. In the video below, I show how I do two different lifts - dead lift and squat - so that I protect my back.
I demonstrate the dead lift using a dumb bell. The key things to remember are
Contract the abdominal muscles throughout the lift
Keep the back straight
Tuck the chin
Keep the chest lifted up
Similarly, for the squat, I demonstrate the key component is to draw the abdominal muscles in and keep them contracted throughout the whole lift. I squat down to create a 90 degree angle with my knees.
Practice these lifts with a dumb bell or object to train yourself to use your abdominal muscles when you're lifting. Make using your abdominal muscles a habit to prevent injury.
Finding time to exercise is difficult. The good news is that you can make small habits throughout your day to help improve your strength and posture. Today, I want to share one "exercise" that I personally use to help with back pain.
We all need abdominal wall support to support our low backs. Research has shown that people who have back pain do not nautrally activate a muscle called transverse abdominis which go around your sides. For people who have not injured their backs, they naturally contract this muscle when they stand up or lift objects.
So, to re-train my transverse abdominis to contract when I stand or lift objects, I work throughout the day to draw my abdominal muscles in toward my back. You can think about it as pulling your belly button toward your spine. Before I stand or lift something, I consciously think about pulling my abs in. I keep them about 25-30% contracted. Before too long, I don't have to think about it anymore.
Whether you're lifting weights or just picking up around the house, it's important to have good posture when lifting heavy objects. To demonstrate, I've made a short video where I'm squatting to lift up a dumbbell.
Notice how in the video I squat down so that my legs make a 90 degree angle. If I was lifting weights, like I was in the video, I'd be sure to keep my elbows slightly bent to keep them from locking. I have an upcoming video and blog coming soon to demonstrate a modified dead lift.
If I was moving a box at home, I would squat, pick up the box and carry it close to my body, and then walk to where I want to place the box. I would be careful not to twist my back, as that can be strain on my low back.
For more pain prevention tips, check out our YouTube playlist.
Whether you're out for sports this fall, or you're running the kids out to their sporting events, you need to be sure that you (and your family) stay hydrated. According to Larry Kenney, PhD and professor of physiology and kinesiology at Penn State in the article Quest for Hydration, "as little as a 2% decrease in body water can lead to dehydration and performance detriments in sports." Dehydration by 3 or 4% have much more seriously effects.
Symptoms of dehydration are:
Dry mouth
Increased Thirst
Fatigue
Headaches
Dizziness
Moodiness
Concentration
Faintness
Rapid Breathing
Weak, Rapid Pulse
Loss of Consciousness
Anxiety
Confusion
So, drink your water. Your brain and body will thank you.
Have your upper shoulders and back ached after a long day of work? I know mine have, and I found a creative way to massage my own muscles that are out of reach. I recently made a fun video to show how I do it, and I've found it really comforting after a long day of work.
I bought a PVC pipe and cut it to be a little longer than my torso, so that I can hold onto one end around my belt line and the other end around my neck height. To anchor, I grab a hold of my belt or top of my pants, and with the other hand, I rotate the PVC pipe to massage my shoulders and upper back, as seen in the video. If I find a really tender area, I just press and hold the PVC pipe on that area for anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes, as long as I don't experience any discomfort or pain.
The PVC pipe is a thicker walled PVC pipe, which you can typically get at your local hardware store. I hope it helps you as it's helped me.
Several years ago, I was helping a football team that had lots of ankle injuries in one particular sports season. If I remember right, it was 20 to 25 ankle injuries in one sports season. We gave the young athletes a 60-second exercise that I describe in the video below. After implementing this exercise, the team had only 2 or 3 injuries the whole season.
How much does that backpack weigh? Studies have shown that the weight of a backpack and the amount of time carrying a backpack can impact neck and shoulder posture. If a backpack is 15% of an individual’s body weight, then it is too heavy for a child to maintain proper posture. Many children and older teens develop poor posture while carrying heavy backpack loads, and the affects can be hard to reverse. Avoiding heavy backpacks can mean avoiding chronic back pain.
Did you know that August 7 - 13th is Exercise with Your Child Week? With school right around the corner, finding fun ways to exercise with your children this week will give them wonderful summer memories. Get creative!
Some ideas:
Go for a bike ride
Walk at the park
Organize a scavenger hunt
Have a dance party
Play catch in the backyard
And of course, don't forget to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated!
Summertime is a fun time to go to ball games and enjoy the outdoors. If you and your family are out and about, you want to be sure to not only drink enough water but also get electrolytes so you can continue to enjoy your summer activities without muscle cramps or feeling drained. Many sports drinks have electrolytes, but be sure to check the label if you are counting your calories. You can also find some flavored waters that have electrolytes with little to no calories.
I have patients frequently asking me when they should use heat and when they should use ice. It really is a great question!
In general, if you have pain, use ice. If you have stiffness or soreness, use heat.
If you use heat at an improper time, it may feel good at first, but in the long run, you can actually worsen your symptoms. However, if you use heat at the proper time, I need to warn against lying on a heat pad or pack. It can actually capture heat underneath you and end up burning you.
Similarly, if you overuse ice, you can actually develop frostbite. Stop using ice if you start noticing the following symptoms:
1. You start experiencing numbness where you have iced
2. The skin underneath the ice begins to thicken
3. The skin you've iced starts to turn white
In the video below, I show you how I use ice packs and ice cups. I also explain when I prefer using an ice massage on the painful location, and I show how I do it.
A physical therapist is always reaching for a balance between doing too much and too little during a treatment. Sometimes, patients may experience an increase in discomfort or pain after a physical therapy treatment. In the video below, I advise to:
1. Call the physical therapist.
2. Use ice packs on the treated area immediately after a treatment. Warning: Do not put ice directly on the skin.
The next question is, "What if I have pain by my next appointment?" Again, I advise to call the physical therapist involved to see if they still want you to come to the appointment. But at Aptitude Physical Therapy, I always tells our patients to come, because there are things we can do that will actually lessen their current pain. Most patients leave with their pain levels under control and glad that they came.
Have you ever had a sore back after vacuuming the house? If so, I have a tip for what I do to protect my back while vacuuming.
As I demonstrated in the video below, most people vacuum by pushing with one arm and rotating your back. What most of us don't realize is that the combination of bending and twisting can really hurt your back!
What I like to do is think of my vacuum as a lawn mower. Keep the center of the handle against your abdomen or belly in the middle, and use your legs to do the work as you push your vacuum around the house.
Do you have neck pain after texting or playing on your phone for long periods of time? Your posture may be to blame. If you find yourself slouching or resting your chin on your chest, you can be putting a lot of unnecessary stress on your neck and shoulders. According to an article on the Cleveland Clinic website, you can put about 60 pounds of force on your neck by resting your chin on your chest. "Research shows that for every inch you drop your head forward, you double the load on those muscles."
To correct your posture and reduce stress on your neck, elevate your chest, bring your arms comfortably along your sides, and slightly tuck your chin.
Be aware of the hot and humid conditions this summer so that you don’t experience heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke. To prevent any of these conditions, drink adequate amounts of fluid. Avoid being outside during the hottest parts of the day. The best time to do physical activity is when the sun is not so high in the sky. You can gauge this by making sure that your shadow is taller than you. If you believe someone is experiencing a heat stroke it is important to call 911 immediately.
In the video below, I show how I have adapted the overhead press to help reduce the risk of injury to shoulder tendons.
I use both arms to lift a dumbbell over my head, release with one hand, and lower the dumbbell with the other arm. I will either switch hands to give each hand a chance to rest, or I will set the dumbbell down on a chair in between individual lifts. With either method, I allow the tendons in his shoulder to recover by giving it enough time to get enough blood flow to the tendon. This also allows me to build greater strength as I can lift a heavier weight with quality movement control.
About one year ago, I was having a lot of knee pain going up and down steps and getting out of cars. I hated it. After some research, I developed this exercise technique to reduce my knee pain during my workout. If you are wondering if this would work for you, contact your medical provider, or call our office for an appointment.
Throughout the entire exercise, I go slowly so that I can warm up the tissue. I don't mind if my muscles burn from the exercise, but I do not want to have any knee pain.
Step 1: I start by setting the weight on a leg extension machine on a low weight so that I can warm up my tendons.
Step 2: I extend both of my legs to about 70%, as shown in the video.
Step 3: I bring back one leg and lower the weight slowly with the other.
Step 4: I then pause for at least as long as it took me to do the lift.
I pause after each lift to make sure that I'm getting enough blood flow to the tendon in the knee where a lot of the pain is coming from.
After I'm feeling warmed up, I increase the weight. In the video, I doubled the weight, and I paused for twice as long as it took me to do the lift. Whenever I'm really starting to work hard lifting heavier weight, I need to wait up to three times as long as it took to do the lift to ensure that I'm getting enough blood flow to the tendon.
I like to help my patients find ways that makes it easier to maintain good posture throughout the day. In many cases, we can strengthen targeted muscles so that we naturally sit, stand, and walk with good posture. By having good posture, we avoid a lot of potential future complications and pain.
In the video below, I show you how to use a Total Gym to strengthen the muscles between your shoulders which will help with shoulder blade posture. Below are the steps I outline in the video.
Step 1: Retract or pinch your shoulder blades together, and hold that throughout the exercise.
Step 2: Tuck your chin.
Step 3: Pull yourself up by pulling your arms into your body.
Bonus Step: Have a work out buddy. In the video, you'll see my dog try to help me out. :)
The summer heat can take a major toll on one’s body. With a majority of the body being made up of water, it is important that an individual consumes adequate amounts of it a day. One of water’s main functions is to regulate body temperature and this happens through sweating. The more you sweat the more you need to hydrate. By staying hydrated you can maintain your performance and reduce the risk of heat illnesses. In 2004, the Food and Nutrition Board released new dietary reference intakes for water which stated that women need 91 ounces and men need 125 ounces. These recommendations can increase, however, in the summer when you are sweating. Signs of moderate dehydration are a dry mouth, sleepiness, thirst, decreased urine output, dry skin, and headaches. If you experience these symptoms, you should consider sports drinks that replace the salts and electrolytes that you may lose. Stay safe this summer, and beat the heat!
In this Age of Information, many of us have desk jobs. Years of sitting at school and at the workplace can wear and tear on the body. In this blog, I give advice to reduce risk for future pain.
#1 Reducing risk for carpal tunnel syndrome
To reduce the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, make sure your wrists are straight at the keyboard and not bent. While you can buy an inexpensive wrist rest, you can also just fold up a towel to the proper height, as demonstrated in my WorkStation Tips video. If your hand is angled upward at the wrist by a computer mouse, you may need a smaller mouse that fits your hand better.
#2 Reducing shoulder tension
After sitting for hours at a desk, many people experience shoulder pain or tension. Sometimes, this pain is caused by sitting up too high or too low at your desk. I illustrate in the Workstation Tip video how find that right height for you.
Step 1: Backup from your workstation, and swing your arms back and forth in a relaxed manner until your arms come to a resting point. It should be approximately a 90 degree angle.
Step 2: Adjust the height of your chair so that you arms rest at that comfortable angle position.
#3 Reducing neck pain
To make sure your monitor is at a proper height, turn your monitor off, and spread your hands vertically parallel to the screen, as I illustrate in my Workstation Tip video. Close your eyes, and slowly nod up and down until your head comes to a neutral position. When you open your eyes, note which finger you are looking at. That is where your eyes naturally rest. Is it in the center of your screen? If your eyes rest too low on the screen, consider purchasing a monitor stand or just putting books under the monitor. By raising the monitor, you’ll be less likely to jut your neck forward as you strain to read your screen; this can cause neck pain or tension if you continually hold that position throughout your work day.
#4 Increasing Blood Flow
As I referenced in his Workstation Tips, modern research states that we need to get up from our workstations every hour and walk around for at least five minutes. By getting up and walking, you save the lining of your arteries and vessels in your legs, which, in turn, helps with the blood flow.
I'm often asked about finding good shoes, and even made a video about it. When you're shopping for summer footwear, remember what to look for:
Arch support
Heel support
Shock-absorbing material in the sole
Soft, non-irritating material in the uppers
I'm not saying you have to wear leather shoes in the summer or only athletic shoes. Look for summer shoes with the above-listed criteria. Don't settle for inferior footwear.
I don't like to see people wearing flip-flops or flimsy sandals because I know the injury and pain these type of shoes can cause. Wearing flip-flops on the beach or by the pool is fine. What's a bad deal is wearing them everywhere--all the time--in all kinds of weather and activity. Flips-flops aren't made to give proper protection or support to the foot. Consistent flip-flop wearers are more at risk for injury and pain.
Buying supportive footwear now can help you avoid pain and injury later. Also, if you invest in sturdy footwear, you won't need to pay for medical care later. When it comes to everyday footwear, flip-flops are just flops.
