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.
