Training for endurance sports, like the 2012 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon, 1/2 Marathon, 8k, is a marathon, not a sprint. Like any long-term pursuit, it can be easy to lose sight of your end goals during long training sessions and setbacks. However, you can set yourself up for success by taking a serious approach to your training.

One of the key components to a firm fitness foundation is knowing your VO2 max. Your VO2 max, or maximal oxygen uptake,  is a measure of the amount of oxygen your body can move through your veins and arteries during exercise. Endurance athletes use this number as a benchmark for aerobic health; VO2 max is a measure of your capacity to generate the energy required for endurance activities and is one of the most important factors determining your ability to exercise for longer than four to five minutes. The average active person has a VO2 max somewhere between 40 and 60, while endurance athletes have VO2 maxes in the 90s.

Getting an accurate measure of your VO2 max requires some specialized equipment. Learn more about VO2 Max testing or schedule an appointment at one of our Sports Performance clinics!

With research showing that developing brains are more susceptible to injury, some experts are calling for the end of youth football programs and contact sports to help avoid traumatic consequences.

A recent article published by The Post Game on the fate of youth football in America states:

“According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, between 4 percent and 20 percent of college and high school football players will sustain a brain injury during the course of one season; a report cited by CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta estimates that about one in 10 high school players suffers a concussion. The Boston Globe recently reported that emergency room visits for youth sports-related traumatic brain injuries went up 62 percent from 2001 to 2009. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has labeled sports concussions “an epidemic,” reported last year that roughly 122,000 youths between the ages of 10 and 19 went to emergency rooms for nonfatal brain injuries. For boys, the top cause of injury was playing football.”

While a concussion diagnosis doesn’t always lead to a visit to the emergency room, doctors are seeing a rise in the number of sports-related concussions among children and adolescents. Health care professionals believe these numbers are on the rise because more coaches and physicians are educated and willing to diagnose concussions where they would have previously diagnosed them as minor head injuries. Still, some speculate that parents and coaches may be missing up to 9 out of 10 concussions.

Growing recognition of the potentially catastrophic consequences of brain injuries among younger athletes recently led the Canadian Paediatric Society to release a new position statement in January warning that “Because their brains are still developing, children and adolescents are more vulnerable to head injury and take longer to recover from concussions than adults,” according to Dr. Laura Purcell, the CPS statement’s author. In fact, the CDC states that younger athletes are at increased risk for traumatic brain injuries that are more severe and more difficult to recover from.

Boys over the age of 10 tend to lead in multiple concussions due to “high-energy risk taking,” but, while specialists tend to see mostly preteen and adolescent boys for concussions, girls are catching up. And the research shows that a young person who suffers from one concussion is more likely to suffer from another. Studies have linked a history of two or more concussions with a high rate of cognitive issues, including headaches, memory problems, mood swings, and impacted classroom performance.

Though the jarring impact may not result in a blackout, victims are also at risk for life-threatening complications, like or second-impact syndrome, in which an athlete suffers a second concussion while still recovering from a previous one. Though the precise physiological cause is uncertain, the outcome is a fatal or severely debilitating swelling of the brain.

Last year, concussion expert Robert Cantu suggested to the Boston Globe that children under 14 should not be allowed to play collision sports unless those activities are modified to eliminate head blows, and that athletes under the age of 18 should be prohibited from enduring more than an agreed-upon number of blows to the head during a particular period of time. What would those numbers look like? As a starting point, the Cantu’s company suggested no more than 1,000 hits in a season, and no more than 2,000 in a calendar year.

So how can we protect our children’s brains? Aside from educating yourself about the signs and symptoms of concussion and taking the necessary safeguards and risk management steps, many believe that concussion safety is “a matter of risk acceptance.” Anxious or worried parents and coaches can rely on experts trained in the most current proactive concussion management practices. At Bon Secours In Motion, our Certified Impact Consultant Physicians, specially trained physical therapists and athletic trainers will help get you back in the game. Measuring brain function with the ImPACT™ Neurocognitive Test, our experts can monitor an athlete’s symptoms to ensure that their recovery is progressing adequately.

Source: The Post Game: “End Game: Brain Trauma And The Future Of Youth Football In America”, The Vancouver Sun “Concussions hit the young hardest: Experts”

You wake up in the morning with a runny nose and a sore throat. Should you keep your workout plans or draw the line and stay home?

As a general rule, mild to moderate physical activity won’t hurt you if you have a normal cold with no fever. In fact, exercise can help alleviate cold symptoms by clearing nasal congestion.

However, you should stay home if you have “below the neck” symptoms, like chest congestion, a hacking cough, or an upset stomach. If you have a fever or muscle aches you’re better off on the couch than the treadmill.

Remember to listen to your body. If you feel awful, take a break from exercise. If you have a common cold and think some activity might help you feel free to workout, but reduce the intensity and length of your session so that you don’t risk more serious injury or illness.

When in doubt check with your doctor!

Source: Mayo Clinic “Exercise and Illness”

Candy hearts aren’t the only hearts you need to worry about in February. Working out as a couple offers an endless variety of heart healthy benefits, but it can strengthen your relationship even as it improves your cardiovascular fitness.

Research suggests that dieting and exercising as a couple (or with a buddy) is easier than going alone. Not only do you get the satisfaction of working together towards a shared goal, you also reinforce the idea that your relationship is about health and feeling good. And, unlike a huge meal or chocolate-fest, shared gym time is a great way to enjoy time together guilt-free as often as you want. Experts have also linked shared gym time with improved intimacy.

For couples who are looking into getting started on a program, some personal training programs will allow two people to share a session. Sharing a workout may help you build trust, improve communication, establish more intimacy all while getting healthier.

This year forget chocolates, wine, and cheese for Valentine’s day – instead, try to do something for each other that helps shrink the waistline rather than expand it.

Researchers at McMaster University in Canada are shedding light into how deep touch works to ease pain and promote healing in sore muscles.

A small study of 11 young men measured the effectiveness of massage in treating inflammation in muscles and boosting athletic recovery. The men rode stationary bikes to the point of physical exhaustion. Afterwards, each participant received a 10 minute Swedish massage on one leg.

Biopsies taken after the activity revealed that massage decreased the activity of proteins that cause inflammation and pain and helped spur the production of proteins that help muscles recover from activity. At the end of the day massage had the same pain-relieving effect as over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like Tylenol, which also reduce pain by preventing inflammation.

Study leaders hope this study, and others like it, will help dismiss criticisms of massage as an “alternative” medical treatment.

+ Learn more about the benefits of massage therapy.
+ Massage therapy may be the perfect gift for an active Valentine! Contact us about gift certificates.

Source: Healthland “How Massage Helps Heal Muscles and Relieve Pain”

If you are interested in volunteering at the Yuengling Shamrock Marathon, 1/2 Marathon, 8k on behalf of Bon Secours Sports Medicine at the 2012 Shamrock Marathon, please contact Shannon at SVHiggons@rehabcare.com.

We will need 100-150 volunteers for this weekend of activity! These are very important volunteer assignments and the races couldn’t happen without your help! We will need MD’s, PA’s, RN’s, PT’s, PTA’s, and ATC’s for the med tent, the med station on the course and as catchers at the finish line for both the 8k on Saturday and the marathon and 1/2 marathon on Sunday.

The time slots we need to fill are:

8K race – Saturday, March 17th:
One shift: 7:30am-11

Marathon and Half-Marathon on Sunday, March 18th:
First shift: 6:30am-12:30 Second Shift: 9:30am-4

If you are interested in volunteering on behalf of Bon Secours Sports Medicine at the 2012 Shamrock Marathon, please contact Shannon at SVHiggons@rehabcare.com.

THANK YOU!

When you’re a gym rat or a semi-regular exerciser, you tend to fall into a natural routine. You pack your clothes and toiletries every day and hit the road. However, you may be overlooking a crucial element – your water bottle.

Which begs the question – when was the last time you washed your water bottle?

Reusable water bottles come in a huge variety in shape, size, style, and material. Some are dishwasher safe others can only be rinsed. Some are streamlined and easy to clean others are complicated with mouthpieces and straws that could prove difficult to disinfect.

A quick survey tells us that most of us usually just do a quick rinse everyday, then refill it.

When you do how do you clean your water bottle? Boiling water and soap every day? Dishwasher? A quick rinse? Tell us in the comments!

Knee pain can be miserable and debilitating – especially among women aged 50 and older. According to the American College of Rheumatology, around 2/3 of all women aged 50 and older suffering from some degree of knee pain – chronic or recurring.

Orthopaedic specialists note that women have a higher risk for developing arthritis than men.

If you are suffering from knee pain, your primary care physician can help you determine the cause of the pain. From there you may go visit a sports medicine specialist, or a physical therapist to help manage the pain.

Oftentimes exercise is used as a medicine to strengthen the knee by building the muscles around the aching joint. If you’re already active hire a personal trainer to help you focus on low-impact exercises targeting the muscles around the knees. Also, keep in mind that weight is one of the biggest sources of knee pain – losing weight may also mean losing the pain!

We suspect that the root of this question is a lack of clarity about what differentiates these two groups of exercises. We’ve broken them down below:

• Cardio Training
  According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular exercise includes any aerobic exercise that increases you heart rate and “involves the steady and repetitive movement” of your upper (arms) or lower (legs) body.
• Strength Training
  Strength training is any exercise that involves – well – strengthening the muscles through “efficient force production, stability and mobility.” This type of training builds endurance and help your muscles use oxygen more efficiently.

Cardio training and strength training are not mutually exclusive and both should be practiced together to optimize weight loss and fitness results. Our personal trainers incorporate both kinds of training, along with nutritional evaluations, in their fitness programs to maximize client results and prevent injury.