Back pain sufferers are often wary of exercising their back muscles for fear of exacerbating or worsening an injury. However, for some lower back pain sufferers, regular stretching and exercise, under the guidance of a professional, can relieve pain and improve range of motion, with patience, time and effort.
Treating and strengthening sore back muscles can be done in a variety of ways:
- A Heating Pad: Heat is one of the most reliable ways to help relax tight muscles. Relaxed muscles are easier to stretch and are less likely to get injured than stiff muscles. 20 minutes of “heat therapy” a day can go a long way in loosening and relieving pain in a tight back muscle.
- Stretching: Stretching will help to relieve tension or stress on the back muscles. There are a couple of good stretches you can do to target the lower back.
- Option 1: Lie flat on your back on the floor with legs stretched out in front of you. Pull one knee up to your chest and hug it with your arms to your chest. Feel a stretch in your lower back, but do not pull so hard that your cause pain. Gently release and straighten the leg and repeat with the opposite leg. This may also be done with both legs at once.
- Option 2: This exercise is known as “child’s pose.” Kneel on the floor, with your knees tucked under you. Place your palms flat on the floor and stretch them out in front of you as far as you can reach. Hold this position for a few seconds. As you pull your hands back to you, roll the stretch through your back. Repeat a few times as desired.
- Strengthening: When it comes to strengthening the muscles in the lower back, we recommend you find a personal trainer or gym professional to help correct your form – at least when first embarking on an exercise routing. Your trainer will guide you through a set of weight or core exercises designed to target and strengthen the muscles in your lower back. The stronger these muscles are the less likely you are to suffer from pain; the muscles act as a support system that enables free movement and flexibility. When done slowly and consistently exercise can relieve any lower back pain – the key is to do them regular in addition to your stretching exercises.
Always remember to check with your doctor when you try something new, and to always use common sense. If you are suffering from severe pain or you feel like your back pain is getting worse, you should consider consulting the advice of a back specialist.
+ Find a personal trainer near you to help you strengthen your back and relieve pain!
Source: News Olio “Back pain: Tips to strengthen a sore lower back”
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”
Yesterday the Bon Secours In Motion Facebook page reached 1,000 fans. We are thrilled! As such, we’d like to thank everyone for their support, kind words, and following; our Facebook page thrives with your engagement.
We hope this year we can continue sharing our physical therapy and sports performance tips and services with an even bigger audience, and we can’t wait for the next 1,000 fans to join our online community!
Thank you again! We’d love for you to Like us on Facebook!
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 exercise and eat nutritious food, you probably figure you’re pretty healthy.
That’s where the danger lies.
Your jeans might fit but your heart could tell a different story.
More than one-third of the population consider themselves to be in ideal cardiovascular health, according to a survey conducted by the American Heart Association. When in reality, less than 1 percent meets the organization’s criteria for ideal heart health.
Cardiovascular disease is scary. It’s the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And one in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke. It’s no wonder federal health authorities dedicate every February to promote American Heart Month.
Clearly, we all can do better for our hearts.
It starts with the understanding the “Simple Seven,” according to the American Heart Association. Practice these healthy behaviors and you’re on a good start to living a longer life:
That’s advice you can take to heart.
Alice Warchol is a freelance health writer and fitness instructor.
Sources: American Heart Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Learn More about Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Read about the Risks of Obesity
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!
