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”
It’s that time of year I dread as a fitness instructor. The mid-part of February when so many people give up going to the gym.
I think I know what happens. Or really, what doesn’t happen: instant weight-loss.
If you joined the gym this January and have been exercising regularly, I have to ask you something: Did you remember that fitness begins in the kitchen?
It’s not a pleasant topic. Nobody likes change. But if you really want your time on the treadmill and the hours you spend lifting weights to count, you have to think about what you eat. Exercise and eating healthy meals work wonders for weight-loss when you do them at the same time.
Personally, I think dragging myself to the gym for a heart-pumping aerobic workout is a lot easier than saying no to the double chocolate brownies sitting on my kitchen counter. (They’re a treat for the kids.)
When I talk to people at the gym where I work, I realize that most of them just don’t know what they should be eating. That’s why it’s so important to learn about nutrition and seek advice from someone qualified to give it, not - ahem – a magazine that promises amazing abs in 10 days.
Instant weight-loss equals instant disappointment.
Alice Warchol is a freelance health blog writer and fitness instructor.
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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”
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
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!
If you might describe yourself as a bit of a people-pleaser, beware this Super Bowl Sunday.
You could have a hard time saying no to that plate of cheesy nachos and bowl of ground beef chili.
Researchers from Case Western Reserve University have found that people who don’t like upsetting others will often eat food just to make someone else happy.
Even when they’re not hungry.
“They don’t want to rock the boat or upset the sense of social harmony,” said Julie Exline, lead author of the study, in a news release. Exline is a Case Western Reserve psychologist.
Ultimately, they pay an emotional price for giving in to the social pressures to eat.
“Those who overeat in order to please others tend to regret their choices later on,” Exline said. “It doesn’t feel good to give in to social pressures.”
The study’s findings, published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, adds to the growing evidence that other people can influence our eating behaviors. It’s studies, like this one, that can help those of us trying to lose weight.
So, pack up that spinach salad or eat before you head over to your friend’s house for the big game. And learn to say no.
It’s time to focus on your happiness.
Alice Warchol is a freelance health writer and fitness instructor.
+ Learn More about Nutritious Eating
+ Read about Emotional Triggers and Eating
