Category: Injury Prevention
Lunges and straddles help build leg strength and flexibility
Lunges are great cross-training exercises for almost any discipline. Forward, reverse, side, or diagonal lunge positions work to sculpt, define, and strengthen large lower body muscle groups including the gluteus maximus (glutes), hips, hamstrings, adductors, hip flexors, and quadriceps (upper) thighs.
If you are a beginner or are adding lunges back into your workout routine, you can start with your body’s weight and resistance to strengthen your core and gain balance. Since lunges work large muscles, you may need to complete many repetitions to achieve the desired results. Start with two sets of ten lunges on […]
Make your own hot and cold packs
You can find relief for minor injuries using heat and cold packs.
Sprains and strains feel better after cold is applied; muscle aches respond better to heat therapy. You can buy commercial products that will provide both kinds of relief.
You also can make your own.
For just a few dollars, you can create a supply of reusable hot and cold packs that work just as well as their commercial counterparts.
Here are two simple ways to make a hot pack.
If you need a hot pack in a hurry, simply pour rice into a clean sock and tie […]
Work and school can mean pain for your neck
There’s a reason we adopted the phrase “a pain in the neck” to describe something annoying.
There’s nothing quite so irritating as neck pain.
Just think about it. How many times do you turn your head, look down at your desk, or look up at your computer screen. When your neck hurts, it limits your movement, causes headaches and interrupts your daily life.
Your neck is a vital framework of bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves attached to your spine. It’s less protected than the rest of your spine and is especially vulnerable to injury. Neck strain also […]
Keep your hamstrings strong for pain-free movement
Your hamstrings are not the strongest muscles in your legs, but they play a major role in your ability to move. As a result, hamstring injuries have sidelined more than one professional athlete for an entire season.
So, what are hamstrings?
Your hamstrings are actually a group of three muscles located on the back of your leg. This trio, which includes the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and the biceps femoris muscles, run from the top of your thigh to your knee joint. They play a part in posture, pelvic positioning, knee support and leg movement.
How do hamstring injuries occur?
When […]
Traveling this year? How’s your luggage treating you?
If you’re using a conventional suitcase, it may not be treating you well.
Carrying a heavy weight that bumps against your legs can cause a misalignment in your spine. The stress and strain on your back combined with hours of sitting during travel can cause acute pain. Don’t let the wrong suitcase put a kink in your vacation.
Whether you’re traveling across town, across the continent or somewhere else around the world, all that packing and lugging can literally be a pain in your neck, back, and shoulders.
Carrying more than 15 percent of your body […]
Are you at risk for curvature of the spine?
“You need to walk straight,” Randy said. “You walk like this. He lowered his right shoulder and collapsed his rib cage to his hip. “Why don’t you stand up straight!” Randy did not understand that a spinal deformity, not slouching habit, caused Kate’s uneven gait. Since her spinal curvature didn’t cause pain, Kate was unaware her body listed to the left when she walked. Now, it was a concern.
Healthy spines have curves in all the right places.
When viewed from the side, the healthy spine has three c-shaped curves that create a slight “s” shape.
The first curvature includes […]
Five reasons yoga is good you
Mega stars do it. Pro-ball players do it. The NFL made a video about it on it.
What is it? Yoga. It’s a great whole body workout for both men and women
If you want to stay fit, flexible and have a sense of peace, you might want to add yoga to your workout, too.
Once thought of as a woman’s exercise, Yoga has made its way into many men’s fitness programs all across America. The slow, controlled movements:
- Build muscle
- Increase flexibility
- Sharpen mental focus
- Reduce stress
- Rid the body of toxins
These reasons may be why pro […]
Exercise is a low-cost prescription for your health
“Exercise 30 minutes a day, five days each week.”
By now, most of us have heard the recommendation Health.gov promoted in their 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines. Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 50 percent of American adults DO NOT meet this basic activity requirement.
Now, thanks to meta-analyses of historical data, medical providers can point to a multitude of “new” health benefits attributed to 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week.
Change the way you think about exercise.
First, let’s define “moderate activity.” It’s any exercise or activity that increases your heart rate […]
Stretches can prevent back pain
Many people today suffer back pain from hours of sitting at a desk. This position compresses the hips, the spine, and the shoulders to create a pain in the neck and back.
Anyone who has experienced back pain knows it can be so severe it stops you from moving or creates a constant irritation the leaves you exhausted by the end of the day.
Exercises to relieve or reverse the pressure may bring you pain relief and help you move more freely.
Here are a few to try. Remember to consult your doctor before trying new exercises. This is […]
