Category: Injury Prevention

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 cr...

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 mo...

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 locat...

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 p...

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 spina...

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 acti...

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 ...