Monthly Tips
February, 2008
The Stress of Neck Pain and Headaches
Headaches will strike 2/3's of the population at any one given time. Some possible causes of neck pain and headaches can derive from poor posture, whiplash, osteoarthritis, and carrying heavy items with improper lifting techniques.
So what are some ways to avoid neck stress? Here is some advice from a physical therapy perspective:
- Improve your postural awareness. Keep your neck in a "neutral" position whenever possible. Keep your lower back supported (knees should be slightly lower than hips) and arms resting at sides.
- Try not to sit in one position for long periods of time.
- Stretching exercises before bed and first thing in the morning.
- Keep number of pillows to a minimum to keep spine neutral.
- When lifting, stand up straight, with objects close to your body and feet positioned shoulder-width apart.
- Low impact exercise such as swimming, walking, low-impact aerobics, and stationary bicycling.
References:
www.apta.org
www.USDoctor.com
***Any severe headaches, especially lasting more than two days, require physician consultation. For more details, please see a physical therapist at any of our Agape Physical Therapy locations!
December, 2007
Tips to Shovel Snow Safely
Heart attacks, back strains and muscle soreness are all by-products of the extensive physical activity involved in the simple task of snow shoveling. The average shovel of snow weighs 16 lbs. If you load your shovel 12 times per minute that would be 192lbs and over 2,000 lbs. in 10 minutes.
Safety Tips:
- Avoid caffeine or nicotine, they will increase heart rate
- Drink plenty of water
- Warm up your muscles by walking for a few minutes
- Stretch your arms and legs. Warm muscles will work more efficiently
- Pick the right shovel for you. A smaller blade will require you to lift less. Try a Bent-Handle shovel that is ergonomically designed to allow you to bend less at the waist.
- Lift with your legs not your back. Keep your back as straight as possible. Step into the direction you are throwing the snow
- Never throw the snow over your shoulders
- Leave some distance between your hands. This will create more leverage and make it easier to lift snow.
- Push if you can. Save your back and energy by simply pushing the snow to the side.
- Spray the shovel with a cooking spray to allow the snow to slide off the blade easily
- Listen to your body. Stop if you have pain or observe heart attack warning signs such as: Chest pain, shoulder, neck or arm pain, dizziness, fainting, sweating, nausea, or shortness of breath.
A study published by Cornell University indicated "…when handling heavy snow with a shovel, the L5/S1 disc has been identified as the weakest link in the body." By lifting correcting and warming up the muscles you can protect this area of the spine.
August, 2007
Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Importance of Exercise
When joints are stiff and painful, exercise might be the last thing on your mind. Yet when you have rheumatoid arthritis, exercising is one of the best things you can do to take care of yourself and your joints.
Here is why exercise is so important:
- people who exercise live longer
- regular exercise can decrease overall pain
- exercise keeps your bones strong
- exercise maintains muscle strength
- exercise improves functional ability allowing you to do more for yourself
- people who exercise feel better about themselves and are better able to cope with problems
There are three types of exercise you can do:
- Stretching- which is the simplest and easiest. These involve holding different muscle groups for 10-30 seconds to improve flexibility.
- Strengthening- involves working the muscles against resistance. These can be done with or without weights. These help increase the amount of activity you can do pain-free!
- Conditioning- improves cardiovascular fitness. Good conditioning exercises for rheumatoid arthritis include low-impact activities such as walking, swimming, bicycling or using an elliptical machine.
* A Physical Therapist can create an exercise program that is right for you. Physical Therapist's can identify what areas you need to work on, choose the right exercises for you and tell you how vigorously you should exercise.
July, 2007
10 Tips To Control Your Weight:
Written By: Michelle Antonio, MS, RD, CDN, CPT
- Eat a well-balanced diet every day. Eat a variety of foods from the 5 food groups, grains, vegetables, fruits, meat & meat substitutes and dairy.
- Plan your meals and snacks in advance. Planning what you eat and when you are going to eat it diminishes the likelihood of an impulsive "detour" from your sensible eating plan.
- Control your home eating habits. Limit where you eat your food to only at the table, not in front of the TV or reading. If you eat and participate in these activities, you lose track of how much that you have eaten and you tend to overeat.
- Reduce your daily consumption of fat. Most Americans consume too much fat from foods such as fried foods, fast foods, bacon, butter, processed cheese and luncheon meats, etc.
- Reduce your intake of empty calorie snacks. Keep a plentiful supply of snacks on hand of fruits and vegetables to snack on between meals.
- Limit your intake of high fat, snack foods such as chips, candy, etc.
- Eat at least 5 servings per day of fresh fruits and vegetables. Try not to consume canned fruits and vegetables they have added sugar, salt, and they have lost their nutrients.
- Reduce your intake of salt. Salt can contribute to high blood pressure and it affects the amount of water that your body contains.
- Monitor what you eat. Keep a daily log of what you eat. Such a log makes you aware of what you are consuming and how much. B y becoming aware you can alter your eating habits.
- Change your style of eating. SLOW DOWN!! Food is enjoyable so take time while eating. Chew your food thoroughly, put down your fork. Keep in mind that it takes 20-30 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that it is full.
- Exercise!
