This past weekend, over 50,000 runners participated in the New York City Marathon, the largest race in the world. Months of rigorous training went into those 26.2 miles, but what happens after you cross the finish line is just as important when it comes to preparing for your next race. You may feel ready to take on the world after your marathon, but your body needs a break. You’ve likely iced your joints and muscles immediately after the race, but be sure to wait a few days before any sort of major heat. A session in the sauna or a …
You may have been able to stick to an exercise routine during the warmer months, but when temperatures drop, we all have the urge to hibernate. When figuring out the best way to continue exercising in cold weather, the obvious answer is to join a gym. But for those who can’t take things indoors (for instance, if you’re training for a marathon), there are some important exercise and equipment adjustments you can make so you can safely brave the cold. In winter, warming up is more important than ever. Consider adding time to your warm-up, and starting indoors so you …
It’s hard enough experiencing back pain as you go through your day, but back pain at night when you want to sleep is especially grueling. Many patients experiencing nighttime back pain aren’t even especially uncomfortable during the day, but find that once they climb into bed, the pain may be too much to bear. These people find themselves in a nasty cycle: insufficient or interrupted sleep can exacerbate the very same pain that keeps them up each night. Nighttime back pain can be caused by a number of issues. Disc degeneration and arthritic changes as the result of aging may …
If you’ve been paying attention to the news—and even if you haven’t—you know that an outbreak of the Ebola virus has been ravaging West Africa since August and, in recent weeks, has made its way to Spain and the United States. After approximately 10,000 cases and nearly 4,000 deaths in Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, plus two in Spain, one in Germany and one in the United States, there’s a lot of concern about what comes next. Of course, it all sounds scary, but this isn’t quite the dire situation of disaster movies. …
From day to day, as we walk, run, sit, and lie down, it can be easy to forget about our hips – that is, until they suddenly start to hurt. They need care, especially in relation to the rest of the back; the spine rests on the hips, so the hips have a very important job when it comes to alignment and posture. In fact, pain you feel in your hip may signal a problem in your back – and tight or weak hips can disrupt your back’s proper alignment. Some hip and back pain may be the result of lumbar spinal stenosis, a condition that becomes more common as we age past 50. In this condition, the …
Nothing says fall more than football, whether that means watching a professional game on TV with family and friends or having your child go out for the team. Even with all the excitement around the start of the season, there are still plenty of football safety concerns, especially for younger players. The biggest question for parents is usually “at what age can my child start playing tackle football?” This question made headlines recently when former NFL coach John Madden spoke out against younger children playing the sport. “I’m a firm believer that there’s no way that a 6-year-old should have …
With these exercises, you should be able to avoid discomfort or lessen existing back pain. If the pain is unbearable or is accompanied by tingling in the arms, I recommend consulting your doctor. Whether big, small, sports, or lace – industry figures show that women around the world spend $16 billion on bras. Aesthetics aside, many women find themselves dealing with the frustrating problem of upper and mid-back back pain caused by large breast size. Excessively large breasts, known as breast hypertrophy, put extra stress on the back extensor muscles and spinal disks, leading to muscle tension, spasm and pain. …
Even in today’s world where so many of us spend our days at a desk, back injuries are still the most common workplace injuries, according to a survey from U.S. Healthworks. Of course, outdoor workers and those who must regularly lift heavy objects are the first to be hurt, but those who don’t lift anything heavier than a file folder in our 9-to-5 are at risk as well. If you work does happen to be physically demanding, it doesn’t mean you have to live with chronic back pain; there are things you can do to prevent injuries: Make sure you’re …
I can’t stress enough the importance of good posture, and that’s especially true for kids. It’s not just that it makes them look and feel more alert and prepared; bad posture in childhood and adolescence can mean back pain in adulthood. Some doctors report seeing children as young as seven years old with back problems. A major part of the problem is the ways in which our kids learn and relax. Backpacks are heavier than ever, and the chairs most schools provide make good posture very difficult to achieve. Backward sloping chairs mean students have to curve their spines forward …
You’ve been working hard on your serve, only to have to sit out your next tennis match because of back pain. While you may be in pain, you’re certainly not alone; tennis injuries, especially back pain, are common (even in the pros) and can range widely in their level of severity. The rotation needed to switch between backhand and forehand can wrench muscles in the low back, leading to acute pain. Serving is also a major culprit when it comes to back pain in tennis players because the hyperextension puts stress on the foot joints and disc. More serious problems …
