vsrfrontdesk September 27, 2015

3 Exercises to Strengthen and Protect Your Lower Back

Lower back pain is one of the most common maladies we treat. Unfortunately, alleviating pain isn’t a simple process. Since many sources of lower back pain are systemic and chronic, there are rarely quick and simple fixes to a patient’s problem. Try these three exercises to strengthen your lower back and protect it from further pain.

1. Bird Dog Exercise

A classic yoga pose, this exercise performed 10-12 times per leg for 5 seconds each can strengthen your core muscles and support your spinal column, reducing the amount of stress placed on your lower back. It can also help you learn proper form for other exercises, as it encourages your body to stabilize the lower back during movements of the arms and legs. Be sure to prevent your lower back from sagging during exercise, though.

2. Wall Sits

Press your back gently against a smooth-textured wall surface and gradually slide down until your knees are slightly bent. Do this 10-12 times, holding in the sitting position for 10 seconds each. Use a stool or exercise ball for support if you feel you might fall or can’t support your full weight while your knees are bent. This exercise keeps your back completely straight and helps strengthen your hamstrings, glutes, and abdominal muscles – all essential for good lower back support.

3. Partial Deadlifts

This exercise is great for strengthening your lower back muscles, but if you suffer from chronic lower back pain, you should begin this exercise using a minimal amount of weight (we’d recommend only the bar until you feel comfortable with the necessary form). Using a bar and lower back supports, place your feet shoulder-width apart and keep your toes straight. Squat and lift the bar from the floor, keeping your back arched and your feet stationary. Lift gradually until the bar is at arms length against your legs, then arch your back in a partial squat, lowering the bar beneath your knees and holding your knees at a 45-90-degree angle. Do this 10-12 times, holding for 10 seconds at a time. Note: this exercise can also be performed with dumb bells, but we’d recommend doing it in front of a mirror or with a partner to ensure proper form.

Possible Sources of Lower Back Pain

– Sprains

– Strains

– Herniated, ruptured, or degenerating discs

– Sciatica

– Radiculopathy

– Traumatic injury

– Spinal Stenosis

– Spondylolisthesis

– Skeletal abnormalities

– Muscular imbalances

Of course, be sure to speak with your doctor or physical therapist before attempting a long-term exercise rehabilitation regiment. Depending on the cause of your lower back pain, some exercises may do you more harm than good. Low impact and aerobic exercises typically lead to fewer complications and don’t tend to aggravate symptoms as much as weight-bearing exercises, so ramping up your routine from there can be a good place to start until you speak with your physician.

If you’re struggling with chronic lower back pain and are feeling limited in your day-to-day activities, contact Velo Sports Rehab to make an appointment with one of our experienced sports medicine professionals and get started on the path to pain-free movement today.

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vsrfrontdesk September 20, 2015

5 Facts About Repetitive Strain Injury and How to Fix It

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) and its associated terms refer to conditions that come with repetitive tasks, forceful physical exertion, or sustained awkward body positions. Conditions under the RSI umbrella include tendonitis, carpal tunnel, golfer’s elbow, trigger finger, and radial tunnel syndrome among others. Most commonly, RSI-related issues present themselves in a patient’s wrists, hands, and arms. While the effects are clear, there are some facts about RSI you should know before you begin treatment.

1. Repetitive Strain Injuries Are Commonly Work-Related

Depending on your benefits package, you may be entitled to insurance coverage to treat work-related repetitive stress injuries. Some employers provide body alignment and ergonomic support through their HR department that can help you correct your body posture while at your desk.

2. There are Two Types of RSI

Type 1 RSI relates to a swelling of muscles or tendons, including: carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and tenosynovitis.

Type 2 RSI corresponds with a feeling of pain without any signs of inflammation or swelling in the affected area. This is also called non-specific pain syndrome.

3. Loss of Sensation or Strength Are Also Signs of Trouble

Overuse injuries sometimes don’t present themselves in a painful fashion. The loss of feeling or strength in extremities is common, but could spell trouble as problems persist, potentially leading to strength issues further up your arms and into your shoulders and neck.

4. Preventing RSI Problems is Easier Than You Think

Taking a few steps every day to prevent RSI problems can be easily incorporated into any busy lifestyle. Simply adjusting the height of your chair, moving the angle of your keyboard to prevent wrist discomfort, and ensuring that your posture is healthy can go a long way to preventing future problems. Be sure to take periodic breaks throughout the day to walk around and stretch your muscles or issues may persist.

5. Various Treatments Are Available

While diagnosing RSI is difficult, a Functional Movement System test can detect weaknesses and limitations in a patient’s body. When linked to a specific task (such as typing), a physician can connect the dots and help prescribe treatments to reduce the existing pain levels. Active Release Technique (ART), Graston Therapy, and deep tissue massage therapy can help break down scar tissue that may have developed as a result of a RSI.

If you suffer from the symptoms of a Repetitive Strain Injury or need guidance recovering from an athletic injury, Velo Sports Rehab can help. We treat patients at every level of physical wellness and help them lead more comfortable, healthy lives. Contact us today to schedule an appointment or give us a call at 425-590-9208.

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vsrfrontdesk August 30, 2015

Treating Foot Injuries: 3 Exercises That Can Relieve Pain

Your feet are the genesis of many other complex injuries and misalignments, with imbalance and arch problems radiating up as far as the muscles in your neck and head. Common foot problems such as plantar fasciitis (jogger’s heel) or Achilles’ tendinitis can be caused by many different things, ranging from long-term overuse injuries to severe and sudden traumas. Fortunately, these injuries can be easy to treat and don’t often require corrective surgery in order to improve functional movement and comfort while performing exercises or everyday activities.

Exercise #1: Achilles Tendon and Plantar Fascia Stretch

Gently stretch your Achilles tendon and plantar fascia (foot arch) by sitting on the floor and looping either a towel or exercise band around the ball of your feet, pulling your foot back toward your body. Keep your toes straight and avoid over-stretching, especially if you’re just starting out. Hold the stretch for 30-45 seconds depending on your discomfort level and repeat three times for each foot.

Exercise #2: Toe Stretch

Sitting in a chair, bring your leg over the opposite knee and interlace your fingers through your toes. Squeeze your toes and fingers together for 10-20 seconds at a time, then stretch your toes out wide for 10-20 seconds. Repeat three times for each foot.

Exercise #3: Massage Your Arches

Stand on a narrow rolling pin or tennis ball, balancing over it with the second toe of your foot. Roll the ball or pin on the sole of your foot for a few minutes at a time, repeating three times for each foot. This can help strengthen the arches of your feet and improve balance while walking, running, or exercising.

Velo Sports Rehab recommends that people with chronic foot pain consult a physician before conducting any rehabilitation exercises or stretches. Each injury is as specific as each person’s individual body, so the treatment prescribed should follow suit. Find pain relief the healthy way and schedule an appointment with a sports physician at Velo Sports Rehab today.

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vsrfrontdesk August 16, 2015

What’s a Trigger Point?

Also referred to as a myofascial trigger point, a trigger point as it relates to the human body is a “hyperirritable” point in skeletal muscle or the surrounding fascia. By the touch, a trigger point may feel like a “knot” or a tight bundle of tissue that causes pain to radiate to nearby areas.

What Causes Trigger Points?

Many factors contribute to the development of a myofascial trigger point, but the primary culprit is usually repetitive trauma to the muscle group. This trauma can come from repetitive activities, poor posture, or faulty bio mechanics. Stress, anxiety poor nutrition and lack of sleep can also be contributing factors.

Latent and Active Trigger Points

Two types of trigger points exist: latent and active. Latent trigger points contain tight muscle groupings that don’t always cause pain during activity. In fact, there are almost never any symptoms without external force. Once pressure is applied to latent trigger points, significant radiating pain will occur. Even without pain, latent trigger points are fascia adhesions that can cause weakness, altering biomechanics and preventing muscle growth.

Active trigger points cause significant, limiting pain both during physical activity and while at rest. When pressure is placed on an active trigger point, it’s not uncommon for the person to react swiftly and nearly jump off a massage table. Local muscle groups will exhibit a twitch response to pressure on the trigger point.

Treating Trigger Points

Physical therapy and sports rehab professionals have many tools and techniques to treat myofascial trigger points and reduce muscular pain during physical activity. Graston technique, sports massage therapy, Active Release Technique, are all effective tools to reduce trigger point pain and improve your athletic performance or just your day-to-day lifestyle.

Velo Sports Rehab’s sports medicine practitioners have the expertise and knowledge to diagnose your ailments and design a plan unique to your body’s strengths and weaknesses. Contact us today to make an appointment or give us a call at 425-590-9208.

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vsrfrontdesk August 3, 2015

How Prehab Can Help Your Rehab

While many people first think of injury rehabilitation when it comes to physical therapy, a large portion of the people we assist are older athletes or people who have suffered stress or overuse injuries for many years.

No matter how active or energetic middle-aged people are, there’s the undeniable fact that older bodies slow down with time. Even the most active people over 50 can suffer orthopedic injuries that may have permanent effects on their mobility going forward. By maintaining a fitness and weight baseline and taking some precautions around the house, you can prevent injuries from slowing you down and help speed up your recovery process should an injury occur.

What’s “Prehab?”

Prehab is a layman’s term for a proactive methodology to avoiding injury. By building strength in particularly vulnerable areas, such as weak or injured parts of your body and your core muscles, you can improve mobility, balance, and flexibility to offset your potential to experience an injury.

With added emphasis on building strength in your hips, core, and shoulders (your “pillar”), posture and alignment improvements will come and allow your joints to move more freely and efficiently as a result.

Prehab for Sports Participation

If you’re like most people, you spend most of your day sitting at a desk, putting stress on your back that weakens and strains your core muscles. After spending all day sitting, it can be harmful to then get up and put stress on your body through weight training or other rigorous exercise.

Sitting also weakens your hips, reducing their mobility and flexibility. Speaking with an athletic trainer or physical therapist about prehab exercises designed for specific athletic activities can help you focus your training to boost performance in very specific ways.

Prehab for General Health

Everyone has a moment in their lives when they experience an injury while performing a simple, everyday task. Prehab for general health and daily living should be built into a personal wellness routine, looking at your body as a whole and identifying functional movement limitations. By increasing strength at a micro and macro level, you can reduce the chance of “freak” or random injuries.

Inactive and overweight people are at much higher risk for general injuries than people who lead active, healthy lifestyles. If you’re struggling to maintain a baseline fitness level or nutrition, speak with a physician or consult an athletic trainer.

Do you want to reduce your risk of injury and identify weaknesses in your general movement? A functional movement screening (FMS) from Velo Sports Rehab can help diagnose your body’s weaknesses and guide you through the strengthening process with targeted exercises and activities. For more information about preventing injury through prehab, contact Velo Sports Rehab or make an appointment with us today.

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3 Exercises to Strengthen and Protect Your Lower Back

5 Facts About Repetitive Strain Injury and How to Fix It

Treating Foot Injuries: 3 Exercises That Can Relieve Pain

What’s a Trigger Point?

How Prehab Can Help Your Rehab

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