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.

Image source, labelled for reuse

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.

Image source, labelled for reuse

vsrfrontdesk May 18, 2015

Explaining Iliotibial Band Syndrome and How to Treat It

One of the most common causes of knee pain in runners, iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is an inflammation of the iliotibial band, which runs along the lateral part of the knee and extends from the pelvis. The iliotibial band stabilizes and supports the knee during running, but with improper training habits, imbalances due to stretching or running on uneven surfaces, and other possible causes, the band can become inflamed and cause the athlete pain.

Symptoms of ITB syndrome can range anywhere from a slight stinging above the knee to visible swelling around the affected area over the femur. Isolating ITB syndrome symptoms from other knee problems can be as simple as bending your knee at a 45-degree angle. Pain on the outside of the knee will signify this issue. An MRI can give a more accurate diagnosis of ITB syndrome and show a thickening of the IT band.

As with many overuse injuries, proper form and preventive actions are the best way to avoid ITB syndrome. Avoiding excessive running on sloped or banked tracks, up and down hills, and other sloped surfaces (like the edge of a street or road) can help guard against muscular imbalances while exercising. Making sure your shoes are in good condition and fit your feet properly is also important, but stretching and caring for your knees is perhaps the most important step. If you feel pain on the outside of your knee while jogging or exercising, dial down your mileage or take a few days off to stretch and recover before starting again.

Treating ITB syndrome means identifying the issue, finding the cause, and undertaking a corrective movement treatment plan. Sports physicians can recommend lower-impact training like swimming, cycling, or rowing to prevent further ITB syndrome complications. If after a few weeks the problem hasn’t cleared up, a cortisone injection, fascial tissue massage, or surgery may be necessary. Thankfully, the majority of ITB syndrome cases resolve without the need for drastic measures like surgery or injections.

To find out more about treating overuse injuries like ITB syndrome, contact Velo Sports Rehab. Our physicians and sports medicine experts can identify problems and develop individualized treatment programs to get your body back to a healthy state. Call for an appointment today.

vsrfrontdesk February 20, 2015

Overuse Injuries – How to Prevent Training Injuries

The injustice of overuse injuries is that they occur over time and typically don’t present themselves until the damage is already done. Repetitive micro-trauma to muscles, tendons, bones, and joints are realized in the form of overuse injuries. Sports and other athletic activities often are the cause of overuse injuries, but they are also seen with repetitive tasks like using a mouse or swinging a hammer.

The most common factors that lead to overuse injuries are training errors and improper technique during exercises or activities. Luckily there are ways to prevent overuse injuries from developing. The best way to ensure you use proper technique is to get help from a sports physician. FMS^® and SFMA^® certified sports physicians can screen your functional and activity specific biomechanics to identify areas that are at risk of overuse injury.

Use Proper Training Practices

Having a trainer or coach monitor your workouts and adjust your form and training schedule as needed can be the difference between reaching new levels of performance and battling through years of pain and frustration. The goal is to evenly distribute stress on your musculoskeletal system and to practice healthy training methods. Appropriate periodization and progression are keys to help you avoid overtraining and injury.

Rest

Your body can only take so much punishment. Appropriate recovery time and sufficient sleep are keys to staying healthy and performing at your best. High training loads increase your sleep requirements, with many in season athletes requiring 10+ hours of sleep for optimal performance. Without sufficient recovery you won’t realize the gains from your training and will put yourself at risk for overuse injuries.

Stretch

Stretching before and after your workouts keeps blood flowing and allows muscles to perform at their best. The rule of thumb here is dynamic stretching before activity and static stretching after activity. Post exercise stretching can also help minimize the production of scar tissue. Don’t stretch into pain, however, because overstretching can cause injury. Go only as far as it takes to feel tension and hold the stretch for a max of 30 seconds each rep.

Eat Properly

You are what you eat. Eating essential proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates helps your body recover after exercise and provides good fuel to burn. Specific nutritional requirements depend on your activity and training load; when in doubt consult an expert in sports nutrition. Hydration is important too, with some experts stating that water is “The most important nutritional ergogenic aid for athletes”.²Hydrating prior to and during activity will ensure that you perform your best.

Contact Velo Sports Rehab today to find out more about our athletic training and rehabilitation services. We can help you achieve the results you want in a healthy, safe way.

Image source

vsrfrontdesk January 31, 2015

Make the Most of your Injury Rehabilitation

Rest and recovery are essential aspects of your injury rehabilitation regiment, but if all you’re doing is waiting for your affliction to heal, you aren’t doing enough for your body.

Without properly guided strength-building exercises, your balance and flexibility will not return as effectively during your injury recovery process. At Velo Sports Rehab, we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all solution to injury rehabilitation. We specifically cater recovery programs for your body, ensuring that your injury is treated safely and effectively.

Many rehabilitation programs call for exercises that you can easily do at home with a minimal amount of equipment. The key to your recovery is identifying body limitations and providing a thorough evaluation of your injury before prescribing a recovery regiment.

Because we employ a multidisciplinary team, we offer a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. Whether your injury calls for Graston treatment, ART treatment, or chiropractic adjustments, we can handle virtually every aspect of your injury rehabilitation in-house and hassle-free.

Trust Velo Sports Rehab for your Seattle sports therapy needs. We work with every major insurance provider to ensure you have a positive and healthy recovery so you can get back to doing what you love. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.

Image source

Treating Foot Injuries: 3 Exercises That Can Relieve Pain

What’s a Trigger Point?

Explaining Iliotibial Band Syndrome and How to Treat It

Overuse Injuries – How to Prevent Training Injuries

Make the Most of your Injury Rehabilitation

From the Velo Blog

Instagram

VSR Office Locations