Health blog Category: strength
Three Common Causes of Our Back Issues
Roughly two-thirds of Americans suffer from low back issues in particular, yet only 63 percent actually take the steps to relieve their pain, according to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Of those two-thirds, 69% say their lower back pain affected their daily lives in different ways such as exercise, sleeping, working and time with family and friends. Those four activities alone make up almost the entire day for most Americans. So why not do something about the pain?
Read full blogHow Your Core Muscle Strength Affects Your Health
Do you ever find yourself slouching in a chair, slumping at the computer or your belly sticking out after standing for awhile? This is a sign of core muscle weakness that can negatively affect your health and create long-term back or neck pain.
What are Your Core Muscles?
Your “core” is the group of muscles that help stabilize your body and give a strong anchor point from which your skeleton can move properly with good posture.
Read full blogFoot and Ankle Mechanics
The foot and ankle complex are one of the most important structures in our body. Our ankle and foot together provide a main weight bearing joint that supports your body weight, absorbs shock, and provides stability to your body. The foot and ankle complex is made up of:
- 28 bones, 33 joints
- 112 ligaments
Controlled by:
- 13 extrinsic muscles
- 21 intrinsic muscles
The extrinsic muscles are primarily comprised of the muscles starting from the lower leg that cross over the ankle joint and are responsible for ankle movements such as pointing your foot.
Read full blogHow to Prevent Injuries When Running
Whether you are pounding the pavement for a short jog or you’re a routine racer, running is great cardiovascular training. It is a gratifying way to maintain overall fitness. Although the act of running itself may initially seem daunting if you’re not an avid runner, you will reap the physical benefits within a few weeks.
The key is to start slowly and add distance incrementally to decrease the risk of injury.
Here are the top 10 health benefits of running:
- Improve Longevity
- Burn Fat
- Reduce Your Cancer Risk
- Strengthen Your Core
- Improve Your Sleep
- Reduce Your Risk of Osteoporosis
- Boost Your Mood
- Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes
- Reduce Your Risk of Blood Pressure and Heart Disease
- Boost Your Immunity
Preventing Injury: Running Ritual Musts and the Importance of Stretching
These tips are essential for optimizing your running dexterity, whether you’re an indoor treadmill devotee, an outdoor roadrunner or a trail running enthusiast.
Sedentary Lifestyles are Affecting Your Neck Health
Sedentary lifestyles are leading to more neck problems.
Why is this?
Think about how often you use computers and phones throughout the day? Now think about your posture whenever you use these devices. Chances are, there’s probably room for improvement there.
Posture plays a large role in maintaining your neck health and good posture limits your chance of developing problems that can negatively affect your daily activities. Issues with your neck are commonly associated with pain, headaches, and general stiffness.
Why are Strength and Balance so Important?
Why is Strength and Balance so important?
Strength is directly correlated to balance because of the benefits it has on body mechanics and joint strength. As you age, you want to continue to build muscle mass to reduce the stress on your bones and joints. The more strength you have surrounding the joints, the more support they will have in your daily activities and the less you will feel the wear and tear you put on your body.
What is Considered a Properly Conditioned Muscle?
What does the word ‘strength’ really mean?
In order to fully understand how to develop a strengthening program appropriately, you first have to understand what is really meant by the word “strength.” The word itself actually has three distinct pieces to it. Each piece is just as important as the other and all three must come into play in order for a muscle to have what is considered “good strength”.
- How much weight can you lift?
The Importance Of A Strong Core
When most people think of the core, they think of the abdominals and doing sit-ups and generally know that one needs to have good core strength. Beyond that, most people don’t know much else about the core.
So what are the core muscles and what do they really do? The core muscles consist of the muscles surrounding and providing stability and postural control to the torso, abdomen and pelvis. These muscles help provide for a stable foundation on which the arms and legs can move and transfer forces.
What We Can do to Be Healthier, Stronger, and More Active!
Loudoun Sports Therapy Center has a list of tips to help everyone grow healthier, stronger and more active — and we’re willing to bet these suggestions will provide at least a little motivation to put those stretchy pants to good use.
Conquer the Pain
By now you’ve probably heard the stats. Chronic pain can put a major cramp in an exercise routine, and yet over half the country suffers from some sort of debilitating pain.
Read full blogThe Connection Between Core Strength and Better Balance
Physical therapy as an industry has been talking about the link between core strength and better balance for years. When the “core” muscles around our trunk are strong, they prevent chronic lower back pain and many other injuries, but they also keep us from losing our balance and falling down. A stronger core will help to keep you upright — especially as you age and start to become more at risk of falling. If you’d like to get started on a core routine to improve your balance, contact Loudoun Sports Therapy today to speak with a physical therapist!
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