It’s well established that about eight in 10 people in the U.S. will experience back pain at some point in their lives. And while the causes of such pain often vary, in a world that accommodates a more sedentary lifestyle, the blame for low-back pain can often be traced to an area a little lower in the kinetic chain: THE HIPS We often think that hip problems come as the result of overuse, but that’s often not the case. Oftentimes, hip problems can actually be traced to underuse. Mobility and exercise (e.g., walking, running, stretching, etc.) work to more evenly distribute the forces of impact and weight through this ball-and-socket joint. As people age or find themselves living a more sedentary lifestyle from, say, sitting a lot at work, the wear and tear of the hip joint is less distributed, taking place in a smaller area within the socket. This results in the loss of flexibility in and around the joint, which affects the hip’s backward bend – the ability of it to properly bend and twist throughout one’s normal walking or running gait. Your ability to run and walk has everything to do with your ability to backward bend in the foot, ankle, calf, hamstring and hips. When you lose that bend andmotion in the hips, that natural rotation around the pelvis gets transferred to the spine. Hence, tightness and inflexibility in the hips can manifest as lower back pain. Underuse is sometimes difficult to avoid with long-term sitting at work or issues related to aging. However, the walking regularly whether in your neighborhood, around the block at work, or in a local park will do wonders to keep both your hips and spine loose and moving. Other stretches that are useful for preventing tight hips and related back pain include: LOWER BACK PAIN? CHECK THE HIPS!
HAVE YOU MET YOUR INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE? Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late! If you’ve already met your insurance deductible for 2020, then your cost of physical therapy could be minimal or completely covered by your insurance plan. Do you have a family insurance plan? Have you had surgery this year? Have you used your insurance more than usual? If you answered yes, you are more likely to have a $0 balance remaining on your out-of-pocket expenses. This means the cost could be minimal or completely covered by your insurance plan. Let us help you get a head start going into 2021, before your deductible renews again!
GET READY FOR YOUR SPORT. . . NO MATTER WHEN IT RESTARTS.
No matter where you look, research will inform you of the inherent risks of sports injury and death. No amount of research will be able to prepare you for the increased risk of injury following return to sport after this pandemic. Now is the time to work hard to train your body to move again. Get ready for your sport... no matter when it restarts.
KNEE TO CHEST: Lying on your back, cross your right ankle over top of your left knee. Then reach around under your left hamstring and pull your knee toward your chest, stretching out your right hip. Hold for several seconds, then switch.
LUNGES: Take a few minutes every day to lunge forward with one leg while letting your other knee drop to the floor. Keep your back straight, shoulders high, and hold. Switch to the other side.
For more information about pain and inflexibility in the back and hips, or if you have difficulty or painwhenwalking or jogging, contact the teamat Trademark Performance for amovement assessment and gait analysis.
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