MMA & Sports Rehab Newsletter
THE NEWSLETTER ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND CARING FOR YOUR BODY
THE TENDONITIS AND SPORTS CONNECTION
Athletes are naturally at an increased risk for experiencing injuries. This is not as a result of any particular health issue that athletes typically have in common (continued inside)
MMA Sports Rehab WON in the category of “Best Physical Therapy” in Washington Family’s annual Best for Families Awards. Thank you so much to all of you that voted and make this possible!
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INSIDE :
• The Tendonitis And Sports Connection • What Is Tendonitis?
• 5 Tips To Improve Your Running • Exercise Essentials
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THE NEWSLETTER ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND CARING FOR YOUR BODY NEWSLETTER
THE TENDONITIS AND SPORTS CONNECTION
INSIDE :
• What Is Tendonitis? • 5 Tips To Improve Your Running
• Healthy Recipe • Exercise Essentials
Understanding Tendonitis While there are some sports injuries that happen after a bad day, there are others that develop over time. Tendonitis is an incredibly common issue that causes pain to develop in the joints. This can impact the hips, knees, elbows or shoulders. Pain caused by tendonitis can impact everyday activities, making it exceedingly difficult to remain comfortable day to day or to remain active. Tendonitis can make simple activities such as picking up a gallon of milk or attempting to put something away on a shelf over your head incredibly painful and challenging. Unfortunately, when tendonitis develops, it often sticks around. This means that pain that begins as frustrating and seemingly minor can quickly become chronic and incredibly painful. Working with a physical therapist is the best way to address tendonitis pain early on, to improve range of motion and reduce the severity of your pain without having to turn to pain medications. For more information about preventing or treating pain from tendonitis, contact us today!
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Instead, it is a simple exposure equation. The more frequently you push yourself to try new things, to engage in physical activity, or to push yourself to reach a new goal, the more you are going to increase your risk for potential injury. On more days than not, the injury won’t happen, but as every athlete knows, it only takes one bad day — one day when fatigue throws off your form just enough to cause your gait to be off, for you to feel a little distracted and not realize an obstacle is coming up, or just a fluke of a moment in which something goes wrong and you go down. What makes matters worse is the fact that many athletes attempt to push past the pain of their initial injuries, which often leads to those injuries becoming more severe. Working with a physical therapist is especially important for athletes for this reason. A physical therapist can help identify potential issues with posture or form that may increase your risk for injury, help identify potential injuries as they develop, and assess the severity of and best treatment options for those injuries as soon as possible, so you always know exactly what your body needs to feel at its best.
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What Is Tendonitis?
Tendonitis is a common issue among athletes because it develops as a result of overuse. While the average person may engage in standard physical tasks such as walking or typing, an athlete takes that repetitive behavior to a new level. Consider a tennis player, for example. In addition to running and jumping, a skilled tennis player will spend hours every week swinging the racket, and this could result in added wear and tear on the elbows and wrists, not to mention the shoulders. Every bone in the body is connected with muscular fibers called tendons. The tendons are flexible, allowing the body to move more freely by letting bones stretch apart or move in one direction or another. Tendonitis occurs when the tendons become inflamed. Swelling in the tendons can make movement painful and difficult. Typically, when pain is caused as a result of tendonitis, the pain is isolated at the noted areas of the body.This means that a tennis player may experience tendonitis in the elbow or shoulder, whereas a runner may be more likely to experience it in the Achilles tendon. In fact, this is why tendonitis in the
elbow is frequently referred to as tennis elbow, while Achilles tendonitis is sometimes referred to as runner’s ankles or runner’s heels. Treating Tendonitis The best treatment for tendonitis is time. Unfortunately, this is something that many people are unable to give to an injury. When tendonitis develops, the best thing to do is to use ice and to relax that part of the body. Taking a few days off of practice or away from your workout may be sufficient, but in other cases, this may require a few days in a wheelchair or on crutches, with the bulk of your weight off of the affected area. Working with a physical therapist can help you identify the best treatment methods for tendonitis. Your physical therapist can also help you identify the best range of motion and strength-building activities to reduce your likelihood of developing tendonitis. For more information about preventing or treating pain from tendonitis, contact us today!
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Exercise Essentials Try this movement if you are experiencing leg pain.
Cabbage Creole
INGREDIENTS: • 1lb ground beef • 1 medium onion • 1 medium green pepper • 1 medium cabbage • 1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies • 1 (10 ounce) can cheddar cheese soup • Salt and pepper
Loosens Stiff Legs
www.simpleset.net
BUTTERFLY STRETCH While in a sitting
position, bend your knees and place the bottom of your feet together. Next, slowly let your knees lower towards the floor until a stretch is felt at your inner thighs.
Chop the onion and green pepper. Slice the cabbage. In a large pan, brown the ground beef with the onions and peppers. Drain and remove from pan. Put the sliced cabbage in the pan; add the Rotel tomatoes. Cook on medium heat until cabbage is tender. Add the meat mixture to the cabbage and stir well. Stir in the cheese soup until well blended. Cover and cook over low heat for at least 1 and half hours, maybe longer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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Therapist Spotlight
5 Tips To Improve Your Running
1. Cadence. A recent study published in the National Institutes of Health analyzed the effects of cadence on a runner’s likelihood of sustaining an injury. 45 healthy runners were studied to determine how differences in cadence affected loading on the hip and knee joints. Results concluded that a quicker cadence “generally leads a runner to hit midfoot compared to runners with longer strides,” which can cause pain or injury. To improve your cadence, try making your strides longer! This will reduce loading on the hips and knees, preventing injury. 2. Pelvic Alignment. Much of running is focused on the feet; however, pelvic posture plays a large role in running, as well. You can achieve proper pelvic alignment by doing certain hip position tests, such as vertical compression tests and hip extension tests. With vertical compression, stand with someone behind you, with their hands on your shoulders. Have them push straight down. If your hips buckle, it means your pelvic alignment is off. This can be corrected with postural improvement, with the help of a physical therapist. With hip extension, kneel in front of a doorway with your back against the door jamb. Your left leg should be on the floor and your right knee should be bent over your right foot, directly in front of you. While you’re in this position, you should naturally have a small space between your lower back and the wall. Tilt your pelvis backward to remove this space. If this is difficult to do, your pelvic alignment may be off. This can also be corrected with postural improvement, with the help of a physical therapist. 3. Base of Support. In another study published in the National Institutes of Health, several running mechanics were analyzed through video assessments, including base of support. This is an important mechanic to evaluate, as foot placement is one of the most integral parts of running. It was noted that, as a general rule, “the left and right feet should not overlap in their ground contact location.” There should always be space between foot placement, as a narrow base of support has been known to cause painful conditions, such as tibial stress fractures and iliotibial band syndrome. 4. Heel Strike. Do you heel strike while running? Approximately 80% of runners strike the ground with their heels first, while 15% strike the ground with their toes first. The remaining 5% run on the balls of their feet. In this case, the majority has it right - heel striking uses less energy than a forefoot striking or midfoot striking, which can prevent fatigue and unnecessary overexertion injuries. If you have been noticing exhaustion while running, try to ease yourself into heel striking by starting your run on the heels of your feet, rather than your toes. It may help boost your energy and help you perform better! 5. Vertical Displacement. It is no secret that technique plays a large role in running performance. Vertical displacement refers to how much your center of mass moves up and down while you run. When your vertical displacement is insufficient, it can lead to a premature touchdown of your swing leg or a low center of mass trajectory. However, excessive vertical displacement can also cause runners to expend more energy than necessary. Both of these scenarios can be corrected by changing your stride, which can be accomplished with the help of a physical therapist.
Iveth Fuentes, PSS is originally from El Salvador. She moved to Virginia when she was 6 years old and was amazed with the opportunities she had growing up here. Iveth enjoys working out and spending time with her family, especially her niece and nephew who she seems to never have a dull moment with. IVETH FUENTES, PSS
In her free time, Iveth enjoys watching episodes of Criminal Minds or any other crime series.
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