I saw a new client recently who is 24 yrs old with chronic low back and toe pain.  Guess where the source of his pain is.  His feet.  He has pronated (flat) feet and has pain standing and walking for prolonged periods.  If he doesn’t address the cause of his pain now he will develop more serious back, hip, knee and ankle pain and disability as he ages.

If you’re a Fit Friends’ Revolution member listen to my upcoming Health Coaching show on Wednesday May 18, 1:30 pm here where I discuss foot and back pain and what to do about it.  You get this valuable health coaching experience as part of your FRR membership so please take advantage and get out of pain.

If you do have foot or back pain send me an email with your questions and I’ll answer them during the show.  Want to call in live?  Send me an email here >

You can also leave a comment below about your pain and I’ll answer it on the show.

I recently saw a client who hurt his back during a personal training workshop.  He came into my office with severe back pain and radiating numbness down to his left foot and some groin discomfort, a serious condition.  With the use of the stretch pictured above, a prone press-up, also know as a cobra stretch, and good posture, he left the clinic symptom free in 20 minutes. We still sent him to his Dr. as a precaution, and you should see one as well if you have similar symptoms.

FFR members- Watch the video and download how to do the prone press up stretch here > Not a FFR member? Join here and get rid of your back pain.

I saw 2 new clients recently who have weak abdominal and back muscles and that’s one of the reasons for their chronic back pain.  I told them when they do the 5 Minutes to Fitness+ workout on my DVD they will strengthen those muscles and decrease their pain. They will have a stronger core when they remember to do what Jane’s doing above throughout the workout:

• Keep your stomach tight throughout the entire workout
• Remember to breath and don’t hold your breath
• Always keep your knees slightly bent, never lock them out
• When you’re doing the diagonals make sure to reach with your whole body by leaning

Doing these things will guarantee you strengthen your core in a safe and functional way without doing any pain provoking abdominal crunches and sit ups. A stronger core equals less pain. Less pain mean a better quality of life.

If you’re a FFR member and you have back pain please email me right now. You don’t have to suffer.  Not a member? Join here >

As always, when you have pain you should check with you health professonal- Dr, Physical Therapist, Chiropractor, and make sure they are healthy and fit themselves.

Shoulder, or rotator cuff, pain can be caused by many reasons and that’s why you should have a health expert diagnose it.  Here are 2 simple exercise I have all my shoulder pain patients eventually do to strengthen, stabilize and decrease their shoulder pain.

• Use your Peter K bands and start with just 10 reps of each exercise above. If you have pain stop and email me if you’re a FFR member.
• Try to increase to 3 sets of 10 repetitions once per day.
• When you can do that then add these exercises to your 5 Minutes to Fitness+ daily 20 minute workout.
• Make sure to eat anti-inflammatory foods like the one listed here to help you heal faster

Have an ache, pain or physical therapy question?  FFR members click here to email me > Not a FFR member?  Join here >

We should definitely be stretching everyday to prevent injury and maintain flexibility.  But when is the best time?  As a physical therapist I’ve always told my clients to do a gentle 5 minute warm-up, then stretch, if they’re playing a sport or doing any vigorous physical activity.  A new study claims stretching has no effect on injury for runners.  You can read it here. It helps to have a healthy skeptism regarding studies.  For example, I don’t stretch before my band workouts or runs.  I do stretch after every workout and during runs, when my iliotibial band tightens up. See iliotibial stretch in the picture above.

So what does this mean. Here are some basic guidelines:

• Stretch your legs and spine everyday to maintain good joint health. I offer stretches on my 5 Minutes to Fitness DVD.
• You should feel a gentle pull, not pain while stretching.
• Hold each stretch for 30 seconds and repeat 3 times.  Stretching seems to have the most benefit after a workout when the muscles are warmed up.
• If you are a runner and already stretch before or after, keep doing that.  The study showed more injury if you changed your stretching routine.

Why Stretch- It will help you maintain joint range of motion and bath the joint in beneficial fluids. If we don’t consistently take our joints through their full range we will lose flexibility as we age and be more prone to injury.

Some of my clients complain of heel and arch pain regardless if they’re training or walking in heels. This is a quick overview of one of the causes of heel and arch pain.  However, your best option is to call your physical therapist or sports medicine doctor.

Tightness of the achilles tendon and plantar fascia (see above) can cause pain in the heel and arch of the foot called “plantar fasciitis”.  The achilles tendon attaches to the calf muscles.  Stretching these structures will decrease the pressure to the heel and have less pull on the arch.  Here’s a good stretching guide from the mayo clinic.  Hold each stretch for 30 seconds and repeat 3 times per day and after training.  Do the stretches everyday. If your symptoms worsen, stop and call your health care professional.

As a physical therapist people ask me how to stretch their backs all the time.  Then they show me how they stretch.  95% of the time they’re doing the wrong stretches.

The picture above is the “good” stretch for people who sit for long periods, have stiffness in their back and generally speaking, are younger than 55. If you are over 55 send me an email for an appropriate stretch

Here’s how to do it:

• Sit tall with your butt touching the back of the chair
• Feet should be flat on floor
• Clasp hands behind your back and arch your back over the chair
• You should not feel pain, just a gentle stretch
• Hold this position for 5 seconds and repeat 3 times. Repeat throughout the day

*If this stretch hurts your back, stop and consult a health care professional you trust. Physical therapists and chiropractors are great resources.

As a physical therapist I see many people with shoulder pain.  One thing I tell them to avoid is sleeping like the man pictured above.  This compresses the shoulder over a long period of time and can cause or worsen shoulder pain.  When you sleep on your side make sure your head is supported by a pillow and keep your arm at your side.  If this doesn’t help then see a physical therapist or orthopedic doctor.

I’m gad you asked. I recently spoke at a conference for the Texas Episcopal Church Diocese and at least a dozen people asked me the question above.

Good news. You can start with 2 basic exercises: squats & lunges. See the pictures above and below. Here’s how to perform them:

• Do isometrics; that means squatting down and holding that position, pain free, for 10 or 20 seconds (which ever causes that wicked burning in your thighs first (pictured above)
• Do the same thing with the lunges. (pictured below)
• Make sure you hold the position in a pain free range and don’t let your knees go forward of your toes.
• Lean against a wall or hold onto a chair for additional support
• Work toward pain free ranges of motion by doing these exercises 5 times a week.
• Ice sore joints for 15 minutes after your workout
• Eat anti-inflammatory foods for healing- salmon, olive oil, walnuts, green tea, greens, blueberries

Fit Friend’s Revolution Club members: You can find these exercises on the 5 Minutes to Fitness Core Exercise program DVD you received. Just follow the directions above on how to perform isometric exercise.

Ever since I became a physical therapist people have been complaining to me that when the weather gets “bad” their body pain gets worse.  Is this possible? My professional opinion and the anecdotal evidence compel me to say, “YES”.

What’s might be causing the pain is the change in the air pressure that cause already inflamed body parts to swell even more, resulting in more pain.  What can you do about it?:

• Do physical activity everyday to keep your muscles strong and joints more stable
• Eat anti inflammatory foods like salmon & berries and as many fresh vegetables & fruit as possible
• Replace processed foods and sugary drinks with the foods above
• If that doesn’t work, move to Arizona and invite me to visit often

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