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
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.more »
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.
Paul was born with cerebral palsy but it never stopped him. He became a licensed plumber even though it takes him 2 hours of stretching and exercising every morning just to walk and use his right hand. Paul inspired me to try harder recently during our physical therapy session. Maybe he’ll have the same effect on you
PS- watch how he has to use his left hand to open his right fingers to hold the resistance bands and how he loses balance because of partial paralysis of his right leg.
“This is a previous blog that I have republished to compliment what Dr Oz was talking about today on his show. Check out his back pain questionnaire”
Answering the question above is one of the best ways to prevent or cure your pain. Here’s what to consider first:
Does it hurt more when your sitting or standing?
At rest or during activity?
In the morning or as the day goes on?
Now here’s a common scenario; “My back hurts more when I’m working (sitting) at my desk (rest) especially after a long day (end of day).” These are classic symptoms of a vertebral disk being involved.
The point is, if you know when and why your back hurts, you can avoid making it worse by avoiding those positions and activities. Pay attention to your symptoms, avoid what makes you worse and see a physical therapist or chiropractor whom you trust if your symptoms persist, (and smile more
A client sent me an email about this recently. Clicking in the knee isn’t always a sign of a problem. It might just be part of your “normal” anatomy. Here are some questions I ask my clients to find out if it’s related to a problem:
Is pain associated with the click?
Does your knee ever lock, buckle or “give away”?
Do you have pain when you get into or out of a car?
Is your knee swollen at the end of the day?
If you answer yes to any of these questions then it makes sense to go to a sports medicine Dr. (orthopedist) or great physical therapist. I happen to know a great physical therapist. You can reach him here Peter K
Kay, above is performing the perfect row: knees bent, head straight, stomach tight, elbows in, and slow & controlled movements. I’ve written before that besides not stretching enough, poor form is a primary cause of pain during exercise. Follow these rules to make sure you are doing an exercise right: Join the club to readmore »
