I’m a big believer in “active recovery”, typically involving movement, flexibility, and some form of massage. After a workout, especially if you’re doing something new, the active recovery can help ward off delayed onset muscle soreness. You’ll feel better faster.
Today I’ll offer some thoughts on two types of massage therapy called “vibration therapy”. The general principle is that a motorized device in the form of a vibrating roller, or handheld percussive device will deliver a stimulus to the muscle, tendon, and bone to reportedly improve blood flow and facilitate recovery. While there is only a small amount of published scientific literature about effectiveness, there is a huge amount of personal experience and testimonials to support their use. I recommend these devices to my patients and I believe all active individuals will benefit from their use.
The global Covid-19 pandemic seems to have put a halt to the overuse injuries in adolescent and high school athletes that used to be so prevalent. Fewer overuse injuries is a good thing. The problem is that the pendulum of activity has gone the other way, towards far less activity than in the pre-Covid days.
It’s still too early to have definitive data, but limited survey based data from parents report that kids were less physically active during April and May compared to February. Also importantly, older kids tended to be affected by the Covid-19 restrictions more than the younger kids, with steep declines in physical activity.
Over the past weekend many parts of the U.S. turned their clocks backwards one hour, which means we are now in “Standard Time”. I like to think of this as “daylight losing time”. Our afternoons get darker earlier. With fewer opportunities for sunlight exposure we’ve got fewer opportunities to make a critical component of health, fitness, and athletic performance: Vitamin D.
In addition to the general health benefits noted above there is reasonable evidence that a proper blood Vitamin D level can reduce the chance of testing positive for Covid-19.
In today’s post I’ll briefly describe where Vitamin D comes from, outline Vitamin D’s effects on sports performance and fitness, and what to do if you need to get more Vitamin D in your body.
Today, national Election Day in the United States is likely to be a stressful day for many people. In fact, if projections are correct we will probably not know the final results of the Presidential election for several days. That will undoubtedly create even more stress.
This blog site focuses on health and wellness, with an emphasis on evidence directed recommendations. So here’s one bit of advice that’s backed by exceptionally strong evidence: there’s no part of your life that isn’t improved by exercise. This goes for stress around the election too.
The message today is short and simple: any type of movement-based exercise is a fantastic stress buster.
Dev Mishra, M.D. President, Sideline Sports Doc Medical Director, Apeiron Life Fellow, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Institute For Joint Restoration, Menlo Park, CA October 27, 2020 Key Points: Forefoot strike running can reduce impact forces on the leg, leading to a reduced risk of some types of running injuries However, the transition from…
I will frequently tell my orthopedic patients that there’s “no joint condition in your body that can’t be improved with weight reduction”. Many folks think that’s a crazy notion but there are strong mechanical reasons why it’s true.
If someone buys into that, the next question frequently is “how do I lose weight if exercise causes my low back/hips/knees to hurt?”
One method you can consider is intermittent fasting, which can often jumpstart a weight reduction program if other things you’ve tried aren’t working.
So many folks are just plain tired now. It seems that many events around us are sapping us of our energy. You did the best you could for the first several months. Your gym was closed, no bootcamps happening, impossible to get home exercise equipment. Now, many people have lost their desire to train.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “use it or lose it”. How many days or weeks can you miss from exercise and still keep your level of fitness? It turns out that for most healthy adults in their 20s and 30s you can take 2 to 3 weeks off and still retain most of your strength and cardiovascular fitness. The amount of time off can be even longer if you are a teenager, and unfortunately it’s shorter if you are an older active adult.
For all age groups the good news is that you will lose some conditioning when you stop exercise, but fitness predictably will return when you start exercising again.
I’ve recently written about common ankle sprains, but there is a different type of ankle sprain, often called a “high ankle sprain” that happens when body rotation is combined with forceful contact. What is the difference between a common ankle sprain and a high ankle sprain? And why do athletes with a high ankle sprain seem to be out for a longer period of time? The explanations center on the anatomy of the ankle and the different ligaments injured in a common vs. high ankle sprain.
Practicing five habits consistently may add 10 years or more to your life, according to a landmark 2018 study from Harvard University researchers. Additionally, the quality of our social interactions has a major effect on healthspan, especially as we age.
The best part? All of these daily habits can be done now during our Covid restrictions.
People are coming into my clinical office again with ankle sprains, and this makes me happy. No, I’m not happy because they’re hurt, but I am happy because it means that folks are slowly finding a way to safely navigate our Covid restrictions and get back to sports.
An ankle sprain is an injury that’s typically brushed off as a minor inconvenience by the athlete. Most athletes will try to power through and keep playing. But this is a classic injury where early proper management will speed recovery and reduce a chance for a reinjury. Conversely, ignoring it can lead to more severe sprains and chronic problems.
