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The Benefits of Shape-up Shoes

Shape-up Shoes
Shape-up Shoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shape-up shoes are a new trend in the fitness world.  They are designed to challenge your balance while walking; therefore, increasing muscle tone to your calf, hamstring, core, and gluteus muscles.  There are many different brands that make these types of shoes and each brand has a different take on the idea. The Shape- up shoe has a built up sole which brings your center of gravity in a more forward position.  Therefore, your hamstrings, gluteus, calf, and core musculature are firing greater to maintain your balance.  Compared to wearing normal sneakers, you are working these muscles more with activity. 

 These shoes are beneficial to people that enjoy walking for exercise and would like to target their hamstring, gluteus, core, and calf muscles.  As with ankle/hand weights, shape-ups are another device to challenge your muscles in a different way with weight bearing exercise.  For people who work out at the gym or run, this will not substitute your typical exercise routine.  This is something you could add to your routine to challenge your balance, while performing your workout. 

 A lot of these shoes have a rocker bottom sole.  Rocker bottom sole shoes have been used for years to help treat patients with certain foot conditions.  However, most of the shoes made years ago are not stylish so compliance is always an issue.  With Shape-up shoes, they have inadvertently made a shoe with a rocker bottom that is in vogue.  Below are some reasons why a person would benefit from a rocker bottom sole shoe.   

 Depending where the rocker bottom is placed, it has different benefits.  If the rocker bottom is placed behind the ball of the foot, it aids in putting less pressure on the ball of the foot and the big toe.  Therefore, many people use this type of shoe to help diminish foot pain with walking.  When the rocker point is thicker in the back of the shoe, this limits ankle and mid-foot motion.  This helps to limit pressure placed on the heel of the foot.  

 Shape-ups should not be worn by people with balance disorders, chronic back pain, or a history of ankle pain.  If you are unsure if you are a candidate for these shoes, consult your doctor or physical therapist.

Tips to Reduce Back Pain While Driving

Most car manufacturers develop their seating options based on the aesthetics of the car versus the comfort of the driver and passenger.  Back pain can develop or increase from improper seating posture while driving.  Finding the correct seating setting is beneficial, especially for people that drive as an occupation. Therefore, listed below are some tips to reduce back pain while driving.

  1. Avoid driving for more than 2 hours at a time. Get out of the car, walk, and stretch your legs.
  2. Sit with your bottom all way back in the seat and use the vehicles built in lumbar support to provide cushion to your lumbar spine. If you don’t have a lumbar support, roll up a towel and place it in the curve of your low back.
  3. The back rest should have about a 10-15 degree incline. Most people tend to have the back rest too far tilted backward.
  4. Your knees should have about a 45 degree bend. You don’t want your legs so straight that you are reaching for the pedals. It you are short, some dealerships sell pedal extensions.
  5. Use cruise control while on long highway driving.
  6. Try to maintain good posture, and make sure you have good visibility with your mirrors.
  7. Take the wallet out of your back pocket and avoid wearing a tight belt. This can add pressure to the back.
  8. For long car trips, adjust your seat every 30 minutes. To prevent constant pressure on the same areas on your body, slightly adjust the backrest angle.

Benefits of Massage

Many people receive massages to relieve stress and relax their mind and body.  Physical Therapists use massage techniques along with exercise to achieve functional improvements. Physical therapists are trained to perform therapeutic massages to promote healing of an injury.  Not all physical therapy patients receive massage techniques.  The use of massage techniques for your specific condition is determined by your physical therapist. 

Some benefits of massage are increasing joint flexibility, promoting tissue regeneration, decreasing scar tissue, decreasing swelling, decreasing muscle spasms, relaxing overused muscles, improving circulation, decreasing stress, improving posture, decreasing blood pressure, managing pain, and increasing range of motion.

 If you are interested in learning more about the use of therapeutic massage for your condition, please contact us.

Hip Bursitis

According to the AAOS (The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons), hip bursitis is the inflammation of the bursa, a small jelly-like sac that contains a small amount of fluid. Bursas are found in several joints of the body, such as, the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, and heel. The bursa provides a cushion within the joint.  This helps to decrease the amount of friction between the muscles moving around the joint.

Symptoms of hip bursitis include pain at the outside of the hip joint and side of the leg. The pain can be sharp initially and become achy later. Pain increases at night when side-lying on the affected hip and transferring from a chair after sitting long-term. Pain can also be present with walking, stair climbing, and squatting.

Some causes for hip bursitis can include repetitive stress, landing on your hip during a fall, a leg length issue, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Treatment for hip bursitis may include modifying activities that cause pain, anti-inflammatory medication, using a cane or crutch to take weight off of the affected leg, physical therapy, and possibly cortisone injections.

Physical therapy helps to reduce inflammation in the bursa by the use of ice, ultrasound, stretching, and strengthening exercises.

What is a Stress Fracture?

A stress fracture is an incomplete fracture of bone caused by repetitive stress.  It is found within a weight bearing bone, such as the bones within the foot. A stress fracture has also been termed a “hairline fracture”. Symptoms of a stress fracture include tenderness in the area and pain with weight bearing.

Stress fractures commonly occur in athletes that play sports requiring excessive running.  They also occur in sedentary people who begin to exercise.  This happens because their body is not used to exercise; therefore, it is overwhelmed by the repetitive weight bearing forces.  Stress fractures can occur from muscle fatigue.  Our muscles help to provide stability, support, and shock absorption for our bones.  If these muscles become fatigued, our muscles ability to perform the role of shock absorption decreases.  This causes increased risk for a possible fracture. 

After a stress fracture, rehabilitation consists of decreasing weight bearing on the fractured bone to allow it to heal.  After the bone heals, physical therapy is often recommended to strengthen the muscles surrounding the injured bone to return the patient back to all daily activities and to prevent re-injury.

Types of Medications Commonly Taken by Patients

Pain Medication

Some examples of pain medication are oxycodone, motrin, and codeine.  When you experience pain, the nerves in the body send a signal to the brain so you perceive pain.  Pain medications decrease pain by slowing down or blocking the pain signal to your brain.

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS)

The most common NSAID is aspirin.  Prostagladins are synthesized by cyclooxygenase to cause inflammation.  By taking a NSAID, it inhibits cyclooxgenase.  This prevents this cycle from taking place, causing decreased pain/inflammation.  There are COX1 and COX2 enzymes and aspirin inhibits both.  COX1 enzymes help to protect the stomach and kidney lining.  Therefore, a side effect to taking aspirin is gastric damage and decreased renal function.

Muscle Relaxants

Examples of muscle relaxants are baclofen, flexeril, and skelaxin. Muscle relaxants are used to treat muscle spasm and spasticity.  They are used to decrease muscle excitability by acting on the spinal cord or directly within the muscle fiber. Muscle relaxants increase the activity of GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) receptors, which inhibit excitatory neurons. This causes the skeletal muscle to receive fewer signals and relax.

All the above medications are commonly taken while receiving physical therapy.  They help the patient to progress through physical therapy by alleviating pain, inflammation, and muscle spasm.  These medications should be regulated by a physician to insure proper dosage and duration of usage.

What is Electrical Stimulation?

Electrical stimulation is a treatment modality used by physical therapists to help relieve pain.  Electrical stimulation uses a low voltage electrical current to stimulate nerves and sends signals to the brain that block or interrupt normal pain signals. It can be used for muscle pain, joint pain, tendonitis and bursitis.

Another use for electrical stimulation is to strengthen muscles. This type of stimulation is called NMES (Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation). When there is muscle weakness (atrophy), electrical stimulation is used to elicit a contraction of the muscle. The electrical impulses work to retrain muscles to function normally. This is most commonly used after ACL surgery and a stroke.

Electrical Stimulation

Guidelines to Prevent Injury While Shoveling Snow

It’s that time of year again when you may have to deal with the snow.  Many people injure themselves when shoveling snow.  Therefore,  here are some tips you can use to avoid a shoveling injury this year.

Guidelines to Prevent Injury While Shoveling Snow

  1. Prior to shoveling, you should warm your body up.  This can be done by taking a 5 minute walk and moving your arms in a circular motion.  This causes increase blood flow to the areas of your body you will be using to shovel snow to prevent injury.
  2. Use an ergonomic snow shovel. One with a curved handle to keep your back straight while shoveling.
  3. Push the snow if possible. Pushing the snow away is better than lifting the snow. It you have to lift it, make sure to squat with feet shoulder width apart, and bend your knees and tighten your abdominals. Don’t bend over at the waist rounding your back. You want your legs to do the work, not your back.
  4. Scoop small amounts of snow at a time.
  5. Use a shovel with a plastic blade rather than metal because it is lighter.
  6. Keep the shovel close to your body and dump the snow in front of you or pivot your feet to turn and dump the snow to the side (never twist your body).  The worst position you can be in while shoveling snow is bent over at the waist, scooping and then twisting to throw the snow.  That position puts a great deal of pressure on the discs in your spine.
  7. Use boots with good traction and once you have cleared an area, put sand or salt down to help with your traction, while continuing to shovel.
  8. Also, make sure you take breaks. Drink lots of water and avoid caffeine or smoking before you shovel.  Caffeine can cause an increase in your heart rate and constrict your blood vessels. If you experience any chest pain, make sure you call for help.

Shoveling with Good Biomechanics

How to Prevent Back Injury with Lifting and Household Chores

Many of us have gone to pick something up from the floor or move a piece of furniture and felt some type of back discomfort.  Good body mechanics during lifting or moving objects can prevent back injury by putting less strain on your back muscles.  Listed below are guidelines to prevent back injury with lifting and household chores.

Guidelines to prevent back injury with lifting

  1. When lifting an object, stand with your feet shoulder width apart or 1 foot in front of the other.
  2. When picking something up off the ground, bend with your knees and hinge at your hips keeping the normal curves in your back.  Do not slouch forward.
  3. Also, tighten your lower abdominal muscles (refer to blog topic- Can back pain be prevented?) and maintain the contraction throughout the lift. Your abdominal muscles and your back muscles work together to give support to your spine.
  4. When lifting, keep the object close to your body.
  5. Use your legs and buttocks to straighten back up, not your back.
  6. Carry things at waist level.
  7. If you must reach for the object, stand on a chair or stool.  Do not arch your back.
  8. PUSH, do not pull when you are moving an object.

Guidelines to prevent back injury with household chores.

  1. Washing dishes– to decrease back strain at the sink, open the base cabinet and put your foot up on the ledge to become closer to the sink.
  2. Vacuuming– Walk with the vacuum or lunge forward onto one foot keeping your back straight, rather than bending forward with each push of the vacuum.
  3. Making the bed– Put one knee down on the bed when fastening a sheet to the corner of the mattress or squat to fasten it.
  4. Grooming– Put one hand down on the counter in the bathroom while using the other to brush your teeth or shave. Also, you can put a foot up onto the ledge of the base cabinet as in the kitchen.

Bending at knees for objectLifting objectLifting object

Healthy Holiday Eating Tips- Part 2

Menu Planning Tips: Modify your traditional holiday menus and recipes to reduce fat, cholesterol, and calories.

•
Original Menu
3 ½ ounces roast duck
½ cup stuffing
½ cup broccoli with hollandaise
sauce
½ cup jellied cranberry sauce
1 medium crescent roll
1 slice pecan pie
TOTAL CALORIES = 1205
TOTAL FAT = 55 grams
•
Leaner Menu
3 ½ ounces roast turkey breast
½ cup rice pilaf
½ cup broccoli with lemon juice
½ cup fresh cranberry relish
1 fresh roll
1 slice pumpkin pie
TOTAL CALORIES = 730
TOTAL FAT = 21 gra

A typical holiday menu:

  • 3 ½ ounces roast duck
  • ½ cup stuffing
  • ½ cup broccoli with hollandaise sauce
  • ½ cup jellied cranberry sauce
  • 1 medium crescent roll
  • 1 slice pecan pie
  • TOTAL CALORIES = 1205
  • TOTAL FAT = 55 grams

A leaner holiday menu:

  • 3 ½ ounces roast turkey breast
  • ½ cup rice pilaf
  • ½ cup broccoli with lemon juice
  • ½ cup fresh cranberry relish
  • 1 fresh roll
  • 1 slice pumpkin pie
  • TOTAL CALORIES = 730
  • TOTAL FAT = 21 grams

Remember to go easy on the following foods:

  • Nuts
  • Chips
  • Crackers
  • Dips
  • Olives
  • Eggnog
  • Stuffing
  • Gravy
  • Fatty deli meats
  • Candy, cakes, pies, cookies
  • Alcohol

Celebration Strategies:

  • Be realistic. Trying to lose weight during the holidays may be a self-defeating goal. Striving to maintain your weight, however, is a reasonable expectation.
  • Forget the “all or nothing” mindset. Depriving yourself of special holiday foods or feeling guilty over a particular food choice are not part of a holiday eating strategy – and certainly not part of the holiday spirit!
  • Have fun! Sharing food is an important way to spread holiday cheer. Enjoying a traditional meal or celebrating with family and friends need not destroy the healthy food habits you have nurtured all year.
  • Get enough rest.
  • Drink lots of water.
  • Get at least 30 minutes of brisk exercise every day to reduce stress and burn calories (try it before breakfast).
  • Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast.
  • Eat slowly – put your fork down between bites.
  • Chew gum while preparing food and cleaning up to curb tasting and snacking.
  • Keep a daily food/calorie diary – enter every taste and snack you take.
  • Resist the urge to bake as gifts, instead make jellies, barbecue sauces, etc.

Snacking During the Busy Holiday Season:

With all the preparations and celebrations, you might be too busy to eat regular meals. Take some time to learn how tasty, convenient snacks and appetizers can fill hunger gaps, contribute important nutrients, and add enjoyment to your holiday eating.

  • Try these portable snacks when you travel:
    • Make a trail mix of nuts, raisins, and pretzel chips
    • Tote some of your favorite ready-to-eat cereal in a plastic bag
    • Stow a couple of breadsticks and a crisp apple
    • Pack a handful of graham crackers and small can of fruit juice
    • Wrap up a mini-bagel spread with peanut butter
  • For home, try stocking up on these snacks:
    • Raw broccoli florets
    • Red and green pepper strips
    • Zucchini circles
    • Cucumber wedges
    • Carrot and celery sticks
    • Low-fat, low-sodium cheeses
    • Lean, low-sodium deli meats
    • Fruit
    • Yogurt
    • Juices
    • Assorted bread, crackers, graham crackers, pretzels, and breadsticks
    • Cook a large batch of chili and freeze individual portions, reheat as needed
  • Snack ideas for company
    • Top reduced-fat crackers with your favorite hors d’oeuvre combinations
    • Serve hummus with pita wedges
    • Make fruit kabobs with pineapple chunks, melon balls, and ripe strawberries
    • Arrange colorful vegetables on a platter with a tangy yogurt dip
    • Place bowls of homemade snack mix on convenient tables
    • Create a cheese board with some new lower-fat varieties and an assortment of crackers and breadsticks
  • For a sweet treat:
    • Slices of angel food cake drizzled with raspberry sauce
    • Non-fat and lower-fat cookies
    • Dried fruit and nuts arrangement
    • Serve small portions of special holiday sweets

Written by Julie Katz, Registered Dietitian- Baltimore, MD