If you have knee arthritis, I’m sure you’ve been told that you should lose weight. For decades, we’ve assumed that arthritis is caused from “wear and tear” and is just caused by repetitive mechanical loading. So if you’re overweight, the joints take on more compression, eroding cartilage faster. But are we sure that is all that is going on?
Read MoreDo you crave ice? Do you have restless leg syndrome? Or maybe you have chronic fatigue and look pale. Do you get short of breath? Do you bruise easily? These are all signs of iron deficiency. Did you know a deficiency in iron can inhibit your ability to lose weight? Let’s dig into it.
Read MoreA frequent complaint from runners is pain on the top of the foot. Although things like stress fractures can occur, it’s not common unless there is a traumatic event. More often than not, it’s a problem with the extensor mechanism of the toes. Either the tendons get inflamed, or the sheath they slide in and out of gets inflamed. The muscle in question in the extensor digitorum longus.
Read MoreIf you have pain in the knee with squatting or running, check out your quadriceps. There are several reasons for knee pain but an easy one to address is quad tightness. If the quad is restricted, it can cause the patella (knee cap) to compress into the femur. This is problematic because the underside of the patella is lined with cartilage and over time you can erode the cartilage, leading to arthritis.
Read MoreMost problems of the foot and ankle can be drawn back to lack of ankle dorsiflexion, and tibialis posterior tendonitis is no exception. It can be excruciating, and mistaken for other pathologies, even knee pain or meniscus tears.
Read MoreMost people are aware of the repercussions of sleep apnea such as increased risk of hypertension and stroke, but this is a strong association that needs to be talked about. If you chronically snore or choke in your sleep, you must get it evaluated as the emerging evidence just becomes stronger that sleep apnea is a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease.
Read MoreThe lymphatic system is a vital system of the body that is often overlooked. For some reason, in every textbook it is depicted as green. In actuality, it is clear or murky white from proteins and lipids. It looks a lot like the vascular system and that is no mistake. Its main function is filtration of blood plasma in the capillary beds. So where the vascular system goes, so does the lymphatic system.
Read MoreAn electrolyte is a mineral that carries a charge when dissolved is a fluid such as water or blood. When you ingest food or beverage, it is broken down into smaller parts. Some are broken into neutral atoms or molecules, and some are broken into charged atoms or molecules. If they have a charge, they are called ions, or electrolytes.
Read MoreCarbon dioxide (CO2) has a bad rep. Classically we are taught that when you breathe, blood cells become oxygenated in the lungs, and then the oxygen is delivered to the organs and tissues, and carbon dioxide is then exhaled as a waste product. Although that is not wrong, it’s missing some key steps. So more oxygen (O2) is what we need right? Take a big deep breath, right? Well the issue is not the amount of oxygen in the blood, but delivering the oxygen to the tissues so it can be used. Turns out, carbon dioxide is a big factor, and our tolerance to carbon dioxide is crucial to athletic performance.
Read MoreI recently had bronchitis and had several days of intense coughing. Shortly afterwards, I developed upper and lower back pain. I even started getting mild numbness in the pinky finger on that same side. It happened to be my left side. The pain extended up into my neck as well and felt like a deep ache. Tell a healthcare provider this set of symptoms, and they are instantly going to be worried about a heart attack. Lucky for me, it was just an irritated muscle.
Read MoreOne of the simplest exercises someone can do when in pain is breathe. It sounds a bit silly, but you’d be surprised at how effective it is. Stay with me. First, let’s have a brief discussion about pain. Pain is a warning signal from the brain to change something. It can be acute or chronic, it doesn’t matter; the nervous system is sensing something is a threat. In other words, your flight or fight mechanism is turned on (the sympathetic nervous system).
I’ve had a number of teammates ask me why I don’t stretch before I skate. It’s a relatively complicated answer, but the main reason is to avoid injury. Let me explain:
Read MoreIt’s a common complaint I hear; my knees pop when I squat or my hip snaps. People often seem concerned about this, but generally speaking, this is considered normal.There are 3 typical reasons joints make sound: 1. Tendons, 2. Arthritis, 3. Gas bubbles.
Read MoreYour body can produce energy from multiple sources, the two most common being carbs and fats. If you are able to easily switch between the two sources without crashing, you are metabolically flexible. If, for years, you’ve been on a high carbohydrate diet, chances are you are not metabolically flexible.
Read MoreThis is an area of the body that is not often associated with pain when running, but for those that experience it, it can be a confusing nuisance. Usually the underlying problem stems from stiffness in the thoracic spine, or mid to upper back. This most often occurs with anyone who sits at a desk for work.
Read MoreOne of the more frequent complaints I hear from runners is back pain after a run. There may be many sources of this pain, but the first thing I’ll assess are the hip flexors.
Read MoreWhen you dig for dirt, you find dirt. This is how it is with imaging. Stenosis, spondylosis, degenerative disc disease, degenerative joint disease, schmorl’s nodes, foraminal narrowing, osteophyte formation; these are all scary words. Here’s the thing, they’re all normal. They are just words for aging.
Read MoreWear and tear has been the culprit for knee OA (osteoarthritis) for decades. This is now being challenged and is a controversial topic in the physiotherapy world. So instead of wear and tear, I’m proposing, “S.A.D. and Poor”. S.A.D. meaning the “Standard American Diet”. And Poor meaning poor movement quality and quantity.
Read MoreDoes your shoulder blade pop or snap when reaching overhead? Snapping scapula syndrome is a somewhat rare condition that typically affects overhead athletes. It is a snapping or grinding that can be located between the shoulder blade and the rib cage.
Read MoreThe TFL, or tensor fascia latae is a troublesome little muscle. It sits on the top and front portion of the pelvis. It attaches to the deep fascia of the leg.
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