It’s that time of year again. People are getting off of the couch and heading to the gym to keep with their New Year’s resolutions. This is great but it is one of the best times for physical therapy business. I truly believe that most injuries occur because people poorly progress themselves back into physical activity. Whether they twist their knee because they pushed themselves too hard or they sustain an overuse injury like tendonitis, the culprit is usually improper progression.
According to the American College
We, as human beings, are meant to move, so I think it’s great that people are getting back into the gym, hitting the treadmills and the weights. My only concern is that people are jumping back into these workout programs without proper advisement and are taking a serious chance of injury. Lifting weights and running are not simple, easy activities. They are highly skilled and we all need to seek more information as to the best techniques and progressions schemes. Why do it on your own when the information regarding the best strategies and programs are at your fingertips?
I recommend seeing a physical therapist if you are planning to start any type of exercise program. Physical therapists are movement experts and can assist you with getting back into shape without taking the chance for injury. We understand exercise and sports movement biomechanics and muscle balance. Or even better yet pathomechanics and muscle imbalances that maybe placing you at risk for an overuse or traumatic injury. We can help you avoid injuries and also improve your performance by identifying and addressing these issues.
Many people are going to experience pain at this time of year from exercising. It's inevitable. If you have pain, try the age-old ice, rest, and elevation. If pain is lasting longer than 5-7 days, it should definitely be looked at by your therapist. The situation may get worse, so seek help sooner rather than later. Letting things get worse will cause you to end up on the bench, out of work, and possibly out of money. This can all be prevented by being proactive and reactive if you start to experience pain.
The main reasons people stop exercise programs are because of injuries and experiencing too much soreness in their muscles. These two things can be avoided through proper progression and technique. Your resolution was to get off the couch or bench. Avoid putting yourself right back where you started by following a steady progression in your program. I always recommend that people increase their training volume by 5-10% at a time to allow them to adjust to the demands. Also remember that you are placing new demands on your body which will need adequate nutrition and hydration. The diet you were on prior to new years will not be efficient for fueling your performance and enhancing recovery.
Tips:
1. Water intake should be approximately 1 mL per calorie burned throughout the day. There are numerous calorie calculators that can be found through Google. A drop of 1% in our hydration status can cause limited performance by up to 10%. Very counterproductive as many wrestlers, including myself, have had to experience the hard way.
2. Get a good warm up for about 5-10 minutes before engaging in vigorous activity. This allows increases in bloodflow to the muscle, tissue temperature and elasticity. This is a sure way to avoid injuries because they are less susceptible to tearing when they are warm and elastic.
3. Perform active dynamic stretching prior to exercise, such as calisthenics, arm circles and leg swings. Following exercise, perform static stretching where you will hold muscles at their end range position for 15-30 seconds. Research has demonstrated that holding the stretching positions either shorter or longer time periods are ineffective. Static stretching prior to high speed or powerful exercise modes can actually cause the muscles to fire more slowly. It is recommended to warm up prior to exercise with dynamic movements that take the muscles through end ranges but do not hold them there.
4. Refuel following your workout. Your body is in recovery mode, depleted and is looking for nutrition to replenish the reserves it utilized during the exercise session. You are also very sensitive to insulin at this time for about an hour. Insulin helps to drive nutrition into our muscles for later us instead of storing them as fat. This is why many creatine products are combined with sugars to allow for more adequate absorption by the muscles. Refueling within minutes of finishing exercise will allow you to enhance your performance, recover more quickly and avoid injuries as well.
5. Make sure you are wearing the proper shoe for your activity and your foot type. Most shoes today are designed for a purpose. Many companies design shoes for specific foot types and activities. Some shoes are made for pronators and some are made for supinators(flat foot/medial loaders or high arch/lateral loaders). Many shoes are also made for running straight ahead only and should not be worn to play cutting and jumping sports. In fact, some of them will actually predispose you to rolling your ankle during lateral movements.
Remember you can see your physical therapist first to get your injury or pain treated. Insurance now reimburses for this. Your physical therapist is also a movement specialist and can guide you in any exercise type to enhance performance and avoid injuries. If you have any further questions regarding training programs, nutrition or equipment(shoes) for the activity you participate in do not hesitate to contact me.
Wishing you the best in your New Year's Resolutions
Lyneil Mitchell, DPT - A sound mind in a sound body is a short, but full description of a happy state in this world - John Locke
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