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If you wake up with stiff, sore back; these exercises are for you
Tag: back pain winnipeg
Consider your back, shoulders, hips when buying your next mattress Winnipeg…some tips from yourPhysio
Many people complain of back pain soon after they get out of the bed. Whether it be a combination of tight muscles, stiff joints or general aches, this is a common complaint at any age in Winnipeg.
Although, many fail to sense the link between the back pain and the bedding that they use, research has shown the influence the bedding can have on causing as well as relieving the stress from a persons back. When we go in search for bedding, we can see lot of varieties which are made in many different ways. Adding to this variety is our personal preference. The mattress should also match the framework of the bed. With all these considerations, the value we give to our health is probably low down in the list or not in the list at all.
The link between the bedding and back pain is associated with the malalignment of our body structures away from its natural alignment. When the spine is kept straight, which is the optimal shape to minimize stress towards the lower back, we can see that the ear, shoulder tip and the hip joint are in a straight line. Even when a person sleeps, this would be the optimal positioning for better stress distribution. In overly soft mattresses as well as in old mattresses, we can see certain body parts sinking more into the mattress than other parts of the body. This will upset the alignment and would either direct more stress towards the back or would not facilitate already stressed back muscles as well as the spine. Therefore, in order to avoid such back pains linked to your bedding, you can do the following:
1. If appropriate, the old rule was to place a piece of plywood to make the mattress more firm
2. Do shopping and choose a mattress which is soft as well as firm; many of the new ‘pillow-tops does this for you
3. Can sleep on the floor or on a firm surface with a soft covering to relieve pressure to the bony points.
4. Make use of a water or air filled mattress which could sooth the existing pain as well as relieve the stress in the whole body.
5. Do gentle exercises or stretching before getting out of the bed. Contact yourPhysio for appropriate exercise plans
6. Do not place extra pillows under your head, some may used behind the back, between or under your legs.
7. Position your bed at a adequate level to ease the work related to getting out of the bed.
When considering the link between bedding and the back pain, simple measures would go a long way in relieving this chronic problem. Therefore, the money that you spend for a perfect mattress would definitely be worthwhile when considering the suffering, the loss of productivity as well as the time you spend on your bed.
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Post-Operation? Surgery? into Rehab yet Winnipeg? need yourPhysio asap…
Joints just say no. Muscles grow weak.
We all know the body’s ability to do the mind’s bidding often falters later in life. But the effects of age on function can be especially unforgiving when you’re hospitalized. Knee replacements, hip replacement, arthritis, rotator cuff, spinal fusions, laminectomies, osteotomies…all common surgical procedures happening in Winnipeg everyday.
Lying in a hospital bed day after day can quickly undermine one’s mobility. Even though most of the hospital data comes from the USA; our nurses, doctors, hospital staff are experiencing the same trends in healthcare as the Boomers come into their 60s.
Hospitals get it. Care plans are developed for patients that prescribe exercise when appropriate. Doctors put in orders for physical therapists to help patients walk and otherwise preserve their mobility.
Nurses and assistants often are expected to help patients move, even if it’s just from bed to chair for their dinner.
But that doesn’t mean it always happens. When hospital units become swamped with particularly sick patients, preserving mobility can easily slip down the priority list, hospital administrators say.
“There’s the ideal world, and then the practical world,” said Liz Ericson-Macke, a nurse, social worker and case-management supervisor with the Franklin County Senior Options Program.
“Sometimes just getting people up and walking them may not happen as much as we would like it to.”
Michele Weber acknowledges that. While working on her doctorate, the clinical nurse specialist at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center evaluated how well nurses stuck to the mobility guideline for intensive- and critical-care patients.
It took persuading, but physicians bought into the guideline that took effect in 2009. They issued a blanket order giving registered nurses greater power to decide when exercise and physical therapy were appropriate during stays in the ICU, which average 5.5 days. A physician’s order is still required for physical therapy, however.
In late 2010 and early 2011, Weber examined the care provided to 207 patients — 41 percent of whom were older than 60 — to see whether the guideline was being followed.
“We were following protocol 30 to 40 percent of the time,” she said.
There were several barriers to improving compliance, including factors beyond the nurses’ control. Some patients refused to exercise. Many hospital rooms are small, with constrained layouts that didn’t lend themselves to the right kind of chair.
In some cases, nurses didn’t have the right supportive devices — walkers, canes, gait belts — close at hand. Some equipment didn’t have battery backup so that IVs could remain hooked up to patients when they were up and about.
And inadequate staffing levels sometimes hurt compliance.
Today, audits show compliance is better, typically between 50 and 60 percent, Weber said. The hospital added the mobility guideline to the orientation process for new critical-care nurses, provided better equipment and balanced staffing.
Mount Carmel Health System declined to share similar compliance data. A spokesman for OhioHealth said the hospital system doesn’t have such data.
Efforts to get patients moving might seem at odds with another hospital priority: fall prevention. But Weber said there were no adverse outcomes during the OSU research project.
The benefits of getting a patient moving early have become more widely recognized, said Dr. Larry Swanner, vice president of medical affairs at Mount Carmel West.
“In the past several years, we have increased our focus on physical therapy,” he said.
For patients who have had hips or knees replaced, early exercise leads to quicker recovery times. For surgical patients, walking encourages deep breaths and coughing, which reduces the risk of pneumonia.
Meanwhile, patients who have undergone abdominal surgery might find that walking stimulates the return of their intestinal function.
If a physician orders physical therapy in the morning, it should take place that same day, Swanner said. If it’s ordered late in the afternoon, it should happen the next morning.
OhioHealth has been assessing many protocols, including for mobility, through a process-improvement group focused on geriatrics, said Michele Stokes, director of senior health services at the Gerlach Center for Senior Health.
“We really have a lot of opportunity across the system to be aware and do more for our elderly patients,” she said.
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Shovelling in Winnipeg’s Extremes; know your Biomechanics, your limitations and your Physio
A great bulletin from the Heart and Stroke Foundation; Snow shovelling may be dangerous for some hearts
Snow shovelling may be dangerous for some hearts. Reports have linked snow shovelling in extreme cold weather to an increased risk of hospitalization or death due to heart attacks. The Heart and Stroke Foundation advises taking extra precautions when snow shovelling during extreme cold alerts, particularly for individuals with a pre-existing heart condition or who are at high risk of heart disease.
Research shows that physical activity helps protect against heart disease, stroke and many other health conditions. It is also an important part of cardiac rehabilitation programs and an important way for heart patients to keep their cardiovascular system strong and resilient.
Extreme weather conditions, such as very high temperatures and humidity in the summer, smog, and cold winter days, can make physical activity more strenuous. Both strenuous exercise and extreme weather independently increase blood pressure, push the heart rate up, and increase blood concentration of fibrinogen, a protein involved in blood clotting. All of these factors contribute to increased heart attack risk.
The Foundation recommends approaching physical activity in extreme weather with caution if you have been diagnosed with heart or blood vessel disease (including stroke, previous heart surgery, and uncontrolled high blood pressure) or if you are at increased risk of a cardiac event because of high cholesterol levels, an inactive lifestyle being overweight, or obese or other risk factors. Speak to your doctor about what is acceptable for your health.
The risks become even greater when vigorous exercise and extreme weather are combined, such as when shovelling snow in sub-zero weather conditions. Studies show that in most people who have died shovelling snow or carrying out some other form of vigorous physical activity in extreme weather conditions, the plaque inside their blood vessels ruptured and travelled to the heart causing a heart attack. The rupture may be caused by increases in blood pressure or changes in vascular tone associated with physical exertion. Plaque is a sticky, yellow substance made up of fatty substances such as cholesterol, calcium, and waste products from your cells.
Here are some tips from the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Take the time to do a few minutes of warm-up activity like walking to increase your heart rate slowly and prepare you for the activity
Build in frequent breaks from extreme weather activities so your body doesn’t become too strained
Ask for help from family, friends or neighbours if you need to do an urgent task, such as clearing snow, in bad weather;
Wear appropriate clothing and keep water nearby to replace fluids lost through perspiration
Plan ahead. Watch your local weather forecast for smog, humidity, heat and extreme cold alerts and plan for enough time or get help with major tasks like snow shovelling, on those days.
Stop your activity if you experience sudden shortness of breath, discomfort in the chest, lightheadedness, nausea, dizziness, or severe headache and immediately seek medical attention
Snow shovelling in very cold weather has specific risks. Here are some additional tips to help you stay safe during this particular activity:
Don’t continue shovelling just to get the driveway cleared in a hurry. If you’re tired, quit;
Don’t shovel or do any other vigorous activity directly after eating a meal. Your body is working hard enough just to digest the meal; adding vigorous activity on top of that could put too much strain on your heart;
Don’t stoop to pick up the snow; bend at the knees to avoid back problems.
Find out if your community offers programs or assistance for snow shovelling or snow removal (particularly for older adults or those with existing heart conditions)
Play safe Winnipeg; your your biomechanics, your limits and your Physio…
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It’s heavy snow Winnipeg, learn about rotator cuff injuries, the winter cold and shovelling
It’s snowing this morning in Winnipeg; the first heavy blast of winter this season. Car accidents, falls and shovelling injuries are inevitable. Beware of your posture, the load, your balance and fitness level before you ‘shovel for hours’. The shoulder, and its supporting rotator cuff group of muscles are highly susceptible to those strains n sprains of high repetition and little prep.
Rotator cuff injuries are common in all sports and can be career enders for athletes likes quarterbacks and pitchers. But even if you’re just throwing snowballs with the kids or working out to stay fit, it’s important to keep the shoulder joint healthy. Here, physiotherapist Chris Bisignano, answers some of the important questions.
Q1: What exactly is the rotator cuff?
“The rotator cuff is a group of muscles, that act almost like a dynamic ligament. It is comprised of four muscles: the supraspinatus, which is the most commonly injured, the infraspinatus, the teres minor, and the subscapularis. The rotator cuff’s functions are to assist with arm movements and provide stability to the glenohumeral [shoulder] joint.”
Q2: Why does the rotator cuff get hurt so often, and what are the common issues?
Most of the exercises we do actually do not specifically target the RC enough to make a difference to its actual strength.
“Up to 67% of the population will have a shoulder problem at some point in their lifetime, and the rotator cuff is most often the source of the pain. The primary reason for rotator cuff pain is that pinching sensation or ‘impingement syndrome,’ which may be the result of rotator cuff tendon inflammation caused by an activity or trauma. Over time, this can lead to a rotator cuff tear. To make matters worse, evidence suggests that most individuals are likely to experience rotator cuff degeneration by age 40 and rotator cuff tearing by age 60. Thus, in many cases, a seemingly normal exercise session or home-repair project may incite shoulder pain.”
Q3: What kinds of moves should I avoid if I want to stay injury free?
Repetitive reaches with even a simple load can isolate alot of force upon the RC. Movements above shoulder become risky when a joint is not supported well, or even unstable because of weakness.
“Many of the more common gym exercises—such as upright rows and lateral deltoid raises—may lead to rotator cuff injuries. Modifying these exercises to keep the end position of the arms or elbows below shoulder height may help prevent injury.”
Q4: How can I tell if I have a rotator cuff injury?
“Many people already have a rotator cuff injury and aren’t aware of it. Unfortunately, evidence suggests that these individuals will eventually develop symptoms. Early on, if you have pain when reaching overhead—pain located at the tip of the shoulder or the outside of the arm, where the lateral deltoid is located—that suggests a rotator cuff injury. Weakness when reaching the arm out to the side is also suggestive of a tear.”
Q5: How can I prevent a rotator cuff injury?
“Three key measures can be taken to reduce the chances of experiencing a rotator cuff injury.
“First, strengthen the external rotators; specifically by tubing or dumbbell exercises that need to be learned from a professional; these will help restore and maintain shoulder stability and may prevent impingement.
“Second, avoid sleeping on your side with your arm positioned overhead.
“Finally, try to achieve muscle balance—that’s key. Many weight-training routines are inherently biased, creating muscle imbalances that may lead to a rotator cuff injury. Try to perform an equal number of ‘pull’ versus ‘push’ exercises. Moreover, try to replace a few sets of shoulder exercises—such as lateral deltoid raises or shoulder presses—with exercises that strengthen both the deltoids and the rotator cuff, such as prone ‘Y’ or ‘T’ exercises.”
Visit yourPhysio or ask your healthcare provider for specific RC education and exercises.
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Even science can provide ‘stats’ on sitting in Winnipeg to prevent neck and back pain, especially those Downtown, Physiotherapy Winnipeg can educate you
No one will stand all day when they have the opportunity to sit. This is because the body works harder when standing than when sitting. However, when we at yourPhysio.com in Winnipeg review work production studies indicate that workers are more efficient when they stand to work. So how do you decide between the two? Consider these general guidelines Winnipeg!
When Standing is preferred:
the task cannot be performed with arms kept comfortably by your sides.
assembling, testing, or repairing larger products (i.e., greater than 6 inches high)
the work area is too large to be comfortably reached when seated. Stand when you must reach more than 15” past the front edge of the workstation. The maximum reach envelope when standing is significantly larger than the corresponding reach envelope when sitting for both men and women (Sengupta & Das, 2000).
you work in more than one workspace to perform job duties and must move around frequently.
the work task lasts less than 5 minutes.
dealing with heavy objects weighting more than 10 pounds. In general, more strength can be exerted while standing (Mital & Faard, 1990) Stand when you need to maximize grip forces (Catovic, Catovic, Kraljevic & Muftic, 1991) or complete static or dynamic lifts (Yates, & Karwowksi, 1992).the work surface does not allow the worker to comfortably position legs under the surface because of an obstruction (i.e. working on a conveyor or a progressive assembly line, working in a kitchen, using a workstation with a drawer located underneath the work surface or a wide front beam, working at a retail counter, or using specialized equipment)
tasks require frequent application of downward pressures (loading bags, inserting screws)
Jobs that are most appropriately done standing include construction workers, highway flaggers, medical personnel, painters, electricians, plumbers, loggers, firefighters, plant inspectors, and maintenance personnel.
When Sitting is preferred:
Better when visually intensive or precise work is required, the activity is of a repetitive nature; longer tasks are completed (greater than 5 minutes), and when everything can be placed within easy reach. Sitting is not appropriate when heavy objects must be handled or long reaches are required.
However, prolonged sitting has been associated with a high incidence of back complaints (Mandal, 1981), increased spinal muscular activity and intradiscal pressure (Grandjean and Hunting, 1977; Lindh, 1989). Other problems reported include discomfort in the lower extremities (Westgaard and Winkel, 1996) and increased muscle loading of the neck and shoulder muscles when sitting with the forearms unsupported as compared to standing with the forearms unsupported (Aaras et al., 1997; Lannersten and Harms-Ringdahl, 1990).
To summarize the literature, neither static standing nor sitting is recommended. Take note of ‘static’ versus ‘dynamic’ Winnipeg, learn to balance each through your day.
Each position has its advantages and disadvantages. Research indicates that constrained sitting or constrained standing are risk factors and that alternating work postures may be preferable. Alternation between two postures allows for increased rest intervals of specific body parts, and reduced potential for risk factors commonly associated with MSD development.
Ideally, provide workers with a workstation and job tasks that allow frequent changes of working posture, including sitting, standing, and walking. If either sitting or standing is feasible but only one possible, sitting in a properly designed chair is preferable.
