Injury Prevention Archives - Page 2 of 6

Downhill running – up does not equal down

Running uphill does not equal downhill running. The faster speed of running downhill does not equal the slower speed of running uphill. The rule of thumb expressed in Jack Daniels’ Running Formula the classic book by running guru Jack Daniels, states that every percent gradient of uphill will slow you by 12 to 15 seconds…

Puny Calf Muscles Syndrome

It is time to replace the common belief that stretching exercises should occur before exercise or sporting activity with a newer concept that strengthening exercises for the calf muscles should occur before exercise or sporting activities. During warm up for exercise & sporting activity make a conscious effort to walk with spring in your step. Reactivating & reversing puny calf muscles can prevent injury, increase athletic performance, forestall old person shuffle, & look better.

Clinical Predictive Rules for Management of Plantar Heel Pain

Medical professionals rely on clinical practice guidelines to have better outcomes, lower utilization of care, and lower costs. These guidelines have limited value since they often fail to keep up with new research findings or recently available diagnostic or therapeutic interventions. For example: clinical practice guidelines are available for plantar heel pain (plantar fasciitis) from…

Mountain Athlete: 2-Dimensional Video Slow-Motion Analysis

I have been asked to present a continuing education webinar to members of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. The theme of the program is Human Performance the “Mountain Athlete” What is a “Mountain Athlete”? Athletic activities that occur in the mountains are skiing, climbing, Spartan racing, adventure racing, trekking, adventure racing, mountain biking, and…

Potential Prevention Strategy for Exercise Associated Muscle Cramps

Exercise associated muscle cramp (EAMC) is a painful, spasmodic, and involuntary contraction of muscle that occurs during or immediately after exercise. The exact mechanism or cause of EAMC still remains unclear. There is a consensus the first aid treatment of EAMC is to stretch the affected muscle. However, Coppin and colleagues conclude that regular stretching…

Better cues & mental practice to improve skillful movements: Are external focus cues better than internal focus cues? It depends

Coaches, athletes, healthcare professionals, verbal cues, use mantras, self-talk, visual imagery, and skill training to improve movement. There are many cognitive strategies commonly used to improve human movement to move faster, farther, injury-free, and/or just look better moving. Types of cues: A substantial amount of research in the area of motor learning examines different types…

Gait Deviations Musculoskeletal Pain Syndromes: Is there a gait deviation or cluster of gait deviations which is common across musculoskeletal pain syndromes?

Gait deviations are considered risk factors and/or causative drivers for musculoskeletal pain syndromes. There is a growing body of research showing a relationship between gait deviations and musculoskeletal pain syndromes injuries: shin pain (here, & here,) ; patella-femoral arthralgia (here); IT band syndrome; Achilles pain; plantar heel pain (here, & here). There is growing consensus…

Physical Therapy Telehealth: It works well for some, not for others

The COVID 19 pandemic crisis has many challenges for the standard everyday health care and medicine. The pandemic resulted in a sudden increase of telehealth services. There are reports there has been an 18% increase in the number of healthcare providers providing telehealth services in response because of the pandemic. Healthcare providers and patients are…

Low-Tech Slow-Motion Analysis – “Dance Step to Nowhere

NDeviant movement during walking contributes to the development of or compensation for musculoskeletal pain syndromes. Diagnosis and treatment occur with visual observation and analysis of gait. The use of a smartphone video facilitates the analysis of motion walking. However, there are times when less technological motion analysis is necessary. When dealing with painful musculoskeletal syndromes…

Symptom modification of painful gait

Symptom modification procedure is common practice in the Physical Therapy profession. This procedure involves identifying the specific movement, posture, and/or activity that reproduces the patient’s symptoms. Historically diagnosis of musculoskeletal problems was based on examination which selectively provoked musculoskeletal tissues by compressing or stretching the various tissues to provoke the symptoms. This provided direction for…