Month: May 2017

Can you name the sport that causes the most injuries among 13 to 17-year-olds? It’s probably not the sport you’re thinking!

A recently released study on sports-related injuries among high school students is quite revealing. Check out the summary below, and keep these figures in mind if you have a son or daughter who’s actively involved in sports!

#1 – Basketball: 74 percent male/26 percent female – Most common injuries are strains and sprains (ankle)

#2 – Football: 95.7 percent male/4.3 percent female – Most common injuries are strains and sprains (finger)

#3 – Soccer: 52 percent male/48 percent female – Most common injuries are strains and sprains (ankle)

#4 – Baseball: 88.8 percent male/1.2 percent female – Most common injuries are contusions and abrasions (face)

#5 – Cheerleading, Dance and Gymnastics: 9 percent male/91 percent female – Most common injuries are strains and sprains (ankle)

#6 – Boxing, Wrestling: 90.6 percent male/9.3 percent female – Most common injuries are strains and sprains (shoulder)

#7 – Softball: 7.9 percent male/92.1 percent female – Most common injuries are strains and sprains (ankle)

#8 – Volleyball: 21.1 percent male/78.9 percent female – Most common injuries are strains and sprains (ankle)

#9 – Ice Hockey: 88.5 percent male/11.5 percent female – Most common injuries are contusions and abrasions (head)

#10 – Snowboarding: 75.9 percent male/24 percent female – Most common injuries are wrist fractures

#11 – Weight Lifting: 83.9 percent male, 16.6 percent female – Most common injuries are strains and sprains (finger)

#12 – Track and Field: 47.6 percent male/52.4 percent female – Most common injuries are strains and sprains (ankle)

#13 – Lacrosse: 73.6 percent male/26.4 percent female – Most common injuries are contusions and abrasions (head)

#14 – Horseback Riding: 23.6 percent /76.4 percent female – Most common injuries are contusions and abrasions (head)

#15 – Ice Skating: 52.4 percent male/47.6 percent female – Most common injuries are strains and sprains (wrist)

#16 – Skiing: 62.1 percent male/37.8 percent female – Most common injuries are fractures (head)

#17 – Tennis: 50 percent male/50 percent female – Most common injuries are strains and sprains (ankle)

#18 – Field Hockey: 9.8 percent male/90.3 percent female – Most common injuries are contusions and abrasions (finger)

#19 – Rugby: 79.1 percent male/20.9 percent female – Most common injuries are strains and sprains (head/neck)

#20 – Bowling: 49.4 percent male/50.7 percent female – Most common injuries are strains and sprains (finger)

Did you find your child’s sport on the list? If so, just be aware of the prospect of injuries in your future! You can get more details here: http://product-injuries.healthgrove.com/

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but the first few weeks of spring see a predictable spike in the number of reported back, neck, shoulder, elbow, knee and related injuries. A lot of these happen when we come out of our winter hibernation and get back out into the yard or garden.

Sadly, a lot of these injuries could be prevented. While it’s true that nothing is foolproof, if you keep the following three tips in mind, you’ll dramatically reduce your chances of getting hurt as you prep your garden.

1) Be Mindful – This can be an especially easy thing to forget in the spring because you’ve been cooped up in the house all winter and you’re much more interested in getting your garden in shape than you are in thinking about safety.

Unfortunately, that’s when accidents are most likely to occur. All it takes is one misstep. One instance of trying to pick up something heavy and doing an improper lift or twist, and you’ll find yourself doubled over in agony. Being mindful of what you’re doing and how you’re moving is the No. 1 way of minimizing injury, no matter what the specific situation.

2) Try Not to Aggravate A Prior Injury – A close second to simple carelessness is the fact that if you have a previous injury, you’re just statistically more likely to suffer another one, or make your existing injury worse.

That just comes with the territory sometimes because sometimes we try to do too much when we’re hurt. We tend to overcompensate, which can make things worse. Don’t be that person!

3) Avoid Lack of Winter Exercise – This is another big one. It’s entirely understandable, because during the cold winter months, we tend to go into something close to hibernation. The sudden flurry of activity in the spring after months of relative inactivity can’t help but increase your chance of a mishap or injury.

Fortunately, this one has an easy fix. Just be sure you get plenty of exercise all through the winter months so that the activity in the spring won’t be such a harsh transition.

It’s not something most people are proud of, but it happens.
You start off with a strong commitment to regular exercise and better health and then, for whatever reason, you fall off the wagon for a while, and perhaps even for an extended period.

When you get back to the place where you want to start exercising again, it may be tempting, or even reflexive to think you can pick up right where you left off. However, doing that is almost certain to be a recipe for disaster, because the longer you’ve been out of the habit, the more your muscles have atrophied, and the more “muscle memory” you’ve lost.

Fortunately, it’s not hard to get back into the swing of things, but following the tips below will help minimize your chances of injuring yourself as you get back up to speed:

1) Start Slow – This is the single best thing you can do for yourself if it’s been a while since you’ve worked up a good sweat using your exercise routine. Depending on how long it’s been, don’t be surprised if you can’t finish the routine you used to use on a regular basis. You’ll find your groove again and be back in top form in no time, but to get to that point, you’ll want to take slow, measured steps. Remember, you’re looking for progress, not perfection.

2) Be Patient – This builds on the first point, and is every bit as important. If you’re in too big a hurry to get back to where you were, you’re going to pull or strain something. Rather than helping yourself, all you’ll accomplish will be to slow, or even stall your progress as you recover from what is a totally preventable and avoidable injury. Don’t be in such a rush to see results that you wind up setting yourself back!

3) Reprogram Your Brain – Finally, in order to minimize your chances of falling off the wagon in the future, reprogram your brain and learn to love your exercise routine. One of the best ways to do this is to give yourself some small but well-liked treat after you exercise. It takes three weeks for a new behavior to become habit, so if you start now, then you’re just 21 days away from victory!

If you’ve been in a minor accident and there’s little or no visible damage to your vehicle, you might be tempted to skip heading to your chiropractor. After all, if there’s no damage visible to your car, there shouldn’t be any damage to you, right?

It would be great if that were the case, but sadly, flesh and bone just aren’t as durable as the steel frame of your car or truck. Long before solid steel starts showing signs of damage, your body will feel the effects.

That makes sense when you think about it. After all, if you’re cruising along at 20 or 30 miles an hour and come to a sudden stop, there are bound to be impacts to your body.

One thing that can often give you a false sense of security is the fact that when you get into an accident, even a relatively minor one, your body is flooded with adrenaline and you may not feel even the least bit sore in the hours immediately following the accident.

Don’t let that fool you, though! By the next day, you’re almost certain to feel it, and pain is, after all, your body’s way of telling you something is wrong. The very worst thing you can do is to ignore it.

After you suffer from any accident, even a small and relatively harmless one, you still owe it to yourself to go get checked out by your chiropractor to assess the damage you may not be able to feel right away. It will almost certainly come back to haunt you later.

From a practical perspective, that makes sense because if you go to the doctor right away and there is a problem, it can be corrected while it’s still small and easily fixed. If you wait, it could fester and get worse, and that’s never a good thing.

If you’ve spied more than a few people in your office carrying little balls around in their hands lately, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. Is it some new trend you haven’t quite caught onto yet?

Actually, the answer to that question is yes! Stress or massage balls have been around for decades, but in recent years, they’ve been surging in popularity, and it’s no wonder! These humble objects may be small, but they pack a powerful punch in terms of stress relief and provide other useful benefits as well.

To use them, all you have to do is roll them around in your hand, or squeeze and hold them for several seconds.

Some stress balls have bells inside them which make an appealing sound as you manipulate them in your hand. The sound combined with the repetitive motion is surprisingly relaxing and can help ratchet your stress levels down by several notches. That’s perfect, because these days, our high tech, 24/7 lifestyles have put us under more stress than ever, and anything we can do to lighten that load has to be counted as a win!

In addition to being relaxing, this simple motion can increase your dexterity as you become increasingly adept at moving them around, and even reversing their direction when you use them. The simple act of holding and squeezing can also be beneficial, as it not only flexes the muscles in your hands, but your forearm as well.

Who knew that simple little balls could do all that?

Consider it a secret that’s been hiding in plain sight, but now that you know it, you owe it to yourself to take advantage of that knowledge. Stress balls are inexpensive, powerful tools you can use to make yourself feel better, and who wouldn’t want that?