Author: melissa

You’ve got a massive highway of nerves running through your body.

Those nerves can become pinched any time there’s pressure on the nerve, usually when it’s compressed between two other tissues such as tendons, ligaments, or bones.

That explanation sounds simple and straightforward enough. Of course, lacking X-ray vision, it’s difficult to peer inside yourself to see if that’s what’s causing that sudden, shooting pain you’re feeling.

In the absence of X-ray vision then, here’s how you can tell if the pain you’re feeling is indicative of a pinched nerve or not:

• If you feel a sharp, radiating pain that originates from a localized point on your body, especially in your neck or lower back. However, the pain could be most anywhere since you’ve got nerves all over your body.
• If you feel weakness in the area where the pain is originating from, especially when performing certain repetitive motions.
• If you feel numbness or tingling (“pins and needles”), or if you feel a burning sensation from the area where the pain is originating from.

Of course, these symptoms aren’t unique to nerve pain, so even if you’re feeling all three, that’s still not definitive.  To get a definitive diagnosis, your best bet is to make an appointment with your chiropractor right away.

If that’s impractical in the immediacy, the first thing you should do to treat the possible nerve damage is to rest the affected area.  Stop doing whatever it was you were doing when the pain began. Consider if you moved differently than normal, which could have caused the pinched nerve.

If the pain persists, use alternating ice and heat to try and reduce the swelling in the impacted area, which may help take pressure off the nerve.  Assuming that there’s no medical reason you can’t take NSAIDs like naproxen, ibuprofen or aspirin, these also help to reduce swelling and should at least be considered. Again, an appointment to your chiropractor at your first opportunity is the ultimate solution.

 

On the face of it, it seems obvious.

Step counters, heart monitors, and related fitness activity tracking apps seem like they’d naturally increase your level of physical activity because they make it such an easy thing to track.

You may wonder: is that actually the case, or is it simply that you’re more aware of how much activity you’re performing on a typical day and not genuinely increasing your activity level at all?

It’s a fair question, and the fine folks at the Duke-National University of Singapore’s Medical School decided to run a long-term experiment to test it out. They designed a study which tracked the activity of a total of 800 full-time employees who were paid a nominal sum ($7) to participate.

The participants were divided randomly into four groups:

• Group A – The control group.
• Group B – Paid $3 a week, regardless of the number of steps taken and tracked by FitBit
• Group C – Paid cash incentives of $11 for taking 50k – 70k steps each week and $22 for taking more than 70k steps in a week.
• Group D – A payment made in the employee’s name to charity (in line with the payments received by Group C)

As one might expect, Group C was the most active, but members of Groups B and C were both significantly more active than the control group, with a catch.

After the cash incentives stopped, only about one study participant in ten continued with their increased activity levels. Within a year, overall activity levels across all groups had returned to their baseline levels.  According to this study then, the net long term effect of using a fitness tracker like FitBit is essentially nil.

It’s a great idea, and with further tweaking and refinement, it’s entirely possible that these apps and devices will one day usher in an era of increased activity. However, according to the latest research, that day is not today.

The short answer to the question posed by the title of this article is yes.

Running can cause back pain.

However, there’s a bit more to it than that, so we’ll explain in more detail.

First, running or jogging isn’t guaranteed to cause lower back pain, but it can in some cases. This is especially true if you’re a new runner, if you have a history of running, if you have taken some time away from it, and if you are running again without gradually getting back to it.  Running can also exacerbate existing back pain in some cases.

Far and away the most common cause of running related back pain is muscle pain.  This type of pain rarely affects experienced runners, but new or newly returned runners can certainly experience it.

Essentially, muscle-related back pain is caused when the muscles in your glutes, hamstrings, hips and core aren’t strong enough to support the activity you’re pursuing, which causes your lower back to try and take up the slack, working overtime to keep you upright and stable.

Runners may also experience bone-related back pain caused by bulging or slipping discs or arthritis.  This, however, is relatively uncommon compared to the muscle-related pain described above. In general, runners are aware of these conditions before they begin running and account for them properly.

Regardless of the type of pain you’re feeling, however, there are a few simple things you can do to alleviate your discomfort. The first and most obvious thing is stretching, both as a warm up and as a cooldown when you’ve finished your run.

A good stretching routine sends signals to your body that work is about to begin and gears them up and gets them ready for the trials ahead.  Similarly, a vigorous stretch after the run limits the amount of muscle pain you’re likely to feel post-run, which isn’t a perfect ward against back pain, but helps considerably. As an added benefit, you will become more flexible if you stretch before and after running.

Ultimately when dealing with muscle-related back pain, the best thing you can do for yourself is build up your core muscles so they can properly support you, which takes pressure off of your back!

Spring is here, and that means getting outside and enjoying the warmer weather.  Of course, it also means yard work.  While not everyone enjoys it, it’s something that’s got to be done. As a result, tens of millions of Americans roll up their sleeves and get to work.

Even if you enjoy yard work,  it opens the door to the possibility of minor injury or a serious injury.  Some of the more common outdoor injuries include things like:

• Slips and falls
• Strains and sprains
• Insect bites
• Burns, especially when you touch hot lawn equipment like lawn mowers
• Cuts

This last category tends to be the most serious, and includes cuts received from a variety of equipment including trimmers, lawn mowers, garden shears, chainsaws, and the like.  Falls are typically the second most serious category, especially if you have the misfortune of falling off a ladder.

The good news, however, is that most of these accidents and injuries are easy to avoid.  The twin keys to doing so are mindfulness and proper gear.

Mindfulness is simply being more aware of what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.  Be sure you’re using proper bending, squatting and lifting techniques. Whenever you use any piece of equipment, ensure you’re using it in the proper manner.

In terms of gear, properly outfitting yourself will go a long way toward minimizing your risk of injury, especially when combined with increased mindfulness.  Among other things, any time you’re doing yard work, be sure you’re wearing:

• Closed-toe shoes with slip resistant soles
• Long pants
• Gloves

Depending on what kind of work you’re doing, protective goggles may be a good idea too, but for many of the lawn-related chores you’re likely to do, it’s probably overkill.  Use your best judgement on that front.  Just be careful, be mindful and stay safe!

A certain amount of stress is certainly useful in that it can motivate you to perform. However, prolonged periods of stress, or too much of it, can have a variety of serious impacts on your health.  Although it may not cause the conditions we’ll talk about in this article, it will certainly make them worse.

Here are a few of the negative impacts severe and/or prolonged stress can have:

• If you have a heart or lung condition, including high blood pressure, asthma, or heart disease, the excess levels of cortisol in your body (which is known as the ‘stress hormone’) can make those conditions markedly worse.
• Stress can lead to hair loss, give you hives, make your skin itch, and if you have psoriasis, rosacea, or eczema, elevated levels of cortisol in your body will make all of those conditions worse.
• Few areas of your body are more susceptible to the negative impacts of stress than your digestive tract. People who suffer from chronic stress are much more likely to suffer from gas, bloating, diarrhea and constipation, and are more likely to develop more serious conditions like acid reflux, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and get ulcers.
• In addition to that, because many people carry their tension in their neck and shoulders, chronic stress sufferers are much more likely to have migraines or tension headaches on a regular basis.

As you can see then, stress is no laughing matter.  It not only makes any existing conditions you may have worse, but it will wear you down over time. This results in weakening your immune system and making your more prone to illness and infection. That is double punishment because when you get sick, you’ll also have a harder time fighting it off.

The bottom line then, is that the more you can do to reduce or alleviate stress, the healthier and happier you’ll be.

Cut out the fat!  Avoid fat like the plague!  If you’ve heard these phrases once, you’ve heard them a thousand times.

It’s one of the most often repeated mantras by just about everyone offering dietary advice.  Fat is bad.  Fat is evil.

Fat will make you fat. It makes intuitive sense, which is why you might be surprised that there are several high fat foods that are actually really good for you. The reality is that not all fat is created equally, and some types are better for you than others. In this article, we’ll take a look at a few specific examples.

Here is a list of high fat foods that are surprisingly healthy:

• Avocados – Let’s start with the big, green, delicious goodness that avocados represent. Most people love them. While most fruits contain lots of carbs, avocados are a departure in that they are very high in fat.  In particular though, they’re loaded with a fat known as oleic acid, which is the same kind of fatty acid you find in olive oil, and is almost universally regarded as being exceptionally healthy.  Eat up, these are good for you.
• Whole Eggs – Diet mavens will tell you only to eat egg whites, pointing to the fact that the yolks are high in both cholesterol and fat. On paper, that certainly appears to be the case.  A whole egg contains 212 mg of cholesterol, which is more than 70 percent of the recommended daily allowance. Of interest though, the latest research into eggs indicates that the cholesterol they contain doesn’t impact cholesterol in the blood, that eggs are a delightfully nutrient dense food, and are loaded with antioxidants too.  Eggs are amazing.
• Nuts – Loaded with healthy fats and proteins, nuts are very good for you. They’re a perfect snack food for anyone interested in dieting and getting healthier.

There are plenty of other high fat healthy foods out there.  It’s just a matter of finding the right ones and enjoying them in moderation.

These days, you must try really hard to avoid seeing or hearing about the latest fad diet.  On a near-constant basis, we’re bombarded by people promising amazing results with minimal effort.  It’s easy to see why so many people get taken in by the hype and jump on the fad diet train.

Unfortunately, many of these diets are unhealthy and some of them are outright dangerous.  Even if they do cause you to lose weight, most people don’t stick with them in the long term, either backsliding or shifting to the next fad diet.  In both cases, the end result is that most of the weight you lose initially winds up being put right back on.  It’s a vicious cycle and it can be very hard to break.

There’s only one way to lose weight and get healthy. Despite the constant attention fad diets get, almost everybody knows what they need to do.  It’s just not very popular or attractive.

The secret to weight loss and better health is the same as it’s always been:  Eat healthy, eat less and stay active.

Eating healthy comes down to embracing fresh fruits and vegetables and using those as your dietary mainstay. You must then supplement with small amounts of lean meat, and avoiding processed foods as much as possible.  Basically, if it comes out of a box, stop buying and eating it.

Eating less is self-explanatory but something that a great many people struggle with.  One simple trick you can employ on that front is to simply use a bread plate rather than a full-sized dinner plate.  It’s a surprisingly effective psychological ploy that yields impressive results.

Finally, staying active is something most people intuitively understand but have trouble committing to.  Start small, and start modestly.  After all, every little bit helps and even if you’re only getting ten minutes of exercise a day, if you were getting none before, that’s a step in the right direction!

In any case, the answer is to steer clear of those fad diets.  They almost always do more harm than good.

Strengthen your core!  Strengthen your core!  If you’ve heard those words once, you’ve heard them a thousand times.  It is one of the most often repeated bits of exercise advice out there. The question though, is what’s so great about strengthening your core, anyway?

Why is everybody always recommending it?  Well, as it turns out, there are several compelling advantages to following that advice.  Here are a few:

Improved Balance and Stability

Let’s start with what is perhaps the single greatest benefit to strengthening your core.  When your core muscles are stronger, you’ll find that your balance and stability improves markedly.  That’s because all the muscles in that part of your body (from your pelvis, hips, abdomen and lower back) are all working in concert.  Your body is moving like a well-oiled machine, and that’s going to not only improve your balance, but improve your performance overall, no matter what you’re doing.

Six Pack Abs

Granted, this isn’t a goal for everyone, but if you’ve long desired to have the fabled “six pack abs” then core training is a key component that will make that possible.  Note, however, that you’ll need to combine these types of exercises with other aerobic activity for best results.

No Gym Membership Required

A hidden benefit of doing core exercises is that they can be done just about anywhere.  You don’t need any fancy equipment and you don’t need a gym membership.  You can strengthen your core right from the comfort of home, any time you want.

The bottom line is simply this:  Whatever your personal fitness aims and goals, core exercises can help you achieve them.  While aerobics and weight training are all well and good, supplementing those activities with core exercises will only magnify your results, and that’s a very good thing.

At one point or another, everybody has experienced the sensation.  That vaguely uncomfortable “pins and needles” feeling that surges through some part of our bodies.

The question then, is it anything to be concerned about?

The short answer is, it depends, But that’s not terribly helpful, so let’s go into a bit more detail.

That sensation you sometimes feel is called paresthesia.  What’s happening when you feel it is that the flow of blood has been cut off to the nerve.  No blood, and it can’t send signals properly.  Then, when the flow of blood is restored, the nerve starts “waking up” which results in that less than pleasant sensation.

Sometimes, paresthesia is caused by mundane conditions.  Something as simple as sitting in the same position for too long can cause it.  If you suffer from a mobility issue, for example, if you’re in a wheelchair, then you probably feel the sensation on a fairly regular basis.

The good news is, in those cases, no, it’s nothing really to worry about.  You should be mindful of it, of course, and take the message that your body is sending you to heart.  Be sure not to spend excessive amounts of time in the same position and it will go away.

Other times, however, it really can be the sign of some serious problem. You could have a nutritional deficiency such as anemia or B12 deficiency. Or, if you’ve suffered some type of nerve, spine, or brain injury, you can also experience paresthesia.  In these cases, it’s not something that just comes and goes.  It lingers, giving you a constant reminder that there’s a problem.  It’s your body’s way of trying to get your attention.

With those things in mind, if you’re only feeling the effects of paresthesia on an occasional basis and it goes away pretty quickly, it’s nothing to worry about.  If not, be sure to seek the help of a professional right away to get to the bottom of it.

Almost everybody knows the importance of stretching. Unfortunately, few people know how to do it properly.  Specifically, how long should you hold a stretch for?  The answer is that it depends on why you’re stretching. Here are two stretching rules to keep in mind.

Rule One – Stretching Before A Workout

It’s highly recommended to give your body a warmup before engaging in strenuous activity of any sort.  In this case, you’re limbering up your muscles, not trying to improve long-term flexibility.  Given that, relatively short stretches are superior.  Don’t hold any given stretch position for more than twenty seconds.  That’s enough to bring your muscles to attention without overdoing it.

Rule Two – Stretching To Improve Flexibility

The other common reason people do stretching exercises is in a bid to improve their flexibility over the long term.  Here, short duration stretches don’t really offer you much in the way of a benefit.  Ideally, for this purpose, you’ll want to hold your stretch for as long as a minute or two. Although if that’s impractical, try to maintain the stretch position for at least thirty seconds. Done consistently and over a period of time, this will vastly improve your body’s flexibility.

The bottom line then, is that you need to tailor the stretching you’re doing to the task at hand.  There’s not a one size fits all solution and engaging in the wrong type of stretching will either not see you gain much benefit in the best case. In the worst case, it could significantly hamper your performance and increase your risk of injury.

Whatever type of stretching you engage in, it’s always important to be mindful of your body and the signals it’s sending you.  A bit of discomfort while stretching is to be expected.  If that turns to outright pain, ease off.