Vim & Vigor - Fall 2010 - North Mississippi - (Page 34)

Shouldering the Do your daily activities have you in pain? Here’s how to shrug it o for good BY EMILY SOHN T Pain Gardening WHY IT HURTS: The shoulder joint consists of three bones, two joints and a variety of muscles, tendons and ligaments that work together to move your arm into as many as 16,000 incremental positions. A lot can go wrong with such a complicated piece of machinery. When shoulder muscles are weak from inactivity, tendons can’t handle the stress of activities like gardening, painting your house or cleaning out the gutters. The result: inflammation, pinching or tearing in the rotator cuff—the group of muscles and tendons that hold shoulder bones together. BEAT THE PAIN: Build and maintain strength in your shoulders to keep the joints stabilized and prevent injury. Try this: With weights of 4 pounds or less (even a water bottle works), lie on your stomach on a bench or bend at the waist until your upper body is parallel to the ground. Raise your arms to shoulderheight so that your right arm is pointing to the 1 o’clock position and your left arm is pointing to 11 o’clock. Do three sets of 10. Then, repeat with your arms at 2 and 10 o’clock and then at 3 and 9 o’clock. Repeat the routine three times a week. here are some obvious candidates for shoulder injuries: baseball players, tennis pros and swimmers, to name a few. But you don’t have to be an athlete to experience the weakness, stiffness and aching of shoulder pain. Some 12 million Americans a year see their doctors for shoulder pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pain can make it difficult to do laundry, go to the bathroom, lift a fork. “Those are common, everyday tasks you have to do,” says Tim Uhl, Ph.D., a physical therapist, athletic trainer, researcher and past president of the American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists. “When your shoulder is hurt, all of those tasks are dramatically affected.” Here are some activities that might set you back, and some simple ways to stay a step ahead of the pain. Strain: Too much golf or tennis Strain: 34 WHY IT HURTS: Overuse can lead to rotator cuff tears, which account for about half of all major shoulder injuries. The rotator cuff also degenerates with age. And after about age 50, cartilage around the shoulder joint may break down as well, leading to arthritis. BEAT THE PAIN: Warming up and stretching before an activity can make soft tissues more pliable and able to withstand stress, says Joseph Zuckerman, M.D., president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Try circling your arms or playing catch with something light. Then, lie on your back and pull each arm slowly overhead as far as it can go. While standing, pull each arm across the front of your body with the opposite hand, holding for 10 seconds. Repeat each stretch a few times. 

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Fall 2010 - North Mississippi

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2010 - North Mississippi
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Lean On Me
Inside Look
What’s in Your Medicine Cabinet?
See the Future
The Female Factor
Take a Bite Out of Stress
Starring Role
Shouldering the Pain
Train Your Brain
What Now?
Choose Your Own Adventure
Community Report
Catch the Spirit

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2010 - North Mississippi

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