Vim & Vigor - Spring 2011 - North Mississippi - (Page 19)

S PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHOTOLIBRARY it up straight. Drink your milk. Go outside and play. The same advice we give to children is equally applicable to adult orthopedic health. The language may be a bit more technical, but good posture, proper nutrition and the right approach to exercise can keep bones strong, joints limber, and the entire body more healthy and pain-free. In fact, our bones and joints would have a lot to say, if we took the time to lis- ten. Here’s what they’d want us to know to keep them in tiptop shape, head to toe. Jaws: CALCIUM AND VITAMIN D.” Elbow: STRESS INJURY.” “GET ENOUGH “AVOID REPETITIVE Bone strength is like a retirement plan: The earlier you start saving, the more beneﬁts you’ll have when you really need them. “Think of the concept of a ‘bone bank’—one that we have to pay forward,” says trauma director Laura Phieffer, M.D., a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Adults begin a gradual decline in bone strength after their mid-20s, and women get a “double hit” during menopause, Phieffer says. Regularly consuming foods or supplements that are high in calcium can slow the rate at which the mineral is leached from bones. In general, aim for at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day, Phieffer says. Pregnant or lactating women and those 40 and older: 1,200 to 1,300 milligrams. And don’t forget the vitamin D. Without sufﬁcient vitamin D—up to 1,000 International Units daily—“you won’t absorb the calcium,” Phieffer says. “Americans tend to use bones, joints and muscles in the same direction repetitively,” says Anne Reicherter, Ph.D., a member of the American Physical Therapy Association. We sit at a desk at the ofﬁce, and to relax after a long day at work we … plop down in front of a computer or TV screen. Give Your Back a Leg (and Hip) Up With the push-pull relationship between abdominal and back muscles, it’s probably easy to envision how underdeveloped abs and the resultant spinal slouch would affect the back. But what about your legs? “Almost all of the thigh muscles are attached to the pelvis, which is interlocked with the spine,” says David Washington, a physical therapist with North Mississippi Medical Center’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Center in Tupelo. ”If those muscles don’t keep the pelvis stabilized, the spine is prone to shifting, like a house built on sand, so back muscles must work extra hard to keep things steady. Those overworked muscles can create back pain.” Vim & Vigor · SPRI NG 2011 19

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2011 - North Mississippi

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2011 - North Mississippi
Table of Contents
Opening Thoughts
Pump It Up
Heart of the Matter
Every Minute Counts
A Workout for Every Mood
Don’t Fail Your Heart
If Your Bones Could Talk
Healthy Travels
Over 40 and Fabulous
Do-It-Yourself Health?
Fighting Words
Balancing Act
Giving & Getting
Brighten Up
Welcome Aboard
Catch the Spirit

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2011 - North Mississippi