Vim & Vigor - Spring 2011 - Parrish Medical Center - (Page 23)

forward, which puts a lot of pulling strain on the lower back.” Imagine the spine as a stack of interconnected blocks, with one of the lower blocks pulled out of place. “You lose that good foundation, and it’s going to start causing you upper back pain.” Focus on keeping your abdominal muscles taut (which holds the stomach in), and keep a slight inner curve to the lower back. A different problem occurs when we sit: Slouching turns the back into one big C curve, which puts strain on the lower spine and neck. “If we sit in a slouched position, it’s like standing and walking with the waist bent about 90 degrees forward,” Reicherter says. “If you walked around like that all day, you wouldn’t wonder why you have back pain.” Ankles/Feet: “WEAR PROPER FOOTWEAR.” Before you lace up those sneakers for a run, make sure they’re the proper kind: The wrong shoe can lead to arch pain, heel pain, shin splints and arthritic activity between the joints, according to Kirk Geter, DPM, president of the American College of Foot & Ankle Orthopedics & Medicine. A running shoe has more cushion in the heel for shock absorption and is designed to propel you forward. A walking shoe is designed with a stiffer sole, which could overwork the muscles and cause injury or strain if worn for running, Geter says. Feet swell throughout the day, so for the best ﬁt, shop for shoes in the late afternoon or evening, Geter says, and describe to the salesperson the activity for which they’ll be used. Hips: WEIGHT BEARING EXERCISE.” “ENGAGE IN When you perform weight-bearing exercise, your body says, “I need to make my bones bigger and stronger to support that.” “You don’t need to be bench-pressing 500 pounds,” Phieffer says. “Light resistance weights, Thera-Bands, even walking counts as weight-bearing exercise.” (Swimming, however, does not, because the water buoys your body weight.) Don’t have an hour a day? Even 20 minutes, three times a week, will have an impact. “By doing so, we’re telling our bodies, ‘Be active, let’s maintain this bone bank, so we don’t start to lose any of it,’ ” Phieffer says. Stronger bones and muscles mean less stress and strain on your joints, and less chance of life-devastating injuries such as hip fractures. PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHOTOLIBRARY Vim & Vigor · SPRI NG 2011 23

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2011 - Parrish Medical Center

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2011 - Parrish Medical Center
Table of Contents
Tasty Tips
Opening Thoughts
Community Calendar
What’s New?
Watch Your Step
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
Fitness & Wellness Go Hand in Hand
Stopping PAD in Its Tracks
Community Health
Foundation Focus
Ask the Expert

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2011 - Parrish Medical Center