Vim & Vigor - Summer 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center - (Page 17)

Make a Run for It? Lower Back Ofﬁce workers and others who sit most of the day frequently experience joint pain in their lower back, which can be caused by inactivity as well as poor posture, White says. Besides sitting up straight and ensuring your shoulders don’t slump forward, White suggests these two moves to strengthen chest muscles that protect your back and help ward off joint pain. (PS: Your neck and shoulder muscles will thank you, too!) TRY THIS: Standing or sitting in a lowback chair, start with your palms face forward with your upper arms parallel to the ﬂoor. Keep your shoulders relaxed (but don’t roll forward) and pull your elbows back, pushing your shoulder blades together. Hold this position for three counts, then relax and repeat. Call AND THIS: Standing in a door frame with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly and your arms at a 90-degree angle at the elbow, with palms out against the door frame. Now, lean forward to stretch your pectoral (chest) muscles. Schedule an Evaluation Have you been sidelined from running because of an injury? Try a running evaluation. Your program will be tailored to your specific problem areas. Call Gwinnett SportsRehab at 678-312-2803. When you were a kid, running was as easy as opening your front door and hitting the bricks. But if you’re over a “certain age” or you’re having joint problems, should running still be part of your repertoire? “If running is what you want to do, I think it’s fine,” says Becky Thompson, PT, CSCS. “Just be smart and do the kind of muscle building and full-body strengthening and stretching needed to prevent muscle imbalances that can occur from doing only one activity.” She recommends four musts for runners: 1. Good shoes. Make sure they fit well—with plenty of room in the toe and heels that don’t rub or slip—and replace them after 300 to 500 miles. 2. Good surface. “The edge of roads, where many people run, is not a good surface because roads are actually dome-shape,” she says. This causes your feet to land at different angles. Stick with smooth terrain, where both feet will land flat. 3. Good conditioning. Be sure your muscles are prepared. “The goal here is to protect you from injury, because injury is what sets you up for future joint pain and arthritis,” Thompson says. 4. Good recovery. Give your body a day of rest, or cross-train between running days. Runners older than 40 tend to take a little longer to recover between running sessions. S UM MER 2013 17

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center
Contents
Phil’s Feature
ACL Double Take
Saving the Littlest Lives
The Ultimate Backto- School Checklist
Join the Movement
Stroke Stories
5 Steps to Better Bone Health
Gut Instinct
Morgan Freeman
Prostate Playbook
The Main Ingredient
Looking Ahead
Virtual Health
PrimeTime Health
Delivered from Devastation
A Big Reason to Smile
Out of the White Coat
Transforming Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center