Author Archives: Restore Motion

The Tennis Warm-Up

Many people ask me about the best way to warm-up. I want focus on the warm-up from an injury prevention standpoint. I am defining the “warm up” as the specific time that you spend on the court or field “warming up” against your opponent. This time is critical in the prevention of injury but based on my experience, it is rarely used correctly.

First of all, I will explain what the warm-up should not be! It is not a time to perfect your strokes, techniques or to beat your opponent, it is a time to get your body ready for the vigorous activity that it is about to undertake and to prevent injuries. Nothing is more irritating than warming up against an opponent who insists on crushing the ball full force giving no opportunity to warm up your strokes and muscles.

Sports research shows that warm muscles are much less likely to be injured than cold muscles. As you start the warm-up, blood flow to the muscles increases, increasing their temperature and bringing in more oxygen. This allows the muscles to contract more efficiently and generate greater force. As you continue the warm-up, more and more muscle fibers are recruited and therefore less strain is put on each individual fiber. The warm-up also primes the cardiovascular system for activity.

If you are playing in cooler temperatures, or in the winter when you come onto the court or field, make sure that you keep your layers on, until you feel comfortably warm, this does help avoid injury.

When you start playing against your opponent, start slowly, and then as the muscles get warmer, move more at your usual pace and length. Feel that you are starting to groove on your performance and getting your brain into “play” mode. For example, when warming up the tennis serve, make sure that you start at half pace and gradually increase to warm up the shoulder joint. Again, this is not a time to perfect your slice serve, this is a time to get your blood flowing and warm-up your hand eye coordination.

In an ideal scenario, when you are certain of the time play will begin, the optimal way to warm-up is to do 5-10 minutes of gentle activity, such as light jogging or jumping rope, followed by a dynamic warm-up. The “dynamic warm-up” is a more recently researched way of warming up for sporting activities and has been shown to be highly effective in injury prevention. The dynamic warm-up is stretching with movement by using exercises such as lunges, arm swinging etc. The older, static stretching method, is now used more as part of the after play cool down. Current research shows static stretching that may reduce the amount of power muscles can generate.

So remember, that a well-performed warm-up is a great tool in the prevention of injury and is also a great way to maximize your performance potential!

Written by: Reshma Rathod, PT

Headache

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If you have been in any position where you head is in a forward or flexed posture for an hour (such as working on the computer/phone or reading) you may start to experience a headache. It could be your computer/phone screen’s contrast is too low, the brightness is too high or there is glare on your screen. However, if you have addressed those issues, or if the headache gets worse with tabletop work, you may have a joint restriction at your first and second cervical vertebrae. Try this trick to see if you can decrease or eliminate your headache:

Grab a pillowcase and find the longitudinal seam. Lie down on your back. Tilt your nose up slightly and place your fingers on the middle of the back of your head. Slowly drag your fingers down towards your neck and you will drop into a valley then hit a bump. That first bump you feel is the spinous process of your 2nd cervical vertebrae. This is what we will use to eliminate that headache. Secure the middle of the pillowcase seam around that 2nd spinous process (like you’re wrapping a blanket around your shoulders, but the edge of the blanket wraps around the back of your neck). While holding the pillowcase firm and parallel with the floor, glide your head back without tilting it “chin tuck.” This is NOT a strong movement as excessive muscle activity between the occiput (base of the skull) and cervical spine would be counterproductive. Sustain this posterior glide for 10 seconds and repeat the process 6-10 times. If you can change, decrease or eliminate your headache in anyway, you have an upper cervical dysfunction or issue causing your headache. If you have eliminated your headache, you now have a new trick! If you eliminated or decreased it, but it continues to return, there is something else contributing to that headache. Go see your physical therapist to eliminate it and keep it from returning!

Written by: Heather West, PT

Photo Credit: https://www.hioscar.com/blog/what-a-headache-types-causes-and-treatments

5-Minute Healthy Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

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Satisfy your sweet tooth sans the guilt with easy, creamy 5-Minute Healthy Strawberry Frozen Yogurt! Four ingredients and five minutes. Prep 5 Minutes. Yield 4 Servings.

Ingredients

4 cups frozen strawberries
3 Tablespoons agave nectar or honey
1/2 cup plain yogurt (non-fat or full fat)
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Add the frozen strawberries, agave nectar (or honey), yogurt and lemon juice to the bowl of a food processor. Process until creamy, about 5 minutes.
Serve the frozen yogurt immediately or transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Recipe: https://www.justataste.com/5-minute-healthy-strawberry-frozen-yogurt-recipe/

Photo Credit: https://www.brookshires.com/2015/01/13/blog-healthy-living-5-minute-strawberry-frozen-yogurt/

What comes after the PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen)? The next steps

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I had a conversation with Dr. Harold Frazier ( http://www.gwdocs.com/physicians/hal-frazier ) the other day about some alternative testing when Prostate Cancer is suspect. This would be the next step after the initial screening with the PSA if it shows an elevated level. In the past, a biopsy would be the next step. This however can pose a number of risks to the patient, infection, bleeding, and just being plain unpleasant.

We talked first about a blood test that I had heard about from the Cleveland Clinic called the 4Kscore test. This one combines four prostate-specific results with clinical information into an algorithm that calculates the individual’s risk for aggressive prostate cancer. It has good clinical confirmation behind it.

He also talked about another test that was not a blood test, but a urine test called SelectMDX. It measures the mRNA levels of two biomarkers and helps determine if the possibility of a more aggressive form of cancer is likely and if a biopsy is therefore warranted. Good news if you don’t want to go through another blood draw!

The downside is the expense of the test and the possibility that insurance may not cover the tests. The upside is that there are more options to help detect prostate cancer and the options are simpler and more effective than ever before.

As with all methods of prostate screening, a good dialogue with your doctor, your risk factors, and age should always be taken into consideration before proceeding.

By: Patrick Wenning, PT

Photo Credit: https://pixabay.com/en/what-s-next-yellow-sticker-note-1462747/

New Prostate Screening Recommendations 2018: Rethinking the use of the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test

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Men need to be proactive about their health. Cardiovascular fitness and blood pressure screening are often part of the regular check ups with their primary care physician. In the last few years, Prostate Cancer screening is becoming part of this proactive approach.

There has been some controversy over the past few years about when and how to screen for prostate cancer. What age do I start? What type of tests are there? Am I more at risk? Do I have to have an “uncomfortable” manual exam?

In the past, there were concerns about “over diagnosing”, “false positive” tests, and unnecessarily scaring men about the threat of prostate cancer; and as a result, the PSA (Prostate-specific antigen)-based test was not part of the proactive strategy. But there are now newer guidelines for men to follow about the PSA-based test to help men determine their risk factor.

The US Preventative Service Task Force (Independent volunteer experts in evidence based and preventative medicine who work to make recommendations about prevention.) https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/ have set forth the following guidelines for use of the PSA by men:

Men age 55-69: individual decision on Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) based screening test. Need to discuss potential benefits and harms with their clinician.
Men age 70 – older: No PSA-based screening.
African American Men: Unable to make a recommendation.
Men with family history: Unable to make a recommendation.

There is a similar point of view now from the Prostate Cancer Foundation https://www.pcf.org/ on when to begin screening and if the test is appropriate for you:

40 ➣ If family history
45 ➣ If African American
50 ➣ If no history and not African American
55-69 ➣ Discuss with your Doctor
Over 70 ➣ Not recommended

Often, Men start thinking about how their health is changing somewhere in their early 50s. This is when prostate cancer screening should be considered. Something simple to keep in mind when considering those long term health choices.

By: Patrick Wenning, PT

Photo Credit: https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/person-completing-a-test_1064134.htm

Nina Helms: Yoga Instructor

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Restore Motion is excited to introduce a twice weekly vinyasa yoga class taught by veteran yoga teacher, Nina Helms. Nina has extensive experience practicing yoga since 1994 and was certified to teach at the White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara, CA in 2002. She combines her yoga expertise with her knowledge from her own struggles with injury and pelvic pain. Trained by the Yoga industry’s luminaries, Helms takes a non-dogmatic approach and is sensitive to body limitations while focusing on integrating strength, flexibility and balance. Nina’s teaching incorporates knowledge of the anatomy, familiarity with pain and the ability to coach to each practitioner’s ability and experience level. Join her every Tuesday at 11:00am or Wednesday evening at 6:00 to create space, healing and strength in your body and spirit.

Photo Credit: http://www.sheintimatefitness.com/about/

When Pain Becomes Chronic

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The pain science research over the last 10 years indicates there are significant differences between acute pain and chronic pain in our bodies. When there is an acute injury, the brain receives the signal from the injured tissue. As the tissues heal, the nervous system gradually calms down. Normally, our bodies have a low level of excitation in our nerves.

When the level of excitation does not calm down as an injury heals, the pain becomes chronic. The tissue injury is healing, but the nerves are still over-stimulated. The central nervous system is extra sensitive. The brain then interprets even small inputs as pain. When the nerves are over excited, the surrounding nerves also become more excited causing the pain to spread to multiple areas.

The primary question then is how to calm the nervous system to decrease the pain. The research suggests that one of the most effective strategies to calm the sensitivity of the nervous system is aerobic activity. Decrease in pain levels have been seen with even small amounts of aerobic exercise such as 5-10 minutes. The main point is to start where an individual is able to move with a minimal increase in pain. The brain needs to experience that it is “okay” to move again. The pain science research consistently shows that individuals who are afraid to move have poor outcomes.

Other strategies to calm the nervous system, include deep breathing, meditation, and general healthy habits including good sleeping patterns and healthy diet. All of those strategies decrease the stress in the nervous system which will gradually decrease the sensitivity.

It is important to understand that the chronic pain does not mean that there is new tissue damage occurring. The brain just needs the body to move again to decrease the sensitivity of the nervous system.

Written by: Stephanie Bloom, PT

Picture: https://img.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/articles/health_tools/chronic_pain_causes_solutions_slideshow/webmd_rm_photo_of_pain_illustration.jpg

Meditation Retreat: Part 2

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In our April Newsletter we shared that current neuroscience states 8 minutes of meditation a day will change brain structure positively! Meditation: Part 1

This newsletter, we expand on the phrases presented last time to help gather and direct attention for meditation. Metta is a Pali word defined as “loving kindness,” fierce compassion or freedom of heart. Metta Meditation is a practice where one focuses on a set of phrases that sends kind thoughts first to oneself and then to others. In comparison, Mindfulness Meditation is a practice where one focuses on the immediate present moment without judgement.

Sit comfortably with your spine supported. Closing your eyes will help bring your attention inward. You can keep your eyes open to read the phrases until they are easy to remember.

It is helpful to set a timer for 5 or 8 minutes. The phrases used in Metta Meditation help gather and direct your attention. They give the mind focus, “something to do.” Breathe in and think “May I be free….” Breathe out and think “…of enmity and danger.” Here are phrases to try:

(Inhale) May I be free… (Exhale) …of enmity and danger
(Inhale) May I have…. (Exhale) …mental happiness
(Inhale) May I have… (Exhale) …physical happiness
(Inhale) May I have… (Exhale) …ease of well-being

Direct these phrases in a cycle first to yourself, then to a benefactor, a friend, and then to a neutral person (someone you interact with but don’t know well). Later try to expand your Meta circle to a “difficult” person then to “all beings.” For example you could include a favorite teacher, good friend, the check out person at the store, and the aggressive driver from your commute in your meditation. It is easier to practice with those close to your heart at first.

Our perception of our experience changes when we are able to realize the fact it isn’t what is happening around us, it’s the way we react to what is happening around us that can be upsetting. Meditation allows us to create spaciousness between stimulus and our reaction to that stimulus on a daily basis.

Sylvia Boorstein updated the language of the classic phrases in her book Happiness is an Inside Job

You can give them a try too:
(Inhale) May I feel… (Exhale) …contented and safe.
(Inhale) May I feel… (Exhale) …protected and pleased.
(Inhale) May my physical body… (Exhale) …support me with strength.
(Inhale) May my life unfold… (Exhale) …smoothly with ease.

Miriam Graham, PT, DPT, MBA May 2018

Image Credit: http://www.sylviaboorstein.com/books/

Meditation Retreat: Part 1

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Sylvia Boorstein, PhD, and Miriam Graham, DPT (December 2017) with Dr. Boorstein’s books Happiness is an Inside Job and Pay Attention for Goodness Sake.

Current neuroscience states 8 minutes of meditation a day will change brain structure positively!

Meditation is about choosing an object on which to REST your mind. The mind frequently wanders to the past or to the future. GENTLY bring your mind back to REST on the chosen object. Typically, you will go through several cycles back and forth, starting and restarting in any one session. That IS meditation, the exercise that brings about resilience. Just like exercise for your body, meditation requires effort and repetition.

The phrases used in meditation help gather and direct your attention. You can sit, stand (or walk slowly if it is more comfortable to be on the move). If possible, close your eyes while sitting or standing, this will help you bring your attention inward. Comfortably support your spine. It is helpful to have a timer to set for 2, 4, 5 or 8 minutes. Try this mindfulness phrase to exercise being in the present for 2 minutes:

Breathe in: May I be present in this moment.
Breathe out: May I meet it as a friend

Once you feel comfortable with 2 minutes, challenge yourself to 4 minutes. Remember the exercise is to bring yourself back to the phrase and breathing. You ARE doing it RIGHT if you have to redirect yourself back from wandering onto your grocery list or starting to fall asleep… That is the exercise!

Last December I attended a 6-hour meditation retreat lead by Sylvia Boorstein and Sharon Salzberg. Both women were engaging speakers and I appreciated how simply they presented “Metta” or “Loving Kindness” meditation. Metta is a Pali word that is translated as “loving kindness,” fierce compassion or freedom of heart. Next installment we will introduce a cycle of phrases to practice a Metta Meditation. Until then, enjoy the respite of taking just a few minutes to withdraw and rejuvenate in this moment.

Written by Miriam Graham, PT, DPT, MBA

Dr. Mistry’s Oral Hygiene Benefits & Tip

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It’s Spring Cleaning Time … even for your TEETH !

Visiting your dentist regularly has many health benefits overall.

Regular dental visits are important because they help keep your teeth and gums stay healthy. Residue on teeth after eating and drinking all day can cause plaque and tartar to buildup and not only cause tooth decay, but can erode the mouths gum tissues. When this happens, you end up getting an infection called gingivitis. As gingivitis progresses, the tissue that attaches gums to teeth can break down and cause a more serious condition called periodontitis which can cause eventual tooth loss. A dental professional can offer treatment to correct such gum disease.

One way to minimize food residue on your teeth and the associated plaque build up is to lubricate you teeth with drinking water. Gently swish the water between your teeth paying particular attention to direct the flow of water to the front and back teeth–both tops and bottoms before and after you eat.

Don’t wait for sudden unexpected tooth pain before seeing a dentist … go for a tune up of your mouth this SPRING to prevent Tooth trouble!

Written by Bhavana Mistry, DDS