“An ounce of prehab is worth a pound of rehab.”

Nobody wants to grow old, least of all boomers. But we’re turning 65 at the rate of 10,000 a day, and will be for the next 17 years.

We’re running a little scared. We want longevity, but we’re scared of losing our mobility and independence. So we’re trying to stay active, or get active, in order to avoid decrepitude. With that many older bodies on the move, orthopedic injuries are on the rise. Once you’re injured, there’s excellent treatment and rehab available

But there is a lot you can do to prevent orthopedic injuries. If you want to stay active and mobile in the second half of your life, consider prehab today to avoid rehab tomorrow. Here’s a quick video to tell you more:

Who gets up in the morning thinking: I feel like getting a nice orthopedic injury today. What can I do to help that along? But we have them anyway, even if we’re disease free. We over use our bodies or use them wrong. We break hips and legs. We get strains and sprains. We get hurt at work, at home or playing sports.

Vintage Bodies Prone For Orthopedic Injuries 

No matter how active we’ve been, our bodies are not the same as they were when we were younger. They’ve got miles on them. And like vintage cars, it’s not wise to drive them flat out. Those of us, who’ve used our bodies for a living, know we’ve had to make adjustments for our aging muscles and joints. Many of us are favoring old injuries that have left those body parts weakened and vulnerable.

We may be nursing over use injuries from repetitive actions. These can be anything from back problems from years of standing all day, to shoulder issues from years of manual labor, to carpal tunnel syndrome from constant mouse pushing. But it doesn’t have to take years. Raking leaves, shoveling snow or playing tennis all weekend when you’re out of shape can be an express ticket to Overuse Ville. And being overweight puts extra stress on your musculoskeletal system. But, there’s a simple fix that can reduce your risk for orthopedic injuries, give you more energy, stamina and even help you live longer

Prehab to Avoid Orthopedic Injuries

Two Types of Prehab

There are two main types: general and sport-specific.

General Prehab for Daily Life

Every day, we run for the bus or the phone, load groceries in the car, pick up children or pets and a million other things we take for granted. These all carry a risk for injury and I’ll bet we can all remember being injured doing them. Luckily for most of us the, injuries were limited to a little pull or sprain. But people do fall and break bones, dislocate limbs, have heart attacks and worse because they’re not fit enough for that activity at that moment. Being inactive and overweight adds to the mix. A simple fitness and weight management program may be all you need to help prevent orthopedic injuries during everyday activities.

General rehab for daily living as part of a personal wellness program: looks at the body as a whole, and develops it as a whole to maximize quality of life. This often includes strength training, cardio conditioning and core training, as well as some proprioceptive exercises.

Avoid Orthopedic Injuries with Fall Prevention

Falls are the number one cause of injury death in people over 65. One in three people 65 plus will experience a fall each year. And poor proprioception, not knowing where your body is in space is a leading cause of falls. Proprioception degrades with age but proprioceptive exercise can slow that down and help prevent falls. Add exercises like Tai Chi, and balancing exercises to your fitness routine. They feel great to do and can help keep you vertical into old age.

Sport-Specific Prehab is designed to get you ready for the rigors of a particular sport or physical endeavor. Good activity specific exercises pay special attention to the body parts most involved in that activity or sport with regard to use and form without ignoring the concept of training the body as a whole. Sport specific training is available at many gyms and community centers.

So I hope you’ve become a believer in the little proverb I’ve coined to remind my clients “An ounce of prehab is worth a pound of rehab.”

 

 

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Exercise Can Help Relieve Back Pain

Exercise Relieves Back PainAlthough specialists once thought that resting was the best prescription for a bad back, it is now shown that exercise relieves back pain. And carefully designed exercises may be even more effective in reducing back pain. A sedentary lifestyle and unnatural alignment of the spine have a lot to do with back pain, a condition that affects 31 million Americans at any given time, according to the American Chiropractic Association. One study found that half of all working Americans report back pain symptoms whether they are seated or standing on the job.

Exercise Relieves Back Pain

Exercise Relieves Back PainIf you spend most of your time sitting at a desk, it’s easy to hunch your shoulders and neck forward to look at a computer screen without even noticing. And if you hold that position for hours at a time, especially with your legs crossed at the knees, your spine can really suffer. For women, wearing high-heeled shoes can add to spine stress.
By the time we reach our fifties, many Baby Boomers have created bad habits and bad backs.

 

What Makes Your Back Especially Sensitive to Pain?

The back is a complicated structure of nerves, bones, joints, ligaments and muscles. The sensitive triangular area of the lower back, between the hips and above the tailbone, is called the sacrum. From the sacrum up through your neck, your spine is linked to a large portion of your nervous system, which controls and coordinates every function of your body. rehab-back-row.jpgSpinal nerves are routed from the vertebrae in your spine and connect with various parts of your body, including your internal organs. Exercise helps to keep your back healthy and avoid injuries or accidents that may occur even from simple movements like bending over to pick up something that dropped on the floor. It also prevents the back pain that can result from conditions like arthritis, obesity and psychological stress.

*Vallfors B. Acute, Subacute and Chronic Low Back Pain: Clinical Symptoms, Absenteeism and Working Environment. Scan J Rehab Med Suppl 1985; 11: 1-98.

Luckily, it’s possible to change your posture for the better, standing or sitting, and relieve that chronic pain – as well as the restricted breathing, digestion and circulation that holding an unhealthy posture may cause.

The most effective way to improve your posture is by stretching your spine and strengthening your back and abdominal muscles so that your whole core area gets stronger. Exercise also works to remedy sudden injury to back tissue and muscles.

One of the most effective ways to relieve back pain is back extension. Back extension helps to reset your vertebrae into proper alignment and to relieve nerve pressure. You can do it standing, sitting or lying face down (yoga cobra pose).

Exercise Relieves Back Pain

Exercise Relieves Back PainHere’s the standing version:

Stand feet comfortable apart. Place your two hands behind you at the lumbar area. Gently arch your back and look upward without stretching the neck too far back. Hold for 10-20 seconds. Repeat 3 times. Try this anytime your back feels fatigued. You’ll be surprised at how much relief it gives you. But don’t do it if you are in severe back pain. In that case it’s time to call your doctor.

It can make a big difference to keep your immune system strong. If you need some help, I have your back! Here’s a short video about my Health Coaching Technique how I have helped my clients achieve a balanced and Healthy Life. If you are ready to break the cycle of failed diets, exercise programs with no results or have low energy, high stress or persistent health issues, YOU HAVE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE!


GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST HEALTH COACHING SESSION.  CLICK HERE   

For more info on Women over 50 Health and Fitness and at home exercise programs for  visit www.mirabaiholland.com

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Orthopedic Issues: Prehab To Avoid Rehab

 

Orthopedic problems are a major health issue worldwide. This is a growing problem particularly among baby boomers. Both women and men are both at risk. Job-related conditions like standing all day or performing repetitive motions can lead to overuse injuries. And being out of shape and overweight are leading contributors to orthopedic injuries and chronic orthopedic problems. But active adults are not immune. Pushing too hard when you workout or play sports instead of staying in your comfort zone can do you more harm than good. In fact there are about 28 million reported orthopedic injuries each year in the USA alone. Accidents happen and excellent rehab is available. But a lot of orthopedic problems are preventable. Muscles and tendons are connected to the brain by a complex system of sensors called proprioceptors, capable of detecting the slightest difference in muscle length, or tension on a tendon. The proprioceptors exist to help your body avoid injury. Those little strains and pains you begin to feel when you push too hard are telling you “Back off” you need more conditioning before you can perform at this level. Pushing through the pain is flirting with serious injury.

The proprioceptors also, tell the brain just where a limb is in space at any given time. A well-trained proprioceptive sense helps a tennis player get to a ball and return it without having to think through each step. The body knows the way.
Prehab is one of the best ways to avoid Rehab. Developing your proprioceptive sense- awareness of where your body is in space — is a good start. There are exercise programs that focus on proprioception like my own Moving Free® technique, Tai Chi and certain yoga exercises. It helps you avoid awkward movements that can cause injury and perform daily tasks with ease and grace. And it improves your sense of balance to help prevent falls.Here’s an exampleClose your eyes. Hold out your arm in front of you. Your brain knows your arm is in front of you without you having to see it. Keep your eyes closed. Now circle your index finger. Your brain knows where your finger is through the full range of motion without looking. That’s your proprioceptive sense at work.

Strengthening areas at risk for orthopedic injury is another component of Prehab. This kind of Prehab comes in two forms:
  1. ·General Prehab for daily living as part of a personal wellness program, looks at the body as a whole, and develops it as a whole to maximize quality of life. This often includes strength training, cardio conditioning and core training, as well as some proprioceptive exercises.
  2. ·Activity Specific Prehab designed to get you ready for the rigors of a particular sport or physical endeavor. Good Activity Specific exercises pay special attention to the body parts most involved in that activity without ignoring the concept of training the body as a whole.
Send your Moving Free with Mirabai questions to:askmirabai@movingfree.com
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