It is fair to say that the pelvic floor group of muscles is pretty much ignored by most people until they have an issue like urinary incontinence or urgency. Think of this group as any other mucle in your body, that needs to know how to turn on and off easily, and be coordinated with other parts of the core. This “One Minute Wellness” video explains all about the pelvic floor, and how engaging these muscles can help improve strength and control at the base of your core.
Stretching Should NOT be a Major Component of Physical Fitness
This recent study looks at static stretching, specifically the sit-and-reach test. The argument has always been that hamstring flexibility is important to activities of daily living and sports performance, and the American College of Sports Medicine currently recommends 2-4 repetitions of multiple stretches a day.
This author feels there should be decreased emphasis on stretching as a necessary component of exercise regimes, as static stretching does not clearly improve health and function, and flexibility can be maintained or improved more efficiently through other modes of exercise.
Flexibility levels are usually greater in older adults who are most independent in activities of daily living, but so is muscle strength. Higher scores in the sit-and-reach test do not predict who will have lower back pain, hamstring injuries, or lower limb pain. Stretching to prevent injuries has not been backed up in the evidence.
The author argues that reducing emphasis on stretching will make exercise training more efficient, and poor flexibility in the general population may be due to reduced physical activity. If an exercise session can be shorter, people may be more consistent with doing it. Time previously dedicated to stretching could be better used with additional aerobic or resistance exercise. Leisure activities or aerobic and resistance exercise should be able to maintain or improve muscle flexibility in most people.
This author makes a point of saying that muscle flexibility is irrelevant for overall health and function, and that it should not be considered a major component of physical fitness for most people. He argues that stretching generally does not improve function in healthy individuals when compared to other forms of activities or exercise.
Finally, the author notes that dynamic stretches are different than static stretches—they use body weight and recruit multiple muscles and a neural component to perform, likely making them more functional than static stretching.
If the evidence we have to date is showing that static stretches do not advance our fitness or health, and we get more gains through aerobic-type workouts and resistance training, maybe our time is better spent learning dynamic stretches for blood flow and getting our muscles to end-range pre-exercise.
What do you think?
Nuzzo, James. The Case for Retiring Flexibility as a Major Component of Physical Fitness. Sports Medicine (2020). 50: 853-870.
We look down too much! Here’s how you can help your neck:
In life, we look down all of the time– our hands are in front of us and we are constantly looking down at what our hands are doing, right? Over time, your neck might become sore, and here is a nice exercise to help counteract that. Ideally, this neck movement should feel like nothing… really. It should feel smooth and easy– if your neck feels stiff or tight, keep doing this neck movement to try to make it easier. It should never be painful– if it is, consult with your physiotherapist to make sure it is appropriate for you.
One Minute Wellness: Sloppy Push Up
This unprecedented time of COVID-19 has many of us working from home, going out less, driving less… basically everything is “less”… except sitting. Most of us are sitting around the house like never before, and most people will be slouching for long periods.
Over time, this can put your lower back in a less-than-happy place, so you can try to prevent that– or help it– by trying this simple move. The “sloppy” push up should not be painful. Ideally it should actually feel like nothing, which is weird to think like that: we generally don’t do movements or exercises that don’t feel like they’re stretching or working muscles. But the thing is that this movement should feel smooth and easy, and you’re trying to keep your muscles relaxed. If it is painful, check with your physiotherapist to see if it is right for you.
4 Reasons to Try Yoga When You Are Recovering From Pain
As a Physiotherapist, I see people who have pain. Together we work on strategies to help that pain and get to the root of the problem, and often for a period of time I will ask people to limit certain activities, but the big picture is to get someone back to full function and have no limitations. Once people are on the road to recovery, then often yoga can be beneficial as part of the solution! Here are 4 reasons to start yoga when you’re recovering from an injury:
- Here’s the thing: all yoga is not the same. It is important to look at your specific movement and breathing patterns, and develop a yoga series that is unique and helpful for you and your pain. Start small and slowly by focusing on one joint and one movement at a time, as that is easier for the nervous system to learn and progress occurs more quickly. As you progress, you may increase the number of joints involved, number of reps and speed. You may also transition from sitting or lying down movements to more standing movements to build stability and strength.
- There is a sense of safety: When the nervous system is responding to stress, your breath can be shallow, muscles tighten, the digestive system and sleep get thrown off. Pain and anxiety can exacerbate the stress response. Yoga can help to down-train the nervous system and encourage further healing of the issue with breath, movement and calm.
- It helps you listen to your body. As you get to know the cues your body is giving you, you can learn a better connection with your body and can help take control of your own self-care.
- Any movement is therapy when done with ease. Yoga can help you become more aware of how you move. You can work on easy vs. tight breathing, and ease of movement vs. force. Awareness is the key to shifting the movement and breathing habits that can contribute to symptoms. With awareness, symptoms can change.
How do I start? At Elevation Physiotherapy, we work closely with a trained yoga instructor to develop a program that can be a part of your own injury recovery. Speak with your Physiotherapist to see if yoga sessions could be helpful for you. If you are still working with your Physiotherapist, it is possible that your yoga session(s) could be covered under your Physiotherapy benefits.
4 Practical Tips to Save your Back While Assembling Furniture
Strength Training
No one has ever told me that they feel they have injured their (fill in the blank here) because they are too strong. I agree with this article in The Globe and Mail on two tenets of strength training.
I would also emphasize that form is important, and breathing is even more important, especially with core work. Ideally with every exercise you want to perform a core breath, which is actively engaging the pelvic floor muscles as you exhale. This manages the increase in abdominal pressure as you are working your core muscles, and prevents that pressure from being forced downward to your pelvic floor muscles.
Exercising your Non-Injured Side Can Help the Injured Muscles– Really.
If you break your right arm and it’s in a cast for several weeks, exercising the muscles on the left arm can help slow down atrophy of the casted side — this is called “mirroring”, and likely your nervous system is involved in this. Read more about mirroring in this NY Times article
Gardening Tips for Spring
Gardening can be a form of exercise. Doing basic gardening tasks such as weeding, trimming
and raking can burn up to 300 calories an hour. It’s a good way to maintain flexibility and range of motion in your shoulders, hips and back, as well as building strength and endurance. Avoid pain and injury by starting with planned shortened sessions and gradually increase activities.
USE PROPER BODY MECHANICS
When digging or raking, make sure your neck and back are fairly straight, and you’re not holding a position where you’re rounding forward—be upright, and use your legs to move around, not reaching over with your arms! Always bend from the hip joint to keep your back straight, and not from the waist. When lifting, try to “hinge” from the hips and use your legs.
Why French Women Don’t Pee Their Pants When They Laugh
This article from Chatelaine hit the nail on the head: every woman who has given birth, whether vaginally or by C-section, needs to take care of their pelvic floor! Every woman needs to know how their body has changed, and what to do to get to a healthy core and pelvic floor.
