Keep Moving!

Keep Moving! A new study found nonoperative treatments were just as effective at reducing pain and disability as spinal fusion surgery for patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease.

PT found effective as spinal fusion for pain Nonoperative treatments, including physical therapy, were just as effective at reducing pain and disability as spinal fusion surgery for patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease. Nonoperative treatments, including physical therapy, were just as effective at reducing pain and disability as spinal fusion surgery for patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease, according to a recent study.

According to an American Physical Therapy Association survey, 61% of U.S. residents experience low back pain, of which degenerative disc disease is one cause. The same survey found just 40% of those with low back pain will try movement as a way to relieve the pain.

Researchers with the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, and the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, reviewed 200 consecutive patients with back pain and concordant lumbar discogram who were offered the option of spinal fusion then followed up with the patients to compare outcomes of those who chose fusion or nonoperative treatments, such as physical therapy. Their study was published online Sept. 17 in the journal World Neurosurgery.

The team used follow-up questionnaires including the pain score, Oswestry Disability Index, SF-12 and satisfaction scale. Researchers conducted follow-ups with 96 patients (48%). Patients who lacked follow-up data were slightly older and less likely to be smokers. Overall, pain score at initial visit, body-mass index and gender were not significantly different between patients with and without follow-up results.

Of the 96 patients with follow-up, 53 were in the operative group and 43 were in the nonoperative group. The researchers found no significant differences between the groups based on age, pain score, BMI, smoking or gender at baseline. The average amount of time that elapsed before follow-up was 63 months and 58 months for the operative and nonoperative groups, respectively.

According to the findings, patients in both groups reported much less pain at the final follow-up. The authors concluded the two groups �did not demonstrate a significant difference in outcomes measures of pain, health status, satisfaction or disability.�

Abstract: http://www.worldneurosurgery.org/article/S1878-8750%2813%2901111-X/abstract

 

Maintain Exercise Momentum

Want to maintain your exercise momentum? Commit to shorter, moderate-intensity workouts rather than lengthy, high-intensity ones.

Here’s an early Christmas present: 30 minutes of moderate exercise is about as beneficial to your health (not to fitness) as a full hour of intense training (and much easier to fit into your busy schedule). What’s more, you’re more likely to be energized by moderate workouts and more motivated to keep doing them. “When you do a 30-minute moderate workout, you increase your energy levels without depleting them completely, leaving you with more energy to continue with the rest of your day,” says Melissa Hendricks, MEd, manager of the Cleveland Clinic Fitness Centers. So pop in your favorite workout DVD, take a vigorous walk or hop on the elliptical at your gym and watch how quickly those 30 minutes fly by.

 

Walk your way to Younger Skin

Exercise flushes toxins and improves cell regeneration for a healthy, youthful glow.

If you already think of exercise as the fountain of youth, you’ve been paying attention. After all, it helps us to feel good, look good, and stay limber and independent. Climbing up a steep hillside to catch a glimpse of the sun setting, for instance, gives you an invigorating and powerful sense of self. Huffing and puffing up a flight of stairs? Not so much. But one benefit of exercise that you most likely rarely think about is how it affects your skin. Physical activity increases circulation throughout the body. Better blood flow to these regions means an influx of nutrients and a flushing of toxins. For the skin, this means quicker healing and cell regeneration, which promotes a more youthful glow. So get out for a daily walk, run or activity of your choice, and watch what happens — as long as you don’t mind whistles.

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Tone Muscles using Resistance Training

While you can’t target fat loss in trouble spots, you can tone muscles in those areas for a more defined look.

You can’t spot-reduce the parts of your body you don’t like (your body decides where the weight comes off first). But that doesn’t mean you can’t target the muscles in your trouble areas. But how? Incorporate resistance training into your workout. The best way to tone your muscles: Do each exercise with a higher number of repetitions (about 15 to 20) and a lighter weight than you could lift just eight to 10 times. You can also get a leaner look by lengthening your muscles through stretching and yoga.

source: the Cleveland Clinic Wellness site

 

Congratulations to Ed and team Tenaya! Great Patient Compliment

Rosie, CeeCee, Craig and Ed were all extremely professional as well as friendly. They helped me more than words can say. I came in in such pain and there care and expertise helped take that pain away. I am so very thankful for all if them. This was a very pleasant experience, I highly recommend the Tenaya office to anyone needing Physical Therapy. Should I ever need treatment again, I will not hesitate to return to this facility to have these professionals do what they do. Thank you all so very much.
Respectfully,
Ben Macdonell.

 

Get Moving!

Just move! Even brief episodes of brisk exercise can make you thinner and better able to do the fun things you want to do in life.

Try 30 minutes of moderate exercise — such as a brisk walk — most days of the week, for better emotional and physical health. New research shows that even brief episodes of vigorous activity can help prevent weight gain and promote better health. The key is to get your heart rate up so that you’re working your lungs, heart and muscles. If today you have only 10 minutes to spare, use that time to go for a brisk walk. If there’s a hill nearby, or even a staircase, try to tackle it! You may even find that you enjoy it so much you’ll find 15 minutes to spare tomorrow.

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Exercise Consistently to help with Insomnia

Regular exercise can help you sleep more soundly, but be patient. Results won’t happen overnight. Stick with it for lasting results.

If you spend your nights tossing and turning, or you take hours to fall asleep, begin an exercise plan. Regular physical activity is a wonderful prescription for insomnia. However, one sweat session on the treadmill isn’t likely to lead to better zzz’s that night. Researchers have found that, though effective, exercise is a long-term treatment for insomnia. So you’re going to have to keep at it and not get discouraged. Also, “You need to be careful about when you exercise,” says Michelle Drerup, PsyD, sleep psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center. “Remember that exercising too close to bedtime (within three hours) can interfere with sleep. Exercise stimulates your heart, brain and muscles — the opposite of what you want if you’re trying to snooze. It raises your body temperature right before bed, which can be counterproductive as well. But I still promote exercise for people with sleep problems, and here’s why: Contrary to what most people think, exercise can help you sleep longer and more soundly, plus feel more awake during the day. People who are physically fit also have better quality sleep.”

source: the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Center

 

Eating Breakfast May Help you Lose Weight

Feel full and get your weight down: Eat your biggest meal at breakfast. Consuming more calories in the morning may increase weight loss.

You nibble at breakfast or run out the door without eating anything at all, eat a good-size lunch, and then stuff yourself at dinner. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. It is, after all, the way most of us were brought up to eat. (Remember the clean plate club?) But provocative new research suggests that the way to feel fuller throughout the day, and even lose weight, is to eat your largest meal in the morning, then progressively less throughout the day. To test this theory, researchers placed two groups of dieters on the same 1,400-calorie meal plan for 12 weeks. One group ate 700 calories at breakfast, 500 at lunch, and 200 during dinner. The second group’s calories were distributed in exactly the opposite way (200 calories at breakfast and 700 for dinner). Those in the big-breakfast group shed 17.8 pounds, while those in the big-dinner group lost only 7.3. The big-breakfast group also displayed significantly lower levels of insulin, glucose and triglycerides throughout the day, which translates into a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and elevated LDL (lousy) cholesterol levels.

 

Proper form for Squats…

Hate squats? You may not realize it, but you probably do them as part of your daily activities. So it’s smart to know proper form.

Many people avoid doing squats because they believe they’re going to hurt their knees. However, any time you pick something up from the floor (assuming you’re lifting safely from your legs and not your back), you engage in a squat. Knowing how to do the move properly will ensure that you don’t injure yourself. Besides, says Melissa Hendricks, MEd, manager of the Cleveland Clinic Fitness Centers, contrary to popular belief, adding squats to your exercise routine will actually strengthen, not weaken, your knees. “Squats target the muscles in the front and back of your legs, along with your gluteals and core. The stronger these muscles are, the more stable your knees will be. In fact, stronger muscles above and below your knees serve as shock absorbers for your knees. The fact that most people do not do squats correctly is what can lead to injury,” she says. Here, Hendricks offers a primer on how to perform squats properly.
• First, try not to bend forward at your waist; this is quite common and is usually a sign of a weak core. Bending forward while you’re squatting puts a lot of pressure on your lower back, and it also drives a lot of the strain straight into your knees. To prevent this from happening, keep your back as straight as possible. Try finding a spot on the wall to focus your gaze on throughout the exercise. You may also want to limit how low you squat until you gain more strength in your core and perfect your form.
• Next, make sure you’re not shifting your weight forward into your toes and lifting your heels off the ground. Not only does this put a lot of pressure on the knee joints, it also takes away a lot of the effectiveness of the exercise, since you aren’t using the strong gluteus (butt) muscles to lift you from the squat. When going down into the squat, make sure you can always see your toes. If your knees travel past your toes, then shift your weight back into your glutes more. Try putting a chair or bench behind you, and then aiming for the bench.
• If you are just learning how to squat or have very little lower-body strength, you may also want to consider placing a stability ball behind you, against a wall, and allowing the ball to guide you up and down. This will help you to feel more secure in the exercise, and it will train your muscles for when you’re ready to do your squats without the ball.

 

Not Seeing Results? Your Dumbells may be too Light

Not seeing the results you want at the gym? Look to the number on your dumbbells. Research shows most of us choose weights that are too light.

If your workout feels too easy, or you’re not seeing the results you were hoping for, you may be selecting weights that are too light for you. Research in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research showed that, during resistance training, many women chose weights that were too light to see any real muscle improvements. “While performing any exercise is better then doing none, you want to make sure you are continually challenging your body. Doing the same exercise at the same weight for more than two weeks most likely means you are no longer seeing any continued benefits, because your body has adapted,” explains Melissa Hendricks, M.Ed, manager of the Cleveland Clinic Fitness Centers. To select the proper weight for you, choose one that you can lift at least eight times, but no more than 15, before exhausting your muscles completely. The last few repetitions should be difficult, but you should still be able to maintain proper form.

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