It is important to respect professional boundaries and know when to refer a “fighter” to a neuro-opthamologist or an occupational therapist.
Here are some simple and safe tips to share with your “fighters”…
The dark side of the moon is not considered a particularly exciting topic unless you are an astronomer or a Pink Floyd fan. However, the dark side of the moon exists and is just as important as the front of it.
So, what are the conditions of the dark side of the moon? Does it ever see the light of the sun? Why is it called the dark side? These are interesting questions with answers that I will leave to space experts, BUT what I will say is that the moon is similar to Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Yes, you read that correctly — the moon and Parkinson’s Disease are similar.
Parkinson’s Disease is most often characterized by a tremor and/or gait issues. Just as the moon has a dark side, unseen but present, Parkinson’s Disease has a “dark side”. As a fitness professional, understanding the “dark side” of Parkinson’s Disease and how it affects your “fighters” will enhance your program design skills, increase your confidence when counseling a “fighter” or care-partner and help build your relationship with other medical and fitness professionals.
The goal of this article series is to shed light on the “dark side” of PD. By incorporating the knowledge of medical professionals on my Bridges For Parkinson’s team, you will learn about research discoveries, resources for program design, useful tools for “fighters” and care-partners and ultimately, hope!
Vision impairments in those with PD is our first topic in this series. People living with Parkinson’s Disease experience changes in their vision as they age. These changes may include cataracts, macular degeneration, dry eyes, floaters, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, detached retina, trichiasis, and blepharitis. NOW, People living with PD may experience one or several of these issues due to normal aging. However, due to the depletion of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra, those with PD may also experience the following vision issues and/or impairments.
Fitness Professionals should inquire about vision impairments before a “fighter” begins an exercise program and obtain specific information about the vision impairment. Each symptom listed above can potentially compromise gait/balance, increase difficulty with Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and cause those with PD to isolate or become depressed due to lack of independence.
When we use our vision, we’re doing a lot of simultaneous tasks. We have to sense and process the stimuli, perceive and make sense of the stimuli in the context of the situation, and translate those signals into a response (i.e. movement, bringing up memories, emotions) to the initial stimuli.
The Role of Dopamine in the EyeYou wouldn’t think that dopamine is involved in vision. We think of it relative to its impact on motor control and behavior reinforcement. However, even in ocular movement, lack of dopamine can impact a person with PD significantly, possibly resulting in apraxia. Dopamine also regulates light sensitivity in our retinas that helps to modulate our circadian rhythm, known as our “internal clock”. As dopamine decreases with disease progression, the sensitivity of the visual system decreases as well, hindering the ability to differentiate between light conditions such as day and night, potentially leading to other problems in circadian rhythm (Witkovsky, 2003). Over time, we see a loss of dopamine projections into the eye worsening vision such as blurry vision, light sensitivity, or even color vision deficiency as listed above. Unfortunately, there is not enough research on the involvement of dopamine in PD vision to give a clear-cut role of dopamine, but current research points to dopamine as a larger part of vision problems experienced by those with PD.
It is crucial to understand the connection between the brain and PD vision related issues. Knowing when to refer a “fighter” to a vision specialist is critical to building your team of advisors and establishing a strong medical-fitness program in your community.
I highly recommend finding a neuro-ophthalmologist or a neuro-rehab optometrist to join your team. A neuro-ophthalmologist specializes in both fields of neurology and ophthalmology. They complete a residency in either neurology or ophthalmology then continue to complete a fellowship in the complementary field.
Dr. Jamie Ho, OD, FAAO, FCOVD of Nashville, TN is a member of my advisory board and she is a neuro-rehab optometrist. Dr. Ho addresses the functional deficits that result from the neurologic changes. You can learn more about Dr Ho’s practice at www.hovisiongroup.com.
To find a neuro-optometrist or neuro-ophthalmologist in your area go to www.noravisionrehab.org
Medication for PD certainly improves PD symptoms however, visual side-effects can occur.
For example, according to www.healio.com, Anticholinergic meds such as Artane are used to address tremors but can also cause dry or blurry vision. The Journal of Parkinson’s Disease notes that dopamine agonists cause hallucinations, Levodopa may lead to ocular dyskinesia (involuntary eye movements), and MAO inhibitors to blurry vision.
Fitness Professionals need to record all medications during the initial assessment and update any medication changes quarterly, at minimum
Click to read Part Two of this article, which offers some tips for fitness professionals working with PD clients with vision challenges.
Co-authored by Colleen Bridges, M. Ed, NSCA-CPT; Renee Rouleau-B.S., PhD student, Jacobs School of Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo; Kristi Ramsey, OTD, OTR/L.
Reviewed By: Dr. Jamie Ho, OD, FAAO, FCOVD
References
Have you ever been given this very simple, yet incredibly complicated advice from your doctor?
“You could really benefit from starting an exercise program.”
If so, you are lucky to have a doctor who understands the power of exercise! In fact, exercise has been proven to help prevent diseases, reduce pain, decrease dependency on medications and improve overall quality of life. (1) The benefits are seemingly endless. However, are you someone who hasn’t the slightest clue as to what to do next? Where should you go? Who should you ask for help? Fear not, because you are not alone! Take a deep breath and follow these simple steps to begin a safe, effective and lasting exercise program today.
If a medical professional suggests you begin an exercise program, what is their reasoning behind it? While “obesity is linked to more than 60 chronic diseases”, your doctor may not be suggesting that you need to lose weight, but instead, suggesting that you need to address a specific weakness. (2) Do you have a medical condition where weight loss or improved cardiovascular health could add more quality years to your life or reduce your dependency on medications? Asking your doctor to fully explain these questions will help you understand how specific exercises can improve your physical and mental wellbeing.
For example, if you have a heightened risk for falls, improving strength and balance is of utmost importance. However, if you are overly dependent on high blood pressure medications, your goal may be to improve cardiovascular health through aerobic activities. If you suffer from chronic pain or various forms of arthritis, the objective of your exercise routine will be more focused on enhancing mobility and flexibility, improving muscle imbalances and strength, as well as assisting with pain management through mindfulness techniques. Knowing your “why” is the first step towards clarifying your “how”.
The most important things in life are NOT things. -Anthony D’Angelo
It is rumored that Tom Brady, better known as the G.O.A.T. and the winningest quarterback in the NFL, spends over a million dollars a year on his health. Odell Beckham Jr., another famous NFL star, says that “I take care of my body each and every day. I put, probably, over $300,000 in my body in the offseason… It’s a lot to upkeep. I don’t ever want to decline.” (3) In all honesty, do you blame these athletes for spending so much money on their health when their health is their livelihood?
When a medical professional suggests that you begin an exercise program, it is because they believe it will help your overall mental and physical well-being. While you may not be a professional athlete, you may be someone who wishes to remain active and independent for the remainder of your life. Therefore, it is paramount to invest in a certified fitness professional or medical fitness trainer to help create a program that meets your individual needs.
Think about it like this, when your car needs to be fixed, do you try to fix it yourself or do you seek a certified specialist who will make an educated assessment, create a game plan and implement the necessary changes? I think it is safe to say that you will spend money on your car, but may scoff at the thought of hiring a trainer. What is more important? Things can be replaced, but people are irreplaceable. There are certified fitness professionals in your area you can find via a simple internet search or by posing a question on social media to your local chamber of commerce. With that being said, don’t be afraid to shop around and interview various trainers to make sure they are a good fit for you!
Find a job that you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life. -Mark Twain
Mark Twain was onto something when he spoke about the importance of enjoying what you do! This same principle applies when you set out on an exercise journey. If swimming scares you or you have nightmares about running, then pick exercises that you enjoy. Do you love to dance? Try taking some dance classes! Do you enjoy riding your bike? Let that be a part of your new exercise routine. If you dread your exercise sessions, loathe your trainer or hate every minute of your workout, then it is not going to last. If it feels like work, it’s not going to work! Exercise should be an enjoyable, yet challenging, part of your day!
In addition, be sure that you take the time to assess how you are feeling and clearly communicate this to your trainer. If you are feeling run down, overly sore, or under-the-weather, your body is trying to tell you something. All of these signs are extremely important when it comes to enjoying the endless benefits of making exercise a part of your life. Now, let’s take action and begin to take control of your health.
Christine M. Conti, BA, M.Ed, is an international fitness educator and presenter. She currently serves as the Director of Membership for MedFit Network, sits on the MedFit Education Advisory Board and is a course author for MedFit Classroom. She is also CEO and founder of ContiFit.com and Let’s FACE It Together™ Facial Fitness & Rehabilitation and co-host of Two Fit Crazies & A Microphone Podcast.
References
1 Roy-Britt. “How Diet and Exercise Can Prevent Disease. January 8th, 2020. www.elemental.medium.com How Diet and Exercise Can Prevent Disease | Elemental (medium.com)
2 Holland, Kimberly. “Obesity Facts in America.” Healthline. January 18th, 2022. www.healthline.com
3 Zeegers, Madilyn. Tom Brady Inspired Odell Beckham Jr. to Invest in his Body. April 6th, 2020. Tom Brady Inspired Odell Beckham Jr. to Invest in His Body (sportscasting.com)
You know the importance of core strength — tone abdominals, obliques, and glutes. Thanks to spinal health, gone are jerky sit-ups. Ab crunches increase the “C” curve we have from sitting. New research says isometric planks are not effective. How can we improve our functional core stability? The answer is power!
We need power to avoid a fall. We use power to stand gracefully. What is a power plank? Consider Yoga — unison of breathing with posture and mental focus. Let’s skip the Sanskrit. Simply focus only on the exhale phase, to drive each outgoing breath with an abdominal contraction, about once or twice per second.
Depending on comfort, support yourself on hands or forearms, and on knees or toes. Plank means straight hips. To protect your lumbar, lengthen it. Our sedentary lifestyle puts extra curve in the back. For neutral pelvis, slightly tuck your tail. Then, tuck your lower ribs. Don’t reference online photos. Society likes a curvy look, but it hurts your back.
Your upper back should neither be rounded nor collapsed. Tuck your chin slightly and draw back to align your head with the spine.
In your well-aligned plank pose, add quick, punchy exhales, like blowing out a candle. Use your nostrils or mouth but make a sound. As you draw your abdominals toward the spine, your hips may lift.
Once confident with the power plank, add a stability ball under the hands or forearms. Or place it under your shins or toes! This adds bounce to those abdominal punches.
To progress, add balance disks under your knees or toes, while the ball supports your hands or forearms. Nothing touches the floor! Use the disks under your hands or forearms, while the ball supports your knees or toes.
With a suspension trainer, start with ankles in the loops and hands or forearms on the mat. Progress to balance disks under hands or forearms.
For obliques, do power side planks. Start on one forearm with the other hand on the mat, knees and feet on the mat. Hips straight, stacked vertically, with top foot in front. As you lengthen, slightly tuck the lower rib toward your lower hip. Use this action to power your exhales.
Add a stability ball under the forearm or under the lower legs. If the big ball rolls, tuck it into a corner. Ready? Put the balance disk under your knees or feet while your arm is on the ball. Or place the disks under your forearm, while your legs are on the ball. Your top foot goes in front, to prevent rolling backwards!
Power planks are intense, so shorten your usual time. Then repeat. Of course, your simplest ab move is extended, deep, belly laughter! Either way, have fun and do these often. The abs “live in the pantry,” so they won’t tire easily. Keep it up!
ACE-certified Medical Exercise Specialist and ERYT-500, Emma Spanda Johnson designs fitness solutions for clients of all abilities. Watch her video demonstration of these techniques during a free trial at https://well.burnalong.com/pss/class/16318 . With an Orthopedic Specialty, Emma offers online personal training via www.FlightLive.US and your first 60 minutes are free.
References
Many women post-pregnancy are very eager to rejoin the exercise world and at least resume the physical activities they once enjoyed prior to pregnancy. More and more women are seeking out fitness professionals or exercise programs to help them lose the baby weight and engage in safe and effective exercises.
According to the Advanced English Dictionary, © HarperCollins Publishers, “if you refer to a time or event as the moment of truth, you mean that it is an important time when you must make a decision quickly, and whatever you decide will have important consequences in the future. Both men knew the moment of truth had arrived. (As a sentence example)”
We all come to crossroads in life when we are faced with a decision that will change our life’s direction one way or the other. You have to make that decision quickly, without procrastination, and decide where you are headed. Sometimes, if you get old enough like me, these times come more than once. They are said to be our “moment of truth”.
In September of 2017, I started a closed Facebook Group called MS Fitness Challenge GYM for those of us with MS who are doing their best to beat MS through fitness. It is a platform for MSers to be educated on exercise, nutrition and mindset in the battle against this disease. It’s also a place where we can interact, share our goals, talk about our trials and victories and be able to connect with like-minded MSers who want to encourage and uplift each other in a positive atmosphere of health. We currently have, at the time of this writing, over 7,000 members.
Every day, I read a post about how hard it is to exercise and follow a strict nutrition plan from the members enrolled. The member’s post about the limitations, pain and issues of their symptoms that make it difficult to follow through with exercise. And, they talk about the mental blocks to sticking with an exercise or diet program.
I know. It’s not easy having MS or any challenge in life and dealing with our ups and downs let alone trying to push ourselves to get to a gym or work-out at home and follow a diet that is ONLY full of great foods and supplements for MS. I get it!
But what I’d like you to look at is the consequence of NOT getting into a regular fitness routine, NOT watching what you put into your body, and NOT setting your mindset to the positive dial. MS will not go away; it’s incurable (right now). And the disease symptoms will not improve unless you take a proactive stance against it. Exercise, nutrition and the thoughts in your mind has been proven, through programs such as my MS Fitness Challenge and many others, to help MSers in one way or another in this battle. You can read over and over again, in a multitude of platforms, the testimonials from MSers who have switched to an MS-based diet and implemented an exercise routine seeing great improvement in their quality of life. We are not talking cure here. We are talking a better day-to-day existence despite MS. And, really, this translates to any obstacle you have in your mental or physical health. The choice is yours. Do you want to choose the road that takes the work necessary to a more fulfilled lifetime, or let whatever your challenge is tell you how to live? This is the moment of truth.
The first step is getting your thoughts, motivation and determination in order. Your body will not go where your mind doesn’t take it. So fitness starts in the most influential muscle in your body… your brain. Getting revved up and ready to take on your barrier through fitness is a choice that has to be made. It is not something that most have waiting to come out. It is a desire found deep in your thoughts and feelings. You have to dig down and pull it out because there is a serious amount of action that needs to be put into play with the reaction of… “I want to beat MS” or “I’m tired of being obese” or whatever your challenge is. And once you make this choice in your moment of truth, you do not want to look back.
When your choice to overcome your challenge is made, now it’s time to settle in on the exercise and nutrition programs that will kick start this new truth in your life. I understand the confusion of where to begin; what are the best programs for you; who helps you? This is where research and support comes in and why I founded my MS Fitness Challenge charity. We are the MS cause dedicated to educating, training and inspiring people with MS to live a lifestyle of fitness through knowledge.
So, who’s ready to stand at that fork in your road, look at it hard and tell it you are going down the road to fitness? I’ve been traveling that road my whole life, without MS and with MS and there is no better path to follow. Your moment of truth has arrived…
Become a Multiple Sclerosis Fitness Specialist! This MedFit Classroom online course, co-authored by David Lyons and CarolAnn, will prepare you to work with clients with MS to help develop strength, flexibility, balance, breathing, and improve their quality of life.
David Lyons, BS, CPT, is the founder of the MS Bodybuilding Challenge and co-founder of the MS Fitness Challenge with wife Kendra. He has dedicated his life to helping people with MS understand and be educated on the importance of fitness in their lives. He is an author and sought after motivational speaker, dedicated to helping others by sharing the lessons gained from his life experience. His most recent book, Everyday Health & Fitness with Multiple Sclerosis was a #1 New Release on Amazon at its release. He is the 2013 recipient of the Health Advocate of the Year Award; in 2015, he received the first ever Health Advocate Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Lifetime Fitness Inspiration Award in Feb 2016. In 2017, David received the Special Recognition Award from the National Fitness Hall of Fame.
One of my highest honors as a Personal Trainer has been to work alongside my clients in preparation for knee surgery and post-surgery rehabilitation. Working alongside a Physical Therapist (with the client’s permission to share information) to bring the client to a complete recovery has been a privilege and an excellent learning opportunity.
Pre and post-surgery are two very different stages, but both require the client and trainer’s knowledge, trust, and commitment. Today I will focus on the preparation for knee surgery from the perspective of a Personal Trainer.
First and foremost, the Personal Trainer must act within their scope of practice. Most nationally accredited Personal Trainer certifying agencies have clearly outlined the scope of practice that a trainer must work within.
Here are a few DO’s and DON’Ts from The American Council on Exercise (ACE) that apply to the subject of pre-knee surgery clientele.
Personal Trainers DO receive guidelines from Physicians or Physical Therapists. They DO design exercise programs, refer clients to appropriate allied health professionals or medical practitioners if needed. Trainers DO design exercise programs after a client has been released from rehab, and as trainers, we work with clients, not patients.
Personal Trainers DON’T diagnose, prescribe, treat injuries or disease, rehabilitate or work with patients.
There was a time when I would stop working with a client as they were awaiting knee surgery for fear of causing more damage. Still, after going through my own knee surgery, I realized there is much I could have done to prepare appropriately and that trainers can do for clients as they prepare for surgery to help put them in the best possible position for a full recovery.
One significant preparation step for any knee surgery, often overlooked, is upper body strength. The client will likely be on crutches or possibly a wheelchair post-surgery. When your legs are not fully functioning, you rely heavily on your upper body to move from place to place, from sitting to standing and getting to your Physical Therapy sessions. I found success doing body weight work for the upper body in preparation is very helpful and can prevent shoulder injury as the client needs to move their body from bed to crutches or crutches to toilet and the like. Lifting out of a chair and putting a large amount of body weight on the arms is exhausting and, again, can strain or injure those joints and muscles, which can put the healing process from the surgery leg on a slower rehab pace.
Body weight exercises for the client pre-surgery can be as simple as lifting and scooting themselves laterally across a bench, or maybe learning to use rail support to lift themselves out of a seated position, sitting with legs extended on a mat on the floor, lifting their hips to clear the ground to shift around. Engaging and strengthening the shoulders, biceps, triceps, and even strengthening the wrists and handgrip has excellent benefits. Encouraging core work from all six sides (Rectus abdominus – front, erector spinae – back, Obliques internal and external – right and left, diaphragm – top, and pelvic floor – bottom) to support the upper body moving the body weight is very beneficial. We also shouldn’t forget mobility and stability in the upper body to assist in recovery.
The second important step to surgery preparation is strengthening the muscles that support the knee in all directions. This will allow the client to be in the best possible condition to rehabilitate well. It may be necessary to be creative in finding ways to do this without putting weight on the knee joint. Place a high priority on mobility and strengthening in the upper leg; quadriceps, hamstrings, hips, glutes: the lower leg; gastrocnemius, soleus, tibialis, and lower leg extensor muscles.
Personal Trainers can make a difference. Stay within your scope of practice, educate yourself on knee health, and take advantage of every opportunity to collaborate with a physical therapist or medical practitioner to learn, grow, and serve your clients with the highest quality.
With knowledge, trust, and commitment, trainers can make a marked difference in the clients’ recovery.
Shannon Briggs is a multi-passionate fitness professional and educator. She brings 30 plus years of experience to a long, fulfilling career in the fitness industry. In the past 13 years at the University of Texas at Austin, Shannon has led continuing education workshops in multiple group fitness formats and topics specific to personal training; she also has written the curriculum and manuals for numerous workshops accredited by the American Council on Exercise (ACE). Shannon is currently a monthly contributor to Campus Rec Magazine for Fitness and Wellness.
In an age where the words PPE, boosters, and “the new normal” seem to be a part of everyday vernacular, it is time to ask some essential questions:
The answer to those questions lies within a Reimagined approach to “Wellness.”
Wellness, as defined in Dictionary.com[1], is “the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, especially as the result of deliberate effort.” While this definition is suggestive of a more holistic approach to wellness, it is still does not adequately address the challenges now faced by the world community due to the devastating impact the pandemic has wrought.
As a result of COVID-19 and its resulting policies, there has been a profound impact on the mental and physical health of the world population resulting in higher instances of stress, depression, insomnia, PTSD, and anxiety.[2] Stress can activate inflammation in the brain and the body which is a common risk factor of 75%–90% diseases linked to morbidity and mortality (CVD, i.e., hypertension and atherosclerosis, metabolic diseases, i.e., diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and neurodegenerative disorders (i.e., depression, Alzheimer’s disease, AD and Parkinson’s disease, PD), cancer. [3]
The Wellness industry is booming, with people investing in their health more than ever before. But for some, this means they buy the latest fads and trends in hopes that it will lead to a healthier lifestyle. The truth is that unless you make a commitment to changing your life and taking control of your wellness goals, you’ll never see the results you want.
To move into the New Post Pandemic Era with a focus on long-term change, an integrated health approach is required. Understanding, not only how we move and fuel our bodies, but also how we relate and interact with the people, places and situations that make up our world is a key towards advancing beyond this pandemic. This New PPE approach will represent Wellness Reimaged, better positioning us to experience long-term health benefits.
There are countless programs – too many to name -that teach the what, when, and how’s of eating and moving. There are also an equal number of programs where mind set is in focus. While many of those programs provide essential information as to how to advance health, it is time to explore what may be missing to experience a state of “true wellness”. The road to attaining “true wellness” lies within the following 3-Step Process.
COMMIT:
DO:
LIVE:
Are you ready to create a Wellness Revolution?
Join Yes! Coach Lisa Charles for a free webinar from MedFit Classroom, The New PPE: Post Pandemic Era
Lisa Charles is a federal prosecutor turned singer/actress, wellness expert, certified health coach/consultant, and an acclaimed speaker. She served as the Fitness/Wellness Research Coordinator for the Rutgers University Aging & Brain Health Alliance, and is the CEO of Embrace Your Fitness, LLC, and the Author of YES! COMMIT. DO. LIVE.
References
When it comes to managing chronic pain due to past injuries, most of us are familiar with common modalities like oral medication, topical analgesic gels, acupuncture, massage, pain therapy machines, meditation/mindfulness, or even surgery. However, did you know that exercising regularly is also an effective tool to manage chronic pain?
Treating pain mainly falls into 2 categories:
Passive treatment includes treatments that are performed on you such as ultrasound, infrared rays, needling, and manual therapy such as massage or chiropractic manipulation. The therapist is in control during this type of treatment and it mainly focuses on acute pain relief. It does not address or correct the cause of the pain. Brief pain-free periods may ensue, but passive treatment rarely increases the likelihood of complete recovery. For most, one of the main reasons is because people rely too much on passive treatment alone. Passive treatment is usually recommended during the early stage of rehab or for acute pain to help regain minimal functionality, to promote early stages of healing, and to break the vicious pain-cycle.
Active treatment requires you to be physically involved in the process while working towards a cure to pain. Some active treatments include stretching, a corrective exercise program, and resistance training. However, it is extremely important that you are given the correct active treatment program that is relevant to your injury or condition as well as your goals. Correct exercises are able to address the root of the problem and may even prevent injuries. Active treatment is salient in the mid to late stages of rehab when one is nearly back to full functional capacity. The key is to strike a balance between passive and active therapies to best suit the type of chronic pain.
In order to treat chronic pain, it is important to understand that pain is a complex and individualized experience. Moreover, physical exercise may seem counterintuitive when you’re already suffering from pain, but whether your pain is intermittent or constant, adopting exercise as part of your active treatment can play an important role in managing pain for the long run.
Here are the 7 reasons why exercise is essential to manage chronic pain:
Athletes tend to report higher resilience towards pain compared to people who are sedentary. Studies have shown that active individuals are also likely to perceive pain differently. People who perform aerobic exercise or resistance training regularly, may develop the ability to adapt and desensitize the sensation of pain, thereby altering their pain tolerance in the process.
Recurring injuries can happen when an excessive load surpasses the tissue tolerance level. Excessive load can come in many forms such as lifting up a pail of water, gardening, or from over-training. Gradually performing optimal exercises coupled with rest can stimulate and improve tissue tolerance margin. An increased threshold can help prevent an injury from reoccurring.
Source: McGill, Stuart; (2017). Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance. Backfit Pro Inc.
Frequent exercise is associated with enhancement of the cardiovascular system. Aside from reducing risk of heart disease, increased blood flow raises the oxygen levels and helps deliver key nutrients within the body that are essential for cellular healing and reparation of injured tissues.
People living with chronic pain may experience severe disturbances in their psychological state. One can become anxious, depressed or stressed due to physical limitations. Therapeutic exercise can help elevate mood by releasing feel-good hormones such as endorphins and dopamine while at the same time reducing stress due to the release of hormones such as cortisol.
Common injuries such as chronic lower back pain can be caused by many factors like continuous poor movement, muscle imbalances or past traumatic injuries. Exercise can help tackle the root of the problem by identifying compensating movements or muscle weakness through a series of assessments and resolve them with an exercise program.
“Use it or lose it” is a popular phrase used by physical therapists and exercise professionals when it comes to exercise. The connective tissues that move our body and support the joints are muscles. When the muscle stop being challenged, they lose function and strength. Over time, this weakens muscles and exposes the musculoskeletal structure to potential harm.
In addition to strengthening muscles and improving overall health, exercise can also enhance motor skills by stimulating the connection between the central nervous system and the muscles. Neuromuscular training helps improve balance, stability, proprioception and joint control. This can translate to pain-free movement and a decreased risk for falls. Practicing quality movements via routined exercise can boost functional capacity to perform various activities of daily living without fear of injuries.
Regular exercise that encompasses both aerobics and strength training is strongly recommended because it is both healthy and effective to decrease chronic pain. However, be sure to seek the advice of a certified medical fitness professional to help you design an appropriate pain management strategy that is appropriate for your condition.
Ke Wynn Lee is an author and an international award-winning corrective exercise specialist who currently owns and operates a private Medical Fitness Center in Penang. Apart from coaching, he also conducts workshops and actively contributes articles related to corrective exercise, fitness & health to online media and local magazines.
References