Injury / Injury Prevention
Extreme Conditioning Programs: High-Risk or Vulnerable Risk Takers?
Bergeron, M.F., et al. 2011. Consortium for Health and Military Performance and American College of Sports Medicine consensus paper on extreme conditioning programs in military personnel. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 10 (6), 383–89.
Pilates and Ankle Sprains
Pilates is a wonderful tool for helping a client who is recovering from an ankle injury, as weight and impact on the ankle joint can be less during Pilates than during many other forms of exercise.
Most of us have rolled an ankle. We trip while walking, running, dancing or playing sports—and often we try to self-diagnose with rest, ice, compression and elevation. While this approach may suffice with a very minor injury, a true ankle sprain requires more attention.
“Barefoot” Shoes Improve Balance
Barefoot-style shoes are growing in popularity, with some users convinced they improve running economy and help prevent injury. A new study suggests that wearing Vibram® FiveFingers “toe” shoes may have other positive benefits.
Preferred Foot Strike Among Barefoot Cultures
When it comes to running—both shod and barefoot—debate abounds as to which foot strike is best, with many favoring a forefoot strike (FFS) or midfoot strike (MFS) over a rear-foot strike (RFS) for efficiency and injury prevention. But is there really an optimal way to run?
Stretches for Positive Aging
Do you know that one of the most effective, inexpensive and pain-free ways to look and feel younger is to exercise and perform daily stretches that ward off kyphosis (rounding…
Preventing Running Injuries
Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to train for a race? Then staying injury-free is crucial. While runners sometimes get hurt for no apparent reason, there are many ways…
Prevent Overtraining
While the majority of exercisers are healthy individuals with a positive view of themselves, a few people use fitness as a means of perpetuating compulsive, obsessive exercise patterns. In fact, according to the American Council on Exercise, about 1%–3% of the population experience some degree of exercise addiction (Matthews 2009). Overtraining–or overexercising–is common at nearly all health clubs.
Pilates for an Aspiring Ballet Dancer
As I prepared to transition out of my dance career, I opened my own Pilates studio. Ballet students were drawn to the opportunity to use Pilates to make their own dance dreams a reality. This case study explores how Pilates transformed one young dancer.
Pilates Exercises Improve Back Health
Many clients come to you with low-back pain, a condition that affects 80% of Americans. In contrast, chronic low-back pain—defined as persistent pain and disability lasting longer than 3 months—affects approximately 2%-8% of Americans.
Excessive Thoracic Kyphosis: Much More Than Just Bad Posture
Excessive thoracic kyphosis is a disproportionate forward rounding or curvature of the middle and upper back, also known as the thoracic spine (Kendall, McCreary & Provance 2005). ETK is an extremely common musculoskeletal imbalance brought on by prolonged time in some postural positions; exercise and/or activity choices; environmental factors; myofascial dysfunction; intolerances to food and/or other allergic reactions; and psychological stress.
“What device is more effective at helping to smooth out fascia—a soft ball, a hard foam roller or a soft foam roller with bumps on it?”
This is a great question and one I get all the time. Different parts of the body respond to different degrees of pressure and firmness. Similarly, individuals respond in different ways to the firmness of the self-myofascial-release (SMR) tool they use. No matter whom you are working with, though, it is always a good idea to start them out with a soft ball (e.g., a tennis ball) so they can relax and ease into the new sensations of performing self-massage.
Preseason Fitness Unrelated to Injury Prevention?
Athletes typically train during the offseason to improve their performance and reduce their injury potential during the regular season. However, the results of a study from Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Rehabilitation, Therapy & Technology (2012; doi:10.1186/1758-2555-4-26) suggest that preseason fitness levels may be unrelated to the potential for injury during the regular season.
Can This Psoas Be Saved?
It’s no wonder the psoas are so misunderstood. The very process of naming these muscles connecting the top half of the body to the lower half has been a series of errors spanning four centuries.
Neuromuscular Warm-Ups Reduce Knee Injuries
According to a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine (2011; 165 [11], 1033–40), sports participation among high-school girls has increased 900% since 1972. Alongside increased participation, however, come higher numbers of injuries, with soccer and basketball the most offending sports. To combat injuries, more fitness professionals and coaches are integrating solid warm-up plans prior to practice or competition.
Reinventing Risk Management
As both a lawyer and a personal fitness trainer and manager, I have found that laws and regulations often seem incongruous with an industry built on endorphins. I suspect that’s why the topic “Legal Issues” tends to be the concluding chapter of certification textbooks—almost an afterthought. Aspiring fitness professionals get excited about VO2max studies, body fat testing and target heart rates, and it’s easy for them to assume that when a problem arises, someone else will take care of it.
Reduce Overuse Injury Potential With Interval Runs
It might seem logical that a runner’s gait and efficiency are at greater risk for breakdown during higher-intensity runs than during slower-paced runs. A recent report published in the Journal…
Ease Shoulder, Neck Pain With 2 Minutes of Daily Exercise
Do you have clients who experience neck and shoulder pain? Just 2 minutes of exercise per day can reduce that pain, say researchers from the National Research Center for the Working Environment in Copenhagen, Denmark. The findings were presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine and the 2nd World Congress on Exercise is Medicine®.
Injury Prevention in Small-Group Training
Any physical activity includes the risk of injury. The benefits of being active, however, make it worth taking this chance.This article reviews basic injury-prevention tips for small-group Pilates classes.
Core Strength Unrelated to Performance?
Fitness professionals often integrate core strengthening exercises into client programs for enhanced performance and injury prevention. However, a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2011; 25 [1], 252–61) found no significant correlations between core conditioning, functional movement and performance. The study included 28 “healthy individuals” who performed several tests.
Heat Injuries Rising
As summer months approach, it’s wise to remind clients and class participants of the dangers of exercising in hot weather. According to a recent study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (2011; 40 [1], 54–60), heat-related injury rates are rising. The retrospective analysis used data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission from 1997 through 2006. During that time, approximately 54,983 of the people treated in emergency rooms were treated for heat-related injuries.