Sports « Weekly Gravy

(HealthDay News) — Pulled muscles occur frequently in athletes. Most strains respond well to nonsurgical treatments, however, some strains can result in partial or complete tears, says the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The academy mentions these risk factors for muscle strain: Muscle tightness. Athletes should always stretch. Muscle imbalance, which can occur during high-speed activities. Poor conditioning. Weak muscles are less able to cope with stress. Muscle fatigue, which makes muscles more susceptible to injury. Old age or adolescence. Athletes who participate in football, soccer, basketball, running, sprinting and dancing are especially at risk and should take extra precautions, the academy says.

While you can take Social Security benefits at age 62 and get 75% of your maximum, waiting until you reach full retirement age (between age 66 and 67 depending on the year you were born) gets you much closer to the full amount. But the age at which Americans can collect the most dollars has inched up to 70. The problem is that, in general, people today aren’t as healthy during their pre-retirement years as past generations were. Having one or more chronic health conditions, from diabetes to arthritis, can make it harder to keep working through your 60s and, for those who want or need to, beyond. Though you might see retirement as being in the distant future, taking care of yourself today creates the foundation for a healthier and more productive old age. The American Academy of Family Physicians has seven key lifestyle habits to follow that can get you there. Build the Foundation for Lifelong Fitness Eat healthy: fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains and lean proteins. Get regular exercise — on nearly every day of the week. Lose weight if you’re overweight. Protect your skin every time you leave your home to help prevent skin cancer. Don’t smoke. Limit alcohol to a max of one drink a day for women, two for men. Less is better. Practice safe sex. Map out… read on >

Don’t let foot problems hobble your autumn activities, a foot surgeon says. “Foot health contributes to your overall health. From beginners to advanced athletes, proper foot care is important to keep your body healthy,” said Dr. John Giurini, chief of podiatric surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston. One of the most common foot problems among active people is plantar fasciitis, inflammation of the thick band of tissue in the arch of the foot. “Under normal circumstances, your plantar fascia helps absorb the shock of pounding on pavement,” Giurini said in a medical center news release. “But repetitive stretching can lead to inflammation and irritation, and even small tears.” Along with overuse, other risk factors for plantar fasciitis include being flat-footed or having a high arch, being overweight, or doing activities in worn-out or inappropriate footwear. “When caught early, mild cases can be treated conservatively with rest, ice and stretching to give the inflammation time to heal,” Giurini said. “In some cases, physical therapy and orthotic devices can be helpful. In more severe or resistant cases, steroid injections and surgical procedures may be necessary to alleviate this pain.” Blisters are another common foot problem and develop due to constant friction and moisture. Blisters can be painful and, if they break open, can become infected. “This is where proper shoe fit is important —… read on >

If you own or use trampolines, you need to take steps to prevent injuries, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) says. While trampolines are fun and can help improve coordination and strengthen the musculoskeletal system, serious injuries can occur without proper safety measures. In 2018, nearly 314,000 trampoline-related injuries were treated in U.S. emergency departments, doctors’ offices and clinics, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. A recent article in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons noted that a higher percentage of fractures have been linked to trampoline and jump parks than home trampolines. “Many injuries come from multiple people jumping at once,” AAOS spokesman and pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. L. Reid Nichols said in an academy news release. “To limit injuries, ensure only one participant on a trampoline at a time. … Ensure rules are implemented and followed. Check also with your insurance rider before purchasing a home trampoline.” The AAOS offered the following trampoline safety tips: Don’t let children younger than 6 years old use trampolines and remove trampoline ladders after use to prevent unsupervised jumping. Regularly check equipment and discard worn or damaged equipment if replacement parts aren’t available. Make sure that supporting bars, strings and surrounding landing surfaces have adequate protective padding. See that the padding is in good condition and properly positioned. Don’t depend only on… read on >

Doing the right amount of exercise every day is a top health goal. To make sure you’re getting all the right types of exercise, you want to get familiar with these key exercise terms. Then you can be sure these activities are all part of your weekly plan. Aerobic Exercise, AKA Cardio Aerobic exercise means activity that requires a continuous amount of oxygen to the muscles being used. For heart health, the exercise must raise your heart rate to within the ideal range for your age, usually 70% to 80% of 220 minus your age. Cardio activities include running, brisk walking, swimming and cycling. High-intensity interval training is a popular approach. Within a cardio workout, you alternate a few minutes of slow or no movement with shorter bursts of the activity at an all-out pace. Cross training is simply varying your choice of cardio activity within the same exercise session or on different days of the week. This lets you use different muscle groups, helps prevent overuse injuries and keeps things interesting. Anaerobic Exercise, AKA Strength Training You need strength training for healthy muscles, essential for everyday activities like just getting up from the sofa. Also called weight training or resistance training, these exercises work various sets of muscles. Strength training is anaerobic, because it doesn’t require extra oxygen. It should be done every second… read on >

If you’re looking for incentives to hit the gym, new research suggests that staying in good shape may help preserve brain structure, boost memory, and improve the ability to think clearly and quickly. The finding follows an analysis of fitness and brain health among more than 1,200 young adults, average age 30. All underwent brain scans; tests to measure memory, sharpness, judgment and reasoning; and a speed-walking trial to assess cardiovascular fitness. (Muscle strength was not assessed.) The investigators found that study participants who moved faster and farther over the two-minute walking test performed better on thinking tests than their less-fit peers. Fitter men and women were also found to have healthier nerve fibers across the white matter portion of the brain. White matter is critical for high-quality neural communication, the researchers noted. Study lead author Dr. Jonathan Repple offered several theories as to what might explain a strong body/strong brain connection. For one, “exercise decreases inflammation, which then, in turn, is beneficial for brain cells,” said Repple, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist with the University of Muenster, in Germany. Being fit may also promote better nerve-fiber insulation, and greater growth across nerve cells and nerve connections, he explained. It may also be that fitter men and women simply have a “better blood supply to the brain,” Repple added. Dr. David Knopman, a professor of neurology… read on >

Moderate exercise is known to improve blood pressure — and that may include activities that are more exotic than a brisk walk, two preliminary studies suggest. In one, researchers found that “hot” yoga classes lowered blood pressure in a small group of people with modestly elevated numbers. In the other, hula dancing showed the same benefit for people who had stubbornly high blood pressure, despite medication. Experts said the findings underscore the importance of exercise when it comes to blood pressure — and the value of finding an activity you enjoy. Hot yoga classes are held in a room that’s heated — usually to about 105 degrees Fahrenheit, though some centers keep the temperature less extreme. The practice is often touted as having health benefits, such as cleansing “toxins” from the body via sweat. For the study, Stacy Hunter and her team at Texas State University recruited 10 adults, ages 20 to 65. All participants had mildly elevated blood pressure: Their systolic pressure (the “top” number) ranged between 120 and 139 mm Hg, and their diastolic pressure was 89 mm Hg or lower. (Readings below 120/80 are considered normal.) The researchers randomly assigned five people to take hot yoga classes three times a week, for 12 weeks; the rest served as a comparison group. Over the 12 weeks, those who did yoga saw their systolic… read on >

The Alexander Technique has been used for more than 100 years to improve performance, posture and other body mechanics, yet it’s arguably the least well known method for achieving these benefits. Though some people call it a form of bodywork, practitioners describe it as an educational method, because it teaches you to recognize and then unlearn negative habits, like bad posture and tensing muscles in reaction to stress. The Alexander Technique shows you how to do everyday activities with less effort and greater ease. Business people can benefit by using it to improve vocal projection and voice quality when making presentations. Benefits include: Better mobility and reduced stiffness. Pain relief through better coordination of your head, neck and back. Enhanced performance for athletes as well as performing artists, through better breathing and speed and accuracy of movement. The self-named technique was developed by actor Frederick Matthias Alexander, who was plagued by chronic hoarseness that doctors couldn’t explain. Thinking that the problem could be related to how he was using his voice, he identified habits that were indeed causing it and then how to undo them. Though the number of lessons you’ll want to take varies based on your needs, one study on back pain, published in the BMJ, found that just six one-on-one lessons with an Alexander Technique teacher followed by a home plan was… read on >

Decades spent on couches, chairs and otherwise not exercising could mean much shorter lives, new research shows. A Norwegian team who tracked health outcomes for more than 23,000 adults over 20 years found that those who were inactive over that time had twice the risk of a premature death, compared to those who were physically active. The take-home message from the study: “To get the maximum health benefits of physical activity in terms of protection against premature all-cause and cardiovascular death, you need to continue being physically active,” said study author Dr. Trine Moholdt of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. And it’s never too late to get off the sofa. “You can also reduce your risk by taking up physical activity later in life, even if you have not been active before,” Moholdt stressed. Her team was scheduled to present the findings Saturday at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), in Paris. The study involved Norwegians aged 20 and older who were grouped according to their activity levels, and assessed in two time periods (1984-1986 and 2006-2008). People were placed into one of three categories: inactive; moderately active (less than two hours of physical activity a week); or highly active (two or more hours per week). By the end of 2013, those who were inactive in both time periods… read on >

It can happen when you’re stuck in traffic, or hunched over for hours at your desk, or even sitting in the stands watching your child’s lacrosse game — that painful twinge in the back of your neck. These fast and easy stretches can help, and you can do them anywhere. Repeat each one up to three times unless otherwise indicated, and rest for 10 seconds between each exercise. Stretch No. 1: Lower your chin to your chest as far as you can go without causing any pain. Hold for 20 seconds. Return to start, rest and repeat. Stretch No. 2: Without moving your shoulders, turn your head to the right as far as you can go. Hold for 20 seconds. Slowly bring your head all the way to the left and hold for 20 seconds. Return to center, rest and repeat. Stretch No. 3: Tilt your head to bring your right ear to right shoulder without moving the shoulder. Hold for 20 seconds. Switch to the left side and hold for 20 seconds. Return to center, rest and repeat the sequence. Stretch No. 4: Turn your head to the right and look behind you. From this position, raise your chin toward the ceiling. Hold for 20 seconds. Slowly return to start and repeat. Then switch to the other side and repeat. Stretch No. 5: Gently… read on >