CONDITIONS
|
Sports Medicine Stories and Local Doctors
| CURRENT STORIES |
YOUR LOCAL Sports Medicine DOCTOR |
Stay Active or Grow Old
People who are physically active in their free time may be biologically younger than those who live sedentary lifestyles, a recent British study suggests. Researchers looked at the physical activity levels, smoking habits and socioeconomic status of 2,400 white twins. DNA samples were collected from participants in order to examine length of telomeres-repeated sequences at the end of chromosomes in white blood cells - which serves as a possible marker of a person's biological age. Study participants had an average telomere loss of 21 nucleotides per year. But those who were more active in their leisure time had longer leukocyte telomeres than those who were less active. (Read more about Stay Active or Grow Old)
Related Links:
|
Specific Strength Training Relieves Chronic Neck Pain
Neck pain has become increasingly prevalent over the past two decades and is now second only to back pain, the most common musculoskeletal disorder and most common cause of disability in working Americans. Women are more likely to suffer from neck pain than are men, especially those who engage in repetitive tasks such as working at a computer keyboard. Previous studies have not proven whether or not exercise alone can treat neck pain. . However, a recent study in Arthritis Care and Research found that specific strength training exercises led to significant prolonged relief of neck muscle pain while general fitness training resulted in only minor pain reduction. (Read more about Specific Strength Training Relieves Chronic Neck Pain)
Related Links:
|
For Longevity Being Fit Is Paramount, Regardless of Weight
A study by researchers at the University of South Carolina has found that fitness may be more important to longevity, than body weight. People who are not at optimal weight but who are active have a lower mortality risk than those of normal weight but low fitness levels. The study was conducted by researchers who tracked 2,600 people ages 60 and older to determine how physical fitness and body fat affected their death rates over a 12 year period. During the study there were 450 deaths. The participants were assessed by a treadmill test, weight, and body mass index. The researchers found that those in the lowest fifth rank of fitness had a death rate of four times higher than participants ranked in the top fifth. The results indicate that being fit provides protection against mortality in men and women 60 and older, whether they're normal weight or overweight.. (Read more about For Longevity Being Fit Is Paramount, Regardless of Weight)
Related Links:
|
Physiotherapy Shows Benefits Following Knee Replacement Surgery
According to a recent study published on bmj.com, physiotherapy can improve the daily lives of osteoarthritis patients who have undergone knee replacement surgery. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of disability found in oler people, so total knee replacement surgery is a routinely performed procedure. Since some patients continue to experience problems with everyday tasks shortly after surgery, researchers reviewed data to determine if short term physiotherapy is an effective solution. (Read more about Physiotherapy Shows Benefits Following Knee Replacement Surgery)
Related Links:
|
Want to Be Healthy? Then Work Up a Sweat
Health experts claim that the latest recommendation from the World Health Organization can be misleading. The current guidelines say that 30 minutes of gentle exercise each day is enough to sustain a minimal level of fitness. However, the American College of Sports Medicine claims that in order to remain healthy, people need to do 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three days a week. (Read more about Want to Be Healthy? Then Work Up a Sweat)
Related Links:
|
Power Plate Technology Can Aid Physical Therapy
For physical therapists who treat patients suffering from back pain and weakened core muscles, the Power Plate is a beneficial piece of technology. The machine vibrates to stimulate reflexive muscle contractions 25-50 times per second. The Power Plate increases blood circulation to core spinal and abdominal muscles that have weakened over time due to sedentary lifestyle habits.
For people who are lacking in their level of fitness, the Power Plate is designed to ease the difficult transition from an inactive to an healthy lifestyle. While it remains unclear whether this vibration technology can replace other forms of exercise, some physicians believe it can greatly complement any exercise or physical therapy regimen. (Read more about Power Plate Technology Can Aid Physical Therapy)
Related Links:
|
Human Stem Cells Return Motor Function to Paralyzed Rats
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego report that experimental rats recovered from blood flow related paralysis after receiving grafts of human spinal stem cells.
When damage occurs due to loss of blood flow to the spine's neural cells, applying human neural stem cells directly to the spinal cord achieves recovery of motor function. In this specific type of paralysis, known as spinal cord ischemia, there is no mechanical damage to the spinal cord. The brain motor centers remain partially connected to the spinal cord but the loss of inhibitory neurons leads to the degeneration of muscle control in lower limbs. (Read more about Human Stem Cells Return Motor Function to Paralyzed Rats)
Related Links:
|
Spinal Decompression for Lower Back Pain
Spinal Decompression provides an alternative to surgery in many cases of lower back pain caused by herniated discs.
A herniated disc is a condition of the disc. The disc a jelly-like material between two bones in your spine. There is a middle section called a nucleus and an outer band called an annulus. As we age the outer band, or the annulus, which is a collagen based tissue, begins to break down. The nucleus, which is in the middle, migrates outside and puts pressure on the spinal nerve causing either pain or dysfunction. (Read more about Spinal Decompression for Lower Back Pain)
Related Links:
|
ACL Injuries with NFL Players | Orthopedics
If you're at all a sports fan, or an athlete yourself, you've probably heard of the anterior cruciate ligament.
It's commonly injured.
Now a new study shows what happens to NFL players who are sidelined by their acl's, and it's not good news for players or fans and the owners.
Now, a ligament is a strong piece of connective tissue that connects bone to bone across a joint. The anterior cruciate ligament crosses with the posterior cruciate ligament in the center of the knee.
They control the backward and forward motion of the knee. The ACL in particular restrains excessive forward motion of the knee as well as the inward twisting or rotation of the knee.
In fact, the ACL is frequently injured in severe twisting injuries of the knee or with a sudden stop.
This new research in the American Journal of Sports Medicine looking specifically at ACL injuries in NFL players found those who suffer one of these injuries will likely never be the same player again.
Essentially, total yards and touchdowns were markedly diminished when they returned after surgery. (Read more about ACL Injuries with NFL Players | Orthopedics)
Related Links:
|
Sports Injuries and Children
Summer is now here, and it’s an opportunity for kids who are involved in one, two, maybe three sports to get a bit of rest. But a lot of kids go year round in their athletics now; it’s one reason for the rise in sports injuries in kids.
More than three and a half million kids under the age of 14 receive medical care for sports injuries each year.
But overuse injuries are responsible for nearly half of all sports injuries in middle and high school students. And experts are saying the problem is getting out of hand.
Jessica Godfrey of the eagles soccer team was forcibly grounded because of an injury earlier this season. “I was trying to get the ball and this really big girl hit my foot and it hurt really bad,” says Jessica. (Read more about Sports Injuries and Children)
Related Links:
|
|
|