Massage Therapy and Postoperative Care

/
Massage Therapy and Postoperative Care

The use of massage therapy has been shown to improve outcomes in post-op patients. One recent paper published in the journal PM&R, looked at the use of fascial manipulation following total hip arthroplasty. Another recent study published in The Journal of Knee Surgery looked at the effect that soft-tissue treatments with hand-held instruments have on post-surgical knee stiffness. In the study soft-tissue treatments was shown to improve knee flexion deficits by 35° and knee flexion contractures by 12° in a small cohort of individuals who had failed to respond to traditional rehabilitation and manipulation under anesthesia. 

Read More

Exercise changes the way our bodies work at a molecular level

/
Exercise changes the way our bodies work at a molecular level

"You may think that “molecular” changes may not be that much of a big deal. Surely it is fat loss and muscle gain that are the best outcomes of exercise? Actually molecular changes affect the way genes and proteins are controlled inside cells. Genes can become more or less active, while proteins can be rapidly modified to function differently and carry out tasks such as moving glucose into cells more efficiently, or protect cells from harmful toxins."

Read More

How vitamin D can improve muscle strength

/
How vitamin D can improve muscle strength

"One of the most important vitamins for your health is vitamin D. It allows the body to absorb calcium and phosphate from your diet, which are essential for the development of healthy bones. However, we have found that increased levels of active vitamin D in the bloodstream can also be associated with improved muscle function in healthy people."

Read More

Improving health and fitness with minimal exercise

/
Improving health and fitness with minimal exercise

"When it comes to exercise, if there was a way to get more health benefits by doing less, then it’s likely a lot of people would be interested. This is probably the reason that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) gets a lot of attention. HIIT can improve health and fitness, but with much less time spent exercising. Much less time when compared with much lower intensity aerobic exercise, that is."

Read More

Movement for Movement: Physical activity and exercise for chronic pain

/
Movement for Movement: Physical activity and exercise for chronic pain

I have written about chronic pain in posts in the past, for those that suffer from chronic pain it may seem like nothing really does much to take the edge off. In the past one the primary management strategies was a pharmacological approach, but over time some of these treatments evolve into a health care crisis of their own. The Center for Disease Control  expressed the need to move beyond a pharmacological approaches for symptom management and a called for the use of a number of non-pharmacological approaches. 

Read More

Weekend warrior exercise: is it good for you?

/
Weekend warrior exercise: is it good for you?

"There is no doubt that physical activity is good for you, but the optimal amount remains a topic of debate. The universally accepted recommendation is that we do at least 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes with vigorous intensity. And while some people choose to fit their weekly physical activity into one or two sessions (“the weekend warrior”), others like to spread it evenly over the week, such as walking briskly for 30 minutes a day."

Read More