Back Pain and Core Strength

Abdominal strength does more for your body than just improve your “look”; it also helps a lot with back pain.

The reasons for back pain are many, but having a weak core can be the majority of the cause. By strengthening your abs you are strengthening your core muscles that stabilize your back.

Everyone should try to do abdominal exercises at least 3-5 times a week. This will really help decrease back pain and chances of back pain. Below are some links to great abdominal or core strengthening exercises. Everyday switch exercises to keep it interesting.

1. Bicycle Crunch
2. Ab Crunch on an Exercise Ball
3. Vertical Leg Crunch
4. Reverse Crunch

5. Plank Exercise

6. Crossover Crunch

7. Oblique Crunch

8. Alternating Superman

9. Half Curl

10.V-Sit

Remember, abdominal exercises alone won’t be enough. Combine these strengthening exercises with a well balanced exercise routine (cardio & strengthening) and good nutrition.

Laughter – The Ultimate Medicine

One of my professors once shared that “just 20 seconds of laughter is the cardiovascular equivalent of 3 minutes of strenuous rowing.” Some experts refer to laughter as a “total body workout.”

Laughter not only brings joy to our lives, but it also has physiological effects on our immune system. Scientists have found that laughter:

- turns on the cells (T-lymphocytes) that fight foreign invaders
- increases the # and activity of natural killer cells that help fight against tumors and viruses
- increases the concentration of IgA, which protects against upper respiratory infections
- increases amount of gamma interferon, which helps turn on the immune system
- decreases stress because the body can’t produce stress hormones as easily

The great news about these benefits is they don’t just happen while you are laughing but the effects can last up to a day or so after.

A physiologist (Robert Ornstein) and a physician (David Sobel) noticed, “When confronted with a threatening situation, animals have essentially two choices: to flee or fight. Humans have a third alternative: to laugh.”

Develop your sense of humor.

Ice Massage

Putting an ice pack on an injury or sore muscle can help to reduce pain and swelling; however, another highly effective treatment for injuries and sore muscles is called ice massage. A good way to do ice massage is by using ice cups.

HOW TO MAKE AN ICE CUP:
1. Fill a mini paper cup with water and freeze in the freezer.
2. Once frozen, tear off the bottom of the cup to expose the ice.
3. Apply the ice to the skin by holding the cup.

With the ice cup, massage with gentle pressure while moving toward the injured area. You can do a circular motion or long strokes. Do not stay on one spot for more than 20 seconds. Be sure to massage the whole area. This treatment should last from 8-10 minutes (can last longer depending on size of injured area).

Muscle Cramps

Muscle cramps are a common problem. People who have experienced a muscle cramp after exercise, at night, or randomly during the day could all agree it is reasonably painful. The most common places for muscle cramps are in the arch of the foot, the thigh, and the calf.

HOW TO PREVENT
One reason for muscle cramps is a lack of magnesium and calcium. For more magnesium you could eat dark green vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains. For more calcium you could eat dairy products, broccoli, legumes, and spinach. During pregnancy it is normal to have low magnesium and calcium, so pregnant women might need to take supplements to help with their muscle cramps.

A lack of potassium has also been seen as a contributor to muscle cramps. So make sure to eat those bananas.

Another reason for muscle cramps is dehydration. Refer to the post below about staying hydrated. Also, drinks with electrolytes such as sports drinks may help to prevent muscle cramps during physical activity.

Stretching is a great way to prevent muscle cramps. A good warm-up and warm-down during physical activity will help prevent over-exertion muscle cramps. If you get them at night, then stretch before you go to bed.

One reason for night cramps might be the position of the foot. Heavy blankets can push down on your foot at night making the foot in the pointed position. This cramps up the foot and the calf.

HOW TO TREAT
There are three ways how to treat a muscle cramp:

1. Stretch the muscle immediately until the muscle has relaxed.
2. Gently massage the muscle or put some heat on the muscle to help it relax.

3. An acupressure technique is to pinch really hard on the upper lip right below the nose.

A Useful First Aid Tip

Spraining an ankle or foot is a common accident in many physical activities. It is hard to tell the difference between a severely sprained ankle and a fractured ankle. A useful test that can be used is called the Ottawa test. This test is not 100% accurate but it is pretty close.

There are two parts to this test. For the injury to be a fracture, the person would need to test positive for both tests.

1. Most people sprain the outside of their ankle, so tap on the outside ankle bone sticking out (lateral malleolus). Make sure to tap in the center and the back edge of the bone. If the person feels pain and tenderness then there may be a fracture.

2. Have the person try to walk on their foot. If they can take 4 steps then they probably sprained their ankle. If they cannot complete four steps then they may have a fracture.

This test could be hard to do on younger children because they tend to over react. For children, you can look for this fracture indication: The injured person tends to hop on their good foot – while doing this, if they complain about the jarring of the injured foot, then there is a possibility of a fracture.

If the injured person tests positive for a fracture, then take him or her to the hospital for x-rays. If the injured person tests negative for a fracture then they probably have a sprain. Take the injured person home and follow RICE procedures – Rest (for 48-72 hours), Ice (for about 20 min every 3 hours), Compress (wrap a tight bandage around it), and Elevate.