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Excited to give this presentation next Monday, Oct 3! Thanks to everyone at Runner's Depot for making it happen! This is a FREE Clinic - Limited Space. Please RSVP as soon as possible: (954) 474-4074 or e-mail: renee@runnersdepot.com --Laura 
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A muscle strain (aka a pulled muscle) is a minor tearing of muscle fibers. It can also occur in the tendon portion of the muscle. A more significant tearing is simply referred to a muscle tear or a torn muscle. A strain is usually caused by a quick or unexpected motion, and often the patient can recall the moment of injury. Local pain and inflammation occur and the muscle may feel weak. The area may also appear bruised. A strain is treated for a few days with RICE as needed [rest (eg reduced weightbearing), ice, compression, and elevation]. Over this time, it should gradually get better. (If it is not getting better, it's likely that the diagnosis is not a muscle strain!!) Next, full muscle strength as well as motion in the nearby joints needs to be restored so that the muscle is able to handle all that is thrown at it - that's where I come in. -- Laura
 I can't emphasize the importance of correct posture enough. This example (image) has become the norm. And people often slouch for 8 or more hours per day - at work, in the car, on the sofa, and on the bed on their tablet or phone! It's important because of its effect over time. If your spine is nearly always bent forward (as it is with poor posture), something called creep occurs. Ligaments, tendons, etc. in the back of your spine get overstretched and things in the front get compressed. Basically, your spine gets out of whack! This in turn creates a vulnerability to injury. So it's no surprise when during a normal run, or when sneezing, or while picking up your newspaper your spine moves enough out of whack to become painful. Reaching for that cup of coffee wasn't a silly thing to do; you just didn't have a healthy, mobile spine to handle it! And the blame for that is usually years upon years of creep due to poor posture.
If your foot/ankle needs to be immobilized and/or you can't walk on it, you have a few options. There are wheelchairs and crutches, but what fewer people know about are knee walkers (aka knee scooters or knee rollers). If you have the balance to manage them, they're a great way to get around quickly. Also, they don't take up too much space and don't require a lot of arm use like crutches do. Here is an example. -- Laura   Ever wonder why so many people have their discs move out of place? There's almost double the amount of pressure going through the discs in the low back with slouched sitting compared to standing - not to mention really slouched sitting. And with the amount of sitting most Americans do, all that force can be a recipe for disaster. -- Laura
This 2-minute video is aimed at physical therapists, but it is a nice little summary. -- Laura This is the distribution of the nerves exiting from the cervical spine (neck). It varies a bit from person to person. This knowledge helps me diagnose. For example, someone with elbow pain may not have an "elbow problem" at all! Perhaps the 5th, 6th, or 7th cervical nerve is being compressed in the neck and producing pain/tingling/numbness at the elbow. When I evaluate a patient, I aim to find the TRUE CAUSE of the symptoms - and then we treat that cause! --Laura   |
LearnFind more information about the world of orthopedics here! 
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