Most of us that run are close to being fanatical about it. It’s addictive. With the addiction can come a sobering fact: Injuries! If you are a runner, you have probably experienced some kind of injury. If you haven’t, you are very lucky. I’ve had achilles tendonitis, knee pain, and back pain, all from running.
Many of you may be in training for various winter races such as the White Rock Marathon so I thought I’d seek some expert advice. I consulted with Rich Silliman, M.S.P.T., Founder of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy Institute of Dallas. Rich is a Master’s-degreed Physical Therapist who works with high-level athletes in the NFL, NBA, Major & Minor league baseball, PGA golfers, collegiate and high school athletes, runners for Team Nike, Ironman Triathletes, as well as regular everyday athletes like many of us.
I’ve been to Rich for many of my sports injuries and he is amazing! Physicians from all over send their patients to him for rehab as his technique of manual physical therapy is extremely unique.
According to Rich, lately he is seeing many runners with knee pain. The reason? He says most of the knee pain is a byproduct of a muscle imbalance of the hip complex. “Hip rotators are the most overlooked when it comes to this injury. Weak hip rotators influence the knee position at heel strike during running,” Rich says. “In addition, the Gluteus Maximus, the Gluteus Medius weakness and Iliotibial Band (ITB) get tight and begin to cause excessive rotation on your femur and/or pelvic obluity and subsequent sacroiliac joint dysfunction that causes the knee to hurt.”
The IT band is a thick, fibrous band that spans from the hip to the shin; it lends stability to the knee joint, and is attached to muscles in the thigh. The glute muscles, well, you know where those are! This is a classic case of the hipbone’s connected to the knee bone…..a definite cause & effect.
Rich initially rules out any stress fracture and any structural abnormalities (i.e. cartilage or ligament damage) in a patient, then in a team approach with the patient’s sports medicine doctor, prescribes various rehabilitation that may include manual physical therapy, stretching and various strengthening exercises.
“Stretching for runners is essential,” says Rich. “I also think it’s more important to stretch after a run, not before. Muscles are warmer after a run and this helps prevent injury.”
Here are some of Rich Silliman’s top injury prevention tips for runners:
Hip rotator & gluteus medius strengthening
Stretching of the hamstrings & IT Bands
Core strengthening exercises (this also stabilizes the back)
Wear appropriate footwear
Allow enough recovery time between runs
Remember, often the injury is because of a muscle imbalance, so stretching what is tight and strengthening what is weak is is extremely important to not only get rid of the problem, but more importantly, to keep it from coming back and becoming a chronic recurring problem.
For more information, visit Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy Institute of Dallas at:
Any comments from the runners out there? By the way, you don’t have to be a runner to benefit from these tips–these are helpful no matter what activity you are involved in.
More than 80% of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives. I hope you are not one of them, however, the odds are that you will be. And these odds increase as we get older because the discs in our back begin to age, or what the spine surgeons refer to as “disc degeneration”.
I got to find this out last year when I had lower back pain with tingling going down my leg, then numbness. Not good! I found out it was an annular disc tear. These are tricky to treat medically because they are not quite a bulging disc which can be treated successfully with some minimally-invasive procedures. There is not a lot you can do for an annular tear. So, I stopped running on pavement, which was causing the problem, and the running withdrawal almost killed me but that’s another story!!!! I started some serious back-strengthening exercises and stretches to add to my regimen. I still do them every single day and feel great!
So don’t panic if you have back pain! Thankfully, there are lots of preventive strategies to keep you out of the doctor’s office. I consulted with renowned spine surgeon John Peloza, M.D., Medical Director of the Center for Spine Care, and he offered up some helpful tips on keeping your neck & back healthy. In upcoming blogs, we’ll go in to further detail, because back pain is the second leading cause for visits to the doctor!
Here are some helpful tips:
Exercise! Don’t be sedentary. Of course, sometimes as in my case, the exercise itself causes the back pain.
Cross train–it keeps the entire body strong.
Do core-strengthening exercises. This stabilizes the spine and keeps it strong. I do a series of these every day. Details in a later blog.
Check your baggage and minimize carry-on luggage when traveling.
Achieve & maintain an ideal body weight.
Maintain good posture. You’ll feel good & look good!
Create an ergonomically-friendly workstation.
Wear comfortable shoes. Ladies, limit the high heels if you have lower back pain!
Buy a good, quality mattress to sleep on.
You can read more about spine health at the Center for Spine Care web site:
A quick shout out to everyone to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! As we are now officially in the holiday season, there are lots of events and parties that tempt us to overeat with delicious, holiday feasts. A few quick tips to think about:
Eat slowly and in moderation; savor the food. Enjoy a sensible portion of your Mom’s cornbread dressing (My Mom’s is delicious and I’ll be enjoying it!)
Load up on fruits & vegetables, but go light on or skip the butter & sauces
Turkey is great, & low-fat if you remove the skin
Get plenty of exercise–this will help keep off the pounds. After the meal, take a walk with your family. Pete & I will be taking our dog Mitchell for a post-meal walk and inviting the family to join us!
It all began last November. I was going about my life when one morning while doing stretches before a run, I got dizzy. Real dizzy. I thought it was odd, and tried to brush it off. Until it happened again. And again. It was almost always when I was laying down. The room would start spinning. I also had a “full” sensation in my ears, like they needed to be popped. And I felt out of balance. Alarmed, I called my awesome internist, who got me in immediately.
She told me she thought it was an ear infection, that it would eventually clear up, and to call her if it did not. I patiently waited, but the dizziness and imbalance were worsening, and since it was happening every time I lay down, it was making sleep difficult. Weeks of dizziness, imbalance and no sleep began to wear on me and then worry and anxiety began to set in. Since my line of work involves medicine and I work with multitudes of physicians of various specialties, I began to fear it was something more serious and began conjuring up various diagnoses. The good and bad of working in the medical world! This of course fueled the anxiety even more, which was fueled by lack of sleep, with a hefty dose of dizziness thrown in daily. One was feeding the other. Of course I was researching vertigo on the internet and was stunned at my findings.
The treatments I found all involved prescription medications, anti-anxiety drugs and other powerful drugs. People who posted their experiences were depressed, scared, had lost jobs over it, were worn out, and were on drugs that knocked them into a semi-coma! I was terrified that I was going to have to get on some powerful medication. A friend of mine told me she had vertigo and was on a medication that “knocked her out for 18 hours”…..that was not what i wanted!
I went back to my Internist who said it was time I see an Ear, Nose & Throat specialist. I then called Presley Mock, M.D., one of the best otolaryngologists in Dallas. I was half-expecting him to prescribe me drugs. I was still afraid it was something very serious. After running extensive tests, Dr. Mock diagnosed me with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), probably caused from the ear infection. He prescribed Vestibular Rehab. What the heck is that, I wondered? That’s when I met Connie Thomason, with Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas, who is the most knowledgeable, wonderful Occupational Therapist who is medically certified to treat this specific disorder through physical rehabilitation.
By the time I met Connie, I had experienced daily vertigo & sleeplessness for almost two months, it had ruined my holidays, and it had taken a toll. I was a basket case. Connie assured me that very first day that it was treatable by a series of maneuvers called the “Canalith Repositioning Procedure” (CRP), or “Epley Maneuver” named for the inventor, Dr. Epley. It has an 80% cure rate! I also should add that Connie reinforced to me that vertigo is “extremely debilitating and disruptive to one’s life.” I could certainly attest to this!” She told me that people are often prescribed “anti-vertigo” medications that are only a Band-Aid, not a cure. These only suppress the vertigo for awhile, leaving the patient drowsy and feeling out of it.
BPPV occurs when small crystals in the ear get displaced in the inner ear canal sending false signals to our brain, thus causing vertigo & imbalance. These “ear rocks” are actually small crystals of calcium carbonate. The goal of the Epley Maneuver is to reposition the ear rocks in the ear canal. These maneuvers involve a series of specifically patterned head and trunk movements performed by a trained professional like Connie, who closely watch eye movements with each position change. It is done in the office in about 15 minutes! I was given specific instructions to ensure that the repositioned crystals stayed intact along with some home exercises. The dizziness was gone immediately and the imbalance feeling was gone in a few weeks with the exercises.
Here’s a web site with illustrations of the Epley maneuvers:
I have talked to so many people about this safe, effective, non-drug treatment for vertigo and am surprised at how many people don’t know about it, including some physicians. So, if you are experiencing the terrifying effects of vertigo and imbalance disorders, please know there is help. The VDA website above can help you find a trained medical professional in your area to treat you with the Epley maneuver.
I hope this helps! Have you or someone you know experienced vertigo? Let me hear from you. Share your comments!
I recently blogged about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, and there are many! A major part of that diet is fresh fruit. We should be eating several servings of fresh fruit every day.
Berries are a great way to add powerful antioxidants to your diet. Antioxidants are important disease-fighting compounds that can prevent cell damage and help boost your body’s immune system. Berries and other foods were featured in a major study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. This research study provides a large comprehensive report of antioxidant content in fruits and vegetables. Berries were at the top of the list in providing the most antioxidant values.
One of the great things about berries is that they are easily found year-round across the country. Blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are some of the best sources.
One very easy & elegant dessert I serve frequently is a half cup of rinsed blueberries, a half-cup rinsed & sliced strawberries, sprinkled with a handful of raw, unsalted almonds. I top it off with a dollop of low-fat, low-sugar whipped cream. To add some elegance to this easy, delicious dessert, serve it in a chilled martini glass or other pretty glassware or bowl.
I’ve been a big fan of the Mediterranean way of life for years. Note how I didn’t refer to it as a “diet” but a way of life. There are so many heart-healthy, delicious aspects to eating this way that it’s hard to call it a diet.
Don’t get me wrong–I’d love to be in Greece or southern Italy right now blogging away but since I’m not, let’s zero in on some of the components of the Mediterranean diet that can be found anywhere in the world:
Olive oil
Fresh fruits & nuts
Fresh vegetables
Cheese & yogurt
Fish & poultry
Wine (moderate consumption such as a glass of wine per day)
Moderate exercise (20-30 minutes a day)
I was so thrilled to see a large clinical research study’s results earlier this year. As part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study, researchers followed more than 23,000 Greek men and women for 8.5 years to see how various aspects of a Mediterranean diet affect mortality rates by lowering them. There have been many other studies that show the benefits of this diet from lowering blood pressure to lowering cholesterol levels but this was one of the largest to date.
I love to cook and I use some or all of the above components in almost every menu in some form. It’s easy, it’s healthy and it’s fun. Here are a few simple suggestions to get you started:
Try using a tablespoon of olive oil on your salad as a dressing.
Grab some raw, unsalted almonds as a snack instead of chips.
Try fresh blueberries with a dash of low-calorie whipped cream as dessert
We will offer some simple, easy recipes soon so subscribe to the blog so you can receive them. So pour yourself a glass of red wine and start cooking the Mediterranean way!
What’s fast, easy and convenient? No, it’s not online banking!! It’s walking!
One of the easiest ways to stay fit and maintain your health is by walking. All you need is a good pair of walking shoes and a quick warm up and you are off!
I walk with my dog Mitchell every morning and evening. We even walk in the rain if it’s not pouring too hard, which we did today as it has been raining non-stop in Dallas. Mitchell is a growing puppy so it’ s great exercise for him and keeps him healthy. We cover at least 3-5 miles a day. My husband Pete joins us in the evening and we have a great time.
Some of the benefits of walking include:
* Lower blood pressure
* Reduction of blood cholesterol
* Increased bone strength
* Increased endurance
* Burns calories
* Helps keep weight down
Since we are focused on walking, let me invite you to a fun, family-friendly event that is a great cause close to my heart: The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) “Walk for the Cure.” JDRF’s mission is simple: to find the cure for Type 1 diabetes. Chances are you know someone with Type 1 diabetes.
The JDRF Dallas Walk for the Cure is being held at 3 locations this year on Saturday, Sept. 26. My team is walking at the Victory Park location. More than 25,000 people turn out for this event and the goal is to raise more than $1.95 million. So come out and join us! Here’s a link for more information and to register: http://www.jdrfdallas.org/
I also think it’s important to mention that 85-cents of EVERY dollar raised goes directly to fund research for the cure for Type 1 diabetes. Hope to see you there!
Thanks for stopping by and welcome! This blog is all about health, wellness, modern medicine and living a healthy life! We will be covering interesting topics to incorporate into your everyday life. I look forward to your comments and please let me know of any topics you’d like to see covered. Cheers to good health!
Many of you may be in training for various winter races such as the White Rock Marathon so I thought I’d seek some expert advice. I consulted with Rich Silliman, M.S.P.T., Founder of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy Institute of Dallas. Rich is a Master’s-degreed Physical Therapist who works with high-level athletes in the NFL, NBA, Major & Minor league baseball, PGA golfers, collegiate and high school athletes, runners for Team Nike, Ironman Triathletes, as well as regular everyday athletes like many of us.
According to Rich, lately he is seeing many runners with knee pain. The reason? He says most of the knee pain is a byproduct of a muscle imbalance of the hip complex. “Hip rotators are the most overlooked when it comes to this injury. Weak hip rotators influence the knee position at heel strike during running,” Rich says. “In addition, the Gluteus Maximus, the Gluteus Medius weakness and Iliotibial Band (ITB) get tight and begin to cause excessive rotation on your femur and/or pelvic obluity and subsequent sacroiliac joint dysfunction that causes the knee to hurt.”
So don’t panic if you have back pain! Thankfully, there are lots of preventive strategies to keep you out of the doctor’s office. I consulted with renowned spine surgeon John Peloza, M.D., Medical Director of the Center for Spine Care, and he offered up some helpful tips on keeping your neck & back healthy. In upcoming blogs, we’ll go in to further detail, because back pain is the second leading cause for visits to the doctor!
You can read more about spine health at the Center for Spine Care web site:
