Sports Spine Specialist Chiropractic Team: Athletes strive to achieve their body’s maximum performance by participating in numerous training regimens consisting of strenuous exercises and physical activity and ensuring they meet all of their body’s nutritional requirements. Through proper fitness and nutrition, many individuals can condition themselves to excel in their specific sport. Our training programs are designed for athletes that look to gain a competitive edge in their sport.
We provide sport-specific services to help increase an athlete’s performance through mobility, strength, and endurance. Occasionally, however, the excess workouts can lead many to suffer injuries or develop underlying conditions. Dr. Alex Jimenez’s chronicle of articles for athletes displays in detail the many forms of complications affecting these professionals while focusing on the possible solutions and treatments to follow to achieve overall well-being.
The first thing you notice when you see the Withings Steel HR is how little it resembles what most of us have come to expect from most fitness trackers in terms of shape and design. At first glance, it looks and feels like a classic analog watch: the silicone strap (or leather, if you choose that option) connects to a slim, round display with minute markers dotting the edges and hands to show you the time. The one giveaway that this is not your typical watch is the small circular OLED display at the top, and little would you know that housed behind that round face is enough hardware to power a very capable fitness tracker.
What is the Withings Steel HR?
The Withings Steel HR (from $179.95, amazon.com, bestbuy.com) has all the standard features one would expect from a fitness tracker: it lets you know how many calories you’ve burned, offers heart-rate monitoring, automatically tracks your sleep, counts your steps, pulls notifications from your phone and has an alarm to gently wake you up.
Aside from its design, one thing that really helps to set the Steel HR apart from a lot of other fitness trackers is its incredible battery life. Most fitness trackers can last you a few days before it needs to be charged again. Withings boasts that it can last up to 25 days on a single charge and that it has the longest battery life of any heart-rate tracker on the market. After spending nearly three straight weeks with the Steel HR on my wrist and over a dozen workouts tracked in that time, there was still enough juice left in the tank to leave me with little reason to doubt them on that claim.
Using the Steel HR is simple enough. There is a single button on the right side of the watch that you press to turn on the display and to cycle through the different stats. It was a minor nuisance having to press the button every time to turn the OLED display on, as the display doesn�t automatically light up if you pull the watch up toward your face. However, the goal meter below the OLED display is a nice touch on the watch face. You can quickly see how close you are to hitting your daily activity goal by looking at the meter as it climbs towards 100%.
Withings likely had to make some compromises for the sake of battery life and overall look and I found the OLED display to be one of te biggest weaknesses of the watch. While it�s relatively easy to read in regular usage if you�re just casually checking to see how many steps you walked, all of that changes if you�re engaged in a workout or on a run. If you�re running, trying to read the display or cycling through the different screens was a bit of a challenge. And you won�t get a lot of useful real-time feedback during a workout. With such a small screen, you can�t just casually glance at the display to get a quick readout. Notifications from your phone also don�t give you any real useful information.
It appears that GPS functionality was another compromise that Withings likely made. Not every fitness tracker comes equipped with GPS built into the device. Instead, they typically rely on your phone�s GPS to track you. However, the Steel HR isn�t even able to use your phone�s GPS, so it�s hard to put much faith into the accuracy of the distance measurements. It instead uses sensors and data about you to generate the distance, which is far from accurate. If you�re a runner, this is a pretty glaring omission.
Workouts are automatically detected, which seemed to work fine. Like most fitness trackers that have this feature, it will occasionally falter, but you can typically rely on it to record your workout in case you forgot to do so. You also have the option of tracking a workout manually by holding the button on the side, and workouts can be logged in the app after you sync your watch.
The heart-rate monitor on the Steel HR has two modes: workout and smart mode. Smart mode is constantly running and takes measurements about every 10 minutes, which helps to preserve battery life. However, if you switch to workout mode, it continuously runs throughout your workout. Every fitness tracker that I�ve used has had odd, random spikes that occur every now and then�this was no different for the Steel HR. I frequently wore a Fitbit Charge 2 along with the Steel HR to compare and noticed that the Steel HR always tracked higher than the Fitbit. It wasn�t enough to give me any real cause for concern, but it�s something that should be noted nonetheless. The Steel HR also seemed slower to normalize, frequently spiking at the start of a workout before eventually coming back down to a more reasonable level.
Sleep tracking worked as well as the Fitbit Charge 2, and the fact that you barely notice the watch while you�re wearing it makes it easier to wear at night compared to some of the bulkier fitness trackers out there.
If you�re the type of person that wants the features of a fitness tracker but don�t like how most of them look, the Withings Steel HR may be the tracker for you. It has a sleek and stylish design that looks good whether you�re in the gym or out on the town. Most people that see it won�t even be able to tell that you�re wearing a fitness tracker. For those that may be runners or just a little more serious about fitness, you may find the Steel HR lacks in some areas. Although, even with the compromises that Withings made with the Steel HR, this is the best hybrid option available.
For more information, Please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Whole Body Wellness
Overall health and wellness can be achieved by following a proper nutrition and engaging in regular exercise and/or physical activities. While these are some of the most common ways to ensure whole body health and wellness, visiting a qualified and experienced healthcare professional can also grant your body additional benefits. Chiropractic care, for instance, is a safe and effective alternative treatment option utilized by people to maintain well-being.
No matter what size you are, you may have some fat between your back and arms that spills over your bra�also known as “bra bulge.” Some of that’s due to genetics, but an unbalanced workout routine can play a role as well. Many women neglect their arms, chest, and back due to a misguided fear of getting bulky. And while you may not love your bra bulge, a weak upper body can also wreck your posture and bring on back pain.
Barry’s Bootcamp instructor and celeb personal trainer Astrid Swan wants you to get over your fear of upper body workouts, so she created this exclusive routine for Health. This seven-move sequence revs your heart rate to torch calories and melt away fat from your whole body (including your back). Plus, these sculpting exercises will perk up your posture, which may minimize the appearance bra bulge. Use a pair of heavy dumbbells; Swan suggests 12 lb. or higher, depending on your strength level.
Pushups to superman
Lower all the way to the floor slowly as you do a pushup. Lay flat and extend arms forward to a superman position, lifting chest and thighs off the floor. Pull elbows down to goal-post position and lower your body down to press back up into the top of the pushup. Do 10 repetitions.
Plank renegade rows
Start in plank position, using the dumbbells as handles. Keep feet slightly wider than hip width, be sure to keep hips parallel to the floor and abs engaged. Alternate renegade rows, 10 repetitions per side, for 20 total reps.
Start with dumbbells on shoulders, feet hip-width apart with feet slightly turned out. Lower down into a squat position, keeping chest tall and abs engaged. Power from the core and glutes to press the weights above head in a press. Be sure to avoid locking out your knees as you press the weights up to the top. Do 10 reps.
Combine all three moves minus the superman. Using the dumbbells as handles, do one pushup, at the top of the pushup complete renegade rows on the right side then left side. Next, jump your feet forward sand land in the bottom of your squat. Be sure to keep your core engaged as you thrust the weights above your head. Do 10 repetitions.
Snatch passes
Using one dumbbell, bend knees slightly to hoist up the weight and snatch it to the top. Be sure to keep hips tucked and keep a small bend in the knees as you extend the arm. Return to starting position and pass the weight to the other side. Do 10 reps per side.
Triceps extensions
Depending on your strength, you can continue using both weights or drop down to one. Do a triceps extension slowly; think three counts to lower and one count to press up. Keep your elbows tight, framing your face. Do 10 reps, slowly and with intention.
Hold one dumbbell on each end. Start with the dumbbell right under your chin, and pass it around your head clockwise for 10 reps, then counterclockwise for another 10 reps. Be sure to keep your elbows tight, framing your face, and bring the weight around your head (like a “halo”) with elbows bent.
For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Chiropractic and Athletic Performance
Many athletes who are injured performing their specific sport or physical activity, frequently seek treatment from chiropractors. Chiropractic care focuses on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of injuries and conditions affecting the musculoskeletal and nervous system. While chiropractic is a safe and effective form of conservative care for a variety of ailments, chiropractic can also be utilized to enhance athletic performance.
In celebrity yoga instructor Hilaria Baldwin�s new book The Living Clearly Method: 5 Principles for a Fit Body, Healthy Mind & Joyful Life, she outlines her method for combining movement and mindfulness to lead a more balanced life. Her strategy includes five simple principles: perspective, breathing, grounding, balance, and letting go. But how exactly does the celeb and mother of three stay so centered with such a crazy schedule? One of her go-to ways to bring all her principles into practice is through yoga. Watch this video to learn one of Baldwin�s go-to yoga sequences that incorporates all elements of her method into a movement format.
Here, she guides you through tree pose, high lunge, warrior II, side angle A, plank, chaturanga, upward facing dog, and finally downward facing dog. After completing the sequence on one side, you roll up slowly and repeat it on the other. Within this sequence, you get a touch of balance and grounding, thanks to tree pose. And as you conquer the challenging transitions from high lunge to side angle A, consistent breathing plays a role, helping you get calm and centered.
Baldwin describes this practice as an �all-purpose flow,� meaning you can do it at any time of day�whether you want to wake your body up in the morning, get your heart rate up in the afternoon, or close out your day the right way with a moving meditation before you go to sleep. Whenever you do this sequence, it�s an efficient workout that can easily become a part of your daily routine. The goal is to simply set aside some time for yourself to help unwind and connect with your body and mind. Watch the video to learn more about how to master this flow.
For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .�
If just thinking about a HIIT workout seems tiring, let the music play. A Journal of Sports Sciences study found that when people performed four 30-second all-out sprint intervals on a bike while listening to music, they had a more positive workout experience than when they pedaled without tunes�possibly because music helps distract you from the, uh, discomfort of a tough sprint. Try biking (or running or rowing) it out to one of these songs recommended by Steph Dietz, lead instructor at Cyc Fitness, an indoor-cycling studio chain.
“They�re perfect for intervals because they slowly build to the chorus, where the beat drops, picking up speed and intensity,” says Dietz. “Each song has about two or three HIIT interval builds.”
Trying to be a better runner? It’s not just about logging miles (although that certainly helps). The key to running strong and long also has a lot to do with shoring up your muscles, activating your core and back in addition to your lower body,�and keeping your movements fluid. To help do that, start incorporating these full-body strengthening�moves from Nike+ Run Club coach Julia Lucas to your routine three days a week, before or after a run. You’ll start noticing a difference in your strength in no time.
1. Planks
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Planks have long been considered one of the best exercises for your core. In addition to your abs, this move engages your back, quads, and hamstrings, making it a great full-body exercise for runners. To do it, get into the �up� part of a push-up, with palms�on the floor directly under shoulders and legs extended behind you, forming a straight�line from head to heels. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds, keeping abs tight. Do�2 or 3 sets.
Clamshells work your hips and glutes, parts of the body that runners regularly need to activate. To do them, start out by lying�on your side with legs stacked and knees bent at 45 degrees. Rest head on arm; place top hand on hip. With inside edges of feet touching, lift top knee as high as you can without shifting hips or pelvis. Pause; lower knee. Do 2 or 3 sets of 10 reps per side.
3. Side squats
Side squats are a great way to strengthen your outer highs, hips, and glutes. To do, stand with feet hip-width apart, hands on hips; squat. Stand; move left foot a step out. Squat again; step left foot in as you rise. Continue, alternating sides. Do 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side.
New research has found more evidence to suggest a positive link between exercise and depression, this time finding that children who exercise could benefit from a reduce risk of developing depression in the future.
Carried out by a team from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and University of Calgary researchers at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, the study is the first meta-analysis to examine the potential protective effect of childhood physical activity on depression later in life.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association 3.2 million children in Canada between the ages of 12 and 19 are at risk for developing depression.
A number of exercise intervention programs for children have been launched in recent years to support treatment for mental health issues, however current research shows large discrepancies on the effectiveness of exercise. Although some studies show strong support for physical activity’s effect on reducing depression, other studies show no relationship at all.
To look further into the validity of exercise interventions based on the existing evidence the team conducted a meta-analysis of 40 studies involving a total of 90,000 participants between the ages of eight and 19 years old. Study participants were healthy and had not been diagnosed with depression.
The team found a statistically significant association between increased physical activity and a lower risk of future depressive symptoms; however, the link was not as strong as they expected.
Explaining the results principal investigator, Dr. Daphne Korczak, said, “This suggests that physical activity is one factor, but that there are other factors that are important in determining a child’s risk for developing depression,” adding that factors such as having a family history of depression, particularly in a parent, or struggling at school academically or socially can all play a role.
Korczak added that further research looking at children with depression or examining the frequency, type or intensity of exercise would be useful in developing a better understanding of how physical activity affects the brain and the body to impact someone’s mood.
The Canadian Psychological Association recommends children and adolescents get 60 minutes of physical activity a day, but statistics published by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology suggest that only 15 percent of children (5 to 11 years) and five percent of adolescents (12 to 17 years) meet this recommended amount.
The study can be found online published in the journal Pediatrics.
Plantar fasciitis is a common affliction affecting many athletes, in particular runners. Adam Smith has written a great piece in the September issue of Sports Injury Bulletin outlining the relevant anatomy, how the injury occurs, how to differentiate from other similar pathologies, such as neural irritation in the tarsal tunnel, and finally how to manage it.
Speaking from experience as a former sufferer of plantar fasciitis, it can be a frustratingly recalcitrant condition and I have heard of some extreme measures to manage it. Read on for a story on the drastic measures an AFL player took to overcome the problem, and to understand more about the condition.
Many years ago an elite level AFL player had suffered a 2 year history of plantar fasciitis with no relief from any form of treatment. In the end the sports doctor at the club involved injected the plantar fascia origin with a corticosteroid injection the day before a game.
The hope was that as the plantar fascia weakened due to the steroid injection, the player would rupture it, go through the standard week rehab protocol, and then be pain free for ever more.
And yes, the player did rupture the plantar fascia during during the game and was consequently placed in a boot for about 10 days. He soon was walking, then running, and was playing again within four weeks with no more problems. The podiatrist made an orthotic to control the dropped arch and all the problems went away.
What has happened to that player now is anyone’s guess. He may now suffer from long term issues due to a poorly controlled arch that have caused other issues such as achilles tendon, knee pain and/or hip pain.
So do we really need the plantar fascia and why is it such a problem when it is injured?
Being bipedal (walking on two leg) animals, the plantar fascia gives the natural plantar arch support in weight bearing positions. It is a passive structure that acts like a high tension wire to keep the arch bones supinated as we push off.
Without a plantar fascia in place, we would need a better active system to create the arch support, such as the intrinsic plantar arch muscles, and also the extrinsic long arch support muscles such as the tibialis posterior, flexor hallucis longus (FHL) and the flexor digitorum longus (FDL). These muscles would need extra work to improve their arch control abilities. Alternatively, we could use a passive support mechanism in the form of an orthotic to control the arch position.
The majority of plantar fascia problems stem from a build up of tensile and compressive forces that degenerate the plantar fascia origin against the heel bone. The combination of tensile (stretch) force due to overpronation and the added compressive force as the plantar fascia is pushed against the heel bone leads to a pathological state whereby the plantar fascia degenerates and creates dysfunction and pain.
Therefore like other degenerative tendon issues (such as Achilles tendons) once the patient starts to feel pain often the injury has been building for months to years. Which explains why it then becomes so problematic to deal with.
Proper management takes time to not only correct the muscle imbalances that cause it � such as tight calves, poor hip control, poor pronation control � but due to its degenerative nature it requires a huge amount of time to even slightly change the existing pathology.
For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Additional Topics: What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic care is an well-known, alternative treatment option utilized to prevent, diagnose and treat a variety of injuries and conditions associated with the spine, primarily subluxations or spinal misalignments. Chiropractic focuses on restoring and maintaining the overall health and wellness of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, a chiropractor, or doctor of chiropractic, can carefully re-align the spine, improving a patient�s strength, mobility and flexibility.
IFM's Find A Practitioner tool is the largest referral network in Functional Medicine, created to help patients locate Functional Medicine practitioners anywhere in the world. IFM Certified Practitioners are listed first in the search results, given their extensive education in Functional Medicine
