by Dr Alex Jimenez | Agility & Speed, Mobility & Flexibility, Power & Strength, Sports Injuries
A common soccer move — bouncing the ball off of the head — may not be as harmless to the brain as has been thought, new research suggests.
A study of more than 200 adult amateur soccer players of both genders found that regularly “heading” the ball, as well as suffering accidental hits to the head, significantly boosted a player’s risk of concussion.”The prevailing wisdom is that routine heading in soccer is innocuous and we need only worry about players when they have unintentional head collisions,” study leader Dr. Michael Lipton, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, said in a college news release.”But our study suggests that you don’t need an overt collision to warrant this type of concern,” said Lipton. He is professor of radiology, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Einstein.Another concussion expert who reviewed the findings agreed.Soccer Athletes at Risk
The study “seems to provide additional evidence that such practices within the game of soccer can put athletes at risk for traumatic brain injury,” said Dr. Jamie Ullman. She directs neurotrauma at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y.Much of the research into sports-related concussions has concentrated on high-impact sports, such as football or hockey. But head trauma experts have long known that other sports — including soccer and rugby — might carry risks, too.In prior studies, Lipton said his team found that “30 percent of soccer players who’d had more than 1,000 headings per year had a higher risk of microstructural changes in the brain’s white matter, typical of traumatic brain injury, and worse cognitive performance.”Exploring the issue further, the new study focused on online questionnaires answered by 222 adult amateur soccer club players in the New York City area, both male and female. All had played soccer at least six months during the prior year.Men averaged 44 headers in two weeks, the survey found, while women averaged 27. One or more accidental head impacts, such as a ball hitting the back of the head or a head colliding with another player’s knee, were reported by 43 percent of women and 37 percent of men.Players who regularly headed the ball were three times more likely to have concussion symptoms than those who didn’t head the ball often, Lipton’s team reported.Players who suffered accidental head impacts two or more times within a two-week span were six times more likely to have concussion symptoms than those without accidental head impacts, the findings showed.Of those who headed the ball or reported accidental head impacts, 20 percent had moderate to severe concussion symptoms, according to the report.Of the seven players with very severe symptoms, six had two or more unintentional head impacts over two weeks, four were among those who headed the ball the most, and three were in the group that headed the ball second-most.Lipton stressed that the findings cannot be generalized to child, teen or professional soccer players.Still, “our findings certainly indicate that heading is more than just a ‘sub-concussive’ impact, and that heading-related concussions are common,” Lipton said. “We need to give people who have these injuries proper care and make efforts to prevent multiple head impacts, which are particularly dangerous.”That means watching out for symptoms, he added.”Many players who head the ball frequently are experiencing classic concussion symptoms — such as headache, confusion and dizziness — during games and practice, even though they are not actually diagnosed with concussion,” Lipton explained.”Concussion sufferers should avoid additional collisions or head impacts during the following days or weeks, when their risk of incurring a second concussion is extremely high,” he said. “Because these injuries go unrecognized and unmanaged, there may be important clinical consequences for the short and long term.”Dr. Salman Azhar is a neurologist and director of stroke services at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He said the new findings are in accordance with prior studies, and the odds for concussion appeared to rise along with the frequency of head impacts.”The chance of having moderate-to-severe symptoms increased when the unintentional heading went from just one per two-week period to two per two-week period,” Azhar noted.The study was initially published online Feb. 1 in the journal Neurology.
For more information, ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900
Presented By:
Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C.,C.C.S.T
Spinal Trauma Specialist
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Athletes, Power & Strength, PUSH-as-Rx
Walk into any gym or health club and you�ll find people exercising�their core. Core training has�taken the world by storm, and for good reason, as every DC knows. Strengthening the�core creates stability and better movement and helps prevent lower back pain. To help patients get the most from�their efforts, it�s important they understand what they�re doing. You can explain the difference between the local and global muscles, as I�ve outlined�below, and help your patients�perform core work safely and effectively.
What Is the Core?
I like to tell patients that their core is a shorthand way of referring to all the muscles of their�lower back/pelvis/hip area. It�s where your center of gravity is located and where movement begins. A strong core stabilizes the spine and pelvis and supports you as you move. The core has 29 pairs of muscles that�fall into two categories:
��Local Muscles. Patients can think�of local muscles as the deeper muscles, the ones close to the�spine and responsible for stabilization.�They don�t have much ability to move the�joints. The local muscles are further broken down into primary and secondary categories. The primary local muscles are the transverse abdominus and multifidi (the two most critical muscles for providing stability). The secondary local muscles are the internal obliques, quadratus lumborum, diaphragm and pelvic floor muscles.
��Global Muscles.�The global muscles are the outermost layer of muscle�they�re the ones you can feel through your skin. They�re responsible for moving joints. The global muscles in the core are the rectus abdominus, external obliques, erector spinae, psoas major and iliocostalis.
The core should operate as an integrated functional unit, with the local and global muscles working together to allow easy, smooth, pain-free movement. When the muscles work together optimally, each component distributes, absorbs and transfers forces. The kinetic chain of motion functions efficiently when you do something dynamic, like exercise or run.
Core Injury
An injury to one of the core muscles usually means an episode of lower back pain for your patient. When that happens, the deep stabilizers change how they work as a way to compensate for the injury and protect the area. The stabilizers now have delayed action; they�re turned on only after you move, instead of as you move. Because now they�re not functioning as they should, the�brain recruits the�global muscles to compensate. That causes a core imbalance. The result: pain in the lower back, pelvis and glutes (the big muscles you sit on).
Exercises designed to help get patients� core muscles back in balance are the best way to prevent re-injury and avoid lower back pain. Traditional abdominal exercises are often recommended to strengthen the global muscles. These exercises can actually increase pressure on the lower spine. Similarly, traditional lower back hyperextension exercises meant to stretch out the lower spine also may actually increase pressure on it. A better approach to preventing lower back pain is restoring stability with the core exercises below.
Abdominal Brace
The abdominal brace activates all the contracting muscles in the abdominal wall, without involving the nearby obliques and rectus muscles. This exercise strengthens the connection between the global muscles and the deep local muscles. This helps restore the balance between them and improves spinal stiffness.
To get an idea of how the muscles in your core work, place your thumbs in the small of your back on either side of your spine. Next, do a hip hinge: bend forward from the hips about 15 degrees. You should feel the muscles in your lower back move as you bend and stand back up again.
To do the brace, stand upright and suck in your stomach, as if you were about to get punched. Hold hat for 10 seconds, then relax. Repeat 20 times; do three sets.
You�ll know you�re doing the brace correctly if you poke your extended fingertips right into your side below your ribs and then brace. You should feel the muscles move under your fingertips.
Curl-Ups
Curl-ups train the rectus abdominus, the long abdominal muscle that runs vertically from your breastbone all the way down on both sides of your bellybutton.
Start by lying on your back with your hands palm-up beneath your lower back. Bend one leg and put the foot flat on the floor; extend the other leg. Hold your head and neck stiffly locked onto your ribcage�imagine them as one unit. Lift your head and shoulders slightly off the floor by three or four inches and hold that position for 20 seconds. Your elbows should touch the floor while you do this. Relax and gently lie back again. Repeat 10 times. Switch legs and repeat 10 times gain. Do three sets.
Tip: If your patient has�neck discomfort doing this, have them push their�tongue against the roof of the�mouth�to help�stabilize the neck muscles.
Side Bridge
The side bridge, also called the side plank, trains the quadratus lumborum, lateral obliques, and transverse abdominus muscles, all local muscles that help stabilize the�spine.
Start by lying on your side. Place your top leg in front of your bottom leg (the heel of your top foot should touch the toe of the bottom foot). Raise your body using the down-side shoulder and elbow. Cap the opposite shoulder with your free hand. Hold for as long as you can, aiming for 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat.
Bird Dog
This exercise is great for training the back extensors, including the longissimus, iliocostalis and multifidii.
Start on your hands and knees (quadruped position). Raise and extend the opposite arm and leg simultaneously, like a dog pointing to where the bird is. �Hold or eight seconds, then return to the quadruped position. Repeat eight times, then switch arms and legs and repeat for eight reps. Do three sets.
Conclusion
All the muscles of the�core must work together to produce efficient and effective movement. The core is the center of the�body�s motion�training it is a critical part of any exercise routine. Teaching your�patients proper technique for core training will result in�big benefits for them now and in the future.
Share this Core Strengthening guide with patients, courtesy of WebExercises
Sourced through Scoop.it from: Dr. Alex Jimenez
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Walk into any gym or health club and you�ll find people exercising�their core. Core training has�taken the world by storm, and for good reason, as every DC knows. Strengthening the�core creates stability, better movement and helps prevent lower back pain.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Athletes, Power & Strength, PUSH-as-Rx
Strength training and building strong muscles can help an individual lose weight. Exercising in general is a great way to burn calories and improve fitness levels but, muscle tissue can burn as many as 15 times more calories per day than fat tissue, including during rest.
Building strong muscles can also help protect an individual�s joints, especially the back.�when the muscles are stronger, the body places less pressure on the joints and connective tissue during physical activities, including exerting activities such as weight lifting. Building strong muscles to relieve strain on the joints is also essential for preventing and/or treating arthritis. Also, building stronger muscles can help improve an individual�s posture.
Strength training and building stronger muscles is also healthy for the heart. Muscle tissue is able to perform with less amounts of oxygen, in other words, the heart doesn�t need to pump harder when being active.�Additionally, building strong muscles can be good for managing blood pressure.
Strength training can greatly benefit individuals as they age, helping to prevent injury or certain conditions. As we age, the body undergoes natural physical changes, such as degeneration of the joints, causing the development of certain health conditions, such as a degeneration of the spine or arthritis.
Building strong muscles through strength training is essential towards maintaining overall health, fitness, and wellness.
By learning how to participate in strength training workouts, a majority of individuals can ultimately benefit from their body�s natural functions in order to prevent, improve, and maintain, their ideal fitness goals.
Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C.,C.C.S.T�s insight:
Strength training is a type of exercise which specializes in resistance training to build muscle strength and size as well as increase endurance. Besides building strong muscles, strength training offers several other benefits for both men and women, and especially for people above the age of 50. For individuals seeking to improve their overall health, fitness, and wellness, strengthening their muscles should be a top priority. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.
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