Freshman Emmanuel Korir earned a spot in the Men�s Watch List for The Bowerman Award.
The mid-distance runner is one of 10 men earning recognition on the list. Previously, Korir took up residence in the �Also Receiving Votes� section. This is the Iten, Kenya, native�s first out door recognition.
Korir gives UTEP its 17th Watch List mention in program history � which is the seventh most by a men�s program in the Bowerman Watch List history.
Korir turned at the UTEP Invitational when he clocked a time of 44.78 in the 400m on April 22. Less than one week later, Korir challenged Donavan Brazier�s year-old collegiate record at 800 meters. Korir negative split the race at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge in Berkley, Calif., and crossed the finish line in 1:43.73.
The Miners will be hosting Conference USA Championships on May 11-14 at Kidd Field. For ticket information please call, 915-747-5234.
Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Alexander Jimenez breaks down how pinched nerves cause back and neck pain.
You hear people say it a lot:
�I have a pinched nerve, and wow, it hurts.�
But what exactly is a pinched nerve? How does it cause back pain or neck pain? What are the symptoms of a pinched nerve�beyond pain? And most importantly, what can you do about a pinched nerve? Learn the basics of pinched nerves here.
Pinched Nerves: A Common Cause of Back & Neck Pain
What Is A Nerve?
Nerves are your body�s messengers. They transport signals to and from your brain�messages like �Move this toe� or �Ouch, that cactus needle really is sharp.� You have a central nervous system, which is made up of your brain and spinal cord. You also have a peripheral nervous system, which is the system of nerves that branches off the brain and spinal cord.
What Do Nerves Look Like?
If it helps, think of nerves like a garden hose (except they aren�t green). They have an outside membrane that transports those electrical messages. Inside nerves, there�s a fluid that nourishes and replenishes the outer membrane.
You�re Getting on My Nerves
When a nerve gets pinched, the messages and the nourishing fluid don�t flow quite as well as they should (still helpful to think of a garden hose here). A pinched nerve can start sending the �Ow, pain� message to the brain, and it can also have trouble communicating clear messages, possibly leading to weakness, numbness, or tingling.
What Can Pinch a Nerve?
As a nerve exits the spinal canal, it can be pinched by a herniated disc or a bone spur. Bone spurs, also known as osteophytes, are bony bumps that can develop on a spinal joint over time. They can push into the spinal nerve, as you can see in this illustration (red = pain generator, of course).
What Does a Pinched Nerve Feel Like?
A pinched nerve mostly feels like pain. If you have a pinched nerve in your low back, it can cause pain to travel (or radiate, in doctor-speak) down your leg. You may also know that as sciatica. A pinched nerve in the neck can create pain that shoots down your arm. Other symptoms of pinched nerves include muscle spasms, burning, tingling, and a hot/cold sensation.
Now the Good Stuff: Pinched Nerve Treatments
Pinched nerve treatments fall into two categories: what you can do at home (self-care) and what your doctor may prescribe for you.
Pinched Nerve Self-care #1: Heat and Ice
Heat and ice can work wonders on a pinched nerve. Switch between 20 minutes of heat and 20 minutes of ice�and remember that you shouldn�t put the heat and ice packs directly on your skin.
Pinched Nerve Self-care #2: Get a Massage
The muscles around a pinched nerve can become tight, so having a professional massage therapist work the painful area can bring pain relief. You may also consider a handheld massager.
Pinched Nerve Self-care #3: Take a Walk
Let�s say it�s your low back�a pinched nerve in your low back�that�s hurting you. A nice, easy stroll is a good way to stay active and address your pain. Gone are the days of extended bed rest for back pain: doctors now are more likely to recommend you exercise and stretch to help relieve your pain.
When Should You Call a Doctor?
If you try the self-care thing and yet your pinched nerve pain persists, you should consider calling the doctor. If you�ve been in pain for more than a couple of days, schedule an appointment. You should also call the doctor if you experience a very sudden onset of weakness, or if you experience profound numbness. Losing bowel and/or bladder control is also a good reason to call the doctor.
How a Doctor Treats a Pinched Nerve
The doctor will try to diagnose the cause of your pinched nerve, and then the doctor will be able to develop a treatment plan. That plan may include prescription pain medications, physical therapy, or cortisone injections. But keep this in mind: the treatment plan will be specifically tailored for you, and it�s in your best interest to follow it closely.
Anyone who’s tried Zumba knows what a fun, heart-pumping workout it is. Thanks to the lively music and challenging dance moves, these classes help burn calories and strengthen your body from head to toe. But before Zumba classes started appearing everywhere, there was samba reggae. This music genre (which combines Brazilian samba with Jamaican reggae) originated in Bahia, Brazil.
And of course, what’s music without some dancing? It’s no surprise this upbeat music gave rise to a style of dance with a similar name. Samba reggae is upbeat, fun, freeing, and all about connecting with your body and the rhythm of the music.
Ready to rock this dance for yourself? In this video, dance teacher Quenia Ribeiro of the renowned dance school Ailey Extension demonstrates an easy-to-follow samba reggae workout to get your heart pumping and body flowing. Just hit play and follow-along.
Chiropractor, Dr. Alexander Jimenez gives insights into the most common questions about whiplash.
What Is Whiplash?
Whiplash, although not technically a medical term, can be quite painful and is quite serious. We call it whiplash because, within an accident, your neck actually can whip back and forth�first backward (hyperextension) and then forwards (hyperflexion). Doctors call whiplash a neck sprain or strain. Whiplash is an injury to the soft tissues of your neck and upper back that occurs when ligaments and your muscles get overstretched in the strength of an accident.
What Causes Whiplash?
The most common source of whiplash is car accidents. Nonetheless, you can even get whiplash from a sports injury or a fall. It’s also possible to get whiplash when you are hit or shaken.
What Are Some Non-Surgical Ways To Take Care Of Whiplash?
Time is just one of the greatest non surgical treatment options for whiplash. Most instances of whiplash recover by themselves to some months in several weeks. Your doctor may also indicate: wearing a cervical collar, cervical traction, chiropractic adjustment, physical therapy, and pain drugs as you heal.
Will I Need Surgery?
Patients with whiplash quite, very rarely need surgery. If, nevertheless, you’ve been through wide-ranging non-operative treatments and also you have pain, surgery may be considered by you. There are several kinds of surgery useful for whiplash
Corpectomy:
Sometimes whiplash induces the spinal canal to narrow because of how a soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, and tendons) and bones moved throughout the first injury. By removing area of the vertebra and the intervertebral disc using a corpectomy, the surgeon is wanting to make more room in your spinal canal.
Discectomy:
The surgeon will remove section of the intervertebral disc, which may be pressing on your own spinal cord or alternative nerves and causing pain. Sometimes, the surgeon will have to do a spinal fusion at the same time as the discectomy. The fusion plans to permanently stabilize that region of your spine, although not everyone who has a discectomy will need a fusion.
Foraminotomy:
As with a corpectomy, a surgeon uses a foraminotomy to make more room for your nerves that could have gotten pinched and compressed throughout the harm. In this process, the foramina (the place where the nerve roots leave the spinal canal) is removed to boost the size of the nerve pathway.
Boxing is all the rage right now—everyone from models like Gigi Hadid and Ashley Graham to celebs like J.Lo and Demi Lovato have picked up the powerful workout as their go-to way to stay fit. And they’re definitely on to something. Boxing is great way to up your heart rate and tone your body from head to toe.
It’s no coincidence that so many people who love boxing rock killer physiques. Boxing (as well as the challenging conditioning work that goes along with training) strengthens and sculpts the entire body. That’s because boxing isn’t just about aggressively throwing punches—it’s an amazing total-body workout that tightens and tones everything from your arms to your core.
That said, stepping into a boxing gym or class can be a bit intimidating if you’re a total newbie. So Health teamed up with two-time boxing world champion Chris Algieri to get the lowdown on must-know boxing basics. Watch this video to learn everything from how to get in fighter stance, throw a 1-2 punch (also known as a jab-cross), and master other classic moves, such as upper cuts and hooks. Whether you’re a boxing novice or just looking to perfect your form, here’s what you need to know for a total knockout workout.
The Conference USA champion UTEP men�s golf team learned on Thursday morning that it will be one of eight squads participating in the Sammamish (Wash.) NCAA Regional May 15-17.� The regional will be contested at the Aldarra Golf Club with 54-hole stroke play as the format.
�I think it could be a great place for us to go,� UTEP coach Scott Lieberwirth said.� �We haven�t been out to that golf course, and I don�t think many teams have.� [Regional host] Washington has never hosted an event out there, so it�s going to be a new experience for any team besides Washington.� I think that�s good in that we don�t have any teams with an advantage over another.� I think it bodes well for us going back to cool season grass, something that most of our team has grown up with and is familiar with.� I think that�s a definite positive for us.�
UTEP is seeded eighth in the regional and will be joined by top seed USC, no. 2 seed Kent State, no. 3 seed Texas A&M, no. 4 seed Florida State, no. 5 seed Washington, no. 6 seed Alabama, no. 7 seed San Diego State, no. 9 seed Penn State, no. 10 seed Michigan, no. 11 seed Michigan State, no. 12 seed Seattle, no. 13 seed Marquette and no. 14 seed Bryant.
�That�s maybe the drawback of going to this region in that at least in the top five lines, it�s statistically the toughest region having #1 [USC], #12 [Kent State] and #13 [Texas A&M] in that field,� Lieberwirth said.� �We have seen USC.� They are awesome.� We know Texas A&M has had an extremely strong year.� Washington, the host, is also very dangerous, especially on their home golf course.� Alabama has come back and played really well later on this spring.� We will definitely have our hands full.�
A total of 81 teams earned NCAA Regional bids and are disbursed among six regionals.� The top five teams in each regional will advance to the NCAA Championship at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. May 26-31.
�In the end, it is going to come down to how we execute and if we do a good job of that, I think we are going to position ourselves to get to the championship,� Lieberwirth said.� �There�s nothing different.� It�s still the same game we have played all year.� The stakes are higher so it�s about managing our options, not getting ahead of ourselves and being patient, moreso this tournament than in any other tournament we�ll play.�
UTEP is participating in NCAA Regionals for the 14th time, and the first time since 2004.� The Miners are tying to advance to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1995.
�I�ll tell our guys to have fun.� We don�t really have anything to lose at this point,� Lieberwirth said. ��There are some higher ranked teams that sometimes play with a lot of pressure because of an expectation of getting to the national championship.� We need to just go play golf and forget about any expectation. �We�ll add the scores up at the end.� And I think we do a pretty good job of that as a team in general, not really looking at leaderboards, not looking at where we�re placed, let�s just play well for us and if we have a good tournament, we�re going to be in that mix.�
Researchers say they’ve found an enzyme in mice associated with obesity and a loss of exercise capacity in midlife, suggesting that the discovery could eventually lead to new weight-loss medications.
The team at the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) gave one group of mice a drug that inhibits the activity of the enzyme called DNA-PK. Another group of mice wasn’t given the drug. Both groups were fed a high-fat diet.
The group that received the inhibitor had 40 percent less weight gain than the other group, according to the study in the journal Cell Metabolism.
The findings challenge current ideas about why people gain weight as they age, the researchers said.
“Our society attributes the weight gain and lack of exercise at midlife [approximately 30-60 years] primarily to poor lifestyle choices and lack of willpower,” said study lead author Dr. Jay Chung, head of the institute’s Laboratory of Obesity and Aging Research.
The researchers said the average weight gain between age 20 and 50 is about 30 pounds, even though the amount of food a person consumes generally decreases during this time.
Chung and his colleagues looked for biochemical changes in animals during midlife and found that DNA-PK increases in activity with age. Also, the researchers said the enzyme helps the conversion of nutrients to fat.
“This study shows that there is a genetic program driven by an overactive enzyme that promotes weight gain and loss of exercise capacity at midlife,” Chung said in a NHLBI news release.
“Our studies indicate that DNA-PK is one of the drivers of the metabolic and fitness decline that occurs during aging, which makes staying lean and physically fit difficult and increases susceptibility to metabolic diseases like diabetes. The identification of this new mechanism is very important for improving public health,” he said.
Obesity is linked with a number of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
“The study opens the door to the development of a new type of weight-loss medication that could work by inhibiting DNA-PK activity,” Chung said.
However, it’s important to note that research that seems promising in animals doesn’t always translate well to humans.
For now, middle-aged people fighting obesity need to focus on calorie reduction and increased exercise, the researchers recommended.
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What Causes Whiplash?
