Stretches/Exercises Archives - Functional Performance Center

New Year, New Routines

Where to start?

It’s the beginning of a new year! It’s time to set new goals, make a plan to meet them, and then go after them. If any of these goals involve increasing your physical activity or continuing an established physical routine, there are several things to keep in mind. The first is, are you safe to begin physical activity. If you have had a major illness or injury in the past year, you should get clearance from a medical professional before starting regular physical activity. Do you have a nagging ache or pain, that you are worried will worsen with activity? Getting an evaluation from a physical therapist to identify specific deficits and make a personalized plan for you could be the answer!

Things to consider.

Before starting physical activity, it is important to warm-up the body properly. This can be done with active stretching. By making stretches active, you begin to promote motor memory to the muscle, which in turn allows for proper functioning of the muscle during exercise. It is vital to stretch the areas that you are going to be working. So lower extremities, for leg work-outs, and upper extremities for arm work-outs. It does not hurt, however, to stretch both areas, even if you aren’t working those areas out on a particular day. Below are some pictures of basic stretches for the upper and lower body.

Another thing to keep in mind when beginning a new physical activity is moderation. For example, if you haven’t been doing a certain exercise or activity in awhile or ever, do just 10-20 minutes to start. Then, build onto your time as your body gets used to it. Don’t add a lot of new activities all at once, if something bothers you, then you won’t know which thing caused the issue. Start with one or two things and add more on each day or week. Start with low weights or repetitions and increase slowly. This way, you don’t strain or stress any tissues in excess. Lastly, don’t get worried if you are very sore after starting a new activity. It takes time for the muscles to get used to being used in a new way. Soreness is a good sign that you worked the muscles well.

Make it personal!

Whether you are beginning a new physical routine or continuing a previous one, injuries can occur. The best way to treat an injury, is prevent it from happening in the first place. Having a professional, such as a physical therapist, evaluate your movement could do just that! Here at Functional Performance Center, we can analyze your movement, to determine areas that may need more mobility or strength. Then, we can create a plan to address any findings, that is personalized to you! We look forward to helping you in 2020. Happy new year to all!

Let’s get active!

Start with thumb on end of stick/bat/golf club, with same foot forward. Shift weight onto front foot and use bottom arm to push lead arm up to ear, keep elbow straight. Return to starting position, repeat 15-20 times, then switch arms. Perform 2-3 sets per side. This will help improve shoulder mobility and shoulder blade rhythm.

Standing in doorway, put arm on frame at shoulder height, with same foot forward. Shift weight forward, driving chest straight ahead, until stretch is felt in front of shoulder and chest. Return to starting position, repeat 15-20 times, then switch to other side. Perform 2-3 sets per side. This will help to improve muscle length and improve mobility in shoulder and shoulder blade.

Begin with one foot on edge of chair or bench. Then, drive hips forward, keeping weight in back leg, going forward until you feel a stretch in the front of your hip. Return to starting position and repeat. Perform 15-20 times, 2-3 sets on each leg. This will stretch the lower extremities and improve hip mobility. Remember, safety first. If your balance is compromised, stand at edge of counter or at wall for upper extremity support.

Sitting or standing at edge of bed, leg straight out in front of body, lean forward until stretch is felt in back of leg, then rotate entire leg back and forth (like a windshield wiper). Rotate 20 times, switch legs, performing 2-3 set per leg. This will actively stretch your hamstring muscles. Do not progress to standing stretch until confident balance is adequate to maintain position without falling.

With hands on wall, bring one leg forward and rotate it from side to side, keeping knee in line with belly button. Rotate 20 times, switch legs, and repeat. Perform 2-3 sets on each leg. This will stretch the muscles in the calf. If you don’t feel a mild to moderate stretch, move stance leg back farther from wall.

Foam Rolling: Do or Don’t

Why you should care!

Have you ever finished a workout and felt great! Then, hours later or the next day you are so sore it’s hard to move? Did you know there is a term for this feeling? It’s called delayed onset muscle soreness. Although it isn’t fun to have, it is a good indicator that you worked your muscles really hard, which is good for your strength. If there were a way to reduce this problem before it started, wouldn’t you want to know about it? Well, there is something that can help!

What can foam rolling do?

Foam rolling has been shown to effectively reduce delayed onset muscle soreness. In multiple studies foam rolling after bouts of physical activity, reduced muscle soreness and improved passive and dynamic range of motion. Meaning muscles didn’t get as tight! This happened because foam rolling affected the neural responses in connective tissues. Want to learn how to foam roll yet?

What to do next?

Below are some basic foam rolling techniques to use after a workout or physically demanding activity, such as house or yard work. If you find that these are helpful, let us know! If you feel you may benefit from a full evaluation to determine a more personalized routine, contact us to set up an appointment today!

Let’s roll!

Start sitting on floor with foam roller behind ankle. Roll on top of foam roller moving it from behind ankle up to knee. Continue rolling between these two areas for 20-30 seconds, then switch legs and repeat. Perform 2-4 sets on each leg.

Start laying on side with hip on top of foam roller. Roll from hip down to side of knee. Continue rolling between these two areas for 20-30 seconds, then switch legs and repeat. Perform 2-4 sets on each leg.

Start sitting on top of foam roller with leg crossed over. Lean to side of leg that is crossed over, putting weight onto buttocks. Roll from bottom of buttock to top of hip. Continue rolling between these two areas for 20-30 seconds, then switch sides and repeat. Perform 2-4 sets on each side.

Swing Those Hips

Why is this important?

Do you enjoy playing sports such as golf, baseball, tennis, or racquetball? If you do, you may have had a time you didn’t perform as well as you wanted. But, you are unsure how to improve other than playing more often. Or, maybe, you experienced pain during or after you played. Low back pain is common in swinging sports. One study found that low back pain was the most commonly occurring injury in golf, with up to 36% of golfers experiencing it. Whether you have or haven’t experienced this, the information below could help you!

How the hips work

In any sport, there are many moving parts, which all must come together correctly to have success. For example, if you are swinging a golf club or a bat, not only do you have to transfer your weight from one leg to the other, you have to stabilize your trunk while you rotate, and all of this is to bring your upper body and arms through smoothly to make contact with the ball. This sounds like a lot, because it is a lot! And, at any given point during that motion something can go wrong, causing failure and possible injury. One such area, which was previously mentioned is the low back. There are several ways to address this type of pain. One of those, is to address why the back was injured in the first place, and correct that error.

What you can do

In physical therapy, we specialize in the area of examining and evaluating movement. We do this to find what areas are moving to little or too much, and which muscle groups require more strength to improve or maintain such motions. For example, if your hip mobility is limited on one side or both, this can lead to over rotation through the lumbar spine, which is a contributor to back pain. The stretches and exercises below are the beginning of a much larger program to improve functional mobility and strength throughout the body. If you, or someone you know, has had problems in the past with an injury, or recently sustained one, please contact our office and set up an appointment to be evaluated!

Stretch those hips!

Begin with one foot on edge of chair or bench. Then, drive hips forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the hip. Return to starting position and repeat. Perform 15-20 times, 2-3 sets on each leg. This will stretch the lower extremities and improve hip mobility. Remember, safety first. If your balance is compromised, stand at edge of counter or at wall for upper extremity support.

Sitting or standing at edge of bed, leg straight out in front of body, lean forward until stretch is felt in back of leg, then rotate leg back and forth (like a windshield wiper). Rotate 20 times, switch legs, performing 2-3 set per leg. This will actively stretch your hamstring muscles. Do not progress to standing stretch until confident balance is adequate to maintain position without falling.

Work those hips!

Start with your foot approximately 2-3 feet away from wall, with arm on wall for support. Lift inside leg up and move hips towards the wall. Touch both hip and knee to the wall at the same time, return to start position and repeat. Do this 10-15 times, then repeat on other side. This exercise will help improve hip mobility and increase hip and core strength. As you master the exercise, move foot farther from the wall to increase difficulty.

Standing at edge of countertop, reach foot across your body and tap your toe, sticking your hip out to the side as you do so, return to starting position, repeat 10-20 times, then switch sides. Perform 2-3 sets on each leg. Put hands on countertop for balance when beginning exercise, progress to hands overhead as balance improves. This exercise will help improve hip mobility, strengthen your legs, and improve single leg balance.

Sweet Summertime, Not So Sweet Shoulder Injuries

Overview

Summertime brings several things to mind; sunshine, barbecues, and baseball. Whether it is tee ball, club ball, little league, or major league, games are happening almost every day. One thing every player learns to do at a young age is throw the ball. Unfortunately, even with perfect mechanics, injuries occur. This can be due to many different things. One problem is overuse of the throwing arm. Another is improper warm-up, resulting in strains, sprains, and tears of upper extremity structures. These types of injuries don’t only happen when throwing. For example, swinging a bat, tennis racquet, or golf club can result in injury to the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand. The best idea is to avoid such injuries before they occur!

Shoulder Injury at a Glance

There are several simple things you can do to help prevent upper extremity problems during throwing and swinging activities. The first is maintaining adequate scapulothoracic range of motion and rhythm. That’s right, our bones have rhythms! That is, bones have certain patterns they are meant to move through, and when that rhythm is off, problems can arise. So, making sure that we incorporate exercises and stretches that improve the motion of the entire shoulder complex, both scapulothoracic and glenohumeral, are very important. By doing this, one can also take stress away from the elbow. Secondly, you should always strengthen your body in its full range of motion. If you want your body to function properly in all positions, then you have to train that way too. With throwing and swinging sports in particular, this means strengthening in overhead planes and at end points of reaching and pulling.

How to Treat

The stretches and exercises listed below are a good start to improving upper extremity mobility and strength. While performing them, make note of differences from side to side, and ranges of motion that are most difficult. These are indicators of areas that might need additional work. If you feel you may benefit from a more thorough evaluation and individualized exercise program, please contact our office, at (480) 968-2020 or to email us click here. We are happy to help get you back onto the court or field!

Stretches & Exercises

Start with arm extended fully out, opposite foot forward. Stand tall and pull band back to hip, keeping elbow straight throughout. Return to starting position, repeat 15-20 times, then switch to other side. Perform 2-3 sets per side. This exercise with help strengthen the muscles in the shoulder complex.

Start with dumbbell or light weight at shoulder, same foot forward. Step up onto step, pushing weight straight overhead, and then back, with thumb facing back the whole time. Return to starting position, repeat 15-20 times, then switch to other side. Perform 2-3 sets per side. If balance is limited, do not use step, safety first. This exercise will help strengthen the muscles in your shoulder.

Treating Ankle Pain & Instability

By Brooke Iseler, PT, DPT

Have you ever rolled your ankle while playing sports? Maybe you were walking on uneven ground, or just going up/down stairs at home? Ankle sprains happen a lot! Some studies show upwards of 70% of active individuals experience an ankle injury during their lifetime. Of these, most experience reoccurring injuries to the same ankle. When this happens, damage can occur to the tissues around the ankle. In turn, leading to deficits in mobility and strength of the ankle and lower extremity as a whole. These deficits may prevent full participation in desired activities. Does this sound familiar to you?

The ankle is a complex joint – consisting of multiple bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. All of these have to function correctly for proper biomechanics during activity. If any one component is damaged, lower extremity movements patterns can be altered. As the foot and ankle are the first to take impact during weight bearing activity, this can lead to dysfunction at the foot/ankle or further up the chain at the knee, hip, or even back. The severity of ankle injuries can differ greatly. Even a mild injury can result in long-lasting deficits and dysfunction.

If you have had an ankle injury recently, or in the past, the stretches and exercises below may help improve any remaining symptoms. If you find these to be helpful, or more difficult than you expected, you may benefit from further evaluation to determine if formal physical therapy could get you back to 100%. Please give us a call at (480)968-2020 or email us, if you would like to schedule an appointment with one of our professionals. We are happy to help get you back on your feet

With hands on wall, bring one leg forward and rotate it from side to side, keeping knee in line with belly button. Rotate 20 times, switch legs, and repeat. Perform 2-3 sets on each leg. This will stretch the muscles in the calf. If you don’t feel a mild to moderate stretch, move stance leg back farther from wall.

Begin with one foot on edge of chair or bench. Then, drive hips forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the hip. Return to starting position and repeat. Perform 15-20 times, 2-3 sets on each leg. This will stretch the lower extremities and improve hip mobility. Remember, safety first. If your balance is compromised, stand at edge of counter or at wall for upper extremity support.

Standing in doorway, using frame for support, reach back and tap toe out to right, return to starting position, then reach and tap toe straight back, return to starting position, lastly reach back and tap toe out to left. Perform 15 taps per leg, repeat for 2-3 sets. This will help strengthen the muscles in your leg and hip, improving stability as well.

Begin standing on one foot with hands overhead. Reach other heel forward, tap on ground, reaching back with arms as you do. Return to starting position, repeat 15-20 times, switch legs and repeat 2-3 times on each leg. If you have pain or lose balance quickly, perform in doorway and hold onto frame for support. This exercise will improve lower extremity strength and stability, as well as increase ankle range of motion.