Functional Performance Center, Author at Functional Performance Center

The Core Of It All

The core? What’s that? Well, in general, your core is the mid-section of your body, usually referred to as your trunk or abdominals. It’s the area ranging from your hips to your shoulder blades, often forgotten about, but extremely important for most movements. That’s because your core connects everything together. And has the additional job of keeping your spine protected and healthy. The core is like the central station of the body, it helps direct force and muscle activation in all directions, and when not working well, leads to problems throughout the system.

Now that we know what the core is, the next question is how do we strengthen this area? This is where you can get creative, coming up with a routine and plan that is right for you. Exercises like planks and crunches are probably more widely known core exercises. There are a countless number of others to incorporate. The main thing to remember is that the core works in multiple planes of motion, so it is important to strengthen the core in all of these planes too. Starting in a plane that is pain free is the best option, then branch out into others as tolerated. Begin with low repetitions and work into higher numbers as able.

Another thing to consider when exercising the core is mobility. If you are taking the time to strengthen the middle section, you should take the time to make sure the areas above and below are moving well. This means your upper back/shoulders and hips. Doing some stretches of these areas prior to working out your core, would be beneficial. Contact FPC to schedule an appointment. Happy exercising!

Stretches For Your Core

You can do 2-3 sets, 10-20 reps of each of the following stretches.

BFRT – Blood Flow Restriction Training

Blood flow restriction training (BFRT) is a form of exercise that utilizes a cuff or strap to reduce blood flow to a limb, thereby promoting a cascade of reactions at the cellular level, in an attempt to promote rehabilitation, recovery, and muscle growth. Although this technique has been around since the 1960s, it has more recently been researched as a widely used technique in the clinical setting. Ultimately, BFRT allows the participant to use low resistance or weight, and mimic gains seen when using high resistance and repetitions.

When used properly, the benefits of BFRT are many, with minimal negative effects. Programs can be customized to each person, based on evaluation findings and individual goals. This technique can be used early on in the recovery process, which can optimize outcomes of surgical procedures. As well as, enhance a person’s ability to compete in sport activity.

Dr. Iseler, at FPC, completed her certification in BFRT in 2021, and is excited to incorporate this technique into her practice. If interested in this technique, it will be determined if appropriate for an individual following an evaluation and an extensive health screening. Please reach out to our office for additional information or to schedule an evaluation.

Hand Hygiene & Health

Some things are always a good idea! Hand washing is one of them. It is always a good idea to maintain good hand hygiene! In times of infectious spread of illness, it’s the best idea! Do you know what’s awesome about hand hygiene? It’s easy to do! The poster with this post gives a quick glimpse on hand hygiene. If you follow its recommendations, you will be off to a great start. If you want to learn even more about hand hygiene, specifically in the healthcare setting, use the link provided to see the CDC’s full recommendations and statistical information on the subject.

https://www.cdc.gov/handhygiene/index.html

Hydration Nation

The Topic

Let’s talk about hydration! It’s common knowledge that staying well hydrated is a good thing and dehydration is a bad thing. But, do you know enough about this topic to avoid problems? For instance, when should you start taking in more fluids? What are the signs and symptoms of dehydration? When should you seek medical assistance? Knowing the answers to these questions could help you avoid trouble in this area.

The Good

It’s that time of year again. When the temperature starts to steadily increase and summer is on its way! What better time to learn about proper hydration and prevention of dehydration?

Let’s start with daily water intake. As a general guideline, Mayo Clinic recommends approximately 15.5 cups per day for men and 11.5 cups per day for women. This is a combination of all fluid intake for a day. Fluid intake can come from multiple sources! Water is the primary source, other beverages and food also contribute to overall intake. Keep in mind that this recommendation is a general guideline! There are multiple factors that can change these numbers. Activity level, environment, and health status, are just a few of these factors. In general, your fluid intake should increase if your output increases. For example, if you are in a hot environment, your water intake should increase to match the increased temperature. This will help prevent dehydration. Which brings with it certain risks. We will get to that next!

The Bad

Dehydration occurs when your fluid output is greater than your fluid input. When this happens, your body does not have enough water to perform its normal functions. As you can guess, this leads to problems! The tricky part is that your body does not tell you it is becoming dehydrated until the problem is there, which means you don’t feel thirsty until it’s too late. Once the problem is there, then your body lets you know about it, in the form of symptoms. There are multiple symptoms that can occur when you are dehydrated. Some of the symptoms of dehydration are fatigue, dizziness and confusion, less frequent urination, and extreme feeling of thirst. If these symptoms are severe, medical assistance may be needed to restore the body to normal function. Other times, dehydration can be self-treated with rest and increased fluid intake.

Wrap-up

The best way to treat dehydration is by preventing it altogether! This can be done by maintaining proper hydration! Seems simple, right? If you rarely feel thirsty and have light colored urine, you are probably well hydrated. Here are some helpful hints to maintain your hydration. It’s always a good idea to drink water before, during, and after physical activity. Drinking water with your meals is another easy way to help stay hydrated.

But wait, there’s more…..

To read more on this topic, visit the links provided, which give more information on proper fluid intake, general guidelines for various activities, conditions, and risks/dangers of dehydration for various populations.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086

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!