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[livelifeactivetm-blog]

Will Run For Gin sweatshirt on its way to a gin loving runner!

[vansportsandphysio-blog]

DYNAMIC WARM UPS

Going for a jog on a regular basis is a great way to maintain your health in a number of different ways. Running can keep your cardio-vascular system healthy and also improve your body’s overall stamina. Running on a regular basis will also keep you feeling energetic throughout the day and will go a long way towards helping you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Part of what keeps runners fit and healthy has a lot to do with their warm up and cool down routines. Giving your body time to warm up before a run and cool down after you finish is extremely beneficial for your health and conditioning. A good warm up/cool down routine can go a long way towards keeping your body injury-free, and will help you get the most out of your work out. If you are unsure what type of warm up and cool down methods will work best, you may want to try a few of the techniques described below.

Warm Ups

Your warm up is important to your entire running routine because it is the best way to prepare your body for the intensity of your work out. A good warm up will do a few things for you and your body. First, you will speed up your heart rate as well as your breath rate which will increase the blood flow throughout your body, allowing oxygen to more easily reach your muscles and prevent you from cramping up during the run. A good warm up will also stimulate your muscles and help to remove tightness you may be experiencing to allow for a greater range of motion as your run intensifies. You’ll want to target the muscle groups involved in a running motion in your warm up. These are the muscle groups that will be repeatedly stressed and will be working hard to get your body moving and keep you going. There are many ways to get warmed up before a run, and some of the best methods are known as

Dynamic Warm-ups, which include: • Walking Lunges • High Kicks • Knee Highs • Arm Circles • Hip Rotations/Leg Swings • Butt kicks

It is important to incorporate some form of dynamic stretching into your warm up routine to avoid straining or over-working any of the muscle groups that will be used the most during your runs.

Cool Down

After you have finished your run, it is equally important to incorporate some static stretches into your cool down routine. Unlike the dynamic stretches from your warm up that keep your body moving while you loosen up your muscles, static stretches are done from a stationary position. Performing static stretches, along with a few other beneficial cool down techniques will keep your body from feeling stiff and sore later on, prevent more serious injuries, improve your flexibility and will flush out lactic acid remaining in your muscles. Try incorporating some of these techniques in your cool down routine: • Static Stretching (hamstrings, quads, calves) • Walking or Slow Jog • Foam Rolling • Deep Breathing • Rehydrate (Water, Juice, Fruit)

As one of the best physiotherapy clinics in downtown Vancouver, we understand how important a quality work out is to people, whether they are training as an athlete, or are just focused on achieving their own fitness goals. That is why Van Sports & Physiotherapy is ready to deliver individualized assessments and treatments for each of our clients, and provide them with fitness tips and techniques like these that will fit their lifestyle. In addition, we have a highly skilled team of Vancouver’s top physiotherapy experts who will provide the very best physio care to quickly help you heal.

For more information about how we can help you get to the top of your game, feel free to visit our website, or find us on Facebook and Twitter to receive all of our latest updates.

http://www.vansportsphysio.com/dynamic-warm-ups/

[vansportsandphysio-blog]

WHAT IS A ‘PINCHED NERVE’?

We’ve all heard of a pinched nerve before, and many of us have experienced the uncomfortable sensation of one, too. But how much do you really know about the causes, symptoms and treatments of this all too common, pesky and sometimes very painful condition?

Let’s start from the beginning. To understand what a pinched nerve is, we should know what a nerve is. Nerves are the specialized cells that make up our nervous system, carrying messages from one part of the body to another in the form of tiny electrical signals, also called nerve impulses. Basically, they allow your body to move and react when you want and need it too.

So, what is a pinched nerve? A pinched nerve occurs when too much pressure in the form of compression or constriction is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues. The nerve gets, well, pinched. The pressure causes the nerve to become irritated and flare up, thereby disrupting the nerve’s ability to send the messages it needs.

If a nerve is pinched for only a short time, there is usually no permanent damage and once the pressure lets ups, the nerve function returns to normal. However, if the pressure continues either for a prolonged time or repetitively, chronic pain and permanent nerve damage can occur. This is a common problem for athletes because doing the same movement time and again, like perfecting a forehand shot in tennis or training for a marathon, can compound the problem.

Not just athletes get pinched nerves, anyone can get them and many people do. A pinched nerve is often associated with the neck or shoulder, but it can happen elsewhere like in the wrist, often causing carpal tunnel syndrome, or in the lower back causing sciatica.

While athletes can suffer from pinched nerves, high impact sport is not the only cause. Long held habits or specific incidents can cause the compression of nerves, things like an injury, slouching or poor posture, arthritis, obesity, and as mentioned, repetitive actions. Even pregnancy often brings on an increase in pinched nerves.

You might be wondering how you can tell if what you are experiencing in your body is a pinched nerve or not. Well, there are a few tell-tale signs. The most common symptoms of a pinched nerve are pain, numbness, tingling (like pins and needles), stiffness, or a noticeable weakening of certain muscles, usually along the path of the nerve. It can be tricky because the damage can cause symptoms at the source, or any location further down the path from the affected nerve. A pinched nerve in the neck, for example, can cause pain or stiffness in the neck, along with symptoms like tingling or numbness down the arm. A doctor or physiotherapist can often identify which nerve is pinched by determining how a patient’s limbs are affected and where.

A temporarily pinched nerve doesn’t sound like a big deal, and it’s not, but if things get worse before they get better, there is a chance one’s mobility can be affected, as in it being difficult to turn your head from side to side or bending over at the waist.

The good news is that pinched nerves are treatable once properly diagnosed, and there are things you can do at home to help if you’ve got pinched nerve pain. For one, rest up. If a pinched nerve is a new sensation, and you’ve also been playing a more than usual amount of tennis because the weather is finally nice, a few days rest can often do the trick. If the nerve is damaged from years of trauma and you’ve been ignoring your symptoms for a long time, you may need to get your doctor to refer you to a physiotherapist. In some cases, surgery is an option too.

So that’s the skinny on pinched nerves. If you think you might be experiencing one, get it checked out because it’s pain you don’t need. And now for a fun fact—nerves are the oldest and longest cells in the body, the neuron from your spinal cord to your big toe can be up to one meter long!

http://www.vansportsphysio.com/what-is-a-pinched-nerve/