30 Nov APRC Autumn 2012 Newsletter
Dear APRC Patients,
We hope you are enjoying the crisp Autumn air and enjoying the Fall Foliage. As you know, the doctors at APRC are committed to helping you live the best possible life. We want you to experience optimal health and performance. With this in mind, we have developed a series of instructional videos to help you improve your lifestyle and prevent injuries that may occur during daily activities and/or athletic endeavors. Please read this article we wrote and see our instructional foam roller videos at the end of the article.
ITB Syndrome
ITB Syndrome can cause pain at the hip attachment, down by the outside aspect of the knee, and anywhere in between. The ITB attaches from the iliac crest to the tibia (a bone in the lower leg) hence the name iliotibial band. The functions of the ITB include knee stabilization, abduction (lifting the leg out to the side), hip internal rotation, knee extension and partial flexion. One cause of ITB syndrome is overuse, a steep increase in mileage, duration, or speed during activities such as cycling, running, and hiking. Other causes include biomechanical dysfunctions such as overpronation, supination of the foot, weak hip abductors and leg length inequalities. The best things you can do to prevent ITB syndrome is properly warm up, cool down, cross train, gradually increase your workouts, foam roll. At first foam rolling the ITB will be painful even for those who do not have ITB syndrome but if you commit you will soon find out that rolling the band gets easier and easier and less painful. Treatment at APRC will include an evaluation of your biomechanical function or dysfunction and necessary corrections. The tools used to make these corrections can include adjustments to improve movement and any functional leg length inequalities, kinesiotape, ice and/or moist heat, electric stim, ART and/or Graston Technique, regular home regimens of foam rolling, among other exercises.
Why You Should Make Foam Rolling a Part of Your Daily Routine
Professional Athletes get body work done every day to keep them functioning at such a high level. They have massage therapists, PTs and Chiropractors on staff. Since not everyone has that luxury, foam rolling everyday is the next best thing. Foam rolling is like giving yourself a deep tissue massage every day. This helps to flush lactic acid build up. Lactic acid is one of the byproducts produced from the chemical reaction that goes on during muscle contraction. Not only can you help to flush these byproducts with the roller, you can also do your own trigger point work. These are the spots that are tender when you are rolling. You may also feel an increased density in the tissue where the trigger points are. By removing trigger points the muscle is better able to function. A muscle filled with these trigger points may not be able to contract at 100% capacity. The foam roller can be used before a workout as a warm up. It will help increase blood flow to the tissues and it will make you better aware of the dysfunctions in your body. It can also be used after activity to flush as mentioned above, but also to add extra focus on something you may have felt during your workout. For example, if on your run your right calf felt unusually tight then you can go home and re-roll that. You can also use it unrelated to a work out. If you feel tight in the morning it may be a good way to loosen up for the day. If some part of your body feels tired before you go to bed, you can roll it and it may help you get a better night’s sleep. The foam roller is not only awesome when you are healing injuries but to maintain your body and prevent injuries. If you are unsure of how to use the foam roller you can visit our website at aprcnj.com and click on the resources section. In future newsletters we will be highlighting more specific injuries and we will attach the foam roller video that goes with that injury.
Disclaimer: Before trying to rehab an injury on your own please seek medical attention for the appropriate diagnosis and course of treatment.
APRC’s Foam Roller Exercise Videos:
Iliotibial Band – https://aprcnj.com/blog/2012/02/13/iliotibial-band/
Tensor Fasciae Latae – https://aprcnj.com/blog/2012/02/13/tensor-fasciae-latae/
Gluteal Region – https://aprcnj.com/blog/2012/02/13/gluteal-region/
Quadriceps Muscles – https://aprcnj.com/blog/2012/02/13/quadriceps-muscles/
Adductor/Inner Thigh Muscles – https://aprcnj.com/blog/2012/02/13/adductorinner-thigh-muscles/
Hamstring Muscles – https://aprcnj.com/blog/2012/02/13/hamstring-muscles/
Calf Muscles – https://aprcnj.com/blog/2012/02/13/calf-muscles/
Shin Muscles – https://aprcnj.com/blog/2012/02/13/shin-muscles/
Peroneal Muscles – https://aprcnj.com/blog/2012/02/13/peroneal-muscles/
Lower Back – https://aprcnj.com/blog/2012/02/13/lower-back/
Thoracic/Middle Back Region – https://aprcnj.com/blog/2012/02/13/thoracicmiddle-back-region/
Latissimus Dorsi/Triceps – https://aprcnj.com/blog/2012/02/13/latissimus-dorsitriceps/
General Chest Stretch – https://aprcnj.com/blog/2012/02/13/general-chest-stretch/