Month: March 2016

How is your bed mattress treating you?

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Sleeping postureHow do you know if your bed mattress is contributing to your back pain?

If you are like most people, you will spend 6-8 hours in bed each day. If your mattress is providing insufficient support for your back, it can aggravate or cause you back pain.

Sleeping postureA mattress with poor support allows your spine to rest in an abnormal position and alters stress on the discs, joints and soft tissue in and around the spine. This can cause pain and stiffness. Identifying if the mattress is a contributing factor for a back problem is an important step in overcoming the problem.

So how do you know if your mattress is causing or aggravating you back problem? Here are some simple points to consider:

  1. If you wake up feeling stiff and sore most mornings this can point toward the mattress as a contributor
  2. Sleep in a different bed as a trial, preferably one with more support, and see if you feel less pain and stiffness

A mattress doesn’t last forever. Flipping your mattress regularly can help maintain your mattress but care is required in doing this. Having said this, sooner or later you may need to purchase a new one. If your mattress is contributing to your back pain you should look for a high quality orthopaedic mattress. Most bedding stores or bedding departments can advise you about mattress quality.

If its not the mattress then you need to see your physio and be assessed.

Get moving and keep a balance in your physical life

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It’s busy again on campus and the need to get moving is greater now than ever. Musculoskeletal pain will often occur with trauma and is most common when we spend too long in one posture (sitting or standing). Similarly the amount of time spent looking at a screen (including a phone) increases the chances of neck shoulder and arm pain. The chances then increase considerably if we add stress of any type (even busy stress). You can avoid this type of muscular / soft tissue pain if you subscribe to regular activity … walk, jog, cycle, gym, yoga, Pilates, etc.

Exercise & BalanceBalance your disc with some form of daily activity. 10 mins of activity is a minimum dose, 30 mins is optimal, and 150 mins is a good target per week.

Prescribing running shoes – A guide through the fog of misinformation

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Running shoes are often prescribed based on arch height, degree of pronation they show when running and the latest trends like maximum cushioning and minimalist shoes. So how do you know what advice to follow and which shoes are right for you?

1. Arch Height
It is common practice to prescribe footwear based on the height of your foot arch, such as motion control shoes for people with flat feet and a cushioned shoe for people with high or stiff arches. This has previously been common practice but does not appear to affect the likelihood of sustaining an injury while running.

2. Pronation
Although over-pronation (too much rolling in) of the foot while running is often blamed for many running injuries, there is conflicting evidence to support this. It is unclear what a normal amount of pronation is and the difference between the movement of the shoe and the movement of the foot can be up to 20% while running, which makes measuring the amount of pronation difficult even with video analysis. If you cannot accurately measure pronation then fitting a shoe based on foot type becomes trial and error.

3. Trends
Over the years many trends regarding footwear have come and gone such as minimalist, anti-pronation and extreme cushioning shoes. It is important to consider that even people with the same foot type will respond differently to the same shoe. Therefore it is clear that one type of shoe will not suit everyone and buying shoes based on the latest trends can be erroneous.

So how should you choose what shoes to wear when you run?
1. Experienced Runners
Draw from experience, know what works for you and stick with it. Don’t be tempted by the latest trends and marketing, but if you are, incorporate the new shoe slowly and as an occasional change of pace.

2. New Runners
The most important thing to consider for a new runner is comfort. Try a few pairs on in the store and see how they feel. Initially staying away from extremes such as anti-pronation or extra cushioning shoes is a good place to start.

3. Runner with recurring injuries despite a change in shoes
Remember that shoes play a small role in sustaining most injuries and it is important to consider body mechanics, movement patterns and training habits when attempting to reduce injury risk.

If you are having recurring injuries while running, have a physio assessment to work out what is the best way to get you running pain free.

This blog is a summary of a great educational video from Kevin at Running reform http://www.runningreform.com/

Watch the original video at https://vimeo.com/126720173