exercise

Strength exercise – more evidence that it is worth doing

by

Strength Training

The reason for doing the recommended 2 strength based exercise sessions per week has been given another boost from a recently published study. Stamatakis et al analysed adults over 30 in the United Kingdom that were selected from a pool of 80,000 people completing an annual survey then further assessed via interview and questionnaires over a 9 year period.

Strength based exercise on its own has been shown to reduce diabetes risk and when combined with cardio exercise gave even greater benefits. This study looked at reductions in mortality that could be attributed to different types of exercise that is recommended by the world health organisation. Namely 150-300 minutes of cardiovascular exercise and 2 strength exercise sessions per week.

They found 36.2% of the sample group met only the aerobic exercise guidelines. 3.4% met only the strength exercise guidelines and 5.5% met both aerobic and strength exercises recommendations.

Participation in any form of strength exercise led to a 23% reduction in mortality from all causes and a 31% reduction in mortality from cancer. Combining the strength and aerobic exercise guidelines further reduced the rate of mortality than aerobic physical activity alone.
The definition of strength exercise included both gym and body weight exercises but they analysed whether one was better than the other. The study found bodyweight exercises gave the same benefit to gym-based activity. Previous studies have indicated that increasing muscle strength has been associated with reduced cancer mortality independent of aerobic fitness. Also higher muscle strength, as opposed to just participating in strength exercise led to reductions in mortality.

Meeting the strength exercise recommendations of twice per week was found to be as important as achieving the weekly aerobic exercise recommendations for health benefits and reducing the risk of mortality.

Summary:

  • Get into strength exercises even if it’s just body weight exercise
  • Make it challenging enough to increase your strength
  • If you are just starting out, don’t go too hard too fast or you may increase your risk of injury
  • If you are not sure what strength exercise program is suitable for you, let us know and we can help you get started on a program that is safe and effective to achieve your health goals

Stamatakis et al 2017, Does strength promoting exercise confer unique health benefits? A pooled analysis of eleven population cohorts with all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortality endpoints. Am J of Epidemiology.

Exercise can help osteoarthritis

by

water exercise

Do you know anyone who suffers from osteoarthritis? It occurs when the cartilage that lines the bones in your joints breaks down through trauma or age. It is most common in weight bearing joints such as your hips, knees and ankles. The greater the compressive forces placed through these joints – the greater the inflammatory response, pain and stiffness. Being overweight increases the compressive forces on our joints, making weight bearing challenging and exercise painful. Once you get arthritis pain it then becomes harder to exercise.

What is the best management of being overweight and having osteoarthritis?
There is a common misconception that weight loss occurs through exercise and physical activity. Recent studies looked at the effect of diet and exercise on weight, inflammation (measuring markers in the blood), joint compressive forces, pain, function, mobility and quality of life in people with osteoarthritis. The study reports that in fact a combination of diet and exercise provided the greatest loss of weight (10%) compared to exercise alone (2%). The group with combined diet and exercise management also experienced a better reduction in joint inflammation and pain, as well as improved function, mobility and quality of life compared to the exercise alone group.

What type of exercise is best?
A separate study looked at types of exercise undertaken in individuals with osteoarthritis. The study found that the best type of exercise for pain relief alone is water based exercise. The type of exercise most beneficial to improve function was a combination of strengthening and flexibility exercises alongside a low impact form of physical activity e.g. aqua aerobics or walking.

The general advice that can be provided based on these articles is valuable but everyone is different in the type of arthritis through to what exercise program will give the best results. If you or someone you know are suffering from osteoarthritis the best approach it to start with personalised research based advice on how to reduce pain, increase strength or decrease weight. Our physio’s at NU Moves are experts in exercise for arthritis.

* Uthman OA, van der Windt, et al. Exercise for lower limb Osteoarthritis: Systematic review incorporating trial sequential analysis and network meta-analysis. BMJ 2013; 347: f5555

* Messier SP, Mihalko SL, et al. Effects of Intensive Diet and Exercise on Knee Joint Loads, Inflammation, and Clinical Outcomes Among Overweight and Obese Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis. JAMA 2013; 310 (12):1263-1273.

Aerobic vs anaerobic … what type of exercise should you be doing?

by

Exercise types

There are plenty of research articles supporting both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Some examples of aerobic exercise include running, walking, swimming, cycling etc. Types of anaerobic exercise include weight training, sprinting or any exercise bout lasting less than two minutes. After around two minutes your body’s demand for oxygen is exceeded by the body’s production of oxygen and therefore becomes more aerobic type exercise. Aerobic training is beneficial for cardiovascular health. It enhances the hearts function enabling it pump more blood to the body with each beat and also lowers resting heart rate. Aerobic training is beneficial for overall health, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and many other chronic diseases. Resistance training is beneficial for building strength, supporting and enhancing bone growth, and lowering blood sugar. This is especially beneficial for those people diagnosed with diabetes. Resistance training builds muscle which uses glucose for energy and increases insulin sensitivity. So which type of exercise should you be doing? A combination of aerobic and resistance training will have optimal effects. Make exercising enjoyable; try a range of exercise options until you find one you enjoy and stick with it. Try exercising with friends, with music or different classes. You are more likely to stick to a program if it is something you enjoy.

If you want to learn more about the best type of exercise for you contact us on 49216879. Our physiotherapists are skilled in exercise prescription for everyday casual exercise through to professional sports conditioning programs.

Exercise recommendations for healthy living

by

running and physiotherapy

The current exercise recommendations for healthy living in Australia and via the world health organisation (WHO) are worth checking. Do you accumulate 150 – 300 minutes moderate intensity exercise or 75 – 150 vigorous exercise per week? Do you do muscle strengthening 2 days per week?

Think about where you sit relative to the recommendations. And while mentioning sitting, this advice is most important if you spend most of your day at a  desk. Anything is better than nothing but maintaining the recommended level of healthy exercise will pay dividends in the short and long term.

If you want to know more about the health recommendations click here. If you need help getting started with strength based exercise program give us a call 49216879.

Managing exercise, relaxation and stress

by

Beach walk

Where does the time go? There are periods in life (usually the same time every year) that we don’t have time to attend to our own health in the form of relaxation and exercise. Use this as a prompt to reflect on where you are at currently. It is important to make time for both. The benefits are immense from ability to concentrate, problem solve and make better choices down to feeling better both mentally and physically.

The usual tips on getting active and managing stress at the same time are: listening to music and podcasts whilst on the gym cardio equipment, walking or jogging; exercising with a friend always helps keeps us going; playing a regularly scheduled team sports is an easy way to keep active; or starting a routine group exercise class like pilates.

I came across a different way of thinking recently which was not to focus on the time I had available as the problem but my response to being busy. It was called the 90:10 rule and challenges you to alter your mindset and increase control. 10% is what happens; 90% is how we respond. I have lots to do but I still choose what I do each day. If being busy in life is currently taking you away from routine exercise or some ‘you’ time then stop and think about the response.

Remember the exercise will make you feel better once you are in a routine. A 10 minute dose of exercise counts but 30 mins is ideal. If you find the right exercise routine you should feel more energised and relaxed rather than tired and tense. If you want to hear more about the 90:10 rule and its relevance to stress management, listen to this video from Dr Mike Evans at Evans Health Lab.

How is your bed mattress treating you?

by

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

by

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.

Stay strong – feel better

by

NU Moves Pilates

Christmas is just around the corner! Now is a great time to come along to NU Moves Pilates to get some quality movement in the bank and blast those abs before getting some well-deserved R & R over the holiday season. NU Moves Pilates continues to focus on providing small group classes run by a qualified physiotherapist. Our average class has between 3 and 4 participants which allows for optimal supervision and individual exercise advice. The mat based classes can be tailored to suit participants from the beginner to advanced levels.

Our classes are held at a variety of times to provide you with some options. You can start your day on a positive note with our morning classes, get away from the desk for our lunch-time classes or finish the day strong with our evening classes. All of our classes are held in the NU Moves Physiotherapy clinic.

Monday 7am with Jess
Monday 6:30pm with Nikki
Tuesday 6:30pm with Nikki
Wednesday 7am with Jess
Thursday 12:15pm with Ben
Friday 12:15pm with Ben

You can save money by claiming on your Private Health Insurance. Most Private Health Funds with Physiotherapy extras will provide cover for NU Moves Pilates classes.
If you have any questions about the classes or wish to book in, give us a call on 4921 6879 or email via admin@numovesphysio.com.au

Common training mistakes – how to avoid injury

by

running and physiotherapy

Exercise and sports related injuries are common. Some sports such as rugby come with higher risks and frequency of injury. General exercise often has low risk of injury but that depends on how hard we push ourselves and the type of exercise we do. It doesn’t matter whether it is a team sport, an exercise class, a personal training session or an individual session, an injury will limit your participation for a period of time.

One common source of injury is ‘training error’. This is usually doing too much, too soon but can also be related to technique (e.g. squat, running) or equipment. Technique is the way you move relative to the load or complexity of the movement.

There is a fine balance between being challenged sufficiently to enjoy exercise and avoiding ‘training error’. A simple message is the more you know your body at each stage of life the less likely injury will occur. This means train at a level of load suited to your body; gradually increase the level of exercise over several weeks; listen and adjust to pain especially if it is in a joint or the spine; and use mirrors to watch how you perform a gym exercise to ensure the technique is correct. It’s simple advice but it works if you want to reduce the chance of injury.

Stress fractures in runners – 3 minutes of what, why & when

by

female runner

 

What is a stress fracture: Normal bone responses to repetitive stress can be divided into: normal response, stress reaction, and stress fracture.

Normal response: Osteoclasts are bone cells that remove bone tissue known as ‘bone resorption’. Whilst osteoblasts are cells that create ‘bone formation’. Bone is a dynamic tissue that is constantly being reshaped by osteoblasts and osteoclasts working in balance.

Stress Reaction: Repeated bone stress without appropriate rest causes osteoclastic activity to outstrip osteoblastic activity.  This osteoclast / osteoblast imbalance initially results in microfractures which when investigated shows bone marrow oedema.
 
Stress fracture: A stress fracture is when the repeated stress and imbalance continues and the microfracture progresses into a true break in the cortical bone.
 
How are they diagnosed: A clinical examination of factors such as training loads, biomechanics, location of pain, and bony tenderness, will indicate whether a bony stress reaction / fracture is a possibility. Following this various imaging options are MRI (which can show bone marrow oedema in stress reaction stages and microfractures once stress fracture develops); CT scans (not as sensitive as MRI and have associated radiation as per an XRay); Xray (which frequently doesn’t show up stress fractures in the early stages – up to 3 weeks); and bone scans (very good at detecting stress fractures but are time consuming, nonspecific and are a poor choice to monitor recovery).
 
Who is most at risk: The female athlete triad is a combination of low bone density, nutritional issues, and menstrual irregularities. Together these represent the highest risk of developing stress fractures in the female runner. However any one of these alone can also lead to a stress fracture when combined with running.
 
What else increases your risk:

  • Rapid increase in running distances
  • Lack of rest / recovery time during a period of running training
  • Inappropriate footwear relative to the foot type of the individual
  • Nicotine smoking

What to look out for:

  • Pain during or after running / exercise
  • Bony tenderness
  • Nutrition – how balanced is your diet
  • Training – running distances per week and speed of increases
  • Bone density – do you know yours? (especially if you are female and run a lot)
  • Shoes – despite the debates surrounding ‘support’ vs ‘free’ shoes, the right type of footwear is important for a lot of people!

Management: If you have pain with running organise an assessment as soon as possible. The best management is prevention but if they occur the treatment depends on which bone it is. Some stress fractures have greater risks associated and need orthopaedic specialists involved, whilst others are lower risk and can be managed conservatively. The most common strategy is to immobilise the area and often to remove any weight bearing stress through the bone.

McCormick et al (2012), Stress fractures in runners. Clin Sports Med, 31.