Dr. Brad’s Weekly Health Update: Avoid These Common Exercise Errors
Avoid These Common Exercise Errors
To reach your exercise goals, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends avoiding these seven mistakes: failing to keep a journal to monitor your progress, losing track of your goals, strength- training the same muscles on consecutive days, breathing incorrectly during exercise, not eating enough protein, getting distracted during your workout, and ignoring flexibility and balance training. American College of Sports Medicine, May 2017
Disk Space Narrowing Linked to Low Back Pain
Low back pain is a significant cause of activity limitation and work absence throughout the world. In this study, researchers reviewed the patient-completed health questionnaires and lumbar radiographs of 699 adults and found those with disk space narrowing had a 70% greater risk for low back pain and/or neuropathic pain. Spine, May 2017
Chronic Pain Common Among Those with Depression or Anxiety
In this study, investigators asked more than 5,000 adults with anxiety or mood disorders about their other health problems. Among those with a mood disorder, 50% reported chronic pain, 33% reported respiratory diseases, 10% reported heart disease, 9% reported arthritis, and 7% reported diabetes. For those suffering from anxiety, 45% reported chronic pain, 30% reported respiratory diseases, and 11% reported arthritis and heart disease. Senior author Dr. Silvia Martins writes, “Chronic disease coupled with a psychiatric disorder is a pressing issue that health providers should consider when designing preventive interventions and treatment services—especially the heavy mental health burden experienced by those with two or more chronic diseases.” Journal of Affective Disorders, June 2017
Back and Neck Pain Prevalence Among Adolescents
Back pain can affect anyone at any age, even the young. In a study involving 1,011 randomly selected students, self-reported questionnaires revealed that 17.4% of participants reported cervical pain and 18.0% reported low back pain. Further analysis showed that the risk for neck and back pain increased with age and that those with less active lifestyles also had a greater risk for spinal pain. European Spine Journal, May 2017
Keeping Germs Out of the Pool
Allowing a sick child to use a public pool can expose other swimmers to infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers the following guidelines to keep germs out of the swimming pool: don’t swim if you or your child has diarrhea; avoid swallowing pool water; take a quick shower to wash away germs before swimming; schedule regular bathroom breaks for children who are swimming; check a young child’s diaper frequently; and change diapers away from the pool. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 2017
Yours in health,
Dr. Brad Butler, DC
