PT...more than a "few stretches"

 

“Can you just show me a few stretches to fix this problem?”  I’ve heard that a million times.

It’s usually preceded by a self-diagnosis, or, at least, a web-assisted diagnosis.  “My shoulder hurts, can you show me some stretches to take care of it?”  Or, “I hurt my back, what stretches can I do to take care of that?”

I’m not sure where anybody learned that a “few stretches” was the solution to their problems or (and even worse) that teaching stretches was all I do.

Don’t assume that I’m against giving free advice.  I do it all the time. Anybody that knows me knows that I am quite approachable with questions about health issues. 

My attitude has always been that if you have enough confidence in my abilities to trust me with health questions, then you are worthy of my time and full attention.  Even after doing this work for almost 48 years, I’m still honored when someone asks my opinion. 

My wife will tell you that it happens all the time.  It usually starts with someone saying “I know you don’t want to be bothered with stuff like this, but….” No, I really don’t mind being bothered. 

But don’t tell me what’s wrong and then tell me what to do about it. “My knee hurts, are there some stretches I can do to fix that?”  I just respectfully ask that you don’t reduce my professions to that.

Before you get out of sorts, let me offer you some specifics about what you can do. Free. Without asking. And not really just a few stretches.

If your shoulder hurts, it’s probably related to posture. You might say “but my posture is good—I always stand up straight.” That may be the case, but the problem is the world we live in.

Everything we do is in front of us. We sit at a computer for our work or we assemble equipment in a factory or we have hobbies or habits that are in front of us. The result is that we function throughout our day with our shoulders rolled forward.  Maybe not too much but enough.

That’s behind most of the shoulder problems I see in the clinic.  That and too much bench press. Overdevelopment of the front part of the shoulder yields the same result.

The solution is often quite simple—strengthen the upper back, particularly the muscles between your shoulder blades.  Focus strength training on pulling back.  Strengthen those muscles and you will go a long way toward solving the postural component of your problems.

Kneecap (patellar) problems are common, particularly among young teenage girls.  The treatment for that for too long has been attempts at strengthening the quadriceps muscles (those muscles on the front of the thigh). Trouble is, that wasn’t very effective.

What we know now is that the solution is more a matter of how the foot hits the ground and how strong the hips are.  Fix those problems and you will greatly influence the knee.

Neck problems?  Fix the way you sit.  Back problems?  Strengthen your core.  That’s not the whole solution, but it’s a start. For more, see your physical therapist for a thorough evaluation and a prescribed program of exercises and activities that fit the problem.  It’s never as simple as a few stretches.

Long life begins at childhood (duh...)

 

I’ve written often about chasing a long life, usually focusing on things that you need to do late in life in order to be healthy through your golden years. Unfortunately, it seems I’ve ignored the most important time—the developmental years.  Birth to 18.  That’s when you can impact health the most. 

Let’s look at what that means. And what you, as a parent, can do.

The single most important thing you can do is to be a good role model.  I remember an old saying “do as I say do, don’t do as I do.”  Huh-uh. Doesn’t really work.

Your children will model your behaviors.  If you eat right, they will too.  If you lead an active lifestyle, they will too.  Let’s face it—inactive kids become inactive adults.  And lifestyle choices, especially in the young, determine our health.  For the rest of our lives.

Your kids need regular exercise.  An hour a day or more.  That’s part of the reason youth sports can be so important. My rule was always that I don’t care what you play but you have to play something. 

That wasn’t a problem around my house.  My kids wanted to play everything. Sports were everything from softball to basketball to gymnastics and lots in between. They both finally settled on football and volleyball and had great careers. Family activities included hiking, swimming, skiing, paddling. You name it, we did it.

We once took a whitewater canoe course at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. I think the kids were 11 and 13, paddling solo whitewater canoes. We sometimes did crazy stuff like that. And backcountry backpacking trips.

The bottom line is that if you want your child to be more active, be more active yourself.  And, better than that, be active with them.  Go for a run. Play a sport. Shoot hoops together. Anything.

Getting adequate sleep is huge, but especially for the youngest among us.  Quality of sleep and regular sleeping hours are crucial to proper development.

Eating right is crucial.  Fruit.  Vegetables.  No sodas.  Avoid sugary drinks.  Sweet tea?  I think not.  Whole grain foods.  Lean meats.  Dress it up.  Don’t add sodium but there are lots of ways to make food tastier.  Never eat in front of the TV.  Ever. 

Again, you can’t put a burger and fries on your plate and tofu and broccoli on your kid’s plate. It just won’t work. Obese children become obese adults and then comes all the health problems that shorten your life and lessen the quality of your life—heart disease, diabetes, cancer.

But accept your child at any weight. Build their self-esteem while teaching them the value of the big three—proper nutrition, regular exercise, sufficient sleep. If the lessons are learned, they will be OK.

It wasn’t a problem when my kids were growing up, but screen time is definitely a problem these days.  I often see neck problems among teenagers from looking down at their phone all day.  The research is clear—too much screen time is bad for you and bad for your child. Period.

Smoking? That one’s easy. No one wants their child to smoke but 2^nd hand smoke is almost as dangerous.  And if you smoke, there’s a good chance your kid will too. Someday.

Health literacy is important.  Talk to your kids about why it is important to do all these things.  Talk about healthy living. Share meals together. Talk the talk but walk the walk. Your kids deserve that much.