Sports Fitness

Joseph C. Maroon, MD, FACS and former Pittsburgh Steelers great Jerome Bettis announce Dick’s Sporting Goods support for concussion testing. 

Through a program called Protecting Athletes through Concussion Education, or PACE, Dick’s will pay for ImPACT neurocognitive testing of more than 3,300 schools, totaling more than a million students.

The tests, called ImPACT (for Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing), are given to athletes before a season to provide a baseline.  If athletes suffers a concussion, the test is repeatd to determine any change in brain function. Players are sidelined until their brains heal.

See Video explaining the PACE program and see Dr. Maroon and Mark Lovell, PhD discuss concussion testing.

 

Read Wall Street Journal Article on Dr.  Maroon’s Fitness program for the 2010 Hawaiian Ironman

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 I am excited to guide you along the same path toward emotional and physical recovery as I have traveled.

My training program harnesses my expertise as a physician and surgeon. You’ll also get the benefit of my experience, having gone from an out-of-shape middle aged physician to an Ironman tri-athlete.

I was about 40 when I lost my father to a heart attack. At the time, I was out of shape and going through a divorce. These factors combined to make me deeply depressed. You can read more about this time in my life under “My Story”.

My first attempt at running left me exhausted. But the more I ran, the better I felt. When running too much caused muscle strains, I discovered cross training. I learned how to swim, started biking, and soon competed in my first of more than 70 triathlons. The exercise propelled me out my depression and back onto my feet.

I’m not expecting everyone to become a tri-athlete. However I can help you to get into the best shape of your life.

Topics Related to Sports Fitness

Excerise and Improved Brain and Body Health

•  Exercise can stimulate the creation of new brain cells through a hormone called BDNF, whcih also can enhance the connection between brain cells, and protect them from stress  
• Exercise allows increased  oxygen, blood flow and nutrients to reach the brain
• Exercise can preserve brain volume as we age 
• Exercise can activate exercise-related genes that increase metabolism, increase muscle mass, moblized  fat as an energy source, and improve immune function
• Exercise lowers the risk of mild cognitive decline, Parkinson’s and other forms of dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
• Benefits from excerise require a minimum of 30 minutes 3 to 4 times per week

Back Exercises

The lumbar stabilization exercise program includes a range of exercises that typically progress from beginning to more advanced:

*From static (lying) to dynamic (standing or jumping)

*From resisting gravity to resisting additional outside force

*From predictable to unpredictable movements

*From individual components of a movement to the complete range of motion in a movement

At all times the neutral spine position is maintained. Progression to the next exercise generally depends on learning to maintain the neutral spine properly during the current exercise. The physical therapist or exercise therapist is trained to help the patient learn the proper technique.

The exercises below are a small subset of those a therapist may recommend. The spine specialist and therapist design each lumbar stabilization exercise program specifically for each patient based on the patient’s condition.

Examples of exercises include:

 

Hamstring Stretch

A passive exercise using little muscle effort. Lay on the floor with knees bent and feet on the floor. Find the neutral spine position and maintain it while slowly straightening one leg and lifting the heel toward the ceiling while supporting the back of the thigh with both hands (Figure 1). Hold for 10 to 30 seconds and repeat with other leg. Do 3 repetitions. Can make the leg muscles static too by using a wall to straighten the leg while resting the leg muscles

Pelvic Tilt

An active exercise from one position, where the abdominal muscles are isolated and used to move the spine. Lay on the floor with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tighten stomach muscle and pull the lower back to the floor (Figure 2). Hold for 10 seconds. Do 3 to 5 repetitions.

Arm/Leg Raises

A more dynamic exercise introduces movement of the arms and/or legs to challenge the neutral spine; this exercise is for the hip abductors. Lie on one side with lower arm bent under head and upper arm resting with hand on floor near chest. Bend both knees and flex hips and find neutral spine position. Slowly raise upper leg 8 to 10 inches and lower. Do 5 to 10 repetitions and repeat on opposite side (Figure 3).

Exercise Ball Bridges

An advanced stabilization exercise that introduces unpredictable movement that must be responded to (the movement of the ball). Lay on floor with both feet propped up on the exercise ball with legs straight and arms relaxed to the sides. Find the neutral spine position and hold while slowly tightening the buttock muscle to lift the buttocks off the floor 2-3 inches (Figure 4).

In addition strengthening exercises, such as those above, stretching and aerobic conditioning are also an important part of lumbar stabilization physical therapy:

• Flexibility is key to successful lumbar stabilization training, because flexibility allows the muscles to assume the neutral position easily.
• Cardiovascular (aerobic) conditioning is an important part of the total body muscle strength and endurance and should be combined with the lumbar spine stabilization program. Maintaining a neutral spine during aerobic exercise is for the more advanced patient and protects the healing back while working out.

Stabilization exercises can be rather rigorous and therefore may not be well tolerated by all patients. It may be advisable for elderly patients or patients in significant pain to use other less strenuous means of physical therapy.

Article provide by  http://www.spine-health.com
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