Article featured on Healthline
Exercise is defined as any movement that makes your muscles work and requires your body to burn calories.
There are many types of physical activity, including swimming, running, jogging, walking, and dancing, to name a few.
Being active has been shown to have many health benefits, both physically and mentally. It may even help you live longer.
Here are the top 9 ways regular exercise benefits your body and brain.
1. Exercise can make you feel happier
Exercise has been shown to improve your mood and decrease feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress.
It produces changes in the parts of the brain that regulate stress and anxiety. It can also increase brain sensitivity to the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine, which relieve feelings of depression.
Additionally, exercise can increase the production of endorphins, which are known to help produce positive feelings and reduce the perception of pain.
Interestingly, it doesn’t matter how intense your workout is. It seems that exercise can benefit your mood no matter the intensity of the physical activity.
In fact, in a study in 24 women diagnosed with depression, exercise of any intensity significantly decreased feelings of depression.
The effects of exercise on mood are so powerful that choosing to exercise (or not) even makes a difference over short periods of time.
One review of 19 studies found that active people who stopped exercising regularly experienced significant increases in symptoms of depression and anxiety, even after only a few weeks.
SUMMARY
Exercising regularly can improve your mood and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.
2. Exercise can help with weight loss
Some studies have shown that inactivity is a major factor in weight gain and obesity.
To understand the effect of exercise on weight reduction, it is important to understand the relationship between exercise and energy expenditure (spending).
Your body spends energy in three ways:
- digesting food
- exercising
- maintaining body functions, like your heartbeat and breathing
While dieting, a reduced calorie intake will lower your metabolic rate, which can temporarily delay weight loss. On the contrary, regular exercise has been shown to increase your metabolic rate, which can burn more calories to help you lose weight.
Additionally, studies have shown that combining aerobic exercise with resistance training can maximize fat loss and muscle mass maintenance, which is essential for keeping the weight off and maintaining lean muscle mass.
SUMMARY
Exercise is crucial to supporting a healthy metabolism and burning more calories per day. It also helps you maintain your muscle mass and weight loss.
3. Exercise is good for your muscles and bones
Exercise plays a vital role in building and maintaining strong muscles and bones.
Activities like weightlifting can stimulate muscle building when paired with adequate protein intake.
This is because exercise helps release hormones that promote your muscles’ ability to absorb amino acids. This helps them grow and reduces their breakdown.
As people age, they tend to lose muscle mass and function, which can lead to an increased risk of injury. Practicing regular physical activity is essential to reducing muscle loss and maintaining strength as you age.
Exercise also helps build bone density when you’re younger, in addition to helping prevent osteoporosis later in life.
Some research suggests that high impact exercise (such as gymnastics or running) or odd impact sports (such as soccer and basketball) may help promote a higher bone density than no impact sports like swimming and cycling.
SUMMARY
Physical activity helps you build muscles and strong bones. It may also help prevent osteoporosis.
4. Exercise can increase your energy levels
Exercise can be a real energy booster for many people, including those with various medical conditions.
One older study found that 6 weeks of regular exercise reduced feelings of fatigue for 36 people who had reported persistent fatigue.
Exercise can also significantly increase energy levels for people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and other health conditions. In fact, exercise seems to be more effective at combating CFS than other treatments, including passive therapies like relaxation and stretching or no treatment at all.
And let’s not forget the fantastic heart and lung health benefits of exercise. Aerobic exercise boosts the cardiovascular system and improves lung health, which can significantly help with energy levels.
As you move more, your heart pumps more blood, delivering more oxygen to your working muscles. With regular exercise, your heart becomes more efficient and adept at moving oxygen into your blood, making your muscles more efficient.
Over time, this aerobic training results in less demand on your lungs, and it requires less energy to perform the same activities — one of the reasons you’re less likely to get short of breath during vigorous activity.
Additionally, exercise has been shown to increase energy levels in people with other conditions, such as cancer.
SUMMARY
Engaging in regular physical activity can increase your energy levels. This is true even in people with persistent fatigue and those with serious health conditions.
5. Exercise can reduce your risk of chronic disease
Lack of regular physical activity is a primary cause of chronic disease.
Regular exercise has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, heart health, and body composition. It can also decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
More specifically, exercise can help reduce or prevent the following chronic health conditions.
- Type 2 diabetes. Regular aerobic exercise may delay or prevent type 2 diabetes. It also has considerable health benefits for people with type 1 diabetes. Resistance training for type 2 diabetes includes improvements in fat mass, blood pressure, lean body mass, insulin resistance, and glycemic control.
- Heart disease. Exercise reduces cardiovascular risk factors and is also a therapeutic treatment for people with cardiovascular disease.
- Many types of cancer. Exercise can help reduce the risk of several cancers, including breast, colorectal, endometrial, gallbladder, kidney, lung, liver, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, thyroid, gastric, and esophageal cancer.
- High cholesterol. Regular moderate intensity physical activity can increase HDL (good) cholesterol while maintaining or offsetting increases in LDL (bad) cholesterol. Research supports the theory that high intensity aerobic activity is needed to lower LDL levels.
- Hypertension: Participating in regular aerobic exercise can lower resting systolic BP 5–7 mmHG among people with hypertension.
In contrast, a lack of regular exercise — even in the short term — can lead to significant increases in belly fat, which may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
That’s why regular physical activity is recommended to reduce belly fat and decrease the risk of developing these conditions (34Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Daily physical activity is essential to maintaining a healthy weight and reducing the risk of chronic disease.
6. Exercise can help skin health
Your skin can be affected by the amount of oxidative stress in your body.
Oxidative stress occurs when the body’s antioxidant defenses cannot completely repair the cell damage caused by compounds known as free radicals. This can damage the structure of the cells and negatively impact your skin.
Even though intense and exhaustive physical activity can contribute to oxidative damage, regular moderate exercise can actually increase your body’s production of natural antioxidants, which help protect cells (35Trusted Source, 36Trusted Source).
In the same way, exercise can stimulate blood flow and induce skin cell adaptations that can help delay the appearance of skin aging (37Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Moderate exercise can provide antioxidant protection and promote blood flow, which can protect your skin and delay signs of aging.
7. Exercise can help your brain health and memory
Exercise can improve brain function and protect memory and thinking skills.
To begin with, it increases your heart rate, which promotes the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain. It can also stimulate the production of hormones that enhance the growth of brain cells.
Plus, the ability of exercise to prevent chronic disease can translate into benefits for your brain, since its function can be affected by these conditions.
Regular physical activity is especially important in older adults since aging — combined with oxidative stress and inflammation — promotes changes in brain structure and function.
Exercise has been shown to cause the hippocampus, a part of the brain that’s vital for memory and learning, to grow in size, which may help improve mental function in older adults.
Lastly, exercise has been shown to reduce changes in the brain that can contribute to conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
SUMMARY
Regular exercise improves blood flow to the brain and helps brain health and memory. Among older adults, it can help protect mental function.
8. Exercise can help with relaxation and sleep quality
Regular exercise can help you relax and sleep better.
With regard to sleep quality, the energy depletion (loss) that occurs during exercise stimulates restorative processes during sleep.
Moreover, the increase in body temperature that occurs during exercise is thought to improve sleep quality by helping body temperature drop during sleep.
Many studies on the effects of exercise on sleep have reached similar conclusions.
One review of six studies found that participating in an exercise training program helped improve self-reported sleep quality and reduced sleep latency, which is the amount of time it takes to fall asleep.
One study conducted over 4 months found that both stretching and resistance exercise led to improvements in sleep for people with chronic insomnia.
Getting back to sleep after waking, sleep duration, and sleep quality improved after both stretching and resistance exercise. Anxiety was also reduced in the stretching group.
What’s more, engaging in regular exercise seems to benefit older adults, who are often affected by sleep disorders.
You can be flexible with the kind of exercise you choose. It appears that either aerobic exercise alone or aerobic exercise combined with resistance training can both improve sleep quality.
SUMMARY
Regular physical activity, regardless of whether it is aerobic or a combination of aerobic and resistance training, can help you sleep better and feel more energized during the day.
9. Exercise can reduce pain
Although chronic pain can be debilitating, exercise can actually help reduce it.
In fact, for many years, the recommendation for treating chronic pain was rest and inactivity. However, recent studies show that exercise helps relieve chronic pain.
In fact, one review of several studies found that exercise can help those with chronic pain reduce their pain and improve their quality of life.
Several studies also show that exercise can help control pain associated with various health conditions, including chronic low back pain, fibromyalgia, and chronic soft tissue shoulder disorder, to name a few.
Additionally, physical activity can also raise pain tolerance and decrease pain perception.
SUMMARY
Exercise has favorable effects on the pain associated with various conditions. It can also increase pain tolerance.
The bottom line
Exercise offers incredible benefits that can improve nearly every aspect of your health. Regular physical activity can increase the production of hormones that make you feel happier and help you sleep better.
It can also:
- improve your skin’s appearance
- help you lose weight and keep it off
- reduce the risk of chronic disease
And it doesn’t take much movement to make a big difference in your health.
If you aim for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity each week or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity spread throughout the week, you’ll meet the Department of Health and Human Services’ activity guidelines for adults.
Moderate intensity aerobic activity is anything that gets your heart beating faster, like walking, cycling, or swimming. Activities like running or participating in a strenuous fitness class count for vigorous intensity.
Throw in at least 2 days of muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms), and you’ll exceed the recommendations.
You can use weights, resistance bands, or your bodyweight to perform muscle-strengthening exercises. These include squats, push-ups, shoulder press, chest, press, and planks.
Whether you practice a specific sport or follow the guideline of 150 minutes of activity per week, you can inevitably improve your health in many ways.
10 Stretches for Shoulder Tightness
in Shoulder InjuriesArticle featured on MedicalNewsToday
Shoulder stretches can help relieve muscle tension, pain, and tightness in the neck and shoulders.
Stiff or tight shoulders can cause discomfort and limit a person’s range of motion. If the tightness goes unchecked, it can lead to neck pain and cause tension headaches.
In this article, we describe 10 shoulder stretches and their benefits. We also discuss what causes shoulder tightness and how to prevent it.
1. Neck stretches
Neck stretches can help release tension at the top of the shoulders. To do a neck stretch:
2. Shoulder rolls
Shoulder rolls are an easy way to stretch the shoulders. To do shoulder rolls:
3. Pendulum stretch
The pendulum is a gentle way to increase movement in the shoulder using the force of gravity. To do this stretch:
4. Cross-body arm swings
Arm swings help warm up the shoulder joint and increase movement. To do cross-body arm swings:
5. Cross-body shoulder stretch
The cross-body shoulder stretch helps extend the back of the shoulder. To do this stretch:
6. Child’s Pose
Child’s Pose is a gentle yoga pose that can help stretch the back of the shoulders. To do this pose:
7. Ragdoll Pose
Ragdoll Pose is a forward-bend yoga pose that may help release tension in the shoulders. To do Ragdoll Pose:
8. Eagle arm stretch
The eagle arm stretch is inspired by the upper body position in the Eagle Pose in yoga. This stretch may increase flexibility in the shoulders. To do it:
9. Cow Face pose
The Cow Face pose is another yoga stretch for the shoulders. To do the Cow Face pose:
10. Side-lying thoracic rotation
The side-lying thoracic rotation may sound complicated, but it is easy to do. This shoulder stretch helps improve mobility in the thoracic spine, lumbar spine, and shoulders.
To do a side-lying thoracic rotation:
Benefits
When a muscle stretches, its fibers and the surrounding fascia, or bands of connective tissue, extend to full length. This improves the ability of the muscle and fascia to extend during activity.
Shoulder stretches have numerous potential health benefits. Stretching can:
Research suggests that stretching alone is as effective as stretching alongside strength training for people looking to reduce chronic neck pain. Shoulder tension can cause this pain.
A small-scale 2015 study found that a 4-week regular stretching program could reduce neck and shoulder pain. The researchers noted that the stretching program improved neck function and the quality of life among office workers with chronic, moderate-to-severe neck pain.
What causes tight shoulders?
Tight shoulders can result from:
Shoulder tension may worsen with age.
Preventing shoulder pain and tightness
Regular stretching can help prevent the shoulders from becoming tight in the first place. Getting plenty of exercise is also important. Yoga may help reduce stress and tension and increase flexibility.
When working at a computer, use a stand to place the screen at eye-level. This reduces the need to bend the neck and shoulders and lowers the risk of shoulder tension.
Maintaining good posture is also important. If a person notices that they are slouching, the shoulder roll exercise above can help with repositioning the shoulders.
Practicing good posture while sitting and standing, especially during long periods at a desk, can reduce shoulder and neck tension in the long term.
Outlook
Shoulder pain and tightness are common and treatable. Practicing the stretches above may reduce tightness and increase a person’s range of movement.
When ongoing shoulder pain does not improve with stretching, massage therapy may help.
If shoulder pain is severe, a person should see their doctor, who can diagnose and treat any underlying conditions.
The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic group located in downtown Portland Oregon. We utilize both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.
Our mission is to return our patients back to pain-free mobility and full strength as quickly and painlessly as possible using both surgical and non-surgical orthopedic procedures.
Our expert physicians provide leading-edge, comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including total joint replacement and sports medicine. We apply the latest state-of-the-art techniques in order to return our patients to their active lifestyle.
If you’re looking for compassionate, expert orthopedic surgeons in Portland Oregon, contact OSM today.
Phone:
503-224-8399
Address
1515 NW 18th Ave, 3rd Floor
Portland, OR 97209
Hours
Monday–Friday
8:00am – 4:30pm
Ankle Sprain Rehab Exercises to Get You Back on Your Feet
in Ankle InjuriesArticle featured on verywellfit
One of the most common sports injuries, an ankle sprain occurs when the ligaments surrounding the ankle joint are stretched or torn as the ankle joint and foot is turned, twisted, or forced beyond its normal range of motion.
If you suspect an ankle sprain, there are things you can do immediately after being injured to protect your ankle. Once the initial injury begins to heal, use exercises to rehabilitate your ankle and get back to the activities you love.
Ankle Sprain Causes and Grades
The most common cause of an ankle sprain in athletes is a missed step or a missed landing from a jump or fall. Ankle sprains vary in severity and are classified by the degree of severity:
For immediate relief, you can use the R.I.C.E. treatment plan: rest, ice, compression, and elevation.1 While there is general agreement that the best approach to an ankle sprain is immediate rest, there is some conflicting advice about what comes next.
Until definitive answers are available, the following approach is still the most widely recommended:
If the swelling doesn’t subside in 48 to 72 hours, or if you are unable to bear weight on the injured ankle within 48 hours, seek medical treatment for a complete evaluation.
Ankle Sprain Rehab
After the initial 24 to 48 hours of rest and icing, slowly begin bearing weight over several days as tolerated. Avoid full weight bearing during this phase. Gradually progress to full weight bearing. Try to use a normal heel-toe gait.
Start doing rehabilitation exercises as soon as you can tolerate them without pain. Range of motion (ROM) exercises should be started early in the course of treatment. Gradual progression to other weight-bearing exercises should follow shortly after.
Assessment of the Ankle Joint
After an ankle injury, the joint should be assessed for misalignment or structural defects caused by the sprain. A physician will check the joint and test for weakness or deficits in soft tissues (tendons, ligaments, and cartilage).
Your injury may require taping or bracing. If a fracture or dislocation is suspected, an MRI or an X-ray will confirm the diagnosis and determine the most appropriate treatment.
Any ankle injury that does not respond to treatment in one to two weeks may be more serious. Consult a physician for a thorough evaluation and diagnosis.
Types of Rehab Exercises
Specific exercises are prescribed to help restore ankle stability and function. These exercises are progressive (they should be done in order) and are generally prescribed for range of motion, balance, strength, endurance, and agility.
The following exercises can be used to rehab a Grade I ankle sprain. If your sprain is more severe, you should follow the plan prescribed by your physician and physical therapist. Your physical therapist can design the best program for your specific injury and your limitations.
Flexibility and Range of Motion Exercises
As soon as you can tolerate movement in the ankle joint and swelling is controlled, you can begin gentle stretching and range of motion exercises of the ankle joint.
Strengthening and Endurance Exercises
Once you have a good range of motion, joint swelling is controlled, and pain is managed, you can begin strengthening exercises.
Proprioception Exercises
After you are able to place your full weight on the injured ankle without pain, you may begin proprioceptive training to regain balance and control of the ankle joint.
Agility Exercises
Once you have regained balance, strength, and control, you can begin working on agility.
The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic group located in downtown Portland Oregon. We utilize both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.
Our mission is to return our patients back to pain-free mobility and full strength as quickly and painlessly as possible using both surgical and non-surgical orthopedic procedures.
Our expert physicians provide leading-edge, comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including total joint replacement and sports medicine. We apply the latest state-of-the-art techniques in order to return our patients to their active lifestyle.
If you’re looking for compassionate, expert orthopedic surgeons in Portland Oregon, contact OSM today.
Phone:
503-224-8399
Address
1515 NW 18th Ave, 3rd Floor
Portland, OR 97209
Hours
Monday–Friday
8:00am – 4:30pm
5 Causes of Thumb Pain
in Hand InjuriesArticle featured on American Society for Surgery on the Hand
The thumb is involved in about 50% of all hand functions. When the thumb is painful or injured, it becomes very difficult to use the hand. During normal life, we take our thumbs for granted. When the thumb is not working properly, tasks are more difficult, and we then realize how important the thumb is. There are several causes of thumb pain including:
Read below to learn more.
1. Trigger thumb
The tendon that bends or flexes the thumb is called the flexor pollicis longus (FPL). If there is swelling or inflammation around the thumb tendon, it will not glide smoothly. Sometimes the tendon gets stuck in the thumb pulley, causing the thumb joint to click, catch, or lock. This is called a trigger thumb. The thumb can also become swollen, stiff, and very painful. Treatment includes rest, anti-inflammatory medications, splinting, and steroid injections. Most patients improve without surgery. If symptoms persist with treatment, trigger thumb release surgery is very effective and has low risks.
2. Thumb arthritis
The human thumb is unique. We can touch the tip of the thumb to the small finger — a function called opposition. Most animals do not have an “opposable” thumb. This gives us the ability to write, use a needle and thread, and use hand tools. The joint at the base of the thumb which allows opposition is called the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint. Normal, every day activities can cause wear and tear in the thumb CMC joint. When the joint wears out, it can become inflamed and painful. This process is called osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease.
Anyone can get osteoarthritis if they live long enough. So far, we have not found a way to prevent osteoarthritis. Wear and tear is part of the normal aging process. However, the symptoms of osteoarthritis can be treated by reducing inflammation in the joint. Ways to reduce inflammation and treat thumb CMC osteoarthritis include topical anti-inflammatory gels, oral over-the-counter medications, adjusting hand activities, using a thumb splint, and steroid injections. Most patients improve without surgery. If symptoms persist with treatment, thumb CMC surgery can greatly improve quality of life.
3. DeQuervain’s tendonitis
The tendons in the wrist that lift the thumb up are prone to tendonitis. These tendons travel through a tight compartment on the thumb side of the wrist. If there is friction on the tendons, they can become inflamed and very painful. This is classic in young mothers, and is sometimes called mommy’s thumb. Treatment consists of splinting, anti-inflammatory medications, therapy, and steroid injections. DeQuervain’s release surgery is occasionally necessary to resolve this condition.
4. Carpal tunnel syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a type of pinched nerve. When the nerve is pinched in the carpal tunnel, patients have numbness and tingling in the thumb, index, middle, and/or ring fingers. Initially symptoms come and go, and are often worse at night. Some patients feel electric shock sensations or burning pain in their thumbs. In severe cases, the thumb muscles can become weak and atrophied. Treatment for most patients includes wearing a wrist brace at night, stretching exercises, hand therapy, and steroid injections. Carpal tunnel surgery is very effective for most patients if non-operative treatment is not successful or if nerve compression is severe.
5. Skier’s thumb
Trauma to the thumb is common. During a fall, most people land on an outstretched hand to brace themselves. Unfortunately the ligaments in the thumb can become injured in this way. The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of the thumb is vulnerable to tearing as the thumb is bent backwards and away from the hand. If this ligament does not heal properly, patients can have pain and weakness with pinch tasks. For most minor sprains of the thumb, temporary immobilization in a splint or cast is successful to allow healing. If the ulnar collateral ligament is fully torn, however, surgery is usually recommended to fix the injury. Hand therapy is often helpful during the recovery process to regain range of motion and strength.
If you have an injury to your hand or thumb, or pain which does not go away with conservative treatment, make an appointment with a hand specialist to get an accurate diagnosis and good treatment plan.
The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic group located in downtown Portland Oregon. We utilize both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.
Our mission is to return our patients back to pain-free mobility and full strength as quickly and painlessly as possible using both surgical and non-surgical orthopedic procedures.
Our expert physicians provide leading-edge, comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including total joint replacement and sports medicine. We apply the latest state-of-the-art techniques in order to return our patients to their active lifestyle.
If you’re looking for compassionate, expert orthopedic surgeons in Portland Oregon, contact OSM today.
Phone:
503-224-8399
Address
1515 NW 18th Ave, 3rd Floor
Portland, OR 97209
Hours
Monday–Friday
8:00am – 4:30pm
10 Tips for Getting Around on Crutches
in Legs & FeetArticle featured on Healthgrades
1. Verify Your Fit
Properly fitting crutches can make the difference between comfort and calluses. When you’re standing up straight with your arms at your side, the top of the crutches should be 1 to 2 inches below your armpit, and the handgrips should be at wrist-level. Your elbow should be slightly bent in this position. If your crutches don’t feel right after using them for a day or two, don’t hesitate to ask your care team for a different size.
2. Walk This Way
To walk, start standing up straight on your good leg with your crutches gripped in your hands. Lean onto your good leg, lift your crutches, and set them down 6 to 12 inches in front of your good foot. Lean your weight into your hands and step your good leg 6 to 12 inches in front of your crutches. Rest as necessary and repeat. Always look ahead—and not down—as you walk. Your body will follow your gaze.
3. Get a (Cushioned) Grip
Your hands—not your armpits—should bear your weight when you use crutches. If you push your crutches into your armpits, nerve damage could occur and send pain down your arms. If your hard-working hands become sore, cushion the handgrips with an adhesive pad. Or consider wearing fingerless gloves with padding if you need to walk a far distance.
4. Scan for Obstacles
You certainly don’t want to take a tumble while you’re on crutches and risk injuring another body part, like a wrist or your good leg’s ankle. While you’re walking, be on the lookout for ice patches, puddles, curled-up rug edges, gravel, and small steps. Think about how to safely and slowly get past your obstacle—or find another way to get where you’re going.
5. Use Care When Sitting
Sit down slowly every time. Transfer both crutches to the hand on the same side as your injured leg. Lean into your crutches, then reach back with your free hand to feel the chair, sofa, stool or bed. Sit down into the seat. Be sure to set your crutches down upside-down within reach. When standing up, slide to the edge of the your seat, and reverse these steps. Keep the back of your good leg touching the seat.
6. Sit Down on the Steps
If there’s an elevator to take you up and down floors, use it. But if you need to negotiate stairs on crutches, The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons recommends that you do so seated. That may feel odd, but it reduces your risk of a tumble and further injury. Be sure to push your crutches up or down in the direction you’re going before you start, so they’re available when you stand up again.
7. Contain Beverages and Foods
When you’re on crutches, carrying a cup of coffee or a sandwich to the couch can be a challenge without help. One way to do this on your own is to transport foods in closed travel containers, such as plastic containers or travel mugs. You can carry even more if you use a backpack or side-slung pack.
8. Equip Your Pad
You may spend more time at home than usual while your leg heals. So outfit your pad with props that save you time and effort. Use a wheeled office chair to roam the rooms of one level of your house. In the kitchen, set up a high, stable bar stool that you can lean on while you prepare food and drinks. And use (clean) trash grabbers or long barbeque tongs to pull small items down from tall shelves.
9. Care for Your Crutches
Once a week when you’re sitting down, check your crutches for anything that may weaken their support. Look for things like loose hardware, worn tips, and items like small rocks or stickers that have become lodged to the rubber ends. The more sturdy your crutches are, the more steady your pace will be.
10. Embrace Your Pace
You simply aren’t going to get around as quickly or as easily on crutches as you could before them. Give yourself plenty of time to get everywhere. And give yourself a pass on most of the items on your to-do list for a bit. The more slowly you go, and the more rest you give yourself and your injured leg, the more quickly you’ll regain strength and speed. And ultimately, you’ll recover quickly and safely.
The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic group located in downtown Portland Oregon. We utilize both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.
Our mission is to return our patients back to pain-free mobility and full strength as quickly and painlessly as possible using both surgical and non-surgical orthopedic procedures.
Our expert physicians provide leading-edge, comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including total joint replacement and sports medicine. We apply the latest state-of-the-art techniques in order to return our patients to their active lifestyle.
If you’re looking for compassionate, expert orthopedic surgeons in Portland Oregon, contact OSM today.
Phone:
503-224-8399
Address
1515 NW 18th Ave, 3rd Floor
Portland, OR 97209
Hours
Monday–Friday
8:00am – 4:30pm
What You Need to Know About Torn Bicep Tendon Injuries
in Arm Injuries, Tendon InjuriesYour bicep is the muscle in the front of your upper arm. It helps you bend your elbow and twist your forearm.
Three tendons attach your bicep to bone:
When you have a torn bicep, one of these tendons is damaged or detaches from the bone. Any of these three bicep tendons can tear.
Types of bicep tendon tear injuries
There are three types of bicep tendon tear injuries, categorized by their location and severity. Tears can also be partial (in which a tendon is damaged) or complete (in which the tendon completely detaches from the bone).
The three types of bicep tendon tear injuries are:
Proximal biceps tendon tear at shoulder
This injury occurs when one of the tendons that attaches the bicep to the shoulder tears. The long head tendon is more likely to tear than the short head tendon. This type of tear often starts as normal tendon fraying, but can also tear if you get injured.
It’s likely that only one part of the tendon will tear in this injury. This means that you can usually continue to use your arm. However, a bicep tendon tear at the shoulder may damage other parts of the shoulder at the same time.
Distal biceps tendonitis and tear at the elbow
A bicep tendon tear at the elbow usually happens when the elbow is pushed straight against a heavy weight. This stress can tear the tendon from the bone, and usually causes a complete tear.
When you tear your bicep tendon at the elbow, your other arm muscles will compensate, so you’ll still have full range of motion. However, your arm will most likely lose strength if the tendon is not repaired. Bicep tendon tears at the elbow are not common. They happen to approximately 3 to 5 people per 100,000 per year. They’re also less common in women. Distal biceps tendonitis is inflammation in the biceps tendon near the elbow. It’s usually caused by normal wear and tear but repetitive motion can make it worse.
Tendonitis (microtears from use)
Tendonitis is the inflammation or irritation of the long head of the bicep tendon. This can cause microtears. As with distal biceps tendonitis, tendonitis of the long head of the biceps tendon is usually due to normal wear and tear, but can also be made worse by repetitive motion. It often happens with other shoulder problems, such as arthritis, shoulder impingement, and chronic shoulder dislocation.
Torn bicep tendon symptoms
Symptoms of a torn bicep tendon include:
Causes of a torn bicep tendon
The two main causes of a torn bicep tendon are injury and overuse. Injuries might be caused by lifting something heavy or falling on your arm. Most tears of the elbow bicep tendon happen because of an injury.
Overuse can cause the tendons to wear down or fray over time. This happens naturally as you age. It may also be made worse by repetitive motion, and is common in people who participate in sports such as weightlifting, tennis, or swimming.
Diagnosing a torn bicep tendon
To diagnose a torn bicep tendon, a doctor will first take a medical history. They’ll ask about your symptoms, whether you had any recent injuries, and when the pain began.
Then they’ll do a physical exam to test your range of motion and strength. During these tests, they’ll see if you have pain or difficulty with certain movements, especially rotations. They’ll also look at your arm for swelling, bruising, or bulging.
A history and physical exam are often enough to diagnose a bicep tendon tear. However, your doctor might also do an X-ray to help rule out any bone injuries, or an MRI to see if the tear is partial or complete.
Torn bicep treatment
Treatment for a torn bicep will mostly depend on how severe the tear is, as well as your overall bicep function and whether you damaged any other body part, such as your rotator cuff. Potential treatments include:
Rest
Taking time off from exercising, lifting, or holding anything heavy — and using your arm as little as possible — can help you recover, especially from overuse injuries. Be sure to avoid any activity that causes pain, even if it doesn’t seem strenuous.
NSAIDs
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are over-the-counter medications that help reduce inflammation. They can help reduce the inflammation (the hallmark of tendonitis), as well as help reduce swelling from bicep tears. They can also help reduce the pain you might have from any bicep tendon injuries.
Physical therapy
Physical therapy can help you regain strength and range of motion after a bicep tendon injury. A physical therapist will take you through a series of motions designed to help heal your injury and relieve pain.
A physical therapist or your doctor might also give you exercises to do at home when you’re healed enough to do so. These might include exercises to flex and extend your arm, arm rotations, and strength-building exercises like bicep curls.
Torn bicep surgery
If none of the measures above help your bicep injury heal, or if more than half the tendon is torn, your doctor might recommend surgery to repair the bicep tendon.
Many doctors will recommend surgery as a first-line treatment for bicep tendon tears at the elbow, although surgery can also be done later if other treatments don’t restore range of motion and strength.
Surgery is used to reattach the tendon to the bone. Complications of surgery are rare, but may include arm numbness or weakness. In some people, the tendon can tear again.
Torn bicep tendon recovery time
Recovery time depends on the severity of the bicep tendon tear, as well as type of treatment. Even mild injuries can take at least two months to heal. It often takes four to five months before you can start returning to normal activities.
After surgery, you’ll probably need to wear a sling or otherwise immobilize your arm such as in a splint or cast for four to six weeks. You’ll then have to do physical therapy and exercises to help strengthen your arm and improve range of motion.
Complete recovery from surgery can take up to a year, although most people recover much of their range of motion and strength in four to six months.
Takeaway
Bicep tendon tears can be serious, but many respond to nonsurgical treatment, such as rest and physical therapy. If you think you might have injured your bicep tendon, see a doctor as soon as possible. Getting a diagnosis and treatment early can help you recover more fully.
The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic group located in downtown Portland Oregon. We utilize both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.
Our mission is to return our patients back to pain-free mobility and full strength as quickly and painlessly as possible using both surgical and non-surgical orthopedic procedures.
Our expert physicians provide leading-edge, comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including total joint replacement and sports medicine. We apply the latest state-of-the-art techniques in order to return our patients to their active lifestyle.
If you’re looking for compassionate, expert orthopedic surgeons in Portland Oregon, contact OSM today.
Phone:
503-224-8399
Address
1515 NW 18th Ave, 3rd Floor
Portland, OR 97209
Hours
Monday–Friday
8:00am – 4:30pm
Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Joint Pain
in Joint PainArticle featured on
If you have sudden or ongoing pain in your knee, hip or shoulder, you may wonder when it’s time to seek medical care for your joint problem. You may be able to manage pain on your own for a while, but how do you know if joint pain is a sign of a serious problem that needs care?
When should you seek care for joint pain?
If you have joint pain or mobility issues, it’s important to contact an orthopedic expert who specializes in treating conditions that affect the muscles, bones, joints and connective tissues.
Joint symptoms can be addressed through a range of treatment options and making an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon is often the first step in finding relief. Some of the reasons to see an orthopedic surgeon include:
“You shouldn’t have to live with joint pain,” says Jeffrey Lange, MD, a hip and knee surgeon at the Center for Joint Health and Mobility at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “If something is wrong, call us to be evaluated. Every evaluation is different, because every patient is unique.”
Delaying joint care can lead to injury and other problems
For patients who have joint pain or mobility issues, it’s important to stay current with your joint health. In some cases, ignoring joint pain for too long may increase pain or mobility problems, or even result in a fall or injury.
“The more proactive you are in preserving your joints, the longer we anticipate they will last,” says Dr. Lange. “Taking care of your joint pain early could delay or prevent the need for surgery. If you do need surgery, having surgery earlier can lead to better outcomes in many cases. The details differ for every person, which is why we always suggest having an evaluation with a clinician to better understand your own unique situation.”
A check-in with your orthopedic specialist can help you understand all the available options for your unique situation. Together, you and your orthopedic specialist can:
Benefits of virtual care for joint problems
A consultation with an orthopedic specialist can be done in-person or virtually. A virtual visit allows you to accomplish many of the same things you would review during an in-person visit. Many patients are realizing the benefits of virtual care for joint problems, including:
“Going to the doctor’s office used to be a half- or even full-day affair for some patients,” says Dr. Lange. “With a virtual visit, patients can meet with me for a short period of time from the comfort of their homes. They feel like they are still connected with their provider without having to put themselves at risk by leaving their home during this difficult time.”
Safe care for joint pain during COVID-19
While many knee, hip and shoulder problems can be addressed remotely, your orthopedic specialist may want to see you in person for a follow-up evaluation. If you need to visit the clinic, your provider can give you an overview of what to expect during your in-person meeting.
Guided by our Safe Care Commitment, the Center for Joint Health and Mobility has put many safety measures in place to provide the safest possible environment for patients during COVID-19. If you need to visit the clinic for an in-person visit, you will encounter the following safety protocols designed to protect patients and staff:
Patients who are admitted to the hospital for an orthopedic surgery are required to get a COVID-19 test prior to their scheduled procedure. Patients who test positive for the coronavirus must reschedule their operation.
“Many patients who have joint replacement surgery during the pandemic choose to go home on the same day of their procedure,” says Dr. Lange. “Patients can stay in the hospital after their procedure if they choose, but patients who qualify for a same-day surgery have the option to go home faster if they want.”
Patient-centered approach to caring for your joints
The Center for Joint Health and Mobility at the Brigham is home to expert orthopedic specialists who combine advanced treatments with a modern and personalized approach to manage your joint health.
“We’re not just a joint replacement center, we’re a joint health center,” says Dr. Lange. “We provide a single center where patients can get all of their joint health needs in one place, from rehabilitation specialists to joint replacement surgeons. We take a holistic approach to keeping your joints healthy and in optimal condition for as long as possible.”
The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic group located in downtown Portland Oregon. We utilize both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.
Our mission is to return our patients back to pain-free mobility and full strength as quickly and painlessly as possible using both surgical and non-surgical orthopedic procedures.
Our expert physicians provide leading-edge, comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including total joint replacement and sports medicine. We apply the latest state-of-the-art techniques in order to return our patients to their active lifestyle.
If you’re looking for compassionate, expert orthopedic surgeons in Portland Oregon, contact OSM today.
Phone:
503-224-8399
Address
1515 NW 18th Ave, 3rd Floor
Portland, OR 97209
Hours
Monday–Friday
8:00am – 4:30pm
Bone Fractures: 10 Things Doctors Want You to Know
in Bone Health, FracturesMending Your Bone Fracture: What Doctors Say
About 6 million people break bones in the United States every year. The most frequently broken bone is the clavicle, or collarbone. Other common bone fractures include those in the arms, wrists and ankles. If you’re over 65, you’re more likely to break your hip than any other bone. You can break bones due to injury or diseases like osteoporosis, which weakens bones. Orthopedic surgeons specialize in treating broken bones in all scenarios. Here’s what three board-certified orthopedists want you to know about bone fractures, risk factors associated with them, and tips for helping them heal properly.
1. “A fracture and a break are the same thing.”
Patients frequently think bone fractures and bone breaks are different. Sometimes people think “fracture” means a crack while “break” means a clearly separated bone, but this is not true. “Fracture” is simply the term doctors use to refer to any break or crack in a bone.
2. “If you smoke, your fracture might not heal as fast.”
If you ingest nicotine—whether through cigarettes, cigars, chew tobacco, or even the nicotine patch—you may find that your fracture takes longer to heal than for a non-smoker. This is due to the effect of nicotine on the healing process. If you quit smoking, it will take three months before your body responds to bone breaks like a non-smoker’s would.
3. “Try RICE for non-emergency injuries.”
If you have a broken bone cutting through your skin or your bones are looking crooked and weird (what doctors call a deformity), you need emergency medical care. But if you only have pain and swelling, and aren’t sure if it’s a break, he says, you could try treating your injury at home for a day or two with “RICE”: rest, ice, compression (wrapping with an ace-type bandage) and elevation. If that doesn’t work, then you can be seen by a doctor.
4. “Don’t wait too long to be seen.”
If you wait too long to bring your possible bone fracture to your doctor’s attention, your bone could start healing on its own—and possibly in a crooked way. That makes fixing the problem more difficult than if you’d come in earlier. Or you could have underlying damage to the surface of the joint or other problems that are harder to treat the longer you wait. Waiting can also make it more likely you’ll need surgery. For non-emergency fractures it is recommended patients be seen within a couple of days. If you require an operation, this gives you time to get it scheduled before bones start knitting back together (which usually happens within a few weeks).
5. “Even little fingers and toes need to be checked out.”
You crack your little toe against a table leg. Should you bother getting it checked for fracture? It depends how bad you feel, noting that in similar situations, he might wait a couple days and, if still in pain, see a doctor to have it X-rayed. But in general, it’s better to err on the side of caution and see your doctor. After all, broken toes that heal crookedly can cause your shoes not to fit right, resulting in pain. Similarly, ignoring finger fractures can cause “significant disability” and lead to longer surgeries once patients finally come in, he says.
6. “Moving it doesn’t mean it is not broken.”
Patients say they didn’t think their bone was broken because they could still move the affected body part. But, he says, this is a fallacy. There’s only one way to know if it’s broken and that’s with an X-ray. The idea that if I can move it, therefore it can’t be broken is ridiculous. You can almost always move it, even if it is broken. Signs that it could be a bone fracture include significant swelling, tenderness around the site, bruising, and an inability to bear weight on it even after a couple of days’ rest.
7. “I don’t always operate.”
People think orthopedic surgeons do surgery 99% of the time. This can cause some patients to avoid seeing them, because they think they’ll wind up in the operating room. It’s perhaps an understandable misconception, given that “surgeon” is part of his title. But, most of what they do isn’t surgery. Instead, orthopedists do the least invasive procedures possible first to promote bone fracture healing, only moving up to surgery if more conservative measures don’t work.
8. “When we tell you to elevate it, take us seriously.”
Folks come in a couple of days after a broken ankle, for example, and they may have been laying around on the couch but not with the ankle truly elevated—which is above the level of your heart. If you’re lying down, you can put two or three pillows under your leg to achieve proper elevation, but if you’re sitting, you’re going to have to use more than that to get your leg high enough. Elevation is key to preventing swelling, which also could delay surgery, if that’s needed.
9. “Splints are not second-class citizens.”
Casts are non-removable and go all around your broken bone, while splints go only halfway around and can be taken off and on. Both casts and splints are used to immobilize your broken bone and both can be written on and decorated. Yet some patients think casts are best and get disappointed if they get a splint instead. A lot of times patients don’t give the splint a lot of respect. Doctors use splints for several reasons, including when a cast is difficult to place due to the location of the break or when doctors want to leave room for swelling.
10. “Forget the ‘6-week rule’ of bone healing.”
Patients think they know fractures are cured in six weeks, which is an incredible piece of misinformation; no adult is going to heal in six weeks. Most bone fractures take anywhere from 2 to 6 months to heal, depending on many factors, he says. There’s not just one rule for every broken bone. It’s important to understand there is specificity and details matter, such as where a bone is broken, what bone it is, what the fracture pattern looks like, and so on. It’s difficult to generalize.
The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic group located in downtown Portland Oregon. We utilize both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.
Our mission is to return our patients back to pain-free mobility and full strength as quickly and painlessly as possible using both surgical and non-surgical orthopedic procedures.
Our expert physicians provide leading-edge, comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including total joint replacement and sports medicine. We apply the latest state-of-the-art techniques in order to return our patients to their active lifestyle.
If you’re looking for compassionate, expert orthopedic surgeons in Portland Oregon, contact OSM today.
Phone:
503-224-8399
Address
1515 NW 18th Ave, 3rd Floor
Portland, OR 97209
Hours
Monday–Friday
8:00am – 4:30pm
2 Simple Exercises to Keep Your Feet Healthy
in Foot PainArticle featured on Cone Health
According to Marcus Duda, MD, a Greensboro orthopedist and member of the Cone Health Medical and Dental Staff, proper foot care is important to your health.
“During the pandemic, people became less active as gyms closed and activities stopped,” says Dr. Duda, a foot and ankle surgeon who has patented a graduated compression sock. “I started seeing a lot more foot and ankle issues.”
Many patients complained of a stone bruise or burning pain on the bottom of the foot and ankle stiffness. Achilles contracture or tendon stiffness was the culprit.
“After prolonged sitting, the Achilles tendon tightens and puts more pressure on the plantar fascia on the bottom of the foot,” shares Dr. Duda. “Stretching out this tendon takes pressure off and relieves the pain.”
Dr. Duda suggests simple exercises. While leaning against the kitchen counter with your hands, place one foot back with the heel flat on the floor and lean forward with knees straight. As you stretch the back of your calf, you should feel the stretch from your heel up through the back of the knee. Stretch for 60 seconds five times a day.
“As you age, connective tissue called fascia weakens,” he adds. “This can lead to pain and weakness in your joints and muscles along with balance problems.”
To build fascial strength, Dr. Duda recommends doing short 30-second exercises several times a day. Hold onto the counter, and face forward. With bare feet, raise up on your toes like you are trying to grab a marble while lifting your heels. Once you have enough strength, try hopping on the ball of your foot.
If your foot or ankle pain is severe or does not go away, consult with your doctor or orthopedist.
The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic group located in downtown Portland Oregon. We utilize both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.
Our mission is to return our patients back to pain-free mobility and full strength as quickly and painlessly as possible using both surgical and non-surgical orthopedic procedures.
Our expert physicians provide leading-edge, comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including total joint replacement and sports medicine. We apply the latest state-of-the-art techniques in order to return our patients to their active lifestyle.
If you’re looking for compassionate, expert orthopedic surgeons in Portland Oregon, contact OSM today.
Phone:
503-224-8399
Address
1515 NW 18th Ave, 3rd Floor
Portland, OR 97209
Hours
Monday–Friday
8:00am – 4:30pm
How Do You Know if You Fractured Your Forearm?
in Arm InjuriesArticle featured on Raleigh Orthopaedic
The forearm is made up of two bones in your lower arm, the radius and ulna. A fracture in the forearm can occur near the wrist, in the middle of the forearm or near the elbow. The forearm motion allows us to rotate our palms up or down. A broken forearm can affect your ability to rotate your arm and even bend or straighten the wrist and elbow.
A bone may be completely fractured or partially fractured in any number of ways (crosswise, lengthwise, in multiple pieces). If the bone breaks in such a way that bone fragments stick out through the skin, or a wound penetrates down to the broken bone, the fracture is called an “open” fracture and requires immediate attention. Call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
Cause of a fractured forearm
What are the symptoms of a broken forearm?
To determine whether you have broken forearm, your physician will ask you for a complete medical history and conduct a physical examination. An X-ray can confirm the diagnosis.
How do you treat a fractured forearm?
In an emergency room or urgent care, forearm fracture treatment begins with stabilizing the bones and temporarily realigning them with a cast or splint.
Nonsurgical treatment for a broken forearm
If the broken bone is in a good position or can be put back into good alignment, a cast can be used to keep the forearm steady until it heals. An orthopedic physician will monitor the healing of the fracture with frequent clinic visits and X-rays.
Broken forearm surgery
If the broken bone is out of place and the alignment cannot be corrected, surgery may be required. Surgery is also necessary for open fractures where the bones have broken through the skin. This type of forearm surgery depends on where the break in the bones occurred and the severity of the break. Your surgeon will determine the best surgery for your injury.
Rehabilitation
Recovery for a broken forearm depends on the severity of the injury. Forearm bones typically take three to six months to fully heal. The more severe your injury, the longer the recovery may be.
Rehabilitation usually begins are a few weeks of healing. Sometimes you may still use a cast or brace during the beginning stages of physical therapy. Physical therapy will focus on strength and range of motion exercises.
The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic group located in downtown Portland Oregon. We utilize both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.
Our mission is to return our patients back to pain-free mobility and full strength as quickly and painlessly as possible using both surgical and non-surgical orthopedic procedures.
Our expert physicians provide leading-edge, comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including total joint replacement and sports medicine. We apply the latest state-of-the-art techniques in order to return our patients to their active lifestyle.
If you’re looking for compassionate, expert orthopedic surgeons in Portland Oregon, contact OSM today.
Phone:
503-224-8399
Address
1515 NW 18th Ave, 3rd Floor
Portland, OR 97209
Hours
Monday–Friday
8:00am – 4:30pm
The Top 9 Benefits of Regular Exercise
in Wellness TipsArticle featured on Healthline
Exercise is defined as any movement that makes your muscles work and requires your body to burn calories.
There are many types of physical activity, including swimming, running, jogging, walking, and dancing, to name a few.
Being active has been shown to have many health benefits, both physically and mentally. It may even help you live longer.
Here are the top 9 ways regular exercise benefits your body and brain.
1. Exercise can make you feel happier
Exercise has been shown to improve your mood and decrease feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress.
It produces changes in the parts of the brain that regulate stress and anxiety. It can also increase brain sensitivity to the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine, which relieve feelings of depression.
Additionally, exercise can increase the production of endorphins, which are known to help produce positive feelings and reduce the perception of pain.
Interestingly, it doesn’t matter how intense your workout is. It seems that exercise can benefit your mood no matter the intensity of the physical activity.
In fact, in a study in 24 women diagnosed with depression, exercise of any intensity significantly decreased feelings of depression.
The effects of exercise on mood are so powerful that choosing to exercise (or not) even makes a difference over short periods of time.
One review of 19 studies found that active people who stopped exercising regularly experienced significant increases in symptoms of depression and anxiety, even after only a few weeks.
SUMMARY
Exercising regularly can improve your mood and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.
2. Exercise can help with weight loss
Some studies have shown that inactivity is a major factor in weight gain and obesity.
To understand the effect of exercise on weight reduction, it is important to understand the relationship between exercise and energy expenditure (spending).
Your body spends energy in three ways:
While dieting, a reduced calorie intake will lower your metabolic rate, which can temporarily delay weight loss. On the contrary, regular exercise has been shown to increase your metabolic rate, which can burn more calories to help you lose weight.
Additionally, studies have shown that combining aerobic exercise with resistance training can maximize fat loss and muscle mass maintenance, which is essential for keeping the weight off and maintaining lean muscle mass.
SUMMARY
Exercise is crucial to supporting a healthy metabolism and burning more calories per day. It also helps you maintain your muscle mass and weight loss.
3. Exercise is good for your muscles and bones
Exercise plays a vital role in building and maintaining strong muscles and bones.
Activities like weightlifting can stimulate muscle building when paired with adequate protein intake.
This is because exercise helps release hormones that promote your muscles’ ability to absorb amino acids. This helps them grow and reduces their breakdown.
As people age, they tend to lose muscle mass and function, which can lead to an increased risk of injury. Practicing regular physical activity is essential to reducing muscle loss and maintaining strength as you age.
Exercise also helps build bone density when you’re younger, in addition to helping prevent osteoporosis later in life.
Some research suggests that high impact exercise (such as gymnastics or running) or odd impact sports (such as soccer and basketball) may help promote a higher bone density than no impact sports like swimming and cycling.
SUMMARY
Physical activity helps you build muscles and strong bones. It may also help prevent osteoporosis.
4. Exercise can increase your energy levels
Exercise can be a real energy booster for many people, including those with various medical conditions.
One older study found that 6 weeks of regular exercise reduced feelings of fatigue for 36 people who had reported persistent fatigue.
Exercise can also significantly increase energy levels for people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and other health conditions. In fact, exercise seems to be more effective at combating CFS than other treatments, including passive therapies like relaxation and stretching or no treatment at all.
And let’s not forget the fantastic heart and lung health benefits of exercise. Aerobic exercise boosts the cardiovascular system and improves lung health, which can significantly help with energy levels.
As you move more, your heart pumps more blood, delivering more oxygen to your working muscles. With regular exercise, your heart becomes more efficient and adept at moving oxygen into your blood, making your muscles more efficient.
Over time, this aerobic training results in less demand on your lungs, and it requires less energy to perform the same activities — one of the reasons you’re less likely to get short of breath during vigorous activity.
Additionally, exercise has been shown to increase energy levels in people with other conditions, such as cancer.
SUMMARY
Engaging in regular physical activity can increase your energy levels. This is true even in people with persistent fatigue and those with serious health conditions.
5. Exercise can reduce your risk of chronic disease
Lack of regular physical activity is a primary cause of chronic disease.
Regular exercise has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, heart health, and body composition. It can also decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
More specifically, exercise can help reduce or prevent the following chronic health conditions.
In contrast, a lack of regular exercise — even in the short term — can lead to significant increases in belly fat, which may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
That’s why regular physical activity is recommended to reduce belly fat and decrease the risk of developing these conditions (34Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Daily physical activity is essential to maintaining a healthy weight and reducing the risk of chronic disease.
6. Exercise can help skin health
Your skin can be affected by the amount of oxidative stress in your body.
Oxidative stress occurs when the body’s antioxidant defenses cannot completely repair the cell damage caused by compounds known as free radicals. This can damage the structure of the cells and negatively impact your skin.
Even though intense and exhaustive physical activity can contribute to oxidative damage, regular moderate exercise can actually increase your body’s production of natural antioxidants, which help protect cells (35Trusted Source, 36Trusted Source).
In the same way, exercise can stimulate blood flow and induce skin cell adaptations that can help delay the appearance of skin aging (37Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Moderate exercise can provide antioxidant protection and promote blood flow, which can protect your skin and delay signs of aging.
7. Exercise can help your brain health and memory
Exercise can improve brain function and protect memory and thinking skills.
To begin with, it increases your heart rate, which promotes the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain. It can also stimulate the production of hormones that enhance the growth of brain cells.
Plus, the ability of exercise to prevent chronic disease can translate into benefits for your brain, since its function can be affected by these conditions.
Regular physical activity is especially important in older adults since aging — combined with oxidative stress and inflammation — promotes changes in brain structure and function.
Exercise has been shown to cause the hippocampus, a part of the brain that’s vital for memory and learning, to grow in size, which may help improve mental function in older adults.
Lastly, exercise has been shown to reduce changes in the brain that can contribute to conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
SUMMARY
Regular exercise improves blood flow to the brain and helps brain health and memory. Among older adults, it can help protect mental function.
8. Exercise can help with relaxation and sleep quality
Regular exercise can help you relax and sleep better.
With regard to sleep quality, the energy depletion (loss) that occurs during exercise stimulates restorative processes during sleep.
Moreover, the increase in body temperature that occurs during exercise is thought to improve sleep quality by helping body temperature drop during sleep.
Many studies on the effects of exercise on sleep have reached similar conclusions.
One review of six studies found that participating in an exercise training program helped improve self-reported sleep quality and reduced sleep latency, which is the amount of time it takes to fall asleep.
One study conducted over 4 months found that both stretching and resistance exercise led to improvements in sleep for people with chronic insomnia.
Getting back to sleep after waking, sleep duration, and sleep quality improved after both stretching and resistance exercise. Anxiety was also reduced in the stretching group.
What’s more, engaging in regular exercise seems to benefit older adults, who are often affected by sleep disorders.
You can be flexible with the kind of exercise you choose. It appears that either aerobic exercise alone or aerobic exercise combined with resistance training can both improve sleep quality.
SUMMARY
Regular physical activity, regardless of whether it is aerobic or a combination of aerobic and resistance training, can help you sleep better and feel more energized during the day.
9. Exercise can reduce pain
Although chronic pain can be debilitating, exercise can actually help reduce it.
In fact, for many years, the recommendation for treating chronic pain was rest and inactivity. However, recent studies show that exercise helps relieve chronic pain.
In fact, one review of several studies found that exercise can help those with chronic pain reduce their pain and improve their quality of life.
Several studies also show that exercise can help control pain associated with various health conditions, including chronic low back pain, fibromyalgia, and chronic soft tissue shoulder disorder, to name a few.
Additionally, physical activity can also raise pain tolerance and decrease pain perception.
SUMMARY
Exercise has favorable effects on the pain associated with various conditions. It can also increase pain tolerance.
The bottom line
Exercise offers incredible benefits that can improve nearly every aspect of your health. Regular physical activity can increase the production of hormones that make you feel happier and help you sleep better.
It can also:
And it doesn’t take much movement to make a big difference in your health.
If you aim for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity each week or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity spread throughout the week, you’ll meet the Department of Health and Human Services’ activity guidelines for adults.
Moderate intensity aerobic activity is anything that gets your heart beating faster, like walking, cycling, or swimming. Activities like running or participating in a strenuous fitness class count for vigorous intensity.
Throw in at least 2 days of muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms), and you’ll exceed the recommendations.
You can use weights, resistance bands, or your bodyweight to perform muscle-strengthening exercises. These include squats, push-ups, shoulder press, chest, press, and planks.
Whether you practice a specific sport or follow the guideline of 150 minutes of activity per week, you can inevitably improve your health in many ways.