Exercise & Muscles

Recently Answered

• QWhy do I need to stretch my muscles as I age?

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  A Dr. Vonda Wright, MD , Orthopedic Surgery, answered

  The truth is that by and large, the active agers and athletes who come into my office with repetitive injuries are stiff as boards! Their hamstrings, their calves, their shoulders, and their backs are all stiff. This perpetual tightness often leads to injury and frustration. These people are not limited by the number of years they have lived but by the length of their muscles. It doesn't have to be this way. You grew these muscles and you can make them perform for you in just 15 minutes per day!
  
  Flexibility is the ability of muscle to lengthen and allow your joints to move through a full range of motion. Maintaining muscle flexibility increases athletic performance, improves running economy (decreased energy expenditure at a given speed), prevents injury, decreases soreness, and hastens rehabilitation following injury. In their relaxed state, muscles and the tendons that attach them to your bones are "crinkled" up. (This is literally the scientific term for their accordion-like resting state.) When they are in a chronically shortened state, muscles and tendons prevent our joints from moving through their full range of motion, which changes the way we walk, our posture, and, among other things, our golf swing (heaven forbid). Not only this, but stiff muscles and tendons are like the old dried out rubber bands you find in the back of your desk drawer. One pull and these brittle old elastic bands "pop." Muscles are elastic bands, and when stiff, they are also more likely to "pop" and sideline us with injury.
• QWhy is it important to strengthen my core muscles?

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  A Dr. Vonda Wright, MD , Orthopedic Surgery, answered

  The key to your back is your front. The muscles of the lower back are actually smaller than the muscles of the abdomen and sides. The large rectus muscles in the front and the oblique muscles on your sides -- also known as your core -- stabilize your back and pelvis and, if strong, act to prevent pain. The most important way to prevent low back pain and the misery it causes is to concentrate on your core muscles. Core strength is also vital for all sports from running (runners notoriously have weak core strength) to golf (how do you think Tiger Woods drives the ball so far?). No matter what your sport, you have a weak core only because you do not specifically pay attention to it.
  
  
  Fitness After 40: How to Stay Strong at Any Age

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• QWhy is it important to stretch my hamstrings as I get older?

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  A Dr. Vonda Wright, MD , Orthopedic Surgery, answered

  You have all seen elderly people walking around with bent knees all stooped over. While there can be many reasons for this, one big reason people start walking with bent knees is shortening of the hamstrings. The hamstrings are the large muscles in the back of your leg that connect your pelvis to your lower leg. Hamstrings act as the rubber band that flexes your knee during walking or, more powerfully, during exercise. After years in a crinkled state, muscles like hamstrings get shorter. The thigh bone (femur), however, does not get shorter, so the only way you can make the distance between the pelvis and lower leg shorter is to bend your knees. Well, you can't walk with bent knees and straight hips, so to compensate, you bend your hips forward and, before you know it, you are walking around with a stooped gait -- looking old.
• QWhat are strengthening exercises for ulnar hand (claw hand)?

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  A National Athletic Trainers' Association answered

  Ulnar hand (claw hand) develops due to a weakness of the deep muscles of your hand. To improve the strength of these muscles, you will need to work on gripping objects. This can be done with objects around the house. Start small with objects that can be easily held and squeezed with light resistance. Examples of these objects include stress balls and pillows. Then work your way up to a tennis ball. Squeeze these objects with two to three fingers at a time to improve the strength of each individual finger. Additionally it is always a good idea to see your doctor for follow-up evaluation and for possible referral to a certified athletic trainer who can outline a progression of exercises for you.

  (This answer provided for NATA by the Indiana University Athletic Training Education Program)

• QHow can the trapezius-strengthening exercise ease shoulder pain?

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  A Rick Olderman , Physical Therapy, answered

  The trapezius-strengthening exercise targets key muscles that help move and stabilize the scapula (shoulder blade) as the arm moves. Most people with shoulder pain have weak scapular rotators and stabilizers, which this strengthening exercise helps correct.
• QWhy does my body feel so out of balance from holding my kids so much?

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  A Sadie Lincoln , Fitness, answered on behalf of barre3

  Often parents favor one side (arm, shoulder, hip) when holding their little ones, and have a tendency to compromise their posture when doing so. It is important to strengthen and support your body equally to decrease your risk of injury. One way to do this is to focus on holding your children from the inside out. Engage your core and try to level your body before picking up or holding your children. Soften your knees and try to shift your weight side to side to balance the load. Also try to switch sides, when possible.
  
• QWhat can I do if carrying my kids has put my body out of alignment?

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  A Sadie Lincoln , Fitness, answered on behalf of barre3

  This is a common issue and something we see a lot in our studios. At barre3 we focus on balance and alignment in the body. The muscle groups we work develop and strengthen the entire body, helping to realign our imbalances. You can take that idea of balance into your daily life by noticing these common tendencies:
  

  • slouching shoulders or arching the back
  • leaning to one side and constantly putting all your weight on the same leg
  • letting your core fall forward and tug the low back forward

  Once you notice your patterns of imbalance, you can start to make a conscious choice to balance your posture. A little bit of attention to your body can go a long way!
• QHow do I strengthen my shoulder muscles?

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  A Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answered

  You can strengthen your shoulder muscles by doing a standing side lift exercise using free weights.
  
  Muscles worked: Middle deltoid (side shoulder), anterior deltoid (front shoulder), and supraspinatus (a rotator cuff muscle)
  
  Starting position: Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart, and your knees and hips slightly bent. Lean forward slightly from the hips and let your arms hang straight down, with your elbows slightly bent and palms facing each other.
  
  Action: Pull your arms up and out to your side, keeping your wrists straight and elbows slightly bent. Continue lifting until your arms are almost parallel to the floor and your hands are slightly in front of you. As with the tubing, the hands should be continually visible with your peripheral vision. That is, the hands should be in front of your body. Slowly lower them back to the starting position.
  
  Tips:
  

  • Your shoulder is not strong in this position, so use light weights -- start with 1 to 3 pound or 1/2 to 1 kg weights. It's crucial that you discontinue the exercise if any shoulder or back pain occurs. If you're using your back to raise the weight to where it should be, use a lighter weight, even if it seems too light. Remember, the goal of these exercises is to strengthen muscles, not to injure yourself.
  • Make sure your shoulders stay down. In this exercise, people typically try to lift with their shoulders, and their shoulders end up practically covering their ears. Have another person look at your shoulders or hold them down while you're doing this exercise, or look in the mirror at yourself, to ensure that you are doing it correctly.
  • I like to do this in a modified-lunge position, and I do two sets, alternating one set with the right leg forward and one with the left leg forward. If you do them in this manner, make sure you split the sets up with another set of exercises in between, so that you don't do two sets in rapid sequence.
  • Women very rarely get past 8 pounds in free weights; men very rarely get past 15 pounds, so I would start with considerably less weight ( 1 to 3 pound or 1/2 to 1 kg weights for women, 3 or 5 pounds or 1 to 2 and a half kg for men) unless you're a semi-professional weight lifter or body builder.