By Angel Choi Exercise • Injury prevention • Physiotherapy tips • Sport performance • Sports injuries 0 Comments

The No.1 injury prevention strategy – Modulate your STRESS (Part 2)

Physiological stress: Friend or Foe?
When we fail to respond suitably to an emotional or physical ‘threat’, whether it be real or perceived, our body initiates a ‘Fight or Flight’ response and our adrenal glands release a substance called cortisol. This is known as the ‘stress hormone’. During this response, our body sends stored energy to our working muscles and also suppresses the functions of growth, repair, digestion, sexual drive and the immune system, so as to conserve valuable energy. If the ‘Fight or Flight’ response is turned on too often or we remain continually in a state of ‘Fight or Flight’, very typical in modern life, this can cause immense wear and tear on the cells of our body.

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By Angel Choi Exercise • Injury prevention • Physiotherapy tips • Sport performance • Sports injuries 0 Comments

How do you monitor the amount of mechanical stress applied to your body?

INTENSITY (how hard you exercise): Intensity is the most important factor to consider when monitoring mechanical stress and the main contributor to the occurrence of injury. The harder you exercise, the more mechanical stress you are exposing your body to, e.g. going from a slow jog to running faster, or lifting increasingly heavier weights. Harder exercise sessions should be introduced very GRADUALLY to avoid injury and enhance adaptation.

 

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By Angel Choi Injury prevention • Sport performance • Sports injuries 0 Comments

The No.1 Injury Prevention Strategy – Mechanical stress: Friend or Foe?

It is around this time of year – approx. 6 to 8 weeks after implementing our New Year’s resolution to “get fit” – that injury is often experienced.  “I was exercising so well, why did I get injured?” is a question often asked when clients come in to see us at InTouch Physiotherapy. The answer is encompassed in your exercise LOAD and why it can be your best friend or worst enemy.

LOAD = MECHANICAL STRESS + physiological stress (I will talk about physiological stress in another post)

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By Angel Choi Exercise • Injury prevention • Knee Injuries • Muscles • Physiotherapy tips • Ski • Sport performance • Sports injuries 0 Comments

What exercises are good for skiing?

Exercise good for ski

Prepare your body for skiing and snowboarding

This exercise routine should be effective if done regularly. We usually recommend three times a week. Don’t hesitate to come in if you are not sure about what to do to get fit for skiing and general advice on how to prevent skiing injuries.

Watch out the exercise demos by our physiotherapist – Paul:
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By Angel Choi Exercise • Hip • Injury prevention • Muscles • Physiotherapy tips • Sport performance • Sports injuries • Yoga 0 Comments

Hip opening sequence for pain-free yoga practice

Do you ever experience pain in your back while doing back bending poses (eg. upward dog, wheel)? Or knee pain while doing a lotus pose?

It may not be your back or your knees that give you the sharp pain, but instead one of the common causes is due to the tightness in your hip and buttock muscles (gluteus, piriformis, tensor fascia latae). The reason is that when you are doing a back bending with tight glutes, the mobility of the pelvis and the lower back decrease leading to a “blocking” in the lower back. On the other hand, if you try to get into a lotus pose with tight glutes, you may tend to rotate from your knees instead of from your hips, which may cause a twist or sprain in your knees. Read more

By Angel Choi Back pain • Exercise • Muscles • Physiotherapy tips • Short and long-term pain • Sport performance • Sports injuries • Yoga 0 Comments

Is it normal to have pain in yoga?

Is it Normal To Have Pain In Yoga?While some hold the belief of “No pain no gain”, when experiencing discomfort, it is important for yogis to be able to differentiate between the good and bad pain. Good pain includes the feeling of tightness while stretching and muscle soreness which usually presents 24 to 72 hours after practising yoga. Good pain is usually short-lived and will gradually disappear. On the other hand, bad pain includes sharp pain or a feeling of numbness. It may indicate an underlying injury, for instance, muscles strain, ligaments sprain or other structural damage. A bad pain signals you to stop putting yourself in danger. However, it does not means that you need to stop practising yoga at all. Read more