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Welcome to the Maryland SportsCare & Rehab E-Newsletter
Summer 2007Dear Patients,
We hope these quick tips will allow you to enjoy the rest of your summer feeling fit and staying injury-free. Thanks again for your support and, as always, we welcome any questions and concerns. Please look around our web site to learn more about our services.
-Gary Katz, PT, ATC, CSCS
President, Maryland SportsCare & Rehab
In This Minute
Fit for the Fairway
While a golfer may spend thousands of dollars each year on new or improved equipment, the most essential playing tool is his or her body. Awareness of proper posture and the importance of fitness and flexibility are just as important for weekend golfers as they are for the pros. Here are some tips to help avoid golf-related injuries and peak your performance:
- Proper warm up - Make it a habit of warming up and stretching all major muscle groups, especially the back and extremities, for at least 20 minutes before teeing off. Try these easy-to-do golf stretches. (.pdf)
- Proper swing - Professional golfers make it look easy, but the golf swing is actually one of the most difficult and complicated movements in all of sports, requiring stability in some joints and flexibility in others. Having proper motion, strength, and function throughout the swing play a large role in preventing injuries. The payoff of a better swing is a more accurate ball strike, greater distance, and reduced stress on the muscles and joints.
- Core stabilization exercises - Each time a golfer swings, he or she is directing seven to eight times his or her weight on the spine. With this kind of force, it's easy to damage discs and strain muscles. Multiple core stabilization exercises provide an excellent way to prevent injuries and can ultimately help golfers improve their performance.
- Cardiovascular conditioning - Fatigue can result in poor performance due to a lack of coordinated body movements. To keep endurance up and muscles warm and conditioned, it’s important for golfers walk the course whenever possible to ensure continued aerobic conditioning.
Maryland SportsCare & Rehab Can Help Your Game. Find out more about our Golf Program.
Bike Right, Bike Fit
Bicycling is a first-class aerobic workout. It’s a great way to strengthen the lower body and to control weight, too. Correct bike fit is very important. A poorly fit bicycle makes a bicyclist more vulnerable to repetitive-motion injuries and bicycle-related pain, particularly in the commonly injured areas of the knees, back and neck. Whether you ride for recreation or competition, proper bike fit minimizes discomfort and helps to prevent pain and injury.
- Saddle - Be sure that the saddle is level for endurance and recreational riding. If you are sliding too far forward from a forward-tilting saddle, too much weight is being placed on your arms and back. If the seat is tilted backwards, posture will be compromised and you may place undue strain on your lower back and possibly experience saddle-related pain.
- Handlebars - The location of handlebars will be determined by a person’s height, strength, coordination, and functional goals. Higher handlebars will have you put more weight on the saddle. Generally, taller riders should have lower handlebars in relation to the height of the saddle. If handlebars are too far forward, you’ll be putting strain on your back.
- Physical Condition - Equally important to proper bike fit is a rider’s physical condition. Good flexibility of the hamstrings, quadriceps, and gluteal muscles is crucial because these muscles generate the majority of the pedaling force and must move through the pedal-stroke in an ideal 80-90 revolutions per minute. Proper stretching, balance, and flexibility exercises help with coordination of cycling-related skills such as breaking and cornering.
Bike Posture Tips
- Knee should be slightly bent when you are at the bottom of the pedal stroke, and your hips should not rock while pedaling.
- Hand position should be changed frequently for greater upper-body comfort.
- A higher cadence (speed) and using easier gears will help you achieve better pedaling skills. Your goal cadence should be 80-90 revolutions per minute. A bicycle computer with cadence read-out is very useful.
Common Bicycling Pains
- Anterior (Front) Knee Pain - Possible causes are having a saddle that is too low, too low of a cadence (speed), using your quadriceps muscles too much in pedaling, misaligned bicycle cleat for those who use clipless pedals, and muscle imbalance in your legs (strong quadriceps and weak hamstrings).
- Neck Pain - Possible causes include poor handlebar or saddle position. A poorly placed handlebar might be too low, at too great a reach, or at too short a reach. A saddle with excessive downward tilt can be a source of neck pain.
- Lower Back Pain - Possible causes include inflexible hamstrings, low cadence, using your quadriceps muscles too much in pedaling, poor back strength, and too-long or too-low handlebars.
- Hamstring Tendinitis - Possible causes are inflexible hamstrings, high saddle, misaligned bicycle cleat, and poor hamstring strength.
- Hand Numbness or Pain - Possible causes are short-reach handlebars, poorly placed brake levers, and a downward tilt of the saddle.
- Foot Numbness or Pain - Possible causes are using your quadriceps muscles too much in pedaling, low cadence, faulty foot mechanics, and misaligned bicycle cleat for those who use clipless pedals.
- Ilio-Tibial Band Tendinitis - Possible causes are too-high saddle, leg length difference, and misaligned bicycle cleat for those who use clipless pedals.
Professional SportsCare & Rehab can help you evaluate bike fit and posture and ensure your ability to meet functional goals, whether it is for comfort and endurance, or speed and performance. Contact your therapist for more information.
Bike Right, Bike Fit! - Brochure (.pdf)
Walking for Fitness
Walking is the perfect summertime, low-impact exercise for developing and maintaining overall fitness. But the benefits of a consistent walking program go far beyond increasing your fitness level. Walking is associated with a reduced risk of heart attack and type 2 diabetes, as well as increased energy and muscle tone, stress reduction and weight control.
Help make your walking exercise regimen successful by considering these tips:
- Pace yourself. Start slow and easy, gradually building up to your pace and distance. You should be able to maintain a "conversational" pace – one that enables you to hold a normal conversation while walking without feeling winded.
- Shoe sense. Initially, purchase walking shoes at a professional shoe store, where trained staff can fit your exact type of foot. For example, a high arch will require a shoe with more cushion; a flat foot will need more arch support.
- Proper gait. Your own particular style of walking, or gait, determines the distribution of the stress to various parts of your legs and feet. If you are experiencing discomfort – particularly back pain, kneecap pain, legs cramps or a sore Achilles tendon – it may be the result of a gait problem and should be analyzed by a physical therapist.
- Hydrate. As with all sports, hydration should be maintained - drink comfortably and don't let thirst be your guide. Amounts vary depending on weather and walking conditions; sipping 8-12 oz. of water every 30 minutes from a hydration pack or water bottle stored in a fanny pack is recommended.
Walking for Fitness - Brochure (.pdf)
What's New at Maryland SportsCare & Rehab
 Maryland SportsCare & Rehab has teamed up with Pro Sports Massage and now offers therapeutic massage at our Urbana location.
Click here for a special coupon offer. (.pdf)
Maryland SportsCare & Rehab is now open at the Woodholme Medical Center in Pikesville.
Content is provided by the American Physical Therapy Association Disclaimer
The information in this e-newsletter is not intended as a substitute for professional health care. If you experience signs or symptoms of disease or illness you should seek the advice of a physical therapist or other health care professional.
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