Many athletes suffer from back pain due to imbalances in the body created by contact sports. Lucky for you, yoga for athletes has many uses, and one of them is to relieve stress and pain, particularly in the back. Here are 5 easy poses for you to practice at home when your back is crying for attention:

1. Cat Pose: Place yourself on your hands and knees, making sure your knees are hip width apart and your hands are directly beneath your shoulders (so your limbs are making 90 degree angles) with your eyes looking at the floor (tabletop position). As you exhale, round your back like an angry cat, making sure to keep your hands and knees in place. You can bring your head towards the floor, but don’t force your chin to your chest. Inhale as you return to tabletop position. (more…)

Shoulder pain is a common complaint that doctors see many patients for. Since the shoulder and surrounding muscles are responsible for movement of the human arms, pain in this area can affect almost everything a sufferer does. The shoulders have a large range of motion through the movable joints, they are also a quite unstable part of the body and are susceptible to injury.

Shoulder injuries are quite often a result of injury to the tendons, muscles or ligaments in the joint. This can be due to a sports injury, accident or other cause. Muscles attach to the bone with tendons, and ligaments hold the bones together. Since all three of these work as one to move the shoulder, when there is a problem affecting one or more of them the others are unable to properly function. (more…)

For most individuals, sciatica responds well to self-care treatment measures. In addition, you will heal even faster if you continue taking part in physical activities, being careful to avoid any movements that may have brought on the sciatica pain in the first place.

While resting for a day, applying cold packs can provide some relief. Long term bed rest isn’t a good strategy for healing. As a matter of fact, long periods of inactivity will definitely make your sciatica symptoms worse. This is where sciatica exercises come in — exercising can reduce the pain and possibly lead to elimination of the pain altogether. (more…)

Some runners get shin splints once or twice and other runners get shin splints again and again. Either way the pain can be intense and can stop you dead in your tracks. Understand the top seven causes of shin splints, discover recovery techniques and what you can do to stay shin splint free.

1. The Hard Truth

Avoid as much as possible running on hard surfaces like concrete. Running for long periods of time on hard surfaces can cause tiny micro-cracks in the two bones of the lower leg the fibula and the tibia, also called the shin bone. Repeated insult can turn these micro stress fractures into major problems that will end your training for a considerable time. If you have a stubborn history of shin splints this may be the root of the problem. A qualified sports clinic can identify or rule out a stress fracture. X-rays can detect stress fractures, but not always. A sports clinic equipped with x-ray equipment can help diagnose detect the presence of stress fractures with x-rays or more sensitive diagnostics like a bone scan. Choose softer surfaces like dirt trails, grass, rubberized tracks, or sand and alternate running these surfaces. (more…)

Sciatic nerve pain can be caused by many things including a slipped disc, narrowing of the spinal cord from age, degenerative disc disease, pinched nerves, or even improper posture. The sciatic nerve runs from your back down behind your thighs, to the lower leg and foot area. When compressed, the pain can be excruciating. There are several methods of sciatica treatment which help to eliminate sciatic nerve pain including back pain exercises and therapy. Below you will find a few of these holistic type treatments that many people have found effective.

1. Heat/Ice - A cold pack can reduce any type of inflammation and numbness associated with sciatic nerve pain or sore muscle tissues, alleviating some of the pain associated with it, and should only be used when the pain is intense. Heat helps to increase the flow of oxygen and nutrients to this specific area, and is usually only used when the intense pain decreases. Alternating both gives the best results. (more…)

Yoga as a form of exercise is truly very helpful in many ways especially when it come to eliminating various pains from the body. This is truly something very unique and as such should always be made known to all and sundry. As a matter of fact, all those who often go through this form of exercise can always testify to it appropriately without any problem whatsoever. Any one with a situation of lower back pain can always pay heeds to yoga as this is actually one of the ways to eliminate such a pain and as such should be made known. There are actually various ways to solve this kind of situation but then explained below are some of the most imperative one’s and as such should be made known to all and sundry.

In the first place one can use the practice of standing forward bend and this of course is highly noted very well to be effective. When it is done appropriately, there is usually so much stretching on the back and this of course aids in the removal of pain and for this reason should be emphasized upon regularly for the understanding of all and sundry. This is truly very imperative and hence should never be taken for granted in any way whatsoever. It is often noted that all those who usually go through this system are usually so confident in what they see and for this reason should always be emphasized upon regularly for the understanding of all and sundry. (more…)

As Australia’s summers seem to get hotter every year, heat cramps are becoming a cause for concern in more and more people. If you spend time outdoors, especially exercising or working, you need to be educated on what heat cramps are, how to prevent them and first aid treatment if you or someone around you happens to suffer from them.

What are these types of Cramps?

Despite what you may think, even the most in shape athlete is susceptible to these cramps. These have no link to your level of physical fitness. Basically, when complex salts are reduced in the muscles, spasms result which causes cramps. (more…)

The word arthritis refers to all types of inflammation in the joints. It not only directed at the joint but may also attack any part of the body such as bones, ligaments, muscles, tendons and some internal organs.

There are many different causes of arthritis like trauma, previous injury, genetic, poor nutrition, obesity, and other factors. Although over-the-counter and prescription medication can help ease arthritis pain and inflammation, avoid foods that trigger arthritis symptoms can also help reduce the pain associated with arthritis.

Saturated and Trans Fats

Saturated fat & trans fat are considered unhealthy because they tend to raise lipoprotein levels and triglyceride levels. This in turn increase the risk for heart disease, stroke and other conditions. This is also not good for those who want to lose weight. Excess weight can put extra pressure to the joints and can lead to cartilage breakdown and cause joint damage. Saturated fat is found commonly in foods from animals and some plant-based such as butter, coconut, palm, cheese, whole milk, ice cream, cream, and fatty meats. While trans fat can be found in  in fast food, fried foods margarines and other commercial baked goods (cookies, donuts, pies, crackers,etc) . (more…)