Ever wake up with pain in your ankle? Or that sharp pain at the heel during that first couple steps when you got off the bed? If you experienced that before, you might have come across the term “plantar fasciitis”. Before you try to roll your feet on a golf ball or foam roll on your calves, watch the short video segment I made to address “heels” pain.
The cause of the heel pain may not be coming from where you think it is.
Before you chase your pain, understand the cause. I hope this video will give you another perspective on what may cause heels pain.
If you want to go to the video directly, here’s the direct link on YouTube:
Dr. Li has been taking care of the SAC staff and members since 2010. You can find him at the lobby performing injury screen for members every 3rd Tuesday of the month. His practice, Mobility Plus Sports Rehab, is conveniently located about 10 minute walk from the SAC. You can find out more about him and his clinic at mobilityplussportsrehab.com. He can be reached by info@mobilityplussportsrehab.com.
Pain sucks. One morning you woke up with that knee pain, but you could not recall what you did to hurt it. Or did you really hurt it?
For this article, I attached a TED talk link by Dr. Lorimer Moseley, a physiotherapist and an authority in pain science research from Australia. In this video, Dr. Moseley explains how the brain and the pain works. It may not be what you think.
As part of my treatment, I always try to install some forms of education on the latest researches on injuries rehabilitation, performance enhancement and pain. I hope you find this video informative and don’t hesitate to email me if you have any questions after watching this.
Dr. Li has been taking care of the SAC staff and members since 2010. You can find him at the lobby performing injury screen for members every 3rd Tuesday of the month. His practice, Mobility Plus Sports Rehab, is conveniently located about 10 minute walk from the SAC. You can find out more about him and his clinic. He can be reached at info@mobilityplussportsrehab.com.
You may have heard how continuous sitting or undisrupted sitting for long period of time (1+hour) is not good for one’s overall health, don’t forget the effect of sitting can affect our younger generation, too!
This article from the NY Times highlight some points on how sitting can adversely affect the young ones and I think those points apply to us too!
I generally recommend one to change position during sitting every 20 minutes, especially for those with low back pain and sciatica, to spare the shearing force on the lumbar spine disc. Now let’s get those young couch potatoes off their rears and start moving!
Dr. Li has been taking care of the SAC staff and members since 2010. You can find him at the lobby performing injury screen for members every 3rd Tuesday of the month. His practice, Mobility Plus Sports Rehab, is conveniently located about 10 minute walks from the SAC. You can find out more about him and his clinic at mobilityplussportsrehab.com. He can be reached by info@mobilityplussportsrehab.com.
Phew, what a summer so far! Today, I want to share with you from what I learned from the world-famous spine researches, Dr. Stuart McGill, from the University of Waterloo in Canada. I had the pleasure of working with Dr. McGill the past couple years, and want to share his knowledge with you. In the video (link below), you will find Dr. McGill “de-mystified” a lot of the usual “core” exercises. If you are experiencing low back pain, you will find the video even more intriguing.
Want to learn more about what Dr. McGill said about exercising and how they would apply to your workout routine? Email me 😉 Enjoy!
Dr. Li has been taking care of the SAC staff and members since 2010. You can find him at the lobby performing injury screen for members every 3rd Tuesday of the month. His practice, Mobility Plus Sports Rehab, is conveniently located about 10 minute walk from the SAC. You can find out more about him and his clinic at mobilityplussportsrehab.com. He can be reached by info@mobilityplussportsrehab.com.
Hello, hope all of you are staying active and healthy. Today, I would like to introduce you a great exercise I showed to a lot of my patients, especially the ones who likes to hike or run. This exercise helps address the side to side imbalance at your hips and it’s a great balance exercise. Do this exercise about 10-12 rep/set, 3-4x/day. You will find yourself having easier time during your hike/run/walk. Enjoy!
Dr. Li has been taking care of the SAC staff and members since 2010. You can find him at the lobby performing injury screen for members every 3rd Tuesday of the month. His practice, Mobility Plus Sports Rehab, is conveniently located about 10 minute walk from the SAC. You can find out more about him and his clinic at mobilityplussportsrehab.com. He can be reached by info@mobilityplussportsrehab.com.
Hello, hope all of you are staying active and healthy. Today, I would like to introduce you a great stretch I showed to a lot of my patients, especially the ones who need to sit a lot all day. This “stretch” will help move your mid-back (thoracic spine), which is the place I find most folks having stiffness at. Do this exercise about 10-12 rep/set, 3-4x/day. You will find yourself standing taller by end of a work day instead of slumping. Enjoy!
Dr. Li has been taking care of the SAC staff and members since 2010. You can find him at the lobby performing injury screen for members every 3rd Tuesday of the month. His practice, Mobility Plus Sports Rehab, is conveniently located about 10 minute walk from the SAC. You can find out more about him and his clinic at mobilityplussportsrehab.com. He can be reached by info@mobilityplussportsrehab.com.
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great holiday! Each January, most of us rush back to the gym determined to burn off some holiday season calories and work toward New Year’s resolutions to get into better shape. Unfortunately, some studies showed more than half of those who join in a gym or fitness club will drop out after 3-6 months. The common reason: injury.
I want to use this article to lay out some strategies that can help you avoid injury and reach your fitness goals any time of year. If you are someone who wants to stay fit for the rest of the year, this article is for you! Here we go.
Overtraining & Injuries
As we are enthusiastically starting our new year training program, sometimes we may do too much, too soon, and those usually lead to early overtraining, and increase one’s risks of injuries. How can you tell if you are over trained? Here are couple things to look for:
Test your resting heart rate in the morning or before you have breakfast & coffee. Is it higher than usual?
Did you find yourself still feeling tired after a good night of sleep? This can be an early sign of overtraining.
Soreness versus pain
This is one of the most frequently asked questions I encountered and I hope the table below helps differentiate the two:
Muscles sores
Pain
Discomfort sensation: the area feels tender to the touch, and you feel a dull, tight achy feeling when you are resting
Discomfort sensation: sharp pain at rest
Onset: during exercises or 24-72 hours after exercise
Onset: during exercise or within 24 hours of activities
Duration: 1-3 days
Duration: more than a week
Location: muscles
Location: muscles or joints
Feels better with: stretching, some light movement
Feels better with: ice, rest (or no relief from either of those)
Feels worse with: being static
Feels worse with: any activities
Appropriate action: continue the exercises once the soreness subsides or to a point you feel comfortable
Appropriate action: consult with a medical professional if pain is sharp and/or lasts more than 1-2 weeks
What to do?
Gradual increase in exercise intensity/volume.
I found most folks injured themselves by doing too much, too soon. You may be away from training for a while, and thought you would just pick up where you left off. I would say to start off easily and ramp up gently. Start with one set of exercises for two weeks and see how your body response to it. Sometimes it takes time for your body to adapt to the new exercises routine, and you may not feel the good (and bad) effect from the exercises until 2-4 weeks later. Increase the difficulty of the exercises once you master the form and the movement.
Pay attention to your body
“Feel” the work you are doing with your body and watch your form. Quality movements always trump high volume and bad forms.
Recovery:
Good nutrition: make sure you eat and drink well and put good fuel back in your body after exercise.
Sleep well: your body grows when you are sleeping. Better sleep = better recovery = better growth!
Planning & ideas:
Set Goal(s)
Some folks train for a marathon, some exercise to prepare for a squash tournament, some just train to be healthier. No matter what your intention is, set a goal. You will commit to your exercises routine when you have a goal. Write it down. Put it at your computer screen or at your fridge. Ask yourself “why” you train/exercise and stick with it!
Make it practical
This one follows nicely after you set up your goal(s). Make your training practical to what you want to do. If you are training for a hike that you would do during your next vacation, make sure your training helps you directly with your hike. You will be more compliant with the exercises.
Cross training
You maybe training for the marathon, but it does not mean your training only involves running. Our body is a great adapter, both to good and bad stress. By doing cross training, you will train the weak stabilizing muscles you may miss during your regular training, and give the muscles a break. If you are a runner, do some weight training to helps support your joints to take on road.
Have some fun!
Going to the gym can be a drag sometimes, especially during the days of 12+hours of darkness outside. Make it fun for yourself to go into the gym. Mix up the exercise routine after you build a strong foundation. Grab a workout buddy. Have a friendly pickup basketball game. Have fun with the exercises. Being healthy can be fun too!
Resources:
Take advantage of the professionals in your circle and in the SAC. If you are dealing with an injury, get it checked out by me or other health care professional during the Wellness Tuesdays. Don’t know where to start on exercising programming, set up an appointment with a personal trainer.
The personal training staffs and I have worked together on numerous occasions to help a member reaching their fitness goals. When a member is injured and come to me, I always communicate with his/her trainers to create the best exercise plan for that member. Together, we can check your base fitness to support your desired activities level; identify training errors; correct biomechanical problems; provide an appropriate plan to reach your goals.
I hope this article helps giving you a great start to 2015. Don’t hesitate to email the Seattle Athletic Club’s fitness director Jacob Galloway (jgalloway@sacdt.com) or me if you have any questions. Have a great 2015!
Dr. Li has been taking care of the SAC staff and members since 2010. You can find him at the lobby performing injury screen for members every 3rd Tuesday of the month. His practice, Mobility Plus Sports Rehab, is conveniently located about 10 minute walk from the SAC. You can find out more about him and his clinic at mobilityplussportsrehab.com. He can be reached by info@mobilityplussportsrehab.com.
By the SAC’s health and wellness professional Dr. Michael Li, DACRB
The human body is designed for movement. Holding any one posture for a prolonged period of time increases stiffness and tension. As a result, sitting is a common cause of neck and low back pain. Many companies advertise that their chair will prevent back and neck pain. However, there is no perfect chair, except the one that get you out of it frequently. As a general rule, you should avoid sitting for longer than 20 minutes without getting up. If you sit for longer than that you begin to accumulate a debt in your tissues that will have to be paid; but if you perform these “micro-break” exercises below you can erase that debt.
So during the holiday season, when you find yourself sitting in your car or on a plane for hours on end; I hope these “micro-break” exercises will make travelling more bearable. Here we go:
The standing overhead arm reach
Your starting position:
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
The movement:
Gently raise your arms overhead.
Take a deep breath in, through your nose, and hold the breath.
Reach your arms up to the ceiling as high as possible without letting your breath go.
Then let the breath go as you drop your arms
Repetition:
2-3 reps/ set; 5-6x/day or every 30 minutes when sitting for extended periods of time (see Fig.1)
The standing Brugger exercise
Your starting position:
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart with your feet turn out slightly
Tuck you chin in slightly like you are nodding “yes”.
The movement:
Breath in (through your nose) to your abdomen.
Then exhale slowly while at the same time turning your palms out, with fingers extended (open your hands) as much as you can.
Repetition:
2-3 reps/ set; 5-6x/day or every 30 minutes when sitting for extended periods of time (see Fig.2)
The sitting pelvic tilt (for those who cannot get out from the chair, aka inside a car)
Your starting position:
Sit comfortably with some space behind the small of your back
The movement:
Rock your pelvis back and forth, and from side to side.
Don’t hold at the end range position. This is not a stretch.
Repetition:
10-12 reps/ set; 5-6x/day or every 60 minutes when sitting for extended periods of time (see Fig.3)
The sitting “plank”
Your starting position:
Sit comfortably with some space behind the small of your back
Put your hands at the side of your chairs/seats and feet flat on the ground.
The movement:
Push down on the side of your seat (passenger); push down on your steer wheels (driver) as hard as you can
Hold the push and do 5 deep breath; in through the nose, out through the mouth. It is a forceful exhale. Pretend you are blowing out candle when you exhale.
Repetition:
5 reps/ set; 5-6x/day or every 60 minutes when sitting for extended periods of time (see Fig.4)
Please keep your focus on the road when you are driving. If you are the driver, please take caution when you are attempting the sitting exercises. If you can pull over and take a rest stop, get out of the car and walk. That’s the best exercise you can do to counter the sitting. Happy Holidays!!
Dr. Li has been taking care of the SAC staff and members since 2010. You can find him at the lobby performing injury screen for members every 3rd Tuesday of the month. His practice, Mobility Plus Sports Rehab, is conveniently located about 10 minute walk from the SAC. You can find out more about him and his clinic at mobilityplussportsrehab.com. He can be reached by info@mobilityplussportsrehab.com.
