FAQ Category: General

When the muscles aren’t used, they shrink and weaken over time. The longer the bed rest, the more the muscles deteriorate. There are ways to combat this problem, though. Simple muscle contraction exercises can get the muscles to work without forcing the person to move around. A doctor or physical therapist can help suggest muscle training exercises to maintain muscle size and strength during bed rest.

Space travel “unloads” the muscles, putting them in a state of weightlessness. This means the muscles aren’t working as usual, which can cause them to shrink and become weak over time.

Scientists at NASA are concerned about this problem, especially as space flights get longer. Researchers are developing special muscle training programs that can be done quickly and easily, so astronauts can maintain muscle size and strength in flight.

Doctors apply this research to prescribe just the right amount of exercise for their patients who are on bed rest or unable to use an injured limb. Muscles can stay fit without over-working.

Researchers are still investigating exactly how stretching works. For a long time, they believed that stretching eased muscle tension. But one study found that stretching reduced tension only briefly–or not at all. This led a Swedish group of researchers to look at the physical sensations people have while stretching, and whether these sensations change the more you stretch.

A group of men in the military did a two-week stretching program for their thighs. Afterward, they reported that thigh stretches felt less intense. Researchers believe that this change in sensation may lead to changes in the muscles themselves, such as better flexibility and range of motion.

Researchers don’t know why a stretch might produce less sensation over time. But they do know that stretching generally makes people feel good. In sports, in the workplace, in everyday life–stretching has a multitude of benefits for the body and mind.

If stretching hurts, you may want to consult a physical therapist about different stretches to try. If you do these stretches regularly, you’ll probably feel less tension within just a few weeks.

Researchers recently put military men on a two-week stretching regimen. After stretching each leg for a total of 80 seconds four times a week, participants found leg stretches to be less intense. This suggests that it doesn’t take long to “adapt” to the sensation of stretching.

A little stretching can go a long way. Ask a physical therapist for safe and comfortable stretches you can do to get started.

Women who have frequent disruptions of their menstrual cycles, regardless of the cause (intense exercise, poor nutrition), may lose density in their bones, even though they exercise regularly. The longer the disruption, the worse the bone loss. Exercising to a certain point is good for the bones, but exercise taken to extremes is not. Talk with a qualified trainer or sports specialist to determine a safe running schedule.

Research backs your coach up on this one. Compared to relaxed muscles, contracted muscles do a better job of absorbing the impact of a direct hit.

When you contract your muscles, the muscles stiffen for impact. This makes a kind of wall against injury. Contracted muscles distribute the force of a blow over a larger area. This may help prevent extensive damage to any one place in the muscle.

Of course, what is “intense” and “moderately intense” differs from person to person. For these new guidelines, moderate intensity means that your heart beats at least 20 times more each minute than when at rest. Moderate also means you are breathing harder but can still talk to someone else. You may begin to sweat slightly.

The average adult in good health who can walk a distance of two miles in 30 minutes is usually exercising at a moderately intense level.

The American College of Sports Medicine along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have announced these new guidelines for improved health. Every adult is encouraged to accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity. This should be done every day or nearly every day.

The activity can be as simple as household chores, gardening, or grocery shopping when done at a moderate intensity. Basically, this means any activity you do that is not slow or leisurely for you. What seems slow to a 25-year-old adult may be moderately intense for a 75-year-old. The activity can be five or 10 minutes long, but with all the activities added up, there should be at least 30 minutes a day on most days.

Exercising for 30 minutes without stopping is also an option. This can be a walking program, bowling, cycling, or more vigorous activities such as jogging, tennis, swimming, or other exercise.

Quite possibly. Two major studies have shown a higher fracture rate among premenopausal women (your age group) who used birth control pills. Other research suggests that this is even true when women using the pill also did high impact exercises. The effects of the pill seem to lessen the bone-building effects of exercise.

Surprisingly, one study showed that women who used the pill and didn’t exercise had better density in their spine bones than those using the pill who exercised regularly. This highlights the negative effect of exercise on bone health among women who use oral contraceptives. If you’re concerned about the health of your bones, make a point of talking with your health care provider about things you can do to optimize your bone health.

Inflammation is the body’s natural response to trauma. Inflammation causes healing cells to move to the site of the injury, to begin the process of repair. Inflammation also causes pain and swelling. The medication you’ve been prescribed is supposed to ease swelling and pain from inflammation.

Nonsteriodal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are very safe and effective when used for short periods of time. With long-term use, however, they may reduce muscle strength and healing. For this reason, NSAIDs may only be advised for the first few days after an injury.

Researchers are still trying to answer questions about the long-term effects of NSAIDs. Your doctor can tell you more about what he or she expects in your case.

Not necessarily. The results of several recent studies have shown that stretching before strenuous activity is not a surefire way to prevent injuries. Surprisingly, improving your general fitness has a bigger impact on preventing training-related injuries in the lower limbs.

This is not meant to discourage people from keeping good flexibility in their joints and muscles. You still need to warm up before heading out for your jog. This can be as simple as bouncing lightly on the balls of your feet. Also, “walk before you run” in order to gradually increase your heart rate. Once you’ve warmed up, you can start your jog.

Most health experts agree that stretching has more of an effect when muscles are warmed up. So you might want to consider stretching after your jog.

Leaking urine is a condition called urinary incontinence. This can happen when there is weakness of the pelvic floor muscles. These are the muscles your coach was talking about that support the bladder. Estrogen levels can drop in women who exercise hard over a long period of time. The hormone estrogen helps the pelvic floor muscles maintain their shape, support, and strength. The problem can worsen if the woman is not eating properly because of an eating disorder such as anorexia (loss of appetite and not eating). So even though you’re exercising every day, other factors may be causing these muscles to weaken.

This type of incontinence can usually be treated successfully. The first step is to see your doctor. Several treatment options are available, including medications, nutritional counseling, and specific exercises.

This is a common problem among women who have been pregnant. It is especially common among women who have had more than one baby. There is a group of muscles and ligaments that forms a sling inside the body to hold the bladder in its proper place. These muscles are called the pelvic floor muscles. When extra pressure is placed on the pelvic floor muscles from obesity or pregnancy, the sling drops down, stretches out, and no longer holds the bladder up. When this happens, there can be leaking of urine, a condition called urinary incontinence.

Urinary incontinence can start after the birth of a child. Leakage may go away in time, once the body regains its former shape and the hormones that control muscle tone return to normal. How soon this happens depends on whether the woman is breastfeeding, if there was damage to the nerves controlling the pelvic floor muscles, and how much muscle tone is normally present for that person. Most often, exercises to strengthen the muscles holding the bladder are recommended.

You should discuss this with your doctor. He or she can refer you to a nurse or physical therapist. After examining you, a specific program of exercises can be prescribed.

Dribbling or leaking urine is a condition called urinary incontinence. There are two kinds of urinary incontinence: stress incontinence and urge incontinence. Both are caused by problems with the ligaments and muscles supporting the bladder. Stress incontinence is usually caused by damage, weakness, or overstretching of the muscles that hold the bladder in place. These muscles are called the pelvic floor muscles. This problem occurs most often in women after childbirth and in men after prostate problems. Urge incontinence is also caused by a problem with one particular muscle around the bladder called the detrusor muscle. This muscle may contract at the wrong time, causing urine to leak out of the bladder.

With stress incontinence, any activity that puts pressure on the bladder can cause urine to leak out. This is the type of incontinence you’ve described. It can also happen in some people when laughing or sneezing, lifting heavy items or weights, or quickly changing positions (standing up after sitting).

There are many treatment ideas that can help with this problem. The first step is to see a physician, physical therapist, or nurse who specializes in these kinds of problems. Once you have been evaluated and the specific cause or causes have been identified, treatment can be started. Exercises and electrical stimulation can be used to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Other options include a special device to help hold the bladder in place, called a pessary. If these measures don’t help, surgery may be recommended.

It’s a good idea to try to keep your mother’s muscles strong during this time of bed rest. This will help ensure a fuller recovery when she is finally up and moving.

Studies suggest that she may not have to do a lot of exercises to maintain her muscle tone. In a recent study, 20 minutes of muscle contraction exercises every three days helped a group of young, healthy subjects maintain muscle size and strength.

Your mother’s doctor or physical therapist can design a program of exercises for her. The number and frequency of exercises will depend on your mother’s age, condition, and duration of bed rest.

Possibly. Incontinence happens when the muscles of the pelvic floor don’t create enough pressure to support the abdominal organs.

A recent study found that the deep abdominal muscles can be used to activate the pelvic muscles. When subjects tightened their abs, their pelvic muscles also contracted. The stronger the abdominal contraction, the stronger the pelvic response.

The pelvic muscles responded even before the abs did to the contraction. This may be because the pelvic muscles anticipate the increase in pressure that’s needed for continence.

From this study, it seems that training your abs can give your pelvic muscles a workout as well. And pelvic muscle strength can help reduce chances of having incontinence.

Being active, especially with exercises for the weight-bearing joints, is only one way to avoid problems of osteoporosis. There are many other risk factors that can affect bone health, such as smoking, low vitamin D and calcium intake, and alcohol consumption. Since women begin to lose a greater amount of bone around 40 years of age, it is advisable to do things now that will boost your bone health before you hit 40. That way, you’ll have greater stores of bone when your body starts to lose bone content at a faster rate.

Doctors commonly prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to help with the pain and swelling caused by muscle strain. But some health experts think that using these medications right after a muscle strain takes away the body’s natural ability to help the injury and actually delays healing.

When a muscle is strained, the body sends out inflammatory cells through the bloodstream to help the area start to heal. Once this critical step is well underway, NSAIDs become a valuable treatment for muscle strain.

Calcium intake at an early age is important for children, especially girls. Doctors recommend 1200-1500 milligrams of calcium per day during adolescence (ages 11-18). The best source of calcium is food, especially low-fat dairy products or calcium-fortified foods such as orange juice and cereal.

Calcium supplements are available for adults who can’t digest dairy products. Children can take calcium, but they should do so under a doctor’s supervision.

Getting enough sunshine (vitamin D) helps the body absorb calcium. Physical activity, especially sports that involve jumping, also helps increase bone deposits.

Female athlete triad is a new term used to describe a combination of three things: (1) disordered eating, (2) menstrual problems, and (3) osteoporosis or loss of bone density. When girls are involved in sports such as ballet, figure skating, and gymnastics, there is a lot of pressure to be abnormally thin. Girls may stop eating or change their eating patterns to lose weight.  

This kind of diet and weight loss causes estrogen hormone levels to drop and menstrual cycles to stop. These two problems cause a third problem: bone loss. This puts girls at risk for fractures now and later in life, when more bone loss occurs during menopause.

It is very important for young athletes to receive adequate nutrition and emotional support to avoid these problems. Ask your doctor if there are any programs in your area that may help. Individual counseling may also be a good next step.