Endurance exercise and Heart Disease??

We all know that heart is a muscle and that exercise increases muscle size, but we often forget about the heart.  The New Year produces an influx of patients that are wanting to train and run 1/2 to full marathons I found this article very promising for the ability to educate the public on what is going on inside our body when we exercise.

Mass. General study shows how exercise changes structure and function of heart Published in: Press Releases Study of Harvard athletes finds different effect of endurance, strength training. 22-Apr-2008 — For the first time researchers are beginning to understand exactly how various forms of exercise impact the heart. Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH investigators, in collaboration with the Harvard University Health Services, have found that 90 days of vigorous athletic training produces significant changes in cardiac structure and function and that the type of change varies with the type of exercise performed.  Their study appears in the April Journal of Applied Physiology.

“Most of what we know about cardiac changes in athletes and other physically active people comes from ‘snapshots,’ taken at one specific point in time. What we did in this first-of-a-kind study was to follow athletes over several months to determine how the training process actually causes change to occur,” says Aaron Baggish, MD, a fellow in the MGH Cardiology Division and lead author of the study. To investigate how exercise affects the heart over time, the MGH researchers enrolled two groups of Harvard University student athletes at the beginning of the fall 2006 semester. One group was comprised of endurance athletes – 20 male and 20 female rowers – and the other, strength athletes – 35 male football players.  Student athletes were studied while  participating their normal team training, with emphasis on how the heart adapts to a typical season of competitive athletics.

At the end of the 90-day study period, both groups had significant overall increases in the size of their hearts. For endurance athletes, the left and right ventricles – the chambers that send blood into the aorta and to the lungs, respectively – expanded.  In contrast, the heart muscle of the strength athletes tended to thicken, a phenomenon that appeared to be confined to the left ventricle.  The most significant functional differences related to the relaxation of the heart muscle between beats – which increased in the endurance athletes but decreased in strength athletes, while still remaining within normal ranges. “We were quite surprised by both the magnitude of changes over a relatively short period and by how great the differences were between the two groups of athletes,” Baggish says. “The functional differences raise questions about the potential impact of long-term training, which should be followed up in future studies.” While this study looks at young athletes with healthy hearts, the information it provides may someday benefit heart disease patients. “The take-home message is that, just as not all heart disease is equal, not all exercise prescriptions are equal,” Baggish explains. “This should start us thinking about whether we should tailor the type of exercise patients should do to their specific type of heart disease. The concept will need to be studied in heart disease patients before we can make any definitive recommendations.
If you would like more information please contact www.ptlincoln.com

Jeremiah Jorgensen, PT.

Rotator Cuff Repair-Finding the right therapist

As a physical therapist I am asked almost daily about the Rotator Cuff.  Please read the following article which supports my view on the importance of finding a specialized therapist to help you in recovering from your injury.

A physical therapy program for a rotator cuff repair is based on specific internal and external rotational exercises for the shoulder joint to be performed consistently for best results, not just at the therapist surgery. These exercises are designed to strengthen the four muscles and tendons of the rotator cuff and rehabilitate them to full functionality following a tear, a dislocation or surgery.

Such a complicated mechanism is unfortunately vulnerable to disorders or injuries like tears and dislocations if stressed with repetitive tasks, strenuous activity or accidents, while arthroscopic surgery may be occasionally necessary for a stubborn disorder, a dislocation or a large tear. Whatever the circumstances, with the right protocol it is possible to get full rotator cuff repair and shoulder functionality, gradually eliminating pain and the need for anti inflammatory medication.The four rotator cuff muscles are called Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor and Subscapularis. Together, they surround the shoulder joint attaching themselves to the scapula (shoulder blade) and the humerus (arm bone), thus providing stability to the shoulder joint that otherwise could not be working safely, as this particular joint provides the greatest range of movement of any joint.

A torn rotator cuff is a common occurrence amongst young people playing sports with a strong emphasis on arm movements like tennis, baseball, golf and so on. It can also strike older people following an unusual exertion or repetitive tasks and sometimes can go undetected. A dislocation is a traumatic event caused by an accident or a bad fall. It is anterior in 95% of cases, which means the arm becomes dislodged in the front of the Glenoid (its socket).

For dislocations, tears and post surgery, a period of rest with anti inflammatory medication is usually prescribed to recover the cuff well enough to start a rehabilitation program. Only when the therapist sees it fit, then such program should be started. Depending on the severity of the injury, the physical therapy may start with a passive phase performed by the therapist before starting the active phase.

Ancillary treatments like hot packs or cold packs may be taken in conjunction with the therapy in order to relieve pain and reduce inflammation, but the physiotherapy protocol remains the foundation to achieve full rehabilitation and rotator cuff repair, reducing the possibility of future injuries occurring again. Anti inflammatories may be prescribed following any injury in order to reduce discomfort, inflammation and pain, but should not be taken as a long term solution, as they do not cure the root cause of the injury and do nothing to repair the cuff.

Only a professionally designed program consisting of specific exercises for the rotator cuff can do that. Consistency and dedication are always key factors in the success of such a program, while a DIY rotator cuff repair program made with sample exercises taken here and there should be avoided at all costs, because it can make the injury even worse and delay recovery.

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Please check out www.ptlincoln.com if you would like to schedule a free consult on how we can help answer any questions regarding your injury.

Jeremiah Jorgensen, PT.

Center for Spine and Sport Rehab

Healthy Lifestyle vs Weight Loss

As millions of Americans will begin their New Years resolution following the Holiday Season I want to present some insight on how to improve your overall health.  Take a look at www.tissuerecovery.com.  Didrik Sopler is a mentor and friend of mine.  Didrik is an international speaker and has developed a plan to help improve your overall health.  I currently support and use his program for my family and recommend it to our patients.  It takes time to make the changes but once you do everyone agrees that they feel better, lose weight and have less pain.

Going a a diet will often make intial changes that often aren’t healthy for our bodies longterm and as research shows leaves us frustrated and adding back on the additional pounds.  If we improve our health by integrating unprocessed foods we can improve not only our weight but our overall health.  The American Diet has been shown to have a 33% rate for developing diabetes!  By integrating a few changes to your routine you can begin to see dramatic changes.

I would be happy to answer any questions.  As with any nutritional information, speak to your physician prior to making any dramatic changes in your eating habbits as medications may be affected. 

Jeremiah Jorgensen, PT

Hello world!

This is the initial Blog from the Center for Spine and Sport Rehab.  We are happy to begin this journey to educate others on Health and Wellness.  Please feel free to check out www.ptlincoln.com, or www.ptlincolnnews.com to learn more.

Thanks, and I look forward to having new content in the comming weeks.

Jeremiah Jorgensen, PT