Exercise Injury

The "Hot" Injury

Most athletes know that the suffix itis is bad news: not fatal, but annoying and probably painful. Itis actually means "inflammation," which describes both the sensation and the physiology of the body's reaction to connective tissue damage.

Inflammation is swelling and pressure around an injury caused by blood cells rushing to the site. The process can help heal, but if the injury is ignored, it can build up scar tissue that will lead to chronic, lifelong pain. Repetitive motions, like pitching a baseball or rowing a boat, are most likely to be the source of an itis. Causes can range from improper motion to weak or imbalanced muscles.

A common inflammatory injury is tendinitis, an injury to the tendons, tough connective tissue between muscle and bone. Bursitis occurs around the hips, knees, feet, elbows, and shoulders due to the friction of a tendon repeatedly moving over the bursas, the small, fluid-filled sacs located there.

Because overuse is the single biggest cause of inflammation, and because inflammation occurs so gradually, it's easy to remedy if the underlying injury is diagnosed at an early stage. Medication, physical therapy, a change in mechanics, and rest are among the common treatments.

If the inflammation is in an early stage, reduce swelling and pain with ice packs three times a day for the first three days. If that seems to help, gradually begin exercis­ing the affected area again, keeping the ice handy for reapplication if pain returns.

Some inflammation (grades three and four on the 1-4 inflammation scale) takes longer to resolve. Don't despair. Your doctor can suggest exercises that will help prevent atrophy of the rest of your body, including cycling, swimming, and isometric workouts. As the injury begins to heal, start thinking about slowly increasing your use of the affected area, using appropriate support (tape, elastic bandages, cushioned surfaces).

How soon is too soon to return to action? Your body will tell you. If you have a 100 percent range of motion around the affected joint, and 80 to 90 percent of your former strength, you may be ready.

Bikes That Go Nowhere

Bikes That Go Nowhere

Home-exercise bikes are uniting fitness with the cocooning craze. As more people seek entertainment and leisure activities in the comfort of their homes, these bikes allow them to stay trim and healthy while avoiding overcrowded gyms and the familiar hazards of sharing the roads with motorists.

Depending on the features you need or desire, a bike will typically cost between $150 and $700. Although all exercise bikes help you tone the buttocks, upper legs, and to a lesser extent, the calves, certain bikes do even more:

Dual-action models allow you to pump the handle bars back and forth, toning the arms and shoulders.

Recumbent bikes, which have you sit and pedal with your legs stretched out in front of you, target the lower abdominals, and provide a workout less stressful on the knees and back.

Electronic bikes allow you to program resistance levels and various interval workouts.

Training stands let you transform your traditional bike into an indoor exerciser.

The Tufts Health Plan Health Journal notes some features of a safe, comfortable bike:

o Stability when you're seated on it.

o Covers over flywheels, chains, and other moving parts.

o Handlebars that adjust to a position comfortable throughout your workout.

o Smooth and consistent motion.

o A seat that's well-padded and easy to adjust.

Building Bone

Building Bone for Better Life

Much of what young women do for their bodies now will determine their health and mobility in old age. Research suggests that women can build bone mass throughout their early adult years, beyond the time their linear growth stops, which is important in preventing osteoporosis and its related problems later on.

A Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, study finds that through lifestyle changes such as regular exercise and increased calcium intake, women up to age 30 can increase their bone mass and thus reduce the risk of bone injury in their later years. The study found the risk of bone fracture by age 70 was far less for women who eat calcium-rich diets, at 39 percent, than the 77 percent risk for women who consumed too little calcium.

Dr. Robert Recker, who led the study, advises that women consume 1,400 to 1,500 milligrams, or approximately three servings, of calcium per day. Calcium-rich foods, such as eight ounces of milk, a cup of yogurt, or one ounce of cheese can fulfill the daily requirement. For women concerned about weight gain and cholesterol intake, low-fat, low-cholesterol varieties will do the job just as well as their high-fat counterparts.

Although calcium supplements are available, Dr. Recker does not favor them. Rather, he recommends eating a well-balanced diet that provides other essential nutrients in addition to calcium.

Bad Fat

Fat That Hurts You

How much fat you lose while dieting is not necessarily as important as what kind, according to researchers at the University of Washington. And dieting may not be the best way to lose it, either.

Authors of the study recommend worrying more about "central" fat, the kind that causes a large, round trunk, because that kind of fat has been linked to heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. A fat rump and thighs may not look nice, but apparently they don't pose as much danger to your health.

To lose that central fat, the researchers recommend exercise over dieting, pointing to a study of older men that showed those who exercised had to lose only a quarter of the weight lost by those who dieted, in order to shed the same amount of central fat.

And if it's easier to lose, it's easier to keep off, especially since exercise increases the metabolic rate, letting the body burn calories faster. Dieting causes the body to burn calories more slowly, which is why dieters often regain weight so quickly.

The doctors caution that an exercise program needn't be particularly strenuous. Walking a few extra blocks to work every day or taking the steps instead of the elevator is probably a sufficient increase for people who don't exercise at all. The benefits of going from none to a little exercise, they say, far outweigh those of going from a little to a lot.

As always, it is recommended that you consult your physician before beginning any exercise regimen.

Health Con Artists and Scammers

Health Con Artists

They may no longer travel the countryside in wagons laden with bottles of miracle tonics, but health swindlers still prey on consumers. Pills, creams, and devices that supposedly allow you to lose weight easily, grow hair, or tone your body are especially prevalent. Convincing testimonials, incredible before-and-after pictures, and great "bargain" pricing lure health-conscious, youth-conscious, I-want-immediate-and-improbable-results spenders.

Deceptive claims abound for serious medical conditions as well. Unproven arthritis remedies like copper bracelets, special diets, and questionable drugs bilk sufferers out of millions of dollars annually. There are even medications and clinics that fraudulently offer "miracle cures" for cancer.

To detect a fraudulent product, you need to know the language of its maker. Many swindlers promote their products as being painless or working faster than conventional medicine, and they offer money-back guarantees (although they usually skip town by the time you find out you've been tricked). Most embellish their advertising with impressive-sounding, but bogus, ingredients, or claim that their products have exotic or ancient origins.

Before investing in such a product, check it out with a doctor, pharmacist, or other health expert. The Better Business Bureau, your state Attorney General's office, or the nearest Food and Drug Administration are other good sources to which you can refer.

Good New from the AHA

Heartening News from the AHA

Here's news straight from the heart: The American Heart Association (AHA), which for years singled out only smoking, high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol as major risk factors for coronary disease, has added a fourth factor—physical inactivity—to those that can be controlled with changes in lifestyle.

For the 70 million Americans afflicted with coronary disease, and the 1.5 million who suffer a heart attack each year, this is definitely good news. Not only can exercise help prevent heart attacks, it can improve the chances of survival for people who have already suffered an attack. It also decreases the occurrence of second attacks. On the other hand, people who avoid all physical activity run a 30 percent higher than normal risk of heart disease, says the AHA.

In addition to increasing the strength of the heart, exercise aids in weight control, increases the benefits of a low-fat diet, and improves the "good" to "bad" cholesterol ratio. It has also been shown to deter diabetes (a disease linked to heart disease), and it sometimes lowers high blood pressure.

By exercise, the AHA is not talking about training for a marathon. Simply doing things that require a little extra exertion—taking the stairs rather than the elevator, pumping your own gas, enjoying a nice walk—can improve your cardiovascular health. To achieve optimal benefits, the AHA recommends 30 to 60 minutes of either vigorous or casual exercise, three to four times a week.

Childhood Obesity

Teen Obesity Lingers

Acne fades and voices deepen, but teen obesity hangs around. U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers at Tufts University tracked weight and health patterns over the course of subjects' lives. They found that whether or not people bring their weight under control during adulthood, having carried excess pounds during their teen years puts them at greater risk for certain cancers, circulatory problems, and mobility impairment in their elder years.

The study found that teen boys 20 pounds overweight were twice as likely as boys of normal weight to have died or contracted heart disease by the age of 70. Overweight girls were found not to be at higher risk of heart disease, but they were found to have great difficulty performing simple physical tasks during old age, and were at a higher risk of arthritis. Health risks were greatest for people remaining overweight from adolescence through adulthood.

Despite the findings, parents need not force their overweight teens into strict diets, advises Tufts researcher Aviva Must, Ph.D. They are unlikely to stick to them, which could make them feel like failures. And diets that bring quick weight loss may be detrimental to a growing teen's health, says Must. Instead, she recommends a more subtle, long-term strategy: serving family meals relatively low in fat, limiting TV time, and encouraging vigorous exercise. Parents who set an example by adopting healthy habits for themselves will be most successful in helping their children.