Derek L. Hill, D.O.

Fellowship-Trained Orthopedic Surgeon and Specialist

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11446 E. 13 Mile Road • Suite C • Warren, Michigan 48093
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6 Ways to Beat Fitness Setbacks From Sports Injuries

Posted on 07.2.13 | 2 Comments

Young Woman Working OutWe all start off our new fitness plan with enthusiasm. In your mental rush, you yank on those unfamiliar exercise duds and head out to your preferred mode of sweating. For me that’s tennis, hands-down.

I’m pumped up, feeling pretty good about myself. But, after a few heated rallies with the guy or gal who’s been playing all along (instead of beginning again, for the ump-teenth time), I run like crazy to get that drop-shot, and bam…what was that fiery pain in my calf? The next day I’m limping and cringing.

All too often, we let a mindless jaunt of “getting back into exercise” result in a sports injury- a pulled muscle, tendon or sprain. How the heck are you going to keep it up after the “first burst” if you injure yourself right off the bat? I’ve learned from hard-earned personal experience six ways to avoid injuring yourself– before you have the chance to enjoy yourself.

1.  Hydrate To Avoid Sports Injuries

Drink, drink, drink. Water, that is. Several hours before your workout.

2.  Stretch After Your Muscles Have Warmed Up

To avoid sports injuries, give your muscles a little work out before stretching. A few minutes of regular walking; light, soft, short hitting- just to warm up those sleepy muscles. Then give them a gentle stretch. Place your heel behind you in a small lunge to stretch your Achilles tendon, then moving it back to enlongate the thigh muscle. Then allow it up by going into a full lunge to open up the hip joint. Bend over from the waist with your knees in “soft” position (not locked back) and move slowly toward the ground. Never bounce. Never stretch cold muscles.

3.  Start Slowly To Avoid Sports Injuries

Be a wimp those first five minutes. Warming your muscles and stretching them properly builds a foundation for better performance in the next hour.

4.  Listen To Your Body

You can avoid sports injuries by leaving your competitive pride behind, and think of your body as a friend who needs to be listened to. Are you Iron Man? No. So be nice to your body, and you can expect it exercise for you, the next day.

5.  Be Positive

We can all avoid sports injuries by thinking encouraging thoughts, even if we can’t do what we could last year. Reminding ourselves of the time we’ve wasted, only makes us feel unfit. Plus, it distracts the mind from tuning into the body. Congratulate yourself for still trying.

6.  Have Fun!…

Sports injuries are not fun. There you are, with your leg up, balancing an ice bag on your ankle and begging someone to get you more ibuprofen. How fit do you feel now, limpy? Hopefully you have sympathetic family members who keep you off that sprain until it heals. Hopefully, they don’t remind you how old you’re getting or that you can’t do what you used to. Hopefully, when you went out with that “first burst” of exercise mania, you put your head on straight, thought ahead, kept it light, didn’t try to prove anything and left before you hurt yourself. If so, you can celebrate your newly-found ambitions. Avoiding sports injuries is crucial to getting back into shape.

Written by Ruby Moseley, Rust Built, Marketing Services

From a Total Hip Replacement to Full Recovery:Exercises That Can Help

Posted on 06.20.13 | Leave a Comment

physical-therapyTotal hip replacement surgery may sound scary, but it has become a routine operation with very low complication rates. The second most common joint replacement procedure following knee replacements, in 2012, there was almost 300,000 hip replacement operations performed in the United States. Of course, before you undergo any major surgery, do your research so that you know what your options are and the recovery time. Choose a reputable hospital to help you feel assured that you will receive the best aftercare.

After total hip replacement surgery, your orthopedic surgeon and physical therapist may recommend that you exercise at least 20-30 minutes a day. It will be painful and uncomfortable, but it will also help:

  • Increase blood circulation to your legs and feet
  • Prevent the risk of blood clots
  • Strengthen your muscles and improve movement of the replaced hip

Total Hip Replacement Postoperative exercises your physical therapist may have you perform include:

  1. Ankle Pumps: Lie on your back and slowly push your foot up and down as much as you can. Repeat every 5-10 minutes.
  2. Ankle Rotations: Turn your ankle toward your other foot and then away. Repeat 5 times in each direction, 3-4 times a day.
  3. Bed-Supported Knee Bends: Bend your knee, place your foot down flat and slide it towards your buttocks. Keep your heel on the bed. Repeat 10 times, 3-4 times a day.
  4. Buttocks Contractions: Squeeze you buttock muscles, hold for a 5 count then relax the muscle. Repeat 10 times, 3-4 times a day.
  5. Abduction Exercise: Extend your leg straight out to your side, as far as you can, and then bring it back in. Repeat this 10 times, 3-4 times a day.
  6. Quadriceps Set: Tighten your thigh muscle while you straighten out your knee. Hold for a 5-10 count. Repeat 10 times over a period of 10 minutes, and continue until your thigh is fatigued.
  7. Straight Leg-Raises: Straighten your knee and tighten your thigh muscle at the same time. With your thigh muscle tightened lift your leg up off the bed and hold the position for a 5-10 count. At the end of your count slowly lower your leg to the bed. Repeat this exercise until your thigh is fatigued.

Standing Exercises (for support use a chair or firm surface):

  1. Standing Knee-Raises: Slightly bend your knee and lift it toward your chest. Do not lift your knee higher than your waist. Hold the position for a 2-3 count then slowly put your leg down. Repeat this exercise 10 times, 3-4 times a day.
  2. Standing Hip Abduction: Stand up and point your hip, knee and foot straight forward. Keep your knee straight and extend your leg away from your body. Slowly bring your leg in toward your body and place your foot back on the floor. Repeat this exercise 10 times, 3-4 times a day.
  3. Standing Hip Extensions: Stand up, keep your back straight, and slowly lift your operated leg backward. Hold the position for a 2-3 count then return your foot to the floor. Repeat 10 times, 3-4 times a day.
  4. Walking: After surgery your doctor will want you to start walking short distances and performing light exercise to help rebuild strength and movement in your hip muscles.

In order to prevent a set back or worse do not overexert yourself during recovery. Listen to your physical therapist because he/she is trained to help you.

Jamacia Magee, Rust Built, Marketing Services

Medical Disclaimer: Be sure to check with your physician before starting a new exercise routine or if you have any health care-related questions.

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  • Hip Arthroscopy
  • Multi-Modal Pain Management
  • Rapid Recovery

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