Author: Cole Maranger
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The best lumbar support
Low back pain is one of the most common occurrences in the working adult population. Whether it be from a desk posture, car posture, or even a standing posture, different types of lumbar support are used to help correct our achy backs. Here are some of the best ways to support your low back curves. …
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You can take this to the bank
We have probably all heard of the phrase, “use or lose it”. When you run or lift regularly and then take a break from activity, the body has a tough time trying to get back into the rhythm as before. This is because exercise doesn’t “bank up”. The human body is unfortunately a mechanical system…
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Pack like a Soldier
The infantry gets a bad wrap for being stereotypical ‘knuckleheads’ but alongside their marksmanship training and rucksack marches, they learn the genius of packing a bag and the physics of positioning weight. Whether you hate or love maths, lifting and carrying is all about physics. The infantry knows this better than most as they march…
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Strength and bulk: why speed matters for rehab
We may not be rehabbing a muscle at ‘race pace’ but the phrase “slow and steady”’ is a key aspect of regaining endurance and muscular control. Let’s quickly discover the weight of how speed influences muscle development. First, we need to discuss how a muscle responds to any kind of loading. When you lift weights…
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Shoe horns
Call me old-timey but a honking good tip for preventing and reducing back pain can be found in the simple shoe horn. This article goes out to my shoe horn that just broke. RIP (Recycled in pieces). Now, you may be the kind of person that unties their shoes every time they take them off.…
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Rolling on out of Bed
Many patients come into the clinic with pain and twinges because the night before they, “slept funny”. It could be from a sleeping position held all night long or their pillow being too large or small but more often than not, low back pain patients complain that it was as soon as they got out…
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Peace and Love
As the research increases for acute injuries like sprains and strains, the acronym for first treatment has changed as well. “R.I.C.E. and M.E.T.H.” (“rest, ice, compression, elevation” and “movement, exercise. traction, heat”) are now a much friendlier “P.E.A.C.E. & L.O.V.E.” When an injury happens, the best initial care is to keep the PEACE for the…
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Pain, reflection, progression
At a recent speaking event with macroeconomic expert and author Ray Dalio, he made the profound statement, “Pain, reflection, progression”. Contextually, this was for learning from mistakes in business and in the changing market but I drew a direct line to the pain and progression of physical healing. Whether you’ve had an injury or gone…
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Pain down river
Beavers are amazing creatures. One small beaver can reroute a waterway for an entire area. They direct rivers, create swamps, and can cause a lot of problems for those who need water down river. In the same way, an irritated or entrapped nerve can cause a lot of problems “down river”. Quite often, patients present…
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I slouch and that’s the perfect posture
Perfect posture is a thing that everyone strives for, notices, makes comments on. We seem to understand that the flattest, straightest, shoulders back-ist, chest out-ish posture seems “perfect”… but is there a perfect posture? The body loves movement. We’ve known this for thousands of years and all studies on movement and exercise tells us that…