With more than 50 million Americans (one in five adults) suffering from the chronic pain of Arthritis, May has been named National Arthritis Awareness Month. Why all the recognition? Arthritis is the number one cause of disability in our country and affects over 300,000 families. While commonly recognized, little is still understood about the illness and most do not understand the catastrophic effects Arthritis has on those who suffer and those who love them. NJ physical therapy centers report that a large percentage of their patient load is comprised of those looking to ease the physical pain of the illness while maintaining mobility. As we enter into May, let’s stop and take a look at a few facts about Arthritis.

• By 2030, up to 67 million adults are expected to be living with Arthritis.
• Arthritis is not just an illness that affects those in old age. Nearly 300,000 infants, kids, and teens suffer with a form of the disability.
• An average of 172 million workdays are missed every year by those suffering from Arthritis, and these workers are less likely to maintain regular employment than those without the disability.
• On average, the country sees one million hospitalizations a year due to Arthritis-related injuries and conditions.
• $156 billion dollars worth of lost wages are seen every year as a result of the illness.

Now that you understand more about the condition, how can you help?

There are a number of reputable organizations dedicated to helping those with Arthritic conditions. To get involved with the cause, contact the Arthritis Foundation to learn about making donations, volunteering to help with their events and signing up for their e-newsletter. If you are suffering from the pain of Arthritis yourself, call AOSMI today to speak with an orthopedic specialist about how physical therapy and pain management services can help you.

Baseball season has officially opened. Local teams are forming, stadiums are filling up, and professional games are on TV every night; it’s every baseball fan’s favorite time of year. If you like to play the game as well as spectate, then it’s also the time of year when you start thinking seriously about your fitness and game readiness.

Stay Active Year Round

Ideally, there really isn’t supposed to be any season that you completely refrain from training. Even during the off season and through the winter, staying fit is far easier than trying to come back into good condition in a hurry. Indoor teams, weightlifting, yoga, batting practice in cages, and even cross training in an entirely different sport can be extremely beneficial to your ability to be competitive.

Professional Lessons

Even if you’re simply joining the local intramural team, professional lessons in pitching, or hitting will help you understand the proper form for playing baseball, so you can avoid an injury. An expert trainer can help you tweak your form and give your feedback on what areas to focus on. Many professional baseball players also recommend studying either yourself or a player you admire on video. Sometimes it’s hard to feel a correct swing until you’ve seen someone else perform it, or you may find that on video the defects in your process of movement become glaring.

Winter to Spring Transition

After all the holidays end, it can be too easy to continue eating as if every day were a celebration, but getting back into a healthy meal plan can make a significant difference in how quickly you see improvement in your workouts. Jumping into a training routine full throttle after time off can predispose you to a serious sports injury. Instead, consider working with an athletic trainer to develop a workout plan that slowly increases in intensity over time, with no more than 10% increase in duration, weight lifted, or force per week.  If you have been injured recently, you should see an orthopedic specialist who is familiar with sports medicine to help you determine the best possible treatment.

By following these suggestions, you can get back into game-ready shape swiftly, avoid injury, and perform successfully on the diamond and off! Request an appointment today to see how we can improve your stats!

Advanced Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute is a medical practice located in Freehold and Monroe, NJ, our medical professionals are experts in orthopedic surgery, joint replacement, sports medicine, integrative wellness, spine care, physical therapy, and more.

Running a marathon is an incredible undertaking requiring discipline, passion, and lots and lots of preparation. For all the hard work that goes into preparing your body to run a marathon, the sense of accomplishment when you cross the finish line–for the first time or the fiftieth–is unmatched. If you are new to marathon training, take these suggestions to ensure that you train smart and effectively.

• Start Where You Are. It is difficult to train appropriately when you aren’t aware of your current skill level. If you are brand new to running, check with your doctor to make sure you are healthy enough for this sort of exercise and let him or her help you determine an appropriate starting level of intensity. Pushing yourself too hard, too fast can lead to a sports injury.

1. Have a Plan and Stick to It. There are plenty of apps and online resources to give runners of all ability levels an effective and appropriate training schedule. This plan will be more than just how much you run and how often. Break your goal of running a marathon into smaller goals you can prepare for, such as running a 5K or half marathon.

• Fuel Properly with Good Nutrition. Even if you are running in part to achieve weight loss, it is important to increase your intake of calories when training to avoid fatigue and muscle loss. Be sure your calorie expenditure (including running) is about the same as your caloric intake. Also, make sure you are eating the optimal amount of protein and other nutrients for your body size, age, and gender.

• Listen to Your Body. Running can take a heavy toll on the bones and joints. If you are experiencing pain, don’t try to tough it out. An unaddressed injury could not only derail your marathon aspirations; it can necessitate surgery, missed work time, and other adverse consequences.

If you have experienced pain while running, an experienced orthopedic specialist at Advanced Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute can help determine the exact nature of your issue. Request an appointment with us today to get back to your fitness routine as soon as possible.

Advanced Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute is a medical practice located in Freehold and Monroe, NJ, our medical professionals are experts in orthopedic surgery, joint replacement, sports medicine, integrative wellness, spine care, physical therapy, and more.

Walking on the treadmill in the gym, confined to the indoors, can get boring very fast. In order to make exercise a habit, it has to be enjoyable and fun. Hiking is a fantastic way to increase cardiovascular exercise while soaking in the fresh air and sunshine of the outdoors. The uneven surface of an outdoor trail engages more muscle groups than walking on a flat treadmill, making for great strength training and muscle toning as well. Hiking is a fun and exciting way to stay healthy and strong.

Still, for new and veteran hikers alike, there are risks to this form of activity. These risks range from minor inconveniences to life-threatening injuries. Take the following precautions from our New Jersey orthopedic surgeons to keep your hiking safe and enjoyable.

• Gear Up. Proper footwear is essential to safe hiking. While well-fitting, specialized hiking shoes are ideal, other shoes with a thick, deep tread with good traction are also acceptable. Thick socks will help keep your feet comfortable and avoid blisters, as well as keep your feet warm. Dressing in layers is helpful as temperatures can fluctuate throughout your hike.

• Plan Ahead. It is important to know your route ahead of time when hiking and to keep a map and compass with you in the event that you take a wrong turn and find yourself lost. A flashlight can also be helpful. Depending on the length and duration of your hike, you may also consider matches, a first aid kit, and food provisions.

• Check In. Letting someone else know when and where you will be hiking and when you expect to return is advisable, especially because, on some trails, cell service can be limited.

• Stay Hydrated. Like any physical activity, hiking can cause you to sweat, and it is important to drink water continuously throughout your hike to avoid dehydration. As a general rule, it is not safe to drink water found in rivers or streams along the trail. Be sure to keep bottled water with you.

As with any new exercise routine, be sure to consult with your doctor before your start if you are new to hiking. If you are experiencing aches and pains after hiking, an orthopedic specialist can help determine the nature of the problem. Contact Advanced Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute today to request an appointment with a NJ physical therapy specialist.  

Advanced Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute is a medical practice located in Freehold and Monroe, NJ, our medical professionals are experts in orthopedic surgery, joint replacement, sports medicine, integrative wellness, spine care, physical therapy, and more.

It’s time for spring cleaning, and perhaps you’ve noticed that carrying boxes and scrubbing the floors leaves you more fatigued and achy than you remember? Maybe you’ve simply decided that you want to start taking a more proactive approach to total wellness by working out. But where do you begin, and how do you make sure you’re following a plan that will help your entire musculoskeletal system instead of strain it?

Preparing for Gym Activity

The first step should certainly be consulting your care physician to make sure you are healthy enough to embark on a workout routine. This might involve checking your blood pressure and cardiac function, or perhaps some simple blood tests. Presuming you get a bill of clean health, the next step should be to do some research.

“What?” You may ask, “I can’t just sign up at a gym and start throwing weights around and playing on machines and get overnight results?” A good rule of thumb is to never increase any element of your physical activity by more than 10% per week. So you wouldn’t want to go from a sedentary desk job to trying to work out for multiple hours per day, or jump from lifting 5lbs to 40 in the space of a few days. Slow and steady increases improve bone density and muscle strength, leading to long-term, lasting improvements to your entire orthopedic system.

Set Up a Customized Workout Plan

If possible, it’s always recommended that you start with a trainer to help you set up a customized workout plan, but starter plans often have a few things in common:

• Remember to warm up and cool down before and after every workout.
• Focus on the whole body, rather than one body part per workout.
• Follow proper technique and form to prevent sports injury.
• Mix both weight bearing and cardio exercise.
• Listen to your body. Aches may be a reality at first, but actual pain is always a danger sign that you should see an orthopedic specialist.

Once you find your comfort zone in terms of how often to work out and what specific exercises you enjoy, you can begin to increase the frequency or duration and start to see real results in how you feel overall. If you have a question about orthopedic wellness workouts, contact us today.

Advanced Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute is a medical practice located in Freehold and Monroe, NJ, our medical professionals are experts in orthopedic surgery, joint replacement, sports medicine, integrative wellness, spine care, physical therapy, and more.