Should Lack Of Exercise Be Considered A Medical Condition?

When was the last time that you heard a medical doctor tell a patient, “you have a bad case of deconditioning?”  Many of you out there may ask; what is deconditioning?  Deconditioning is actually a large problem in our society; it is the unnatural state of being physically inactive. When the transition occurred no one knows, but the human race quickly went from being a species that was active most of the time to one that is increasingly sedentary.

"The Lancet recently called it an inactivity pandemic responsible for 1 in 10 deaths worldwide."  When looked at it this way, inactivity, and therefore deconditioning sounds a little bit more serious than one might have first thought. Think about that, 1 in 10 deaths worldwide! From previous blog posts, research articles, and the news, we know that inactivity leads to many issues such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and much more.

This month in the Journal of Physiology, physiologists at the Mayo Clinic explain that in order to deal with the problem we need to make physical inactivity a mainstream medical diagnosis. "This is one of the most common preventable causes of illness and death... that there is one universally effective treatment for, exercise training." The problem with this is the change needs to come from many facets of life. Our entire medical system relies on inactivity. Insurance companies reimburse billions of dollars a year for pills for diseases related to inactivity but rarely help pay for exercise training, wellness programs, and even physical therapy without a diagnosis of pain.

In the past century medical doctors have had great influence on their patients, educating patients that smoking causes cancer and kills. It was even the medical doctors who started educating patients on using seatbelts and car seats in cars to decrease mortality rates. Why can't the lack of exercise be a mainstream diagnosis given to patients and explained to them that it can actually kill them?

This is a call to all healthcare providers; medical doctors, doctors of physical therapy, athletic trainers, and personal trainers to push their patients and clients to get out there and exercise. These medical professionals can also help in the community by showing patients that there are alternatives to gyms, which often cost a lot of money, such as showing them where the nearest bike lanes or parks may be.

Let's change the way we look at inactivity.  It can kill you!

Ref: npr.org/blogs/health/2012/08/15/158831652/should-lack-of-exercise-be-considered-a-medical-condition
Img: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFzU1BBkL96_Om7H9NMGGOI_zrk94h7BQOap5zynrk6irthfTxwMiFrb_E6EJ9AFWkol9Bf2U0mYcRefZEteF8k21SSkbxtfFdY6RoUze2IjCbFHl-N30dPGJnFq_AGbpgdVHeOHB2lI/s1600/lazy_couch_potato.jpg

Please Support Us in the Fight Against Breast Cancer

Hayashida & Associates is joining in the fight against Breast Cancer by participating in a 5k non-competitive walk in Santa Ynez Oct. 6. We would love your support! Donating is easy and will help many women enjoy more birthdays. Please use the following link to donate and please share it with family, friends and co-workers. If you would like to join our team and walk with us we would love to walk with you! We have already helped raise over $1500 and our goal is to raise $5000. Any amount helps our efforts against Breast Cancer. 

Join or Donate Here!!

Redcord Treatment at HAPT

Suspension exercise using Redcord equipment is an efficient tool for both functional training and management of orthopedic injuries. Redcord equipment is used to treat or train elite competitive athletes all over the world.

Exercises on Redcord equipment, Neurac Treatment, can help anyone who wishes to enhance strength, balance and function. Neurac, the Norwegian-developed physical therapy sensation, has proven to be an efficient way to prevent injuries and treat musculoskeletal disorders. Neurac Treatment can deliver extraordinary results for elite athletes and patients suffering from chronic and acute pain. Neurac Treatment is excellent for treating:

• Lower back pain
• Neck pain
• Shoulder pain
• "Tennis elbow"/carpal tunnel syndrome
• Knee & ankle pain
• And Much more...


Hayashida & Associates Physical Therapy, Inc. was the first physical therapy practice in the United States to offer the Redcord system, and most of our therapists are certified on Redcord equipment.  We want you to move without pain and  get stronger so you can avoid future injuries. So what would you like to do again without pain? Play tennis or golf? Dance? Enjoy a hobby? Get back to living your life?

To learn more how we can help you discover the benefits of Neurac Treatment training for athletic performance and injury treatment call Hayashida and Associates Physical Therapy or visit us at www.HayashidaPT.com

Lift Light Weights..Realize The Same Potential

Recently researchers  turned weightlifting conventional wisdom on its head. The researchers found that lifting less weight more times was just as effective at building muscle when compared to training with heavier weights.

The research, which was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology challenged the widely accepted idea that training with heavy weights at low repetitions was the best way to increase muscle growth. Although lifting with heavier weights does increase muscle growth and strength many people in the population, including older adults, have joint problems that prevent them from training with these heavy loads. With this new research we find that those subjects who cannot safely lift heavy weights can still increase muscle growth and strength with lower loads.

This study consisted of grouping participants into three different programs. The first program consisted of one set at 80% of the maximal load.  The second program had each participant lift three sets at 80% of the maximum and the last group was required to lift three sets at 30% of the maximum load.

" After 10 weeks of training, three times per week, the heavy and light groups that lifted three sets saw significant gains in muscle volume – as measured by MRI – with no difference among the groups."¹

So the next time that you go to the gym, if you have musculoskeletal problems, remember that you can lift lighter weights and still benefit with increased muscle mass and strength.

Ref: C. J. Mitchell, T. A. Churchward-Venne, D. D. W. West, N. A. Burd, L. Breen, S. K. Baker, S. M. Phillips. Resistance exercise load does not determine training-mediated hypertrophic gains in young men. Journal of Applied Physiology, 2012

Img: http://www.coolhealthtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/heavy-weights.jpg

Should I Wear Running Shoes?

Wait, I thought running shoes were bad for me

Over the past few years you may have heard many proponents of barefoot running arguing that today's running shoes are 'overkill' and compromise our natural running mechanics.  A new study now shows us that under certain circumstances, running shoes may actually decrease the energy cost when compared to going barefoot.

In a recent study conducted at the University of Colorado at Boulder researchers wanted to find if wearing running shoes required more energy than going barefoot. The researchers recruited 12 well-trained barefoot runners. Choosing well-trained barefoot runners was important since novice barefoot runners have a much different running pattern when compared to the veteran.

Many believe that running with shoes increases energy demands during running since they add weight to your feet and you have to push that weight through space every step.

Researchers in this study had runners wear a relatively lightweight (~100 grams)cushioned shoe versus not wearing shoes at all. The participants in the study ran multiple times on treadmills while either wearing the shoes or running barefoot.  The runners also were tested with 100 gram weights to the top of the runners bare foot.  By adding equal amounts of weight to the barefoot runner's foot, effectively taking weight of the shoe out of the equation, they could learn if barefoot running really was physiologically more efficient than wearing shoes.

The researchers found that during barefoot running, runners used almost 4% more energy during every step when compared to those who were in shoes.

It is important to note that the study looked at only metabolic efficiency of wearing shoes when compared to running barefoot. The study did not take into account the common claims that barefoot running lowers injury risk.  Researchers did agree that wearing heavy shoes increases the metabolic cost of running and so those trying to decrease the metabolic cost of running should look for more lightweight models of shoes.  The research still supports the use of running shoes to improve running efficiency.

Ref: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/making-the-case-for-running-shoes/?src=tp

Img: http://www.aboutrunningshoes.org/images/asics%20running%20shoes%201.jpg

What is the BMS?

The Biomechanical Scan (BMS)TM is a head to toe micro-mobility (arthrokinematic) assessment of the 3 primary loco-motor systems of the body: Nervous, Muscular, and Skeletal.  The scan is used to screen for serious pathology and identify faults in one’s flexibility, joint passive range of motion, motor patterns, strength, core stability, and proprioception; all of which have been cited as risk factors that can contribute to injury.  Over the past 10 years, tremendous research has been performed as to why certain injuries occur, particularly the non-contact ACL knee injury.  By diagnosing limited joint loading or faulty movement patterns, a skilled physical therapist is able to explain how these deficits can influence task execution and the relative risk of injury.  Research has shown implementation of the proper intervention addressing risk factors has reduced the incidence and risk of injury.  The BMSTM is currently being used by the physical therapists (PT) at Hayashida and Associates as a proactive versus re-active intervention to guide athletic performance for many athletes from age-grade athletics to the Olympic athlete. If you know of an organization, business, or team that could benefit from preventative screening contact your local physical therapist at Hayashida & Associates Physical Therapy.


Written By: Riley O'Hagan, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS

HAPT Hosts World Renowned Dr. Powers

Hayashida and Associates Physical Therapy (HAPT) recently hosted world renowned Dr. Chris Powers, PT, PhD, FACSM, FAPTA for a one day course that was individually designed for HAPT to enhance the clinician’s clinical reasoning regarding proximal factors as they relate to patients and clients with knee pain.  The course focused on development of clinical reasoning regarding return to running in those patients with knee pain as well as patients status-post ACL reconstruction. During lab, the physical therapists at HAPT demonstrated and practiced selected physical examination procedures and interventions that will reduce that patient’s risk of reinjury and improve their return to sport.  HAPT regularly hosts courses throughout the year to make sure that their physical therapists continue to provide the region’s highest level of clinical care and expertise. Physical therapists from surrounding areas are also invited, as it is our mission to better the physical therapy profession as a whole.


Written By: Andrew Bisaccia, PT, DPT, OCS