Learn To Get Healthy

Tell any long-distance runner or cyclist about your stinging pain at the side of the knee or hip, and you will get a knowing sympathetic look. ITB (Iliotibial band) friction syndrome is one of the commonest complaints amongst runners, cyclists and intense court sports.

This condition afflicts endurance running / cycling athletes more than types of sports for two simple reasons. One, their Iliotibial Band rubs against the bony protrusion of the lateral femoral epicondyle more often and for longer periods of time. Two, their Iliotibial Band tend to be thicker and tighter as result of their endurance training; this causes their ITBto press harder against the lateral femoral epicondyle. Irritate it often and hard enough, the Iliotibial Band gets sore and inflamed, hence the pain.

There are three main external factors that causes your ITB to tighten.

1. How you train

2. Bio-mechanical gait issues

3. Outer thigh muscles strength

Running on banked surfaces, inadequate warm up or cool down, increases in distance too fast or excessive downhill running are faults associated with running which strains the Iliotibial Band. In cycling having the feet toed inwards commonly causes the band to get tight.

Problems with foot structures such as high or low arches and uneven leg length typically tighten the ITB on one side. A complete biomechanical assessment helps determine the faults. Where appropriate, foot orthotics can correct these problems.

Tight Iliotibial Band is often a result of a weak outer hip muscle that is not doing its job. This causes the Iliotibial Band to work harder and tighten up.

Despite avoiding all the three issues mentioned, athletes with a high training volume often still experience painful ITBs. In such cases, deep tissue massage will help release the tight band.

Lastly, remember to stretch the ITB.

Find out more about the treatment for sports injury at Core Concepts’, Singapore’s leading and largest physiotherapy group practice.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute state that the coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Every year, heart attacks kill about 460,000 Americans. Usually, before they get to the hospital, people usually die within one hour of when symptoms start. If more people recognized the signs of heart attacks and acted sooner, more people would survive them.

One reason that people don’t always recognize the warning signs of heart attacks is that they act differently. Because it could be completely different, even those people who have had a heart attack before might not recognize another one. You need to have it checked out and this is the main thing to remember if you are not sure. Instead of not responding to the real thing, it would be better to have a false alarm. Greatly increasing your chances for surviving heart attacks is a quick response.

When most heart attacks start out, there is some sort of discomfort to the chest. There will probably be some pain even though it may not be the searing pain that you might expect from a heart attack. Before, some people have described a squeezing sensation or simply a pain or fullness. Either the pain will last for a few minutes or it may come and go away and come back again.

During heart attacks, a lot of people also experience some sort of pain in the upper area of the body. What it can do is show up in the arms, neck, back, jaw, or stomach. You should have it checked out if you have pain or even a mild discomfort in any of these areas especially if there’s a history of heart disease in your family or if you’ve been diagnosed with heart problems. What most people do is try to wait this type of pain out but it only gets worse. You may be too late if you wait. You should definitely not wait around when it comes to heart attacks. It would be better if you get help immediately.

There are many other symptoms of heart attacks that you can identify. Nausea, cold sweat, or light-headedness are some of the symptoms that people experience. Also, a lot of people experience shortness of breath. You will also be able to identify many different symptoms as warning signals of heart attacks. Reacting quickly to these symptoms is the more important thing to remember. Even if you don’t like doctors or hospitals, a short stay in one is better than leaving immediately.

Aside from learning the warning signs of heart attacks, you can also take preventative measures to keep yourself safe. Eat right, exercise properly, and don’t forget to see your doctor for regular checkups. Remember that heart disease doesn’t mean your life will be cut short - undiagnosed and untreated heart disease will put you on the fast track for heart attacks.

If you could jump higher, would that improve your game?