"Your imagination is your preview
of life's coming attractions."
— Albert Einstein
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Power Up With Power Plate
Powerplate Training
Written by: Chase Katich and Kelsey French or Walton Physical Therapy Clinic
The Power Plate is a vibration platform which can be used to perform functional strengthening, dynamic balance, as well as stretching and massage.
The power plate vibrates in three planes of motion: vertically and horizontally, side to side and front to back. This allows our bodies to react to motion in each direction while standing on a level platform.
The vibration of the power plate can be adjusted by its amplitude (the height of vibration) and frequency (number of oscillations per second). By manipulating these variables, we can improve balance, strength, and flexibility without having to hold additional weight, thus minimizing joint stress.
Strength: According to Newtons law, force = mass x acceleration. With traditional strengthening, to increase the force on your muscles you must add additional resistance (i.e. free weights / machines). With the power plate, we can adjust the frequency of vibration to allow the muscles to contract 30-50 times per second. This increased frequency of muscle contraction allows for improved force production.
Flexibility: Our muscles are wired with internal receptors that detect both length and tension within the muscle. The vibration of the power plate helps to turn-off the protective muscle reflex which allows greater muscle relaxation, thus enabling deeper stretches and greater range of motion.
Balance and Coordination: When the power plate vibrates it creates an unstable surface challenging the body to maintain proper form while performing balancing exercises. Overall, coordination is improved as the body adapts to the vibration and learns to hold more functional postures
Bone Density: Bone is a living tissue that responds to forces much like a muscle or tendon. Gentle strengthening on the power plate activates the osteoblasts within the bone to generate increased tissue, thus increasing overall bone density. Resistance training on the power plate is a safe and effective way to improve bone density without applying excessive load to injured joints.
Internal benefits: The massage setting on the power plate improves blood flow and circulation throughout the body providing muscles with oxygen and removing waste. This is extremely beneficial post injury to accelerate healing and decrease swelling.
The power plate also increases anabolic hormone levels to maintain homeostasis throughout the body. It has also been found to relieve stress due to increased serotonin levels and relaxed muscles.
Written by: Chase Katich and Kelsey French or Walton Physical Therapy Clinic
The Power Plate is a vibration platform which can be used to perform functional strengthening, dynamic balance, as well as stretching and massage.
The power plate vibrates in three planes of motion: vertically and horizontally, side to side and front to back. This allows our bodies to react to motion in each direction while standing on a level platform.
The vibration of the power plate can be adjusted by its amplitude (the height of vibration) and frequency (number of oscillations per second). By manipulating these variables, we can improve balance, strength, and flexibility without having to hold additional weight, thus minimizing joint stress.
Strength: According to Newtons law, force = mass x acceleration. With traditional strengthening, to increase the force on your muscles you must add additional resistance (i.e. free weights / machines). With the power plate, we can adjust the frequency of vibration to allow the muscles to contract 30-50 times per second. This increased frequency of muscle contraction allows for improved force production.
Flexibility: Our muscles are wired with internal receptors that detect both length and tension within the muscle. The vibration of the power plate helps to turn-off the protective muscle reflex which allows greater muscle relaxation, thus enabling deeper stretches and greater range of motion.
Balance and Coordination: When the power plate vibrates it creates an unstable surface challenging the body to maintain proper form while performing balancing exercises. Overall, coordination is improved as the body adapts to the vibration and learns to hold more functional postures
Bone Density: Bone is a living tissue that responds to forces much like a muscle or tendon. Gentle strengthening on the power plate activates the osteoblasts within the bone to generate increased tissue, thus increasing overall bone density. Resistance training on the power plate is a safe and effective way to improve bone density without applying excessive load to injured joints.
Internal benefits: The massage setting on the power plate improves blood flow and circulation throughout the body providing muscles with oxygen and removing waste. This is extremely beneficial post injury to accelerate healing and decrease swelling.
The power plate also increases anabolic hormone levels to maintain homeostasis throughout the body. It has also been found to relieve stress due to increased serotonin levels and relaxed muscles.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Quote of the Week
"No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude."
Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead
Mental Training for Optimal Performance and Training
Have you experienced a time during practice or competition where you could not focus? Are there times when the chatter in your head is negative? Have you ever heard about athletes doing mental training for their sport and you are not sure how to implement it yourself?
Mental training is a huge component of training and competing. It is a tool that regardless of your sport, when used consistently, can help you stay focused, stop negative self-talk, improve your technique/skills, increase your confidence, prepare you for certain situations in your sport (like winter training), and much more. For example, Jack Nicklaus, one of the greatest golfers, would run his own color movie in his head before hitting a shot, even in practice. His movie was very sharp and in-focus like he had actually performed it. This helped him to become a champion golfer of his time.
Mental training is a huge component of training and competing. It is a tool that regardless of your sport, when used consistently, can help you stay focused, stop negative self-talk, improve your technique/skills, increase your confidence, prepare you for certain situations in your sport (like winter training), and much more. For example, Jack Nicklaus, one of the greatest golfers, would run his own color movie in his head before hitting a shot, even in practice. His movie was very sharp and in-focus like he had actually performed it. This helped him to become a champion golfer of his time.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Quote of The Week
“When you know what you want, and want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it.” - Jim Rohn
Snapping or Cracking Joints a Cause for Concern?
Written by Chase Katich, Walton Physical Therapy
Popping knees and cracking joints can be quite disturbing, and often times a cause for concern. But more often than not these noisy joints have a bark that is far worse than their bite. These sounds can persist for years without a real problem ever developing, and sometimes the exact cause is hard to detect and explain. But rest assured, usually there is no damage being done to the joint during these events.
Most joint sounds are typically caused by nitrogen gas bubbles, soft tissue such as tendons and ligaments, or arthritis. It is very common for gas bubbles to form in the synovial fluid that bathes our joints. When the joint is rapidly stretched, the gas is released causing a pop or crack, while also forming a gas bubble. This is most commonly whats occurring when someone cracks their knuckles. The joint cannot be popped again until the gas returns into the synovial fluid.
Tendons and ligaments can also be a common cause of joint popping. When a particular joint moves the tendons and ligaments surrounding the joint also move and can become slightly displaced. A snapping sound may occur when the tendons or ligaments roll back into place over a bony prominence. A physical therapist can design a corrective exercise program to assist with normalizing joint alignment, tracking, and flexibility which may reduce or eliminate this form of popping.
Lastly, arthritic joints can cause a grinding noise when the rough joint surfaces come together during movement. This sound is often referred to as crepitus and can be quite disturbing. This form of popping or cracking is least amenable to conservative treatment. Some patients report benefits from a joint supplement such as glucosamine or chondroitin, but the current literature is still not conclusive.
So is a popping or cracking joint harmful? While not totally normal, as long as there is no pain associated with these joint sounds, they are usually harmless. However, if pain does become present with a cracking or popping joint then you should be further evaluated by a health care provider to understand the underlying cause.
Popping knees and cracking joints can be quite disturbing, and often times a cause for concern. But more often than not these noisy joints have a bark that is far worse than their bite. These sounds can persist for years without a real problem ever developing, and sometimes the exact cause is hard to detect and explain. But rest assured, usually there is no damage being done to the joint during these events.
Most joint sounds are typically caused by nitrogen gas bubbles, soft tissue such as tendons and ligaments, or arthritis. It is very common for gas bubbles to form in the synovial fluid that bathes our joints. When the joint is rapidly stretched, the gas is released causing a pop or crack, while also forming a gas bubble. This is most commonly whats occurring when someone cracks their knuckles. The joint cannot be popped again until the gas returns into the synovial fluid.
Tendons and ligaments can also be a common cause of joint popping. When a particular joint moves the tendons and ligaments surrounding the joint also move and can become slightly displaced. A snapping sound may occur when the tendons or ligaments roll back into place over a bony prominence. A physical therapist can design a corrective exercise program to assist with normalizing joint alignment, tracking, and flexibility which may reduce or eliminate this form of popping.
Lastly, arthritic joints can cause a grinding noise when the rough joint surfaces come together during movement. This sound is often referred to as crepitus and can be quite disturbing. This form of popping or cracking is least amenable to conservative treatment. Some patients report benefits from a joint supplement such as glucosamine or chondroitin, but the current literature is still not conclusive.
So is a popping or cracking joint harmful? While not totally normal, as long as there is no pain associated with these joint sounds, they are usually harmless. However, if pain does become present with a cracking or popping joint then you should be further evaluated by a health care provider to understand the underlying cause.
Monday, February 1, 2010
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