I am writing this blog as a reminder to people of all ages that balance (proprioception) is part of our fitness.  So many of us concentrate our fitness efforts solely on cardiovascular training; we forget about the value of balance in our everyday lives and for sport performance.

While on holiday I took part in a resistance band exercise class.  We were standing, facing a wall of mirrors and asked to stand on one foot while performing an exercise.  I witnessed once quiet arms and legs begin swinging as bodies tried to recover lost balance; I was very surprised at how challenging this was for most of the class.  Balance is something we have to practice no matter how old we are.  Balance is important for our posture, for walking on uneven terrain, for picking up things, for stepping up stairs, for our safety and for excellent athletic execution.

The different elements of fitness including cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility, agility and balance are interdependent.  Imagine riding your bicycle without all of the fitness components.

Balance training is progressive.  We can simply begin by standing in one place on one foot.  We can progress to closing our eyes while standing on one foot and then move on to being gently pushed from different directions while trying to maintain balance on one foot with your eyes closed.  Stability balls, wobble boards and Dynadiscs offer excellent balance training opportunities as they increase the level of difficulty.  They can be used dynamically and sport specifically as well.

Without balance training we will be less efficient in our physical activities and prone to injury.  Balance is part of our overall fitness.  We need to remember the importance of balance for young or old.

Congratulations to our Canadian athletes!

Professional Dancer: Caitlin Griffin

Professional Dancer: Kyle Toy

As I have shared before, I have had the privilege of working with a number of professional dancers.  My privilege turned fortune this past Monday as I was given a ticket by two of my wonderful patients (Caitlin Griffin and Kyle Toy) to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremony Rehearsal.  Both Caitlin and Kyle are performing in the opening ceremonies and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see them perform live at such an exciting event!  They are STUNNING!

I am not allowed to share rehearsal details, but I can say that I feel incredibly proud to be Canadian.  I am also thrilled to finally see the Olympics from a different perspective.  To me, the Olympics have always been about sport; however, this couldn’t be farther from the truth!  The Olympics provide everyone with the opportunity to shine.  Athletes, professional dancers and musicians, artists, government officials, community volunteers, and even locals with friendly smiles and welcoming gestures have all been given the chance stand out.  It is up to us to use the Olympics as our stage to show the world our many gifts.

Take this incredible opportunity to share in the spirit of the 2010 Olympic Games.  Embrace the cultural experiences, support our Canadian athletes, celebrate our beautiful country and use this event as an excuse to spend more time with your family and your friends.  GO Canada GO!

*This blog was written by my inspiring mother, Lorraine Cupido… enjoy!

I was searching for a hobby.  My inclination is always towards some type of physical activity and so I thought it was time to do something that was quiet and forced me to sit in one place and challenge my brain in a different way.  I also wanted to do something that would improve the fine motor skills of my hands.

My brother, David Young, is an accomplished and talented musician, teacher and composer of music.  I had always believed that he had inherited all of the musical genes in my family.  It never occurred to me that I could learn to play a musical instrument until one day, over Christmas I asked myself why I couldn’t learn to play an instrument.   I may not have the gift my brother has for music but I could still give myself the opportunity to learn and have fun.

I have since bought myself a guitar and have had four lessons.  I can now read music and without looking, my fingers are beginning to find the notes with fewer mistakes.

I am thoroughly enjoying my new hobby and I look forward to practicing.  I am so happy I challenged myself to go beyond my comfort zone.  I know I can do this!

The feather pillow was significantly proven as the worst pillow.  The best results were found with a Dunlopillo latex rubber pillow (115mm in depth [height]).  Pillow shape did not affect pain levels and contoured pillows were actually found to be more uncomforable than regularly shaped pillows.

Remember, we are all shaped differently; perhaps you are comfortable sleeping on your feather pillow?  As long as you are not sleeping on a pillow that jacks your head up into flexion and you are comfortable on the pillow you currently own, keep on sleeping well.

If you are a stomach sleeper… become a back sleeper now!  If you are a side sleeper, try to get on to your back too as many individuals who sleep only on one side will encounter shoulder and rib injuries over time.

Sleep tight and sweet dreams!

Gordon SJ, et al., Pillow use: the behaviour of cervical pain, sleep quality and pillow comfort in side sleepers. Manual Therapy 2009; 14: 671-678.

The new year has brought a new activity into my husband’s and my life: hip hop dancing.  Yes, you read this correctly.  We are LOVING it and it certainly has been a wake up call for my neuromotor skills.  Being an athlete my entire life, I didn’t think that picking up on choreography was going to be as challenging as it has been.  Don’t get me wrong, I certainly didn’t think it was going to be easy, but I did not expect that it would be this hard!  I can perform the moves properly when slowed down, but trying to make my brain and body connect quickly has been quite the task.

I have realized how important an activity like dance is for athletes to improve motor firing patterns, for injured individuals trying to re-coordinate their neuromuscular systems, and for seniors working to improve proprioception and decrease their risk of falling.

If hip hop is not your thing, try ballroom classes with your partner or salsa with your friends!  Dancing is not only a wonderful way to strengthen your neuromotor skills, but it is wildly fun, it is a great way to socialize and it is fantastic exercise!  Remember, don’t take yourself too seriously; just have fun with it!  Fear of failure or embarassment may keep you from finding a passion that you could otherwise miss out on!

Here is to getting your groove on in 2010!

* The video above features our dance teacher and my patient, Shauna Smith.  Shauna is a professional dancer and will be leaving for London, England this week to pursue some of her career goals.  We wish her the best!

Happy New Year to you all!  I hope your holidays were fantastic and you are feeling charged up and positive for 2010!  As we begin yet another exciting year, let’s make a few promises to ourselves:

1. I promise to place my health as a top priority in my life.
2. I promise to fit in at least 4 days of aerobic exercise a week (at least 20 minutes continuous).
3. I promise to squeeze in at least 1 day of strength training a week (even if your dumbbells are bean cans and you do it in front of your favourite 30 minute TV show).
4. I promise to have my injuries looked at as soon as I feel them coming on. (This will decrease the time it takes to fix my injury, therefore saving me money and time).
5. I promise to do the exercises I receive from my health practitioners. (Sorry, I had to sneak this one in here).

We can all do this together!  Be sure to share your fitness goals with someone who can hold you accountable; if this is not an option for you, WRITE THEM DOWN!  When we write things, we are more likely to committ!

Welcome to 2010!  Let’s make this an AMAZING YEAR!

I had the amazing opportunity to take my Avalanche Safety Training Course this past weekend.  We spent three hours in the classroom, one day on Mount Seymour and one fantastic day on Whistler-Blackcomb!

Not only did I learn about mountain safety, I learned how traveling through backcountry terrain is a full body workout (my tired muscles can certainly confirm this today)!  My legs screamed at me from the hiking and snowboarding.  My arms and shoulders burned from digging snowpits to evaluate the snowpack .  I have to admit my upper body got a workout everytime I fell in deep snow and was forced to squirm my way to standing with a heavy pack on my back!  Oh, and I must not forget the workout my upper and lower back got from trying to maintain correct biomechanics during the hiking, digging and lifting!

I want to provide you with a few tips that will help you avoid musculoskeletal injury while out in the backcountry.

1. Make sure your pack fits you well and it can pack the weight you are carrying evenly.
2. Use your gear to your advantage: flip up your heel supports whether on skis or a snowboard to lessen the large and repetitive load on your gastrocnemius and soleus muscles (calves) during the uphills; lower them on the flats.
3. Maintain the curve in your lower back while hiking and digging.  Do not round your lower back as this will increase your risk of disc injuries.  Hinge from your hips, not your back when you bend and be sure to use your legs.
4. The closer you are to whatever you are lifting, be it snow or your pack, the safer your back will be.
5. Try to minimize twisting through the low back while digging; try to move your lower body with your upper body when you unload your shovel as twisting and bending through the lower back is a sure fire way to herniate a disc, epsecially when fatigued.
6. Keep breathing while you dig; holding your breath increases intra-abdominal pressure, subsequently increasing your risk of disc injury.

Remaining safe on the mountain is much easier if you are not injured!  I know there is a lot to think about, but by making these practices regular habits, you won’t need to think about them and you will be free to focus on the terrain you are navigating through.  Be safe out there!

To summarize backcountry riding/skiing: huge effort for huge reward!  In my opinion, the reward is developing a stronger body while having loads of fun!

Keep learning: health education decreases the risk of injury and improves health!

One minute researchers are telling us to wear motion control shoes and the next they are telling us that free motion shoes are the key to injury-free running.  What is the truth?  Which shoe is best for me?

Learn more here about what Vancouver Chiropractor, Dr. Carla Cupido has to say about this in her recent newsletter.

A very interesting paper was published in European Spine Journal this month entitled Altered Breathing Patterns in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients.

The research proved that patients with chronic low back pain often experience altered breathing patterns while performing movements involving the core muscles.  This is relevant for anyone who moves and has low back pain!  Let’s define each of the patterns that were considered impaired:

Breath holding:  Pretty self explanatory.

Paradoxical breathing:  Chest wall moves in on inspiration and out on expiration (reverse of the normal movements).

Upper costal breathing:  Upper chest moves with inspiration and expiration while the diaphragm is not properly engaged.

Mixed pattern breathing:  Any of the above patterns mixed together.

The ideal breathing pattern was deemed to be costodiaphragmatic breathing.  This pattern is defined by the ribcage displacing upwards, outwards and forward with outward abdominal movement (which is reversed on expiration).

The core muscles that surround our lumbar (low) spine take on the shape of a cylinder with the diaphragm at the top, the pelvic floor at the bottom, the abdominals at the front and the back muscles bringing up the rear.  If there is a sense of instability in the low back, it is thought that individuals alter their breathing patterns, using their diaphragm to aid in stabilization.  Therefore if you have chronic low back pain, you may be utilizing one of these abnormal breathing patterns to help stabilize your low back (which is not good).

Much research is still needed on this topic, but breathing patterns should be assessed in chronic low back pain patients as they could be perpetuating the problem.

Rousell et al., Altered Breathing Patterns in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients. European Spine Journal. Volume 16, Pages 1066-1020.