Using a cane or a crutch when you have an injury can be very confusing especially when characters on TV shows don’t even use them right! So let me show you how to walk with a cane correctly. Once you get the hang of it, it becomes very easy and natural. When we walk normally, our opposite arm swings forward with our opposite leg. When using a cane, you want the same technique so you don’t risk injuring something else while you are recovering.
The most important part to start with is to make sure your cane is the right height. Most canes have a pin you can push in to change the height. On your upper leg there is a bone that sticks out called your greater trochanter. It is just below your hip. This is where you want the top of the cane. You should have a slight bend in your elbow about 20 degrees. If the cane is too high, you might irritate your shoulder, and if it is too low, you might lean over too much.
Now for the walking part. The cane should be in the opposite hand of the injured side. Yes, House, MD did it wrong! The cane should always move with the injured side. If the injured side goes forward, the cane goes forward for support. Again, this is how our bodies naturally move; so don’t think about it too much. Just move how you would normally move. The cane should be for balance and safety, and if you feel like you are pushing really hard on it, or if you can’t walk smoothly, then you probably are not ready for a cane yet.
Exercise Snacks are short bursts of activity that can provide great health benefits. It can be as little as 30 seconds, and up to five or 10 minutes. It can be any type of movement like climbing stairs, walking, doing squats, wall pushups, or modified jumping jacks.
Do you find yourself plopping down in a chair? This video will show you some simple tips on how to sit down and stand up safely from a chair to prevent that plopping!
Fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions can cause pain all over the body. This is often called widespread pain. The key to finding relief with stretches and exercises with these types of conditions is to find the right amount of intensity for you. Lying down while performing simple stretches and exercises often helps.
When the pectoralis (pec) muscles are strained, overused, or even tightened due to bad posture, it can cause chest pain and tightness. These easy chest pain relief techniques should help, but it’s always important to check in with your doctor if you are having chest pain to rule out any serious conditions.
This full body stretching routine is great for general wellness, flexibility, and pain relief. This real-time video will give you a relaxing whole body stretch from your head down to your toes.
TENS units & EMS units can be very helpful when recovering from an injury or surgery. The two are very different, but often come together in one unit like the iStim EV-805 unit I use in this video.
A rebounder is a mini trampoline that uses bounce and movement to improve balance, posture, core strength, and endurance. Rebounder physical therapy involves exercises performed on the rebounder and can be used to treat many different injuries.
Relieving Chronic Pain through simple stretches and exercises starts with finding the right movements for your body. In this video, I'll show you gentle stretches and exercises to help relieve chronic pain without causing a flare-up.
There is some new research that shows certain isometric exercises (contracting muscles without movement) can help prevent and treat high blood pressure, or hypertension. Here are some examples.
