Monthly Archives: June 2013
The Bad Foods Runners Choose that Lead to Muscle Cramps
Have you been craving some unhealthy foods lately?
It happens to the best of us, even the seasoned runners and athletes. We sometimes feel like we deserve to eat what we want because we exercise regularly.
Unfortunately, a poor diet can drive your leg and even back muscles into spasm with piercing pain.
Our bad food cravings can drive us to eat a poor diet because nature is telling you that you need certain nutrients while your instincts are telling you that you are just really hungry. Because of this, you can often find yourself choosing the worst foods because they make you feel full and satisfied for the moment, but they don’t cover the nutritional requirements that healthier foods would meet.
In our office we see people who get horrible cramps and piercing pain in their muscles. We often find that there are two things happening, their body is imbalanced and they need some body work and light joint adjustments to get their feet, knees and back feeling better again. They also need better nutrition and consistent hydration to support their muscles so their bodies are stronger. When both of these causes of muscle pain and cramping are addressed, our clients get better very quickly.
Here are some of the foods you may be craving right now that can actually worsen your muscle cramps:
Chocolate
Alcohol
Carbonated Drinks
Oily, fatty foods
Acidic foods
If you look at the list above and find that you are craving some of these foods, you are likely doing so because you are lacking at least two major nutrients in your daily diet – “calcium” and “magnesium”.
Here are some of the food sources that are good for you and can help stop your muscle cramps:
• Raw sesame seeds
• Raw pumpkin seeds
• Yogurt
• Milk
• Sardines
• Chinook Salmon
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Cooked soy beans
• Boiled Swiss chard
• Boiled spinach
Buy some of the groceries above and create a plan to get a lot more of these foods on your menu each day to settle your muscles and make your body feel better.
If you’re running or doing a lot of strenuous activity for a longer period of time, there is one major reason you get cramps during activity. This is, you are losing a lot of water and sodium in your sweat, make sure you rehydrate regularly with electrolyte and sodium-infused beverages to keep muscle cramps away.
These tips can be one key ingredient to putting an end to your muscle cramps. Having us check your body over to create balance in your muscles, joints and posture so they move and feel better is the other most important choice you can make. We can help you feel better quicker.
Call us at (610) 216-0790 to take advantage of our “Athletes Foot, Ankle and Knee Evaluation” or for other body aches and pains you are experiencing.
The 11 Billion Dollar Joint: Your Knees and How to Take Care of Them
Knee and hip replacement surgeries are as in-demand as ever; roughly 11 billion dollars has been reportedly spent on these surgeries in the U.S. Over 9 billion annually has been spent on knee replacements alone in the past few years.
Having surgery is a big deal and often you don’t get your body back to working order exactly as you’d like it to be.
So how do you keep your knees in tip top shape so they keep moving and stay healthy for years to come?
The overall key is to take preventative action to keep your knees from heading down a path of injury and pain so you can stay active and don’t have to waste time in the hospital talking about knee replacement surgery in the future.
Having seen many clients over the years, I know that when knee pain is handled and addressed properly, not only will the patient feel much better but their bodies will be much stronger because of it. This is why I want to share a couple of tips on how you can keep your knees in excellent shape.
Tip #1 The “right” stretch – Stretch your quadriceps and your hamstring muscles regularly. Stretch your quadriceps by touching your toes and your hamstrings by bending your knee and holding your foot to your bottom.
Tip #2 Be careful when your knees are overused or injured – When you’ve used your knee too much or it feels sore after an injury or activity, put an ice pack on your knee joint. When you haven’t been able to stretch properly or you’ve been sitting all day, put heat on your thigh muscles (front and back) then do the stretch in Tip #1.
Tip #3 Get a good foundation – Get some good, supportive, and comfortable shoes that you will wear most of the time when you’re on your feet.
Tip #4 Exercise – There are specific exercises that can help strengthen the complex joints of the knee. These include squats, lunges, lunges in a circle or in a star formation (a quicker lunge that can strengthen your deep knee muscles and ligaments), and running while pivoting around cones or other objects. These should be done proportional to your overall fitness level; we can help you know which exercises are best for your specific knees. Make sure to stretch afterward.
Tip #5 Avoid sitting too long – Inactivity can tighten your hamstrings and put stress on your knee joints. This lack of joint movement can cause it to wear down, especially if your leg stays in a bent position for long periods of time. A chiropractic adjustment to the knee and other specific areas of the body can help with this.
Tip #6 Ask us about supplements or other specific treatments for your unique knees and body. Sometimes this can help your body become fortified from the inside-out.
Tip #7 Knee and whole body chiropractic adjustments – these are light and specific thrusts to your bones to help them move better individually and with your body as a whole. It is important for your body to move well if you want it to be pain-free throughout the day.
Your knees can be vulnerable areas that are affected from the ground-up, by walking, running, jumping, wearing the wrong shoes, or just by the pressure and torque they naturally take while you’re moving. They are also stressed from above-down as your hips, tight muscles, or back posture affect where the stress is placed on them.
Whether you live a very active lifestyle or are sedentary by sitting for hours at a time, put these tips into action and take care of your knees so you can stay pain-free for years to come.
Call us at (610) 216-0790 for an easy and thorough exam of your knees where we will decide if you can benefit from some light knee and body adjustments or other specific pain prevention strategies.
