ALTA NEWS
ALTA is proud to be a sponsor for Cyclists for Lyons,a fun-filled community event on September 13th. The cycling community is raising awareness and money to help Lyons recover from the 2013 flood that destroyed much of the town. There is still work to be done. You can help by coming out to Lyons. Listen to music, eat good food, join a ride, and support efforts to rebuild Lyons. For all the details check out C4Lyons.
Eccentric Exercise: What I’ve Been Missing
by Hilary Froman, PharmD
My entire life, I’ve ignored the second half of my workout…
When someone first hears the term eccentric exercise, they might imagine a quirky, “eccentric” aunt participating in one of those fad exercises -doing aerobics in high heels, or running around on Kangoo Jumps (springs for your feet). Eccentric exercise shares no relation to these exercise fads, but don’t ignore it – it could be your answer to many exercise problems.
What is eccentric exercise?
Muscle contractions occur in three ways:
isometric, concentric, and eccentric. During
an isometric muscle contraction, the
muscle contracts without changing length.
A concentric muscle contraction makes a
We hope to see you there!
AAAHHH
You could feel stress melting away by the minute last Thursday, as Kristine
muscle shorten. And during an eccentric contraction, the muscle lengthens as it contracts.
Eccentric exercise/training focuses on the eccentric portion of a muscle contraction – for example, taking five seconds to lower your hand during a bicep curl instead of just dropping it-not as wild as doing aerobics in heels, but much more useful.
Types of
Muscle
Contractions Eccentric
Exercise for Hamstrings
Bellinger, Qi Gong teacher and PTA at ALTA, deftly led a Qi Gong practice. Kristine first talked about stress and its effects on health during her talk – Slow Down and Ground. We then had a wonderful 30 minute Qi Gong lesson. I left feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.
For more information on Qi Gong at ALTA click here. If you are interested in taking a class, contact Kristine at Kristine@AltaTherapies.com
WELCOME BACK RUSS
Keeping Young Athletes Healthy
Over the last three decades, the intensity of children’s sports has changed. In the Front Range, whole catalogs are devoted to sports camps. Club sports are proliferating and, in a community where physical activity is highly valued, competition to excel is huge. Parents are hiring personal coaches and trainers to help their children in the off-season. As a result, children are training year round for their particular sport.
Early specialization combined with year-round training has led to an increase in overuse injuries in children. 30-50% of all pediatric sports injuries are from overuse, and overuse injuries sideline children longer than acute injuries according to the Journal of Sports Medicine and Fitness.
What is an overuse injury?
Repeating the same motions over and over causes a specific tissue, such as a tendon or bone, to fatigue. With rest, the tissue recovers, adapts to the demand, and is able to withstand more load without injury. Without rest, inflamed structures release enzymes that damage local tissue and can cause lasting degenerative changes.
Compare injured (on left) to normal (on right)
After a month in China, we
are thrilled to have Russ back in the clinic.
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Sincerely,
ALTA Physical Therapy & Pilates 2955 Baseline Road
Boulder, CO 80303
303-444-8707
