5 Common Injections for Treating Orthopedic Conditions

5 Common Injections for Treating Orthopedic Conditions

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Most of us have had an injection of some kind at some point in our lives, whether it’s a seasonal flu vaccine or a Novocaine shot at the dentist. But not all injections are built the same in their execution nor their purpose.

Let’s break down the six most prevalent injections you might receive when visiting Orthopedic Institute (OI).

Epidural Injection

Primary Function: Treatment of nerve pain

This injection takes place in the epidural space, directly over the compressed nerve root in the spine or neck. These types of injections are typically used in the treatment of back, neck or limb pain or inflammation that can be sourced back to nerve damage in the spine.

Facet Block Injection

Primary Function: Treatment of severe arthritis

Facet joints can be found at each segment of the spine. They help provide stability and your range of motion. These joints can become painful over time from arthritis in the spine, back injuries or other back conditions. A facet block injection is traditionally used to assist your physician in determining if facet treatment is necessary, as well as to offer continued pain reduction for the patient thanks to a steroid element.

Medial Branch Block

Primary Function: Diagnosis of facet-joint blockage

The medial branch block goes hand in hand with the facet block joints mentioned above. The blockage is treated by injecting an anesthetic near the small medial nerves connected to a specific facet joint. There are usually multiple injections that occur in a single procedure.

SI Joint Injection

Primary Function: Treatment of lower back pain

A sacroiliac, or “SI,” joint injection can work to counteract sacroiliac joint dysfunction. There are two of these joints in your body, and they’re located near the spine on either side, connecting the sacrum (between the hip bones). Inflammation of these joints causes pain that can be remedied by an SI joint injection.

Corticosteroid Injection

Primary Function: Relief of inflammation

Also known as cortisone injections, corticosteroid injections are concentrated injections of anti-inflammatories. These types of injections offer quick relief to potentially inflamed muscles, joints and tendons. The most common places for injections are the shoulder, knee, hip, elbow and ankle.

Interested?

If you feel like one of these injections might help you with your own orthopedic care, talk to our team and make an appointment. We look forward to seeing you!

How to Do the Lunge Correctly

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Lunges are one of the most efficient ways to easily build strength in multiple parts of your body, including your calves, core, and glutes. Their relative ease makes them incredibly popular for at home or gym workouts. However, the exercise is only effective when done correctly. If you let your form slip, you’ll lose a lot of the powerful punch a lunge can provide – as well as possible cause long-term damage.

Foot Placement

One of the most common issues keeping people from achieving a proper lung is foot placement. Your foot should point straight ahead – avoid rotating it out and away from your body. If your foot is rotated, it can put undue stress on your ankle and knee.

Knee Alignment

As you place your foot correctly and begin to lower into a lunge, pay attention to where your knee is landing. Your knee should be in line with the outer portion of your leg. It is common for people to rotate their knee to the inside of their body as they lunge forward. This usually happens because of improper training or some sort of knee weakness. As soon as you rotate your knee to the inside, you stop working the outside of your glut, losing potential muscle work.

Holding Your Chest

Once you have fully lowered into a lunge, make sure to keep your chest high and neutral. Avoid leaning excessively forward. When you lean forward, you drive all the pressure and weight towards your toes and knees. You should keep your body established in a vertical placement over your legs.

Make it Even

You may have perfect lunge technique on your right side, but everything starts to slip when you move to your left side. This is actually relatively common, especially if you have an injury or are recovering from surgery. Find a qualified trainer to work with you on making sure you keep your weaker knee in the correct position.

If you are placing your body directly in a lunge, you should come down into the proper position without any issue. Interested in becoming a lunge expert? Join the qualified trainers at D1 Sports Training to learn how to exercise safely and effectively.

6 Training Tips Every Female Athlete Needs to Know

6 Training Tips Every Female Athlete Needs to Know

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It’s that time of year – you probably have a New Year’s resolution with some sort of element of health and fitness. But before you hit the gym or sign up for any program, make sure you know your stuff. Female athletes have to consider different things when it comes to working out.

Female trainees should try these tips on for size.

Replenish

You might assume eating after a workout is counter-productive, but it’s actually the opposite. While women might try to avoid post-workout eating, a high-protein, good-carb meal within an hour of working out is critical to maintaining a healthy metabolism.

Increase Reps

Due to the makeup of their muscle fibers and their natural resistance to fatigue, women actually respond more positively to higher-rep workouts than many men do. If you’re building your workout regimen, consider higher frequency, versus higher weight or resistance.

Vary it Up

Not only does constantly going through the motions of the same workout time and again bore your brain, it can bore your body. Too much sameness gives your body a chance to grow too accustomed to what’s coming and stall progress. Keep things interesting – add reps, work out different muscle groups, etc.

Don’t Fear Pushups

Women might tend to avoid chest exercises in workouts, but the truth is they’re pivotal to strength training. Because the female body is inherently prone to more weakness in the shoulders and chest than the male body, simple chest workouts like pushups can add a lot of valuable strength that benefits other exercises and technique.

Train More Often

Women as a general rule also are able to recover from a workout more quickly than a man might. Females might respond better to working out often or with a higher degree of frequency than males, who often require more recovery time after a high-intensity workout.

Rely on Teamwork

It’s amazing what a little camaraderie and encouragement can do for your workout. Having a coach or trainer is one thing, but having fellow trainees you can relate to is powerful both for a healthy, competitive spirit and for motivation. Consider bringing a friend along to the gym who has similar goals.

Your future workout team is waiting. The D1 facility in Sioux Falls is comprehensive, effective coaching in a variety of specialty areas with athletic and Orthopedic Institute professionals on hand. Interested in finding out more? Join D1’s coaches for a FREE class! Stop by our facility at 5901 S. Southeastern Avenue or reach us at 605.271.7130. You can also follow us on Facebook and on Twitter @D1SiouxFalls.

The Physical Effects of Training on Your Body

The Physical Effects of Training on Your Body

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You can feel it every time you engage in physical activity. Something is happening, physiologically speaking, when you train or work out. But what exactly is it doing, and what are the positive effects of the visual effects of change in breath patterns, muscle fatigue or a pounding heartbeat?

Here are some of the physical effects your body undergoes when you’re training.

Joints & Bones

If bone density is a priority for you (it starts to decrease once you reach your maximum in early adulthood) training can actually have a positive effect on your joints and bones. Inactivity is the quickest route to brittle bones – weight-bearing exercise helps build up your bone mass and staves off bone disease and weakness of joints.

Bloodflow

So you’ve heard the phrase “get your blood pumping” when it comes to exercise, but what does that even mean? Well, when you’re working out or training, your bloodflow is redirected to the most pressing areas of need, namely muscles, where the increase of oxygen and decrease of waste and acid buildup improves flow efficiency in the long-term.

Brain Function

One of the bonuses of improved bloodflow is improved brain function – exercise and fitness actually has positive physical effects on your brain power. You might notice your ability to focus and recall facts is improved immediately following a workout. It’s a direct result of improved bloodflow.

Cardiology

Bloodflow is pretty much a wash without the heart, another element of the body that undergoes distinct physiological effects during training. With frequent physical activity, your heart becomes better over time at pumping more blood to the most effective locations in the body. This means a more efficient distribution of blood with a lower heart rate, something virtually impossible in a body devoid of frequent exercise.

Lung Capacity

The fact of the matter is, when you’re working out, you’re pushing your lungs to their maximum breathing capacity – often requiring as much as 15 times as much oxygen than when you’re sitting still. There’s a reason this has positive long-term effects. Each time you reach your maximum oxygen intake you’re building up the level at which it normally rests. The more you exercise, the more this level increases and improves your fitness.

Muscles

When your muscles are in action, they require more oxygen and blood vessels expand to allow this intake. And the more they’re used, the more nutrients are delivered, spurring growth and ability. The process of working out delivers the right hormones and other elements to your muscular system to improve your athletic prowess over time.