Exercise is key for people of all ages to create and maintain healthy bones and to prevent osteoporosis. Walk into any gym in American and you will see individuals trying to build muscle mass, but what a lot of those people don’t know is they are also building bone mass. Much like our muscles, bones are made up of living tissue, which can become stronger through exercise. Below are a few tips that can help maximize your bone-building efforts from a variety of sources, including National Institute of Arthritis (NIH).

• Exercise for at least 30 minutes, 3 times per week.
• Focus on weight-bearing exercises such as yoga, Tai Chi or golfing. These promote bone growth more than non-weight bearing activities such as swimming.
• Switch up your routine to keep your body moving in new ways, in turn, working different body parts.
• Listen to your body. Typical workout pain should not last longer than 48 hours.
• Supplement your workout with a healthy and balanced diet rich in calcium C and vitamin D.

At OAZ, our primary goal is to educate our patients on how to make the right choices for their bodies and their bones. If you or a loved one has suffered an orthopaedic injury, please schedule an appointment with one of our physicians by visiting our website or calling 740-454-3273.

The blogosphere is like your local Walmart – you can pretty much find anything you’re looking for. With that said, this is a blog about a blog. It may sound strange, but we recently read about the most dangerous high school sports and found it fascinating.

According to a 28-year study from the National Center of Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina, fall high school sports resulted in 771 direct catastrophic injuries between 1982 and 2010. The study also reveals that 34 of these injuries were football related and two resulted in fatalities.

With the fall sports season right around the corner, it is important to remember to keep safety first. Coaches should teach players the proper techniques and insist student-athletes wear the right equipment at all times. Here is a list of sports prevention tips from Safe Kids USA. Our physicians and staff are proud members of some of Zanesville’s local sports teams, from high school to college, and want to ensure our community stays safe, on and off the field.

Being a mom is one of the toughest jobs there is, so why make it harder on yourself? In honor of Mother’s Day, OAZ is sharing these tips for preventing back pain for new mothers, courtesy of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Our friends at AAOS recommend new moms begin exercising soon after delivery to help restore muscles. Also, stretching while the baby naps can help with flexibility. Although it may be tough, returning to your normal weight within six weeks of delivery will relieve stress on your joints.

Common sense is also key. Bend with your knees and not with your waist when picking up your infant. Similarly, rather than standing outside the car when placing your child in a car seat, kneel on the backseat. Also, a “front pack” could be a good investment and relieve pressure on your muscles and joints.

A recent article from the New York Times reveals that young mothers of small children exercise less than other women their age. A focus on eating healthy and following the preventative tips above should help mothers be strong for themselves and their child.

OAZ is a proud member of the American Physical Therapy Association, which recently launched a newly redesigned version of the www.moveforwardpt.com website.

It includes several interactive tools to engage the public and encourage you to learn about the ways in which a PT can help restore and improve motion in your life. New features include Ask-A-PT, a Motion Quiz, and a Twitter Feed.

The highly qualified Ohio physical therapy team at OAZ are trained to work with patients after surgery to restore activity, strength, and motion. Physical therapists can teach specific exercises, stretches and techniques and use specialized equipment to address problems that cannot be managed without this specialized physical therapy training.

Generally, there are six stages of recovery:

Phase One (first couple of weeks after surgery): This period of the rehabilitation is called the early rehabilitative phase. This phase focuses on decreasing the pain and swelling following surgery.

Phase Two (weeks three and four): In the second rehabilitation phase, more attention is placed on joint protection as the pain has mostly disappeared and the individual may want to try more things that the joint is not ready to perform.

Phase Three (week four to six): Referred to as the controlled ambulation phase, this includes all building on the former exercises already in place plus adding few more. This is an important time for exercises requiring improved balance both in the clinic as well as the home program.

Phase Four (week six to eight): Known as the moderate protection phase, weights may be added to gradually increase resistance to existing exercises.

Phase Five (week eight to 10): This light activity phase places additional emphasis on strengthening exercises with increased concentration on balance and mobility.

Final Phase – Return to Activity: The final phase starts at about 10 weeks and continues until the desired activity level is reached.

To learn more about post-surgery PT, contact the Ohio physical therapy team at OAZ.