The Body Blog
Benefits of Prenatal and Postpartum Physical Therapy
Reno physical therapist, Sarah Martinez specializes in working with prenatal women to prepare for delivery, and postpartum women to recover after childbirth. A woman’s body goes through many changes during pregnancy and often times there is significant recovery needed to restore the pelvic floor and the abdominal muscles. Sarah is specially trained in breathwork to help reengage the diaphragm and heal diastasis recti, which is the separation of stomach muscles as a result of a growing fetus. Sarah also works with pregnant patients who may be experiencing back pain, fatigue, sciatica pain, swelling, and leg cramps. The prenatal physical therapy [...]
Ramp Up Your Running Routine in the Spring
It is officially spring in Reno, Nevada and after a cold winter, there is no better feeling than the sun on your face and the fresh spring air in your lungs. Spring is the perfect time to ramp up your running routine. Whether you have been training on a treadmill or an indoor track over the winter months, now is the time to get back out onto the roads and the trails in our area. Start Small and Build If you are just getting into running, start small and then build your strength and endurance. The biggest training mistake [...]
The Dangers of Ignoring Your Pain
Don’t let acute pain become chronic pain. Have you ever said, “I have a high pain tolerance” as a point of pride? People who ignore their pain or “muscle through it” are not doing themselves any favors. Ignoring your pain can be a very dangerous gamble. Pain is not a natural or normal human condition – it is your body’s way of saying something is wrong. As a physical therapist, I see patients all the time who have ignored their pain for too long and are now facing serious injury and a longer recovery. It is so much easier [...]
Why Do Hormones Play Such a Big Role in Weight Loss?
If you are struggling to lose weight, it may be time to look at your hormones. It’s that time of year again – New Year’s resolutions abound and you have set a weight loss goal for yourself after all the holiday indulgence. But it is rarely just about diet and exercise. For women, weight loss has as much or more to do with hormones and hormone balance than what you put on your plate. If you are struggling to lose weight, it may be time to look at your hormones. The main players in female hormone dysfunction are cortisol, [...]
Love Your Lacrosse Ball!
How to use a lacrosse ball to help regain mobility in tight necks, shoulders and lower back There are lots of reasons you may experience tightness or pain in your muscles. It could be from over-use, a repetitive motion, sleeping funny, bad posture, or strain. A simple lacrosse ball can be super helpful in breaking up that tightness so you can regain mobility and alleviate pain. It is VERY important to remember that these exercises are only for general soreness and tightness. You should NOT use the lacrosse ball if you have an acute injury or soreness from surgery. [...]
Most Common Winter Injuries and How to Avoid Them
Almost all the leaves are off the trees, there is a base of snow blanketing the Sierra Nevadas, and the ski resorts are gearing up for visitors. It is officially winter in northern Nevada. And while our winters can be beautiful, they also pose an increased risk of injury. Whether participating in some backcountry snowshoeing, or just a slip and fall on the ice, winter gives us lots of opportunities for ouch! Here are several of the most common injuries we treat patients for in the winter, and some best practices for proactive prevention (say that five times fast!). [...]
6 Tips to Stay Healthy and Not Gain Weight During the Holidays
It’s that most glorious time of year, the holidays! But if you are a woman living on planet Earth, all that joy does not “just happen” - there is a lot we do as moms, wives, sisters and friends to bring the sparkle. And sometimes that added stress feels a little bit better while enjoying one of the cookies we’ve made (or bought and put on a plate). Stress (good and bad) combined with foods we do not usually eat can be a recipe for weight gain over the holidays. So here are six tips to help keep you [...]
How to Avoid Injury this Ski Season
It is no secret that the Reno-Tahoe area has some of the best skiing in the country. With 16 resorts just up the hill from Reno, there is a run for every skill level. Not to mention all the backcountry skiing opportunities in our area. While skiing can result in a host of injuries, the most common ones we see are knee ligament sprains and tears and lumbar strain. Just the general motion of skiing puts a lot of stress on your knees. The ACL and MCL are the most at risk for injury when there is a great [...]
Understand Why You Feel Crappy and How to Feel Better, For Good!
Many women come through the doors of Battle Born Health feeling just generally crappy. They have been struggling with feeling wired and tired and experiencing symptoms like weight gain or trouble losing weight, excess fatigue, no sex drive, and a gut that is a mess no matter what they eat. And the worst part is they have been to every GI doc, taken every supplement, tried multiple diets only to have no results or be misdiagnosed with perimenopause, general stress, thyroid issues, etc. I see a lot of misdiagnosed women who just feel like crap. They know they do [...]
How to Help Your High School Athlete Avoid Chronic Injury
In a previous article, I talked about recognizing growing pains in your young athlete. But when kids are growing and playing their sport, they could be faced with a chronic injury. So how do you tell the difference?Growing Pains vs. InjuryGrowing pains should be short in duration and not necessarily in tandem with the volume of sport your kid is playing. Your athlete could have a growth spurt during their season, and while we can’t predict growth spurts, we can anticipate them. Most kids get a little pooch or “spare tire” around the middle and then they shoot up. Feet [...]
