Exercise & Fitness Archives - Omaha Physical Therapy Institute : Omaha Physical Therapy Institute

Staying Fit in the “Off” Season

05/31/21

With spring soccer season winding down and summer try-outs approaching, some of your coaches may give you a few weeks off. Although you may be “off” from scheduled practices and events, an athlete is never truly “off.” While it is SO IMPORTANT to take days off for your body to recover from the wear and tear of the season, it…

Pain Threshold and Sensitivity Improved with Exercise

05/02/21

At Omaha Physical Therapy Institute, our physical therapists apply exercise and pain neuroscience education in an attempt to empower YOU, the patient, to eventually take control over your symptoms and return to the activities you love most. The beauty of exercise as a pain management tool is that once you understand what works, you can apply it yourself, and eventually…

The Benefits of Walking

04/18/21

The health benefits of walking have been well-established. Getting regular aerobic exercise promotes cardiovascular benefits such as aerobic capacity as well as improved body composition and blood pressure. In addition to these wonderful benefits to one’s physical health, improvements can also be seen with mood, pain management, and stress reduction. A research article (cited below) found online in the Journal…

Walking HIIT Workout

04/07/21

Do you want to make your walking program a little more exciting and potentially more effective? Try walking and incorporating this high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout! Here are a few tips before you get started: -Perform a dynamic warm-up routine simulating movements that will be used during your exercise intervals -Begin walking at a slow, comfortable pace and gradually…

Load vs. Capacity

03/21/21

Musculoskeletal injury, whether sudden or from repetitive use, often boils down to the imbalance between load and capacity. Many factors play a role in an individual’s experience of pain, but when we think about musculoskeletal injury on the level of the tissue, we can just about always see that load/demand has exceeded the capacity of the injured tissue. Many patients…

Aerobic Fitness and Injury Risk

02/23/21

A great deal of research has emerged in the past decade that shows a correlation between aerobic fitness levels and injury risk. This research has studied populations of elite athletes, firefighters, and Army trainees, and discovered that those with lower aerobic fitness levels are more prone to musculoskeletal injury in their given vocation or sport. Aerobic fitness has at times…

Balancing our Body

02/18/21

Our bodies do amazing work to keep countless variables in check without us even knowing. There really is something to the yogic ideal of achieving balance in one’s life—scientifically speaking this attempt to achieve balance is seen across many different systems within the body allowing us to thrive in a state of homeostasis. Homeostasis is the perfect balance that our…

Why Try the Pose Method for Your Running Injury?

02/12/21

The Pose Method of running is effective largely because much of its injury-prevention recommendations are consistent with those of academics who have conducted running gait research in laboratories. Theoretically, it also promotes gait mechanics that respect the laws of nature and facilitate better management and use of the forces involved in running which can lead to reduced impact forces and…

3 Exercises To Do After Getting Your COVID-19 Vaccine (Or Any Shot!)

01/22/21

One of the most common side effects for the COVID-19 vaccine is pain or tenderness at the injection site. When we are experiencing pain or discomfort, our first instinct is to not move the body part that is hurting. However, we must move to improve! It is important to “teach” your body that it is okay to move by slowly…

3 Exercises That Can Keep Your Neck and Back Happy While at Work

01/17/21

Many people are sitting at their work station for hours on end while working from home or at the office. Prolonged sitting can create increased neck and back stiffness, particularly if you do not change positions frequently during the day. Here are 3 exercises that you can do to change positions and ease the strain of prolonged sitting at work….