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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 2016)
12 Wednesday, August 10, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Fit For Sisters Andrew Luscutoff Columnist Don’t let joint pain slow you down Knee, hip, shoulder and back-pain all are part of the human experience. Most everyone gets to enjoy the experience of nagging pain. Friedrich Nietzche philoso- phized: “The aim of the wise is not to secure pleasure, but to avoid pain.” Once pain sets in the wisdom says to stop the activity and avoid pain. Many forms of exercise — running, jumping, hiking, downhill skiing — involve a lot of joint stress and pos- ses the potential for back pain. Small impacts over time can lead to arthritis and degeneration of joint tis- sue. Eventually, people find themselves on the sidelines. Anytime someone for- goes exercise, it can lead to a decline in health and a cas- cade of loss of well-being. There are solutions beyond giving up activity. Pain affects many run- ners. The common trope is that it’s not if a runner will suffer pain, but when. It is estimated that 75 percent of running injury is caused by overuse. Overuse injury hap- pens when a person runs too much, too soon, or too fast for their ability. Adjusting shoe type, corrective insoles, improving running tech- nique, and other methods to prevent injury, were not effective in reducing injury rates. There was also no sig- nificance in gender, body mass, running surface, and running speed. The takeaway message is clear: running injury is ubiq- uitous, and the best interven- tion for running longevity is moderation. This approach can consider another activ- ity to balance the scales. A great alternative is cycling. It works the quads (front of thigh) a little more inten- sively, and doesn’t repeti- tively stress the lower leg. It also still allows you to be outside and in the open air. People reading this may lament the pain of sitting on a saddle, but a properly fitted bike will make all the difference. See a local expert to get the bike fit. Green Ridge Physical Therapy, Eurosports, and Step & Spine all have specialists in this area. Back pain also hampers a variety of activities and leads people to believe their days of fitness are over. The incidence of back pain is more common than not: 80 percent of people have expe- rienced significant back pain at some point in their lives. There are several reasons for low-back pain but the major- ity (70 percent) of instances are caused by lumbar strains. This is when the muscles and surrounding structure of the lower back are overworked, stressed, and cause a pain signal to radiate throughout the body. An alternative exercise for working with back-pain is swimming. Central Oregon triathlete/coach Jaime Dispenza says: “Swimming totally rocks for people of any age. There is no impact on the body as long as the technique is solid.” He recommends swim- ming to his athletes who are recovering from long runs or bouts of injury. Swimming is a great car- diovascular exercise, where the athlete is unweighted, providing a gentle stretch. Sisters Athletic Club is a place for basic lessons; a competitive swimmer might contact Jaime Dispeza for more information. These are just two exam- ples of how to manage pain- ful ailments affecting nearly everyone. It is also a good excuse to try a new exer- cise. Either way, you don’t need to forgo fitness or go under the knife to avoid pain. Therapeutic exercise for both meniscus and low-back strains has been shown to be as, if not more effective than, surgery. In fact with back pain, exercise can be as effec- tive as painkillers. If exercise is something you might con- sider trying, see a local expert and get set up on the right path. Additional resources are linked with the online ver- sion of this column at www. nuggetnews.com. Learn how to fix your bike at free class If you ride a bike, at some point, you’re going to have to fix it. Blazin Saddles will host a free basic bike maintenance class on Thursday, August 18, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at their downtown Sisters shop. Learn how to fix a flat, as well as the basics of bike maintenance and mechanics. Beverages and snacks pro- vided. All ages are welcome. Limited to 15 people; sign up at the shop located at 413 W. Hood Ave. or call 541- 719-1213 to reserve a spot. H O L I S T I C H E A LT H C A R E Acupuncture • Chinese Herbal Medicine • Women’s health • Mental/emotional • Muscular/skeletal • Lyme disease Si 20 nce 01 Kevin R. Pett, PhD 541-640-9788 • 392 E. Main Ave. www.acuherbology.org Fit Your Bike With Your Body Brace yourself for summer! $300 $30 Discount – We can straighten ‘em out – Bike Fits help both casual & active riders Sisters Clinic 625 N. Arrowleaf Trail In the Ray’s Shopping Center 541-588-6848 When to schedule a bike fi tting? • A New Bike • Feeling Pain or Discomfort • Your Seat Hurts • Painful Knees A bike fi t may be covered by health insurance. For information, give us a call. Gift Certifi cates Avaigabge! Professionag Student Clinic Fo For F or the m month of August when y yo u std you stdrt d comprehensive tred tredtment progrdm! Not vd vdlid with dny other offer. N New Pdtients Only. Loaner Cars Deductible Assistance Windshield Replacement p 541-549-DENT — 541-549-3368 — 332 W. Barclay Dr., Sisters Smile by Hailee and The Brace P Place! 541-382-0410 54 410 E. C Cdscdde Ave., , Sisters www.CentralOregonBracePlace.com Hope for a child. Change for a nation. Send her back to school with confi dence… And treat yoursegf, too! 60-Minute Facials $30 Cagg or emaig joy@SageSchoogofMassage.com to make an appointment. There are a million perfectly understandable reasons not to help. Thankfully, love trumps them all. Massage cgasses begin September 26th Esthetics cgasses begin January 3rd $37 a month. All the difference in the world. Sponsor a child with a local organization at 541-383-2122 HopeAfricaKids.com SageSchoolofMassage.com This ad sponsored by The Nugget Newspaper.
