Why Is Warm Up and Cool Down Important? Warm up and cool down are the most neglected aspects of exercise. These are usually ignored due to lack of time. Skipping warm up and cool down can result in increased risk of injuries, increased load on the cardiovascular system and blood pooling in the lower limbs. Advantages of Warm Up: 1. Reduced risk of injury Stretching, as a part of your warm up exercises will help in reducing the risk of injuries. Stretching helps in improving muscle flexibility and thus maintaining the range of motion of joints. Thus, stretching effectively with a hold time of 20 seconds can help reduce muscle and joint injuries. 2. Increased Blood flow and Oxygen Warm up helps in improving the blood flow to the muscular system, by increasing the heart rate gradually. This improved blood supply helps in increasing the oxygen supply to the muscles. This results in raised body temperature, causing effective and faster muscle contraction and relaxation. 3. Reduced risk of
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Simple ways to avoid neck pain for desk workers. 1. Observe Good Posture Maintaining bad posture is the primary cause of neck pain. Keep your head in neutral, with the ears falling above the shoulders. Keep the shoulders relaxed. Keeping the elbows and forearm supported on a desk, will help keep the shoulders relaxed. Sit on a chair with backrest and thighs parallel to the floor. 2. Take Regular Breaks “Sitting is the new smoking” is a phrase we all have heard of. Try to get up from your chair every 40-50minutes. Taking a short walk or even standing at your workstation for a couple of minutes can be helpful. Working from a standing desk has proved to reduce incidence of neck pain, back pain, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cholesterol and hypertension. 3. Stretching Simple neck movements and stretches can help keep neck pain at bay. Two of the most effective neck stretches are demonstrated below. As seen in the Image 1, place one arm behind the back and tilt the head to the opposit
Manual Therapy: Explained What is Manual therapy? Manual therapy is an extremely effective clinical approach used by physiotherapists to treat muscle and joint injuries. This technique involves use of proficient hands-on movements of soft tissues and muscles. Manual therapy includes techniques such as myofascial release, trigger point therapy, massage, soft tissue mobilization, joint mobilization and manipulation and stretching. What are the benefits of Manual therapy? Manual therapy helps in: - Pain relief - Enhances joint range of motion - Increases soft tissue extensibility - Reduces soft tissue inflammation - Induce relaxation Does Manual therapy have any adverse effects? Manual therapy is a relatively safe treatment technique. However, few patients might experience mild muscle soreness after manual therapy.