One Kinesio taping method that works well is demonstrated below:

This exercise using the Thera-Bar foam bar can be helpful

Piriformis Syndrome can literally be a pain-in-the-butt. The piriformis muscle is one of the deeper muscles in the hip and typcially presents as pain either in the buttock or pain that radiates from the buttock into the lower leg.

Often times Piriformis Syndrome can mimic sciatica and lumbar radiculopathy, although the cause of the pain in Piriformis Syndrome is irritation of the sciatic nerve by the piriformis muscle and not from hernation or impingement of a lumbar vertebral disc as in lumbar radiculopathy.

Piriformis Syndrome can also be confused with a hamstring strain, since in many cases of proximal hamstring injuries, there is pain at the origin of the hamstrings muscle from the ishial tuberosity of the pelvis.

One of the best stretches for the Piriformis muscle is shown in the following video

When a tendon is acutely injured, such as with an acute strain or sprain, there can be a significant amount of swelling and inflammation at the site. While some inflammation is helpful to the body’s healing process, too much inflammation can prolong the time to getting an athlete back to their sport. When the injury lasts longer than 2 to 4 weeks, in most cases, the inflammatory process has subsided, and now the tendon has developed scar tissue which can also lead to pain. This process of scarring is called tendinosis, and is fundamentally different from the acute inflammatory process of tendinitis, and as a result, will not respond to continued use of anti-inflammatory medications and ice.

One type of exercise that has been found to be helpful for chronic Achilles tendinosis is eccentric stretching of the calf muscles. The eccentric stretching of the calf and the Achilles causes micro tears in the Achilles and localized inflammation that the body then recognizes as a possible new injury.

Here are a few videos of eccentric exercises for Achillis tendinosis

Some the stretches and exercises demonstrated in the video can help prevent the development of iliotibial band and other knee problems before they begin and can also help if you’re already having IT band issues.

We’re also a big fan of the GRID foam roller by Trigger Point Therapy. You can purchase the GRID foam roller directly from TP Therapy

There’s some controversy about whether the IT band and other fascial tissue can actually stretch. Our perspective is the the use of the foam roller in conditions like IT band syndrome may not actually stretch or lengthen the Iliotibial band, but the use of the foam roller can help release adhesions between the IT band and other structures such as the vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, gluteus muscles and tensor fascia lata.

You can support your body weight with your arms and the other leg to take some of the pressure and weight off the IT band if you find that rolling on the foam roller is too painful initially.

The GRID foam roller is available from TP Therapy for $39.95 + shipping

We’ve found that a large portion of patients with low back pain have tight or inflexible hip flexor muscles and that these muscles tend to put a lot of forward rotation onto the pelvis and lower spine. This problem is most common in people that sit for a long period of time – office workers with long commutes, etc.

And obviously, it you have low back pain that persists longer than four weeks, or that causes weakness, numbness or pain into the leg or problems with urination or your bowels, DEFINITELY SEE YOUR DOCTOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Sports Health-High Impact Sports Participation May Improve Bone Mineral Density in Mature Ath
A recent sports medicine study on bone density in older athletes  in the November/December issue of Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach determined that there may be significant gains to be made when older athletes participate in higher impact exercise activities.A total of 560 senior athletes with an average age of almost 66 years that took part in  2005 National Senior Games were enrolled in the study. Each Olympian received a Senior Athlete Health Registry Questionnaire and then had their bone mineral density testing performed via a calcaneal quantitative ultrasound of the heal of their dominant foot. The study found that participation in high-impact sports was a significant predictor of improved bone mineral density of the foot when compared to the athletes who participated in lower impact sports once the athlete’s age, sex, body mass and use of osteoporosis medication were controlled.

• IT Band
• Stress Fractures
• Runner’s knee
• Shin Splints
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Achilles Tendonitis

Iliotibial Band Syndrome (IT Band Friction Syndrome)

IT Band problems usually present as pain on the outside part of the knee or on the outside of the hip. The main causes of IT band syndrome are due to weak glute/hip muscles that then allow for increased strain across the iliotibial band.

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Stress fractures are another common overuse injury that can result in a long rehabilition and time away from running. Most stress fractures occur as a result of repetitive overloading of normal bone. If the overloading occurs for too long without enough recovery in between episodes, then a stress fracture can occur. Catching a stress fracture in its early stages, where there may just be local irritation to the bone is key to limiting the amount of time away from running. Running biomechanics play a large role in the development of stress fractures. A running form that increases the contact force can quickly overload the bone.

Most runners have experienced shin splints (or medial tibial stress syndrome) at some point of their running career. “Shin splints” are an inflammation of the calf muscle attachment to the shin bone. Shin splints often hurt at the being of a run, or after cooling down afterwards, but may resolve temporily during the run. A key concept to battling shin splints is a focused stretching and strengthing program of the calf muscles to decrease the stress the muscles place on their attachment to the shin bones.

Plantar Fascitis

Plantar fasciitis often presents as a sharp pain to the heel with the first couple of steps in the morning. The plantar fascia is a band of fibrous tissue that originates from the heel bone (calcaneous) and attaches to the bases of the metatarsals (toe bones). The plantar fascia acts a spring that helps elevate the arch of the foot and distributes the force across the foot during the ground contact time of running. The heel pain can increase and persist throughout the day

A recent small study on the benefits of yoga for low back pain published in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine by researchers at Boston University found that 12 weeks of hiatha yoga had a significant improvement in low back pain in comparison to patients that continued traditional treatment for their low back pain. The study followed 30 patients that either participated in a 12 week hiatha yoga class and received instructions on home yoga exercises or continued their current treatment for their low back pain prescribed by their doctor.

At the end of the 12 week peroid, the yoga for back pain group had an 80% decrease in their use of medication for the low back pain and 73% of the yoga group felt that their back pain had improved compared to only 27% in the “treatment as usual” group. There was also a measurable  decrease in the severity of the pain reported by the yoga group with the reported change in low back pain reduced by roughly one-third from when they started the 12 week program – a significant change when compared to the “no yoga” group that only reported about a 5% decrease in their low back pain after 12 weeks of seeing their doctor and taking various pain medications.

Commentary – We’re not surprised by the results of this yoga for low back pain study. Many of the patients that we see with low back pain tend to have either significant core and low back muscle weakness or an inability to utilize their core muscles properly. A well-instructed yoga class that emphasizes core stability can go a long way in not only decreasing a patient’s low back pain, but also cut down on their need for medications as well.

After the 12 weeks, those in the yoga group had far lower pain scores than the control — their pain decreased by a third, compared with 5% in the control group. The yoga group also decreased their use of pain medication by 80%, while the control group’s medication didn’t change. At the end of the study, 73% of the yoga group said they had overall improvement in back pain, compared with 27% of the control group.

“Our pilot study showed that yoga is well-received in these communities and may be effective for reducing pain and pain medication use,” said Dr. Robert Saper in a news release. Saper, the lead author of the study, is also an assistant professor of family medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine and director of integrative medicine at Boston Medical Center. The study appears in the November issue of the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.