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Having knee pain? The cause may be in your hips
One of the more common injuries we see with young athletes, most notably female athletes, is anterior knee pain, or what is also known as runner’s knee or patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS).
PFPS is an irritation on the undersurface of the knee cap. Most people with this condition will complain of pain along the inside or outside of the kneecap or directly below the kneecap. These symptoms are more commonly brought on with running and jumping (sports) or squatting, walking down stairs and prolonged sitting.
So what causes PFPS? Even though pain is felt at the knee, the knee is not usually the culprit. One of the most common causes is weakness in certain muscles of the hip. These particular muscles control the mechanics of the knee, and with weakness, they cause the femur (or upper leg bone) to internally rotate and adduct (knee goes inward) causing the kneecap to track outside of its normal groove. This will cause much irritation and stress to this joint.
Functional weakness in these hip muscles can also lead to more serious injuries in sports, such as tearing your ACL. This devastating injury, along with other serious knee injuries, can be the result of poor knee mechanics during landing or cutting. Again, these faulty knee mechanics are the direct result from weakness in the lateral hip muscles which can easily be diagnosed and treated by your athletic trainer or physical therapist.
Full story of knee pain and the hips at the Journal Star
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BioHug offers hug therapy in an automatic vest
BioHug’s Israeli pressure garment provides custom soothing for people with autism, PTSD and others prone to high stress.
Most of us have moments when we could really use a hug – when we’re sad, lonely, scared or stressed. The therapeutic value of a good squeeze for emotional wellbeing is well documented.
For people affected by autism, post-traumatic stress and anxiety or attention disorders, research has shown that hugging is an especially effective soother.
That is the scientific fact behind the development of the BioHug Vest by Haifa-based BioHug Technologies. Already in use and soon to roll out to a wider market, the vest provides an effective, portable, non-restraining stress-relief solution using deep, hug-like pressure.
“We’re all familiar with stress, which is associated with lots of health problems,” says BioHug CEO Andrew Schiffmiller. “For some populations it can be associated with much more severe symptoms – someone with autism under stress may injure himself or others, while someone with ADHD under stress may be unable to stay on task.”
Full story of BioHug at Isreal 21
Photos courtesy of and copyright PhotoPin, http://photopin.com/
Relieve Chronic Pain By De-Stressing, Study Says
Living with chronic pain can be truly stressful, but a new study contributes to growing research that managing stress may help reduce discomfort as well. Doctors from the University of Montreal found an association between the intensity of the pain experienced by chronic pain patients and their reported stress levels.
In the small study of just 24 participants, 16 of whom had chronic pain and 18 of whom were healthy control subjects, researchers found that patients who had a smaller hippocampus were more likely to also have higher cortisol levels. And higher levels of the stress hormone, in turn, contribute to increased reported pain scores on a scale of intensity.
"Our study shows that a small hippocampal volume is associated with higher cortisol levels, which lead to increased vulnerability to pain and could increase the risk of developing pain chronicity," lead author Étienne Vachon-Presseau said in a statement.
Full story of chronic pain and de-stressing at Huffington Post
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Sound Therapy Takes Traditional Massage to Next Level
Though Philadelphia Private Gym's new sound therapy equipment looks as simple as a padded cot with a blanket and a CD player, it is much more complex than that. The vibroacoustic lounge features a zero gravity bed that vibrates in sync with music to relieve stress.
Massage therapist Brian Mitchell said the gym's new lounge will offer a place for clients to "come and unwind."
"You put a mask over your eyes, music plays throughout the mattress and induces relaxation," he explained.
The process, known as the NexNeuro system, vibrates music throughout the body and provides cellular stimulation that helps reduce stress and relaxes the mind and body, Mitchell explained.
Full story of sound therapy at Bensalem Patch
Photos courtesy of and copyright PhotoPin, http://photopin.com/
Exercise helps relax from holiday stress
As holiday crunch time fills your schedule, experts have advised not to give up your exercise.
“When times get crazy, the thing people give up is exercise, and that’s the key thing a person needs. When a person is excitable from stress, the burst of energy that you get from exercise can help burn the adrenaline off and calm you down,” Erica Christ, RD, CDE, an exercise physiologist at Greenwich Hospital’s Weight Loss and Diabetes Center, said.
“Exercise allows you time to focus, and gives you a sense of mindfulness that makes the other pieces of your life fall into place,” Christ added.
Physical activity also stimulates the neurotransmitter dopamine, which has been linked to post-exercise mood improvement more effectively than antidepressant medications.
It’s commonly understood that physical activity is an essential part of any overall health plan.
Full story of relaxing from holiday stress at Daily News & Analysis
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Living with combat stress not unusual
On the eve of my husband's return from a yearlong deployment in southern Afghanistan a couple months ago, a friend who also is a military spouse told me everyone returns from deployment changed. The at-home spouses are changed by the experience, too. Some of it is permanent, and some of it is bad.
I immediately thought of the ever-present anxiety I had lived with since he left in March 2011. Would that anxiety be permanent? Could my body ever forget the now-too-familiar stress hormones pulsing through it? And what would be the change in my husband?
During the course of this deployment, my husband and I supported each other to the best of our abilities. This meant, in part, shielding each other from daily stress. I knew I was only hearing the parts he was willing to expose me to, protecting me from what I didn't have to know.
I did the same because he needed to focus on his job and on staying safe without worrying about me and our three children. But that also meant bearing much of our difficulties alone, which is not easy for a couple like us, one that always has shared our worries and relied on each other to get through stressful times.
Full story of combat stress at Newark Advocate
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TAKING ON STRESS: Living with pain
It is your friend and yet not your friend. Sometimes it arrives uninvited and unexpectedly in a sneaky manner, creeping up insidiously as it starts to take over everything about you. Sometimes it happens in an accidental manner.
It drains you of energy, depletes your creativity, lightens your memory and exhausts you beyond any known definition of the word exhaustion.
Your view of the world changes radically and sometimes the world’s view of you changes too (at least, it becomes easy to think that it has).
The ‘it’ I am referring to is pain. That pervasive, invasive, all-encompassing personal warning that something-is-wrong signal.
Chronic pain can be a soul destroyer.
If you get up with pain, live with pain all day long, go to bed with pain and sleep with pain and then start the cycle all over again, it is likely you have met depression along the way.
Full story of living with pain at Vernon Morning Star
Photos courtesy of and copyright Free Range Stock, www.freerangestock.com