Category: Stay in the Game

Pokémon Go Posture: A Virtual Game Presenting A Real Problem

Are your eyes glued to your phone as you search for an animated creature throughout the crowded streets?  If so, you’re like the millions of other casual gamers that have become part of the latest rage –  Pokémon Go!  But playing this game on your smartphone may come with potential  health risks.  The National Safety Council came out with a statement this week regarding safety concerns, urging pedestrians to use caution while playing the game. In a recently released statement, the Council says distracted walking has contributed to over 11,000 injuries in the last decade! As a physical therapist, I note the obvious risk for Pokémon Go players – potential collision with another person or object in the street. But as a clinician who deals with musculoskeletal issues, I cringe as I watch what I will call the “Pokémon Go Posture” that users demonstrate while playing. THE “Pokémon GO POSTURE” What is the Pokémon Go posture? As people walk the streets focused on their phones engulfed by this latest craze – observe their posture. They are holding the phone up in front of their body with their shoulders and elbows in a sustained position and their head pitched forward as […]

National Physical Fitness and Sports Month: Fit Tip #3

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, so for the rest of the month we will be bringing you simple fitness tips to keep you moving free from injury. A photo posted by Thrive Integrated PT (@thriveptnyc) on May 26, 2016 at 7:53am PDT Tip #3 STICK TO A SCHEDULE Set aside a time which suits you and stick to it! Try writing it into your calendar and don’t move it. After a few short weeks of sticking to the plan it will become an easy part of your daily routine.

Encouraging Multi-Sport Participation in Youth Athletics

The appeal of having your child specialize in a specific sport has been ever increasing in recent years. Some of this has been spurned by Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers which states that in order to be an expert at an activity one must log at least 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. Many parents encourage their children to specialize early on without the knowledge of the risks that are involved. For some, success in a sport is seen as a channel through which they can advance and potentially earn a scholarship to attend college. Before choosing a specific sport for your child it is imperative to familiarize yourself with the positives and negatives of doing so. Although the majority of parents know that children should have a balanced exercise and recreational activity regime they frequently set that aside in fear that their child with “fall behind” those that are specializing. As a parent, I completely understand that fear but with the facts shared in this blog I hope to change your mind set. When making the decision for your child to specialize one must take into account the physical, emotional and social costs to children who play a specific sport. SOME […]

Stay in the Game: Tennis Injuries

Summer’s here and tennis is literally in full swing! Tennis athletes should train in a specific manner to both improve their performance and reduce their risk for injury. Tennis has become more physically demanding game than in the past, so proper and specific conditioning is required to generate the power to hit the ball harder and at faster pace. Players need to move quicker and more explosively than ever before. Advancements in racquet technology have enabled players to hit serves at over 150 on the Men’s tour and if you are Serena Williams you consistently hit at 125 mph. Tennis players are now playing more of an aggressive baseline game taking balls earlier to reduce their opponent’s time between strokes and and utilizing an open stance that allows for harder more aggressive strokes. As a result there has been a recent increase in tennis related injuries. Tennis injuries can occur in players of all skill levels, from the pros to the recreational player. One of the main causes of injuries is the inability of a body part to withstand the demands placed on it, which often results from either a lack of training or the converse, over training. Tennis injuries […]