Muscles

One of my past times that I enjoy the most is reading magazines, not only to view the articles but to also see the ads. I think some of my favorite magazine ads of all time may have to be the milk ads. Whoever the advertising person was that came up with having A-list celebrity’s pose with a milk mustache was brilliant. It gives children and adults more of a reason to want to do something healthy when they see their idols doing it. Although, when I see those ads I always wonder if milk really does the body good. See for me it makes me sick, I have a mild case of being lactose and tolerant. Even though I can not drink milk, I still wondered if it was true. My daughters do not suffer from being lactose and tolerant, so I wanted to look into it for their sake. When I did look into it I found that it is in fact good for the body. Apparently the combination of the high calcium and the protein the milk increase muscle gains and greater fat loss. If only I could drink milk maybe it would help with my weight loss.

I remember when I was younger; I had this horrible lower back pain, right above the buttocks. I remember my mother telling me that it was because I did not drink enough water. Since then I have drank plenty of water on a daily basis but I still suffer that nasty lower back pain. I was never much of a pill popper so taking any pain medications is not really something I like to do. Instead I would just bear with the pain and just assume it was normal. I am always hearing plenty of people complain about it so I went on with my life without doing much about it. Some days I did not feel anything, while other days it was worst.  I have recently found out that leaving back pain untreated, no matter how mild, can make your back prone to injury. Also when the back pain does return it could be worst the next time around. If you have back pain and end up with pain in your hip area, morning stiffness or if your pain comes when you cough or sneeze you may want to see a doctor or chiropractor to insure your condition is not more serious than just a back injury. Sometimes something small can end up being something much worst and you will never know it.

A muscle cramp is a painful spasm of your muscle. Normally it is caused by prolonged tightening of that muscle. It can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. A muscle cramp can be extremely painful and you cannot control it. Cramping occurs sometimes from using your muscles a lot. It is very common in athletes. Sometimes when watching a football game, you will see a football player on the ground after a play stretching his leg out and messaging it to ease the cramping pain. It is very common. Cramping can also occur when you lie in an awkward position. Night cramps normally wake you up and it is an awful pain that normally causes you to jump up rapidly. While you can not really prevent cramps, you can do something about relieving the pain. Stretching out your muscle where the cramp is or gentling massaging the muscle can help relieve the pain. When you get a cramp in your leg you want to pull back your toes to point up your toes. Drinking plenty of water before, during and after exercising or other activities helps to avoid cramping but does not guarantee it. Everyone suffers from muscle cramps, it is just one of those things unavoidable.

Myopathy is a muscle disease that occurs when muscle fibers do not move resulting in weakness and in some extreme cases immobility. It can be caused by inherited genetic effects, or by endocrine inflammatory and metabolic disorders. There are a few causes of Myopathy, it is most commonly developed at an early age but in some cases it can develop later in life. Most of the time Myopathy is a degenerative form; but sometimes it can be caused by drug side effects, chemical poisoning or a chronic immune system disorder. When Myopathy is inherited, a genetic defect causes a lack with one of the proteins needed for normal muscle cell function. Treatment for Myopathy can sometimes depend on the cause, however most doctors normally center on your muscle weakness, twitching, spasms, cramping and/or stiffness. Most of the time, the physician will suggest some lifestyle modifications, and possible start the patient on some drug therapy, physical therapy, they may recommend wearing a brace for support, acupuncture has been known to help with treatment or in severe cases surgery can also be an option. Myopathy is rare but in recent years the diagnosis of this condition is increasing in the United States.

Muscle strains, which can also be called a pull or a tear, is a very common injury, especially when you are in sports. Many times if you suffer a muscle strain you can have swelling or bruising in the injured area. You may also suffer pain around the muscle that was injured, and have weakness in that muscle. In more severe cases you be have the inability to use the muscle at all. Right after a muscle injury it is usually helpful to apply ice packs (with protective covering) every 20 minutes that you are awake, and keep the strained muscle in a stretched position. It is important to also rest the muscle by avoiding similar activities that may have caused the strain or any activities that may cause you more pain. It may also be helpful to compress the injury with an ace or other elastic bandage which will support the injury and help decrease swelling. When you are in a sitting position always keep the injured muscle elevated to avoid further swelling in the area, it will also help decrease any swelling that is already in the area. A few tips to help avoid the injury would be to make sure to stretch daily, especially prior to any exercise or activities. Having a warm-up routine it always a good idea and of course consulting your doctor anytime before changing any current or starting a new exercise program.

We know we have muscles, but what exactly are they? Muscles are tissues in our bodies that contract. Many people think that they are made out of protein, but that’s only partially true. Just like most organs in our bodies, muscles are also made with cells that go through numerous processes in order to allow the muscles to contract and relax.

Recently I began to exercise again. I am overweight and it’s been about a year since I worked out. The day after my first day back on the treadmill I was in pain and my muscles were so sore. I felt like I couldn’t walk right because of the stiffness. Luckily for me, or well maybe unluckily, it’s normal. Anytime you begin a new exercise program or maybe increase your current one, your muscles respond and its part if the adaptation process. After a week of this pain I wasn’t sure if there was anything I could do to help release some of the muscle tension. I spoke to a personal trainer and they recommended that post work out I hit the pool for a little bit. The water keeps pressure off your body and allows your body to stretch in different ways to help it relax. I have tried it for a few days now and although it hasn’t taken all the soreness away, it has helped tremendously.