Brought to you by: Methodist Health Medical Center
There’s a safe way for almost all of us to be more physically active. Whether you’re considering increasing your exercise level, or it’s just been a while since you’ve dedicated time to running or sports, you might have questions. That’s why we reached out to our community partner, Methodist Dallas Medical Center, for help getting answers.
Dr. Shaun Garff, sports medicine physician at Methodist, was on hand to answer your questions. We collected these from our ABPA community and below are Dr. Garff’s responses. Thanks to all who submitted their questions!
- I am not a runner; can I get same/similar health benefits walking 4-5 days a week 30 min/day?.
- Yes there are still great benefits from walking. I recommend 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise which would be considered walking.
- How do you know when a child’s sports injury requires an ER visit?
- I would reserve the emergency room for the true emergencies. Most kids can be seen at an urgent care or primary care office for bumps, bruises, sprains, concussions, and even fractures.
- Should I be taking any supplements if I have a well-balanced diet?
- Eating a well-balanced diet is the best way to get all your vitamins and nutrients. At certain times there may be benefit to taking supplements for example, to boost your immune system, promote healing, etc. I would consult with your primary physician if you’re considering taking additional supplements long term.
- Boy mom here. We have lots of head bumps at our house, what are signs of a concussion we should watch for and how should we handle it if we see any of the signs?
- Signs of concussion include persistent significant headaches, dizziness, altered mental status, confusion, forgetfulness to name a few. If your kid is not acting normal after an injury to the head, I recommend taking them to an urgent care or a primary care office for evaluation.
- Do kids require a day off from exercise once a week? Or is it okay do different sports every day for an 8-year-old? For example, if one day she plays soccer, next day does a swimming class, next day plays tennis, etc.? I know that it is recommended to have a day off for adults to recover but was not sure about children since they have so much energy to burn.
- Daily activity is important for all ages including children. As long as they are not playing the same sport every day, they can remain active. Having your kid play a variety of sports or doing a variety of activities is important for their development and to avoid overuse injuries.
- Should I or my children be taking supplements for bones and joints?
- A well-balanced diet is the key to getting all the nutrients and vitamins necessary for growth and development. A children’s multivitamin may be useful generally. If a child is healing from a fracture, then I usually recommend taking a vitamin D and calcium supplement.
- Which sport causes the most visits to a sports medicine doctor? Just thinking I might want my kids to avoid that sport. Thanks!
- Everyone might think it would be a collision sport like football, but we see a variety of injuries from all kinds of sports. My best advice would be to ensure that proper equipment is used and sized appropriately and that intermittent breaks are taken from that particular sport to avoid overuse injuries. Some of our most common injuries come from dancers or gymnasts that practice many hours per day six or seven days per week.
- My husband has an old sports injury that causes him back pain sometimes. What are some great stretches for him to do at home?
- Stretching for the low back, gluteal muscles, hamstrings, and hips are really important for chronic low back pain. As important is proper core strengthening exercises. I advocate that my patients do stretching and core exercise routines at least 10 minutes every day to prevent injury. Yoga or Pilates is used by many to help with balance, flexibility, and core strength. (see attached core and low back programs)
- I am a runner and have always heard your knees have a certain number of miles in your lifetime. Is this true? Is there something you can do to protect against the pounding/pressure that runners have on joints?
- There is no maximum number of miles that you can run in your lifetime. You can be a runner for your entire life if you so choose, but I recommend a proper gait analysis and footwear to prevent injury. I also recommend cross training it so that you avoid overuse injuries.
- I just got a percussion therapy gun. Do you think this is beneficial for muscles after working out and if so how often should I use it?
- Percussion massage guns can be helpful to loosen up tight muscles or thickened tendons. They should not be used directly on any bone. They can be used as a warm-up device before exercise or for stretching and relaxation of the muscle or tendon after exercise.
- What are your thoughts on the effectiveness of using CBD products for treating aches and pains?
- I have some patients that swear by CBD oil and its products. However, there is no medical literature to support the use of CBD products for pain relief. I leave it up to the patients to decide if they would like to use the CBD products, but I would make sure you check with your primary physician first to ensure there are no interactions with any other medications you may be taking.
- What are the best stretches for your hips and hamstrings? Is there a way to stretch your tailbone?! What are good stretches for kids who play volleyball? What are the most common volleyball injuries and how can you avoid them?
- I am a big fan of activated stretching which consists of warming the muscle up first, stretching to a good endpoint, and then activating your muscle for 3 to 5 seconds against mild resistance. This will help the muscle relax and stretch more easily. No matter what sport you play it is important to stretch hamstring and hips as they are often injured with a form of tendinitis or overuse injuries. With volleyball, I would focus on core and back exercises and stretches as well as shoulder strengthening and support for the dominant side. We see a lot of overuse injuries in volleyball in the back and shoulder.
- Is warming up really necessary?
- Warming up is very important with any exercise or activity you want to participate in. Warming up consists of activating the muscle and bringing blood flow to that area prior to working out. Stretching a cold muscle does not count as warming up and can lead to injury.
- Is stretching really important before exercise?
- Stretching cold muscles is ineffective and can be harmful. I would recommend warming up the muscles first and then stretching. For example you may walk for about five minutes, and then stretch your muscles prior to your jogging workout.
- How often should I be replacing running shoes? And how important is stretching after working out?
- I recommend replacing your running shoes about every 300 to 500 miles. This can vary depending on the type of running that you do and the wear patterns of your shoes which is based on your bio mechanics. For someone who runs about 15 to 20 miles a week, I would replace the shoes about twice a year. Stretching after exercise is very important and I recommend any time you are working out to spend 5 to 10 minutes after for a stretching and cool down period.
- What vitamins should I be giving my 2 year old and 5 year old to keep them healthy?
- For young kids I would recommend a daily multivitamin. Most vitamins and nutrients are provided through the foods we eat, so I recommend a balanced meal whenever possible. I know some kids are picky with the foods they like to eat, but continue to offer it to them and maybe one day they’ll start eating the healthier food.
- What are good exercises/stretches to help with low back pain from sitting at a desk?
- Frequent movement throughout the day is important. Set a timer or an alarm on your phone or watch as it encourages you to stand up and move. This will help your low back and core. Stretching the hip flexors and gluteal muscles is also important to keep tension off the back if you have a sitting job. (I’ve included the low back and core programs you are welcome to share)
