Wearing weights strapped to your ankles while you walk may increase the amount of calories you burned, but they may also increase the risk of injury. According to Dr. Edward Laskowski of the Mayo Clinic, ankle weights can change your walking gait,...
Vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption, and a person who is deficienct in this vitamin is at risk for a condition called osteomalacia, which is a weakening or softening of the bone. Often, osteomalacia is asymptomatic: a patient develops...
Your feet are the foundation of your entire body. Pain in your feet can cause changes in foot biomechanics and changes in gait. Gait changes can lead to problems elsewhere in the body, like pain in the lower back and hip. According to The American...
Most athletes benefit from the addition of training to increase acceleration and foot speed. Soccer, basketball and football players all improve their performance when they are able to accelerate quickly and move over the court or the field...
Some people turn to elliptical trainers as a way to reduce the stress placed on the knees during aerobic activity. Unlike with running, there's no real impact of your foot on a hard surface when using an elliptical. Repeated impact while running...
All Western riders need to develop a balanced, independent seat in order to ride securely and safely in the saddle, regardless of what your horse does under you, states Susan McBane in "100 Ways to Improve Your Riding." She suggests that learning...
The nervous system is crucial to the proper functioning of just about every part of the human body. Nerves carry messages that tell muscles to move, glands to excrete hormones, pupils to dilate and hearts to beat. Nerves tell the brain when the...
Radiotherapy, more often referred to as radiation therapy, is one method of treating brain cancer. It is administered following the surgical resection of highly malignant tumors, to treat inoperable tumors or, in some cases, in combination with...
Vitamins are chemical substances required by the body for normal growth and development. Vitamins D and B12 are two of a total of 13 vitamins that the body needs. Each vitamin has a specific function and an insufficient quantity of any vitamin...
Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure in which your doctor permanently welds two or more of the vertebrae in your spine. After spinal fusion, you lose some of the flexibility in your lower back and, as a result, you may need to learn a whole new...
Hammer toe is a condition in which the middle joint of a toe becomes fixed in a bent position. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, or AAOS, your toe isn't necessarily frozen in a bent position and may benefit from...
A treadmill is a valuable tool for developing running speed for sprinters and distance runners alike. On a treadmill, you can dial in your speed, incline and interval length to run without interruptions or pacing concerns. Although treadmills...
Hemiparesis is weakness on one side of the body. This is frequently the result of a stroke but is less serious than hemiplegia, which is total paralysis of one side of the body. Because of the reduction in motor control often associated with...
Degeneration of the thoracic spine refers to changes in the discs between vertebrae that separate and cushion the bone. The discs lose their elasticity and thickness, and while the thoracic spine is the least likely segment of the spine to suffer...
Poorly controlled diabetes can damage the nerves, blood vessels and immune system. Damage to nerves greatly increases the chances of skin breakdown in the feet. Poor circulation from blood vessel damage makes these breakdowns more likely to heal...
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a condition that causes progressive inflammation and destruction of the joints in the human body. The longer a person has RA, the greater the odds that RA will attack the joints in the spine. Those who have had RA for...
Adequate amounts of vitamin B12 or cobalamin plays a key role in the proper function of red blood cells and nerve cells. Deficiency is more common in older people, who tend to have both decreased absorption and decreased intake of B12. B12...
According to a 2006 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 18 percent of adult respondents reported knee pain during the previous 30-day period. Knee pain can stem from a variety of injuries and conditions such as...
Dementia is a disorder that is rare for people under the age of 60; the risk of dementia increases with age. The causes of dementia can be degenerative disease, like Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, which cannot be treated. However,...
Although walking on treadmills may provide added benefits, such as monitoring speed and distance, they may also make walkers prone to lower extremity injuries. Treadmills with their rigid platforms, moving belts and handrails may pose a threat to...
Treadmill workouts offer ways to burn high amounts of calories for quick weight loss. They also provide you with a means to exercise when weather turns inclement. A study by the Bloorview Research Institute of Canada, reported in 2009 in the...
Parkinson's disease causes debilitation because it gradually reduces the ability to control the movement of the muscles. The exact cause of the disease is unknown, but genes are believed to play a role, and expose to toxins or certain viruses may...
Heel spurs are relatively common in people with heel pain, although a heel spur itself may not be painful. A heel spur typically forms on the underside of the heel bone, or calcaneus. X-rays may reveal a bony bump or protrusion on the underside of...
Neurological disorders have rapidly become a significant and growing problem. According to the World Health Organization, neurological impairments and their accompanying behavioral problems affect more that 450 million individuals worldwide as of...
When you think of the nutrients involved in bone health, calcium and vitamin D may be the first that come to mind. Manganese also plays a role in your bone health, and supplemental manganese may offer additional protection against osteoporosis....
It would seem natural to assume that humans have an innate understanding of walking. However, as demonstrated by rheumatologists at Chicago’s Rush Medical College, through the regular use of footwear, we change our walking patterns. If...
Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the presence of tremors and accompaniment of a shuffling gait. There is no cure for PD and this disease is progressive. The Parkinson's Disease Foundation reports that an...
The D vitamins are fat-soluble vitamins that occur naturally in very few foods, such as salmon and tuna. Some foods are fortified with vitamin D, and the substance is available as a dietary supplement. The body also synthesizes vitamin D from...
Supported treadmill training is a type of treatment or rehabilitation method that offers hope to individuals whose motor functions have been impaired by disease or injury. As the name implies, the patient's weight is supported mechanically while...
