Talk to your doctor about getting an MRI

I’m not a doctor.  I don’t even play one on TV.  Ultimately, the main messaging of this blog is that if you have certain types of pain, you should talk to your doctor about getting an MRI sooner rather than later.

Anecdotally, I find that the clients I work with get so much helpful information from an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging).  Information that seems to help the course of action at physical therapy, or improve accuracy of cortisone shots, or the realization that the injury likely requires surgery or sometimes a simple procedure to resolve a problem.

Yet for some reason, also anecdotally, I find that my clients will be in pain for months and see multiple doctors before getting an MRI. According to the FDA, adverse side effects are rare, so I wondered why more people aren’t getting them.  If MRI’s seem to provide so much useful info, what’s the delay in prescribing them?

MRI’s are expensive procedures.  On average an MRI costs $2,611.  The machines themselves can cost over $3-million, not including what it costs to outfit the room to be able to host an MRI machine.  That is a […]

Talk to your doctor about getting an MRI2018-10-08T17:58:22-04:00

Why You Really Want a Toned Butt

This is not a picture of my butt, but it is a picture of me hiking. And without my butt, I wouldn’t go hiking!

No doubt many of us would like a lifted and toned butt.  The look is appealing, but strong glutes (those are our butt muscles) are important for more than aesthetics.

Standing & Posture

Our glutes have an important role in keep us upright all day.  We often take that for granted.  The back and butt work together to hold us up straight.  Our tendency to sit and slump makes their job even harder.  Daily glute exercises would be a great habit to get into.  They are large muscles.  They can take daily workouts.

Strength

The glute max is the largest muscle in the body.  It’s the back of the butt.  When you think of the butt, you are thinking of the glute max.  The muscle is a major mover in propelling us forward with every step.  If you are an athlete you need your butt to propel you forward and up in nearly every movement you do.  Athlete or not, if you walk or jog your butt is required so that […]

Why You Really Want a Toned Butt2018-02-09T14:42:25-05:00

Could My Bed Cause Back Pain?

A made bed in our house is a very rare occurrence. A made bed in our house is a very rare occurrence.

No matter how old you are, when your back hurts you feel ninety.  Joe Pilates said, “If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old. If it is completely flexible at 60, you are young.”  I don’t normally suffer from back pain, but a few years ago, I had an ache in my low back that wouldn’t go away.  Nothing calmed it.  This was especially frustrating since I teach Pilates and I pride myself on knowing what is going on in my own body.  I understand a lot about what causes pain and how movement can help unravel it.  I stretched, massaged it, and did exercises.  They were the right things to do, but nothing helped for a prolonged period.  Nothing stopped the chronic pain.

I’d been dealing with the problem for a couple months when I went to visit my best friend Julie in Chicago.  Before my arrival, she mentioned taking a bike ride or doing a program that was like P90x.  I told her that was […]

Could My Bed Cause Back Pain?2018-02-14T16:52:02-05:00

Listen to Your Body and Feel Less Pain

The mind is a powerful tool, but pit the mind and the body against each other and often the body will win in time. When you’re taking a fitness class, going for a run, a walk or doing anything physical, you need to check-in and listen to your body.

Top: Neck Happy Middle & Bottom: Neck Sad & Straining Top: Neck Happy/ Middle & Bottom: Neck Sad

If you feel pain, you must pay attention and adjust what you’re doing. I teach Pilates classes every day and I see people working through bad pain.  It’s not a muscle being challenged pain.  I can see their neck straining or their back straining.  I can say “If your neck hurts lower your head,” but sometimes people keep their head up.

It’s not that people are ignoring me (I hope). Sometimes people aren’t checking in and don’t really notice it hurts right away.  Other times people are trying to push through.  We so believe in the “no pain to gain” mentality that we are at times willing to work through the wrong kind of pain.  There is no need to push through neck pain or back pain.  […]

Listen to Your Body and Feel Less Pain2017-09-12T19:31:15-04:00
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