WINTER 2017

FEATURE STORY:

Inflammation following an injury

A discussion on how inflammation can be a normal and healthy response to an injury. Please see the nutrition section below to learn how this inflammation process can shift to chronic inflammation and therefore lead to unhealthy and adverse health risks.

By Kelsey Wallin, ActiveEDGE West Linn’s newest Physical Therapist. She provides some insight on inflammation following an injury.

Inflammation
It can be a scary word for every athlete, but did you know that inflammation is a normal response to any increased stress on your body? Every time you work out, your body experiences an inflammatory response to the specific stresses you put on your body. While inflammation at a cellular level to repair tissue is normal, sustained acute or chronic inflammation can be an issue. This will be your short guide to help you determine what is normal response to your workout, when you should contact a medical professional regarding pain and inflammation, and what to do if you have inflammation following an acute injury.

What is normal?
Normal response to increased stress includes muscular soreness lasting up to 48 hours following a strenuous workout. During this time, your body’s normal inflammatory response is working at a cellular level to repair tissue and build muscle.

When is pain/soreness not normal? Am I injured?
If soreness lasts past 48 hours or you are having sharp pain, redness, swelling, or decreased function you have overstressed or injured the tissue. Seek medical attention immediately if you cannot weight bear through affected extremity, cannot move affected extremity or pain is severe.

Pending extent of inflammation and injury you should seek a health care professional for further assessment. At ActiveEDGE Wellness we provide injury assessments that can help guide your next step in this process. Mild sprains and strains can be treated at home.

What do I do if I am injured or experiencing inflammation?

For all acute inflammation, you can follow the simple acronym RICE.

R-rest…. Give the injured tissue a break. Active populations have difficulty following this guideline, however you are still able to do activities that do not stress the injured tissue and encouraged to maintain strength and mobility of adjacent joints. Seek advice from a PT or personal trainer as to “work around’s” during an injury.
I-Ice…. Apply for 15 minutes, then remove for at least 15 minutes prior to placing ice back on affected tissue
C-compression… Apply compression to area to decrease swelling
E-elevation… Elevate injured area above heart to decrease swelling

For moderate or severe sprain and strains, it is important to treat acute inflammation within the first 48 hours with the above methods.

Visiting your physical therapist can also help keep you moving and allow for a quicker return to activity. While a Physical therapist will not accelerate tissue healing time, they can help prevent regression or development of chronic inflammation. Your PT can also guide you when it is safe start exercises to improve mobility and strength so you can get back to the activities that you love to do!

Want to read more about treatment of sports injuries? Here is an article from Harvard Health Publishing.

Nutrition Tips from Olivia

See the information below to investigate how altering a few items in your diet can help remove the risk of chronic inflammation and put you on the path to a healthy lifestyle and gain increased energy.

This Month’s Tip:

As noted in Time magazine, chronic inflammation is a cause for concern for a variety of populations. Chronic, systemic inflammation can develop over months to years. Often this chronic inflammation is is not associated with any specific symptoms, Increasing research supports that chronic inflammation is linked to many different adverse health risks and diseases including diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, Alzheimer’s and many more.

1 2

There are a number of risk factors that contribute to chronic inflammation. The good news is that there are steps you can take to decrease inflammation in your body. The most powerful tool for change is altering your nutritional intake. Heavily limiting processed/packaged foods, added sugars and hydrogenated foods. In place, focus on eating fresh products, such as fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and grains in their whole form (see slides above). For more information including a specific and targeted plan for you, to reduce chronic inflammation, click on the button below to schedule an appointment with Olivia.

Schedule Appointment with Olivia

Meet an ActiveEDGE Physical Therapist: Ruth Blake

Ruth earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Pacific University. As a physical therapist, she works with her patients to improve quality of life through increased function and reduced pain to help patients return to the those activities they enjoy following an injury or surgery. With a background as a former ballet dancer, Ruth specializes in dance rehabilitation and works with dancers of all levels and disciplines. She understands the unique demands on a dancer’s body and the athletic drive of dancers striving to perform at their highest level. Other areas of experience include working with individuals post-stroke, with vertigo/balance issues and other neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s Disease.

See all the ActiveEDGE Team in West Linn

See all the ActiveEDGE Team in Oregon City

HOOD TO COAST RACE SERIES

This unique training program is presented by Hood to Coast, ActiveEDGE Wellness Center and Master Trainer Willee Broberg and has been created to support health, wellness, and running for all ages and skill levels. Please click here for more information.

WORKOUTS FOR EVERY LEVEL

Need ideas for workouts? Whether you are at home or traveling, use our workout ideas to help you keep up your active lifestyle. Please click here to see our 3 different levels of workouts based on easy, moderate and hard.

ActiveEDGE GYM MEMBERSHIP

We are excited to let you know we are offering $59 per month gym memberships. This membership includes our foundational testing which allows us to create a personalized plan for each member. Please click here for more information.

NEWS ARCHIVE - PAST ISSUES