Austin Spine & Sport Blog

You’ve probably noticed that foam rollers appear in just about every gym now, and that increasing numbers of people seem to be rolling virtually every part of their bodies with these dense foam cylinders.  And if you’re like many folks, you may wonder just how much time you should be spending on the foam roller yourself, and how often. So, what exactly are the benefits of foam rolling?  And how often should you be doing it? First of all it’s important to think of the foam roller as a treatment tool, which it is.  And like any tool, it has Read More →

Wait — is it possible to have a good knee injury?  In a way, yes. Iliotibial band friction syndrome (ITBFS) is an overuse injury, a common cause of knee pain in the running and cycling communities, and typically caused by “ramping up” too quickly in a training program. The IT band is a flat, fibrous tendon that runs down the outside of the thigh from the ilium to the tibia, and is the common tendon of the glutes and tensor fascia latae muscles.  A tendon is simply the tapered “rope” at each end of the meaty part of a muscle, Read More →

Most of us agree that we should warm-up before we go for a run or hit the gym, but do you?  And if so, what does a good warm-up look like? A well-designed pre-play warm-up is the single most important thing you can do to both improve your performance and prevent injury. How a good warm-up helps you: “Pre-heats” muscles.  Studies show that increasing muscle temperature with dynamic movement makes muscles more resistant to tearing.  Hamstring and calf strains are quite common, and a pre-play warm-up can help prevent these injuries. Reduces muscle stiffness.  “Looser” muscles handle loads better, and Read More →

To ‘air’ is human. Whether it’s basketball, volleyball,or even football — the urge to launch yourself high above your opponent is completely primal.  In fact, vertical jump ability is generally considered to be the single best predictor of an athlete’s success.  It requires two things: strength (horsepower), and explosiveness (get-up-and-go!). Only thing is, landing a jump can be rough on your knees. It’s common to land with an impact that’s 4 times your body weight.  That means, if you weigh 170 pounds, you’re smacking the ground with 680 pounds of force – every time.  And a volleyball player may jump hundreds Read More →

When you hurt yourself, your first question will be, "Should I see a doctor, or is it okay to wait a while?" Here are some good general rules. Read More →

What is a Bunion? Commonly known as a “bump” on the inside to the big toe joint, a bunion is actually much more than that.  It represents a progressive, structural deformity that over time can affect the position of the big toe, cause painful arthritis in the joint, and ultimately lead to other debilitating forefoot pathologies, including a crossover second toe deformity. Causes This is mostly an inherited problem, but other causes can include trauma, systemic arthritis and a few developmental diseases.  One of the biggest misconceptions about bunions is that they can be caused by poor-fitting shoes or high Read More →

I’m on the expert provider panel with Dr. Oz’ website, Sharecare.com, and answered this question from one of our readers. Your spine is made up of 24 bony vertebrae, and in between each of them is a disc.  The discs perform 3 functions: They act as ligaments, by holding the vertebrae and spine together. They act as shock-absorbers, by carrying the downward weight (axial load) of your body while you’re upright. They act as pivot points, allowing the spine to bend, flex and rotate. The disc itself is designed like a jelly danish.  The outer rim (annulus) is tough and Read More →

First of all, the term “shin splints” doesn’t refer to an actual condition.  It simply refers to the symptom of pain on the front of the shin bone.   You may still hear athletes and coaches using this term, but healthcare professionals stopped using it due to its vagueness. There are 4 general causes for that deep, achy pain you feel around your shin bone, and if you’re a runner it’s very important to know the difference between them.  Here are the 4 biggest causes: 1.    Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS).  The most common cause of leg pain in athletes, Read More →

Hamstring pulls or strains are dreaded injuries in the athletic community.  They are quite common among sprinters and other athletes whose sport requires them to accelerate and decelerate quickly, like soccer, football and volleyball players. While the “hamstring” is frequently thought of as one muscle, it’s actually a group of three muscles on the back of the thigh, made up of the semimembranosis, semitendinosis and biceps femoris respectively, labeled from medial to lateral.  This is a large, powerful group of muscles whose primary job is to bend and flex the knee, and to a lesser degree, extend the hip backwards. Read More →

If you're a moderately trained runner, the new 10-20-30 training concept can dramatically improve your running performance, reduce blood pressure and lower cholesterol -- while cutting your training time in half. Read More →