Does Slow Walking on a Treadmill Desk Stiffen Your Back?
Have you found that walking even just one mph on your treadmill desk after 30 minutes leaves your low back feeling oddly stiff? What’s going on here?
A chiropractor explains why slow walking on a treadmill desk can cause lower back stiffness.
“Our bodies are built for motion and perform at their best when we have adequate movement throughout the day,” says Dr. Jeff Langmaid, DC, founder/owner of The Evidence Based Chiropractor, LLC, in Florida, a research-based marketing and practice growth company that serves thousands of chiropractors all over the world.
“The intensity or duration of motion is going to depend on the individual.
“If you have health challenges such as a cardio-pulmonary disorder, you may be recommended a low-impact activity that is consistently done throughout the day.
“Other patients might be more apt to do some brisk, high-impact exercises five-to-seven days per week.
Of course the gold standard is to be active each day. Elevating your heart rate is important for cardiovascular fitness.
In terms of low back pain, I advocate for continual motion each day.
Whether it is high-impact or low-impact will depend on the physical condition and health history of each patient.
It is always best to consult with your trusted health care provider before beginning an exercise routine.
Even the highest level of athlete has a threshold of activity where tissues are pushed too far and injury can occur.
In short, both high-impact and low-impact activity can be beneficial.
It depends on the specific individual and if they’re experiencing any other challenges or pain. Both are certainly better than no exercise at all.
Jeff Langmaid, DC
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Freepik/stefamerpik
Can Sciatica Cause ONLY Pain?
How is it possible that sciatica can cause only pain and no other symptoms like numbness or tingling?
“Symptoms of sciatica can vary,” begins Dr. Jeff Langmaid, DC, founder/owner of The Evidence Based Chiropractor, LLC, in Florida, a research-based marketing and practice growth company that serves thousands of chiropractors across the globe.
. Patients can experience burning and pain, numbness and tingling. Symptoms can vary by person depending on where the nerve is injured or affected.
“There are different points along the sciatic nerve where they can be affected. Even within the spine, there are different tissues or structures that can affect the nerve roots which become the sciatic nerve.
“Your symptoms will be based upon the place of compromise and structure causing compression or injury. So that is why different patients may have different symptoms.”
Sciatica Can Affect Even the Foot
Compression of the sciatic nerve at the spinal cord level can actually cause symptoms in the foot on that same side.
A condition called “foot drop” can result. The foot drops when a person walks. There is difficulty flexing the ankle joint, as you would when putting on a pair of socks.
There’s nothing wrong with the foot itself. The problem originates near the spinal cord where the sciatic nerve is irritated.
This is an issue of foot weakness rather than pain. If a person has pain in only one area of the body — the foot — then sciatica probably is not the cause.
Sciatic pain typically presents in the low back, buttocks and/or upper leg.
Sciatica Treatments
Rarely is surgery needed. There’s a host of conservative treatments that have proven very effective, sometimes resolving the issue in a matter of only several weeks.
These consist of medications, physical therapy exercises, stretches and epidural injections in the low back.
In summary, don’t ever say, “This pain can’t possibly be from sciatica because there’s no tingling or numbness.”
Jeff Langmaid, DC
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/aceshot1
Here’s WHY an Energy Drink May Cause a Heart Attack
WHY are energy drinks suspected as a cause for heart attacks in some people?
Don’t assume it’s the caffeine. How often do you hear of people dropping from heart attacks because they drink five cups of coffee a day?
But something else is going on when it comes to energy drinks and a heart attack.
The QT Interval
There is something called a QT interval on an EKG (the test that prints out your heart rhythm).
The QT interval is corrected by a formula to correspond to the heart rate at the time of the EKG. This is called the QTc.
There is a normal range for the QTc, and it’s calculated in milliseconds.
A QTc longer than this millisecond range will get a doctor’s attention — depending on the patient’s medical history, symptoms and medication usage — because QT prolongation can mean a higher risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
But a QTc outside the normal range can also mean operator error (the nurse putting on the EKG leads) and computer miscalculation from the EKG.
Other factors must be considered when noting a prolonged QT interval, such as personal history of fainting episodes.
Energy Drinks May Prolong the QT Interval
A prolonged QT interval means a highter QTc value. For some people this means a higher risk of sudden cardiac death, which may appear as a heart attack.
Why Energy Drinks Cause Apparent Heart Attacks
In one investigation (Shah et al), researchers took a look at the QT interval of 93 healthy people after they drank one to three cans of an energy drink.
An EKG showed that their QT intervals were 10 milliseconds longer than the limit for the normal range.
Now you may be thinking, “Only 10 milliseconds? How can that make a difference?”
Well, it does. Milliseconds count when it comes to how well the heart recharges for its next beat.
If it takes too long (again, measured in milliseconds), this heightens a person’s risk of ventricular fibrillation leading to cardiac arrest.
This isn’t a heart attack per se, but rather, the quivering instead of beating of cardiac muscle, making it impossible to pump blood throughout the body.
In general, a cardiologist becomes concerned when there’s an extra 30 milliseconds to the QT interval from baseline.
The Shah et al study showed that energy drinks can prolong QT interval.
There is a genetic form of this condition, called genetic long QT syndrome.
But even if the prolonged QT interval is caused by an extraneous agent, such as an energy drink, this anomaly is just as serious a concern and has the potential to cause heart problems.
The study also notes that energy drinks increase blood pressure, which certainly isn’t good for the heart.
Stay Away from Energy Drinks
A beverage with carbohydrates will provide you with energy. If you’re growing fatigued during sport or training, drink some regular juice or have a banana, peach or apple.
A so-called “energy” boosting drink is not necessary, even though these are marketed to athletes.
“Certain energy drinks can increase the heart rate significantly because they are stimulants,” says Yaser Elnahar, MD, a cardiologist with Hunterdon Cardiovascular Associates in NJ.
“If you have an excessive amount of stimulants, they can cause rapid heartbeat or even arrhythmias.
“There have been case reports of excessive energy drinks and heart attack — in which the researchers felt the excess intake led to low blood flow and clotting that led to a heart attack.
“There aren’t trials showing energy drinks cause heart attacks directly.”
Dr. Elnahar has publications in the Journal of Atrial Fibrillation, the Journal of Clinical Medicine and Research, Reports in Medical Imaging, and more.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Yuttana Jaowattana
Source: sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130321205524.htm
Can’t Rid Belly Fat Despite Cardio 7 Days a Week?
What’s REALLY going on when you can’t get rid of your belly fat despite doing cardio exercise seven days a week, week after week?
There’s a reason why the fat won’t budge.
And the stomach fat won’t budge even though your cardio exercise could be jogging, “power” walking, cycling or an aerobics class — and you’re even sweating and huffing hard.
But the excess belly fat just doesn’t want to depart from your body.
Something Interesting About Great Abs
Lots of cardio is not the best thing for ripping off belly fat.
Which type of athlete has the most buff body and tightest, trimmest waist? One such athlete is the sprinter.
Not that everyone should want to look like a competitive sprinter, but it’s the point I’m driving at:
It only makes sense that if you want to strip off belly fat, you must do some derivative of what these athletes do in their training.
The core of their training is that of alternating short bursts of output with a slower movement.
Sprinters will sprint hard, then walk around for several minutes before sprinting again.
Soccer players will run hard, and then there’s always that loll in the game or practice.
Rid Belly Fat without Cardio Every Day — but Only 2x/Week
As a former fitness trainer, I recommend high intensity interval training.
This is a form of cardio, though technically, it’s an “anaerobic” type of exercise.
It creates hormonal changes in the body that accelerate the fat burning process.
An example is dashing up several flights of stairs, then slowly walking back down thenm, maybe pacing around in the landing for another minute or two, then dashing back up the steps as fast as you can.
You only need to do this for six to eight cycles to create a significant belly fat-burning effect.
Twice a week will do, and you should strength train three times a week.
If you don’t add strength training to the mix, you’re shorting your body of optimal fat burning.
Stop doing cardio seven days a week, day after day, week after week–even hour-long sessions of “steady state” aerobics won’t do much for stubborn belly fat.
Do high intensity interval training (“HIIT”), and for best results add strength training.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Suwan Wanawattanawong
Think Your Burping Is Caused by Angina?
Are all burps the same or can some be caused by angina?
Angina pectoris is the medical term for chest pain that results from reduced blood flow in the heart’s arteries.
Sometimes, shortness of breath accompanies an episode of angina.
The restriction of blood flow is caused by coronary artery disease: plaque buildup inside the heart’s arteries.
An uncommon form of angina is when the reduced blood flow results from a spontaneous spasm of these arteries (which has nothing to do with whether or not they are filled with plaque).
Burping with Angina?
“Burping is a very unusual presentation for acute coronary syndrome,” says Lance S. Burns, MD, emergency medicine specialist, of Legacy ER & Urgent Care, Frisco East location.
What is acute coronary syndrome? This is a category of pathological processes that result in a shortage of blood supply to the heart, usually caused by an arterial blockage (namely plaque buildup), but can also be caused by a spasm of a coronary artery as mentioned prior.
You may be burping during an angina episode, but this doesn’t mean that whatever’s causing the angina is also causing the burping.
Dr. Burns adds that “indigestion is a very common symptom for cardiac issues and frequently is ignored or confused with a gastrointestinal etiology.”
If you’ve recently gone to the emergency room for a complaint of chest pain — whether or not you were also burping — and you were told that there’s nothing wrong with your heart — you should absolutely follow up with a cardiologist appointment.
The ER doctor will order tests to see if a patient recently had a heart attack or has abnormal heart structure, pneumonia or a blood clot in the lung.
But these tests do NOT show if your coronary arteries are blocked, let alone how blocked they might be.
They also can’t rule out angina. Burping aside, your next move should be a full workup by a cardiologist.
Dr. Burns has over 30 years of experience, and he specializes in emergency medicine as well as family medicine. For more info: Legacy ER & Urgent Care.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/TunedIn by Westend61
Why Are EKGs so Short, only Seconds?
Ever wonder how a short, eight-second EKG could tell a doctor about someone’s heart?
Lance S. Burns, MD, emergency medicine specialist, of Legacy ER & Urgent Care, Frisco East location, performs many EKGs in the ER as part of his profession.
I asked him why EKGs are so short and how they can provide enough information to doctors.
After all, if a person has an abnormal heart rhythm, there may still be long periods of time in between abnormal beats.
What are the odds that the abnormality will show during the eight seconds that the EKG is being taken?
Cardiologists and ER physicians are the two types of specialists who commonly administer the EKG.
Dr. Burns explains, “EKGs are not typically looking for arrhythmias. Therefore, unlike the longer rhythm strips or event monitors, the EKG need only be long enough to capture only several heart complexes.
“The EKG is looking at the electrical flow through heart muscle. If this is abnormal, it will be apparent in any one heartbeat.”
What can cause an abnormal electrical flow through heart muscle?
Blockage in a coronary artery is one possible cause, though an EKG is not used for the definitive diagnosis of coronary artery disease.
The gold standard of diagnosis for the so-called clogged arteries or blockages is the catheter angiogram, though other tests such as a cardiac stress test can indicate the presence of blockages.
Dr. Burns continues, “If the concern is trying to detect arrhythmias, then a much longer period of analysis (often days) will be needed.
“Certain arrhythmias, such as atrial or ventricular fibrillation, occur continuously and will be captured on an EKG, even with the short period of analysis.”
If a longer period of monitoring is needed, the patient can undergo a non-invasive placement just under the skin of an event monitor.
Dr. Burns has over 30 years of experience, and he specializes in emergency medicine as well as family medicine. For more info: Legacy ER & Urgent Care.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/megaflopp
Sudden Brief Chest Pains: Heart or Other Cause?
What are the odds that sudden brief chest pains mean a pending heart attack or other heart problem like angina?
“Very brief chest pain is often non-cardiac, although this complaint requires an appropriate workup for proper evaluation,” says Lance S. Burns, MD, emergency medicine specialist, of Legacy ER & Urgent Care, Frisco East location.
A doctor wants to tell you that based on test results, your sudden brief chest pains are NOT being caused by a heart problem, rather than tell you this simply because the brief nature is not typical for pending heart attack or blocked arteries.
Dr. Burns continues, “Brief chest pain is often either chest wall or pulmonary in etiology, usually eluding a definitive diagnosis.
“The feeling of a ‘catch’ or sharp pain in the chest is very common and typically benign. The longer the pain lasts, the higher the possibility that there is a more concerning underlying etiology.
“Of note, pleurisy is a lay term describing sharp chest pain, which is worse with inspiration [inhaling] or movement.
“It is important to rule out potential life threatening diagnosis such as pulmonary embolus, aortic aneurysm, collapsed lung (pneumothorax), cardiac tamponade [collection of fluid] or coronary insufficiency.”
Sudden pain in the chest of very short duration can also be nerve or muscle/soft tissue related, stemming from a hard workout involving muscles and soft tissue in that region.
Make a note of when any sharp short chest pains occur. Is there a pattern? Are they usually the day after your chest workout or hardcore chin-up routine?
(Yes, the hanging and then pulling up causes stretching and isometric stress, respectively, on the chest muscles.) Muscle spasms can be brief and hurt quite a bit.
A ruptured or dissecting thoracic aortic aneurysm typically causes a ripping, excruciating chest pain —and it’s not brief, but it’s of sudden-onset. It’s life threatening and requires immediate medical intervention.
However, whenever anyone presents to the ER with chest pain, physicians will move fast to rule out the most serious possible causes.
Dr. Burns has over 30 years of experience, and he specializes in emergency medicine as well as family medicine. For more info: Legacy ER & Urgent Care.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Top image: Shutterstock/Aaron Amat
Does Your Chest Pain Improve with Activity?
Can angina chest pain be “cured” or reversed with exercise in the absence of medical intervention?
Have you found that your chest pain tends to improve with exercise or physical activity?
Perhaps you begin with chest pain, but after several minutes or so of the activity, it begins to subside?
There could be a benign explanation such as a musculoskeletal issue, especially if the situation overall disappears after a few weeks.
However, don’t count on that. If exercise brings on chest pain, immediately see a cardiologist — even if after several minutes, the situation “gets better” or even disappears.
Don’t assume that the best thing for a heart problem that causes chest pain during activity is to keep doing the activity if you have not been medically treated for it.
“Angina cannot be cured or reversed in the absence of medical intervention,” says Lance S. Burns, MD, emergency medicine specialist, of Legacy ER & Urgent Care, Frisco East location.
“Trying to do so would be medically unwise and potentially lethal. Angina by definition is either a blockage or spasm in a coronary artery.
“Currently, the term coronary syndrome is used to describe this clinical constellation of cardiac issues.”
You can’t make chest pain from angina more medically stable by continuing to exercise even if it improves during the activity.
“It is extraordinarily dangerous to exercise despite chest pain,” says Dr. Burns.
“The thought that exercise will ‘improve the heart’ does not apply when chest pain, shortness of breath or dizziness are present.
“In this setting, the assumption is that the pain is secondary to a diminished blood and oxygen supply to the heart muscle.
“Continuing to exercise only exacerbates the inadequate blood flow and can lead to arrhythmia, permanent damage and potentially death.
“Anyone who experiences chest pain during exercise should stop immediately and seek medical attention.”
The discomfort may also be caused by a non-coronary artery issue of the heart, such as a pre-existing arrhythmia or structural defect.
Dr. Burns has over 30 years of experience, and he specializes in emergency medicine as well as family medicine. For more info: Legacy ER & Urgent Care.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Straight 8 Photography
Chest Pain When Coughing, Possible Causes
What can chest pain when coughing actually mean?
This isn’t about chest pain that has an accompanying cough. I’m talking about chest pain that is brought on by coughing.
“Chest pain when coughing is also known as pleurisy,” says Lance S. Burns, MD, emergency medicine specialist, of Legacy ER & Urgent Care, Frisco East location.
Dr. Burns continues, “This can be from the lung lining ‘catching’ on the chest wall lining. The pain of coughing may also be secondary to direct irritation of the bronchioles.
“Further, there can be irritation of the intercostal nerves that run between each set of ribs.”
A pending heart attack or blocked arteries will not cause chest pain from movement or changing positions.
Coughing involves movement and has a positional component.
Coughing exerts pressure on the chest wall, and hence, when conditions such as soft tissue injury (like very sore or strained pectoralis muscles) or bronchioles irritation are present, the chest pain or discomfort results.
Dr. Burns has over 30 years of experience, and he specializes in emergency medicine as well as family medicine. For more info: Legacy ER & Urgent Care.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Image Point Fr
Chest Pain Every Day except During Exercise?
Chest pain is a very common symptom that can occur every day for benign reasons but also heart related reasons.
One condition that can cause chest pain on a daily basis is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This is chronic acid reflux.
It will feel reassuring to the person who experiences chest pain nearly every day except during exercise, making them believe that it can’t possibly be heart related.
Unexplained chest pain, however, needs to be investigated by a doctor.
It may not be heart related, but may have some other serious cause such as cancer (e.g., lung, lymphoma) or a blood clot in the lung.
- The No. 1 reason that people present to emergency rooms is chest pain.
- Most of these patients are not diagnosed with a heart problem.
“There are many factors that contribute to the burden of daily chest pain,” says Lance S. Burns, MD, emergency medicine specialist, of Legacy ER & Urgent Care, Frisco East location.
“Such include the straining of chest wall muscle fibers and irritation within the lining of the lungs.
“One should always see their physician when chest pain is a concern, either daily or intermittently.”
Dr. Burns adds that “a cardiac stress test and blood work to evaluate for potential clotting may be indicated” when standard ER tests turn up negative.
“Certainly at a minimum a chest X-ray would be a useful diagnostic tool.”
What can a chest X-ray show?
A chest X-ray can help diagnose chest pain by providing images of the heart, lungs and chest wall.
It can reveal abnormalities such as:
• Fluid accumulation around the lungs (pleural effusion) or heart (pericardial effusion).
• Enlarged heart (cardiomegaly), which may indicate heart failure.
• Lung infections or diseases, like pneumonia or bronchitis.
• Collapsed lung (pneumothorax) or pulmonary embolism.
Dr. Burns has over 30 years of experience, and he specializes in emergency medicine as well as family medicine. For more info: Legacy ER & Urgent Care.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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