A fascinating Australian study looked at the birthdays of Australian Football League (AFL) players and found that many were born in the first months of the year and fewer were born in the later months of the year. The research appears in a Springer book called Analyzing Seasonal Health Data, written by study author Dr. Adrian Barnett and professor Annette Dobson.

In the study, the researchers found that 33% more AFL players than expected had birthdays in January, while 25% fewer had birthdays at the end of the year, in December.

These findings are similar to other research that found there was an association between being born near the start of the school year and a better chance of growing up to be a pro football, volleyball, basketball or ice hockey player.

Interesting that, Wayne Gretzky, Kelly Hrudey and Bobby Hull are all January babies.

The Australian school year starts in January, and according to Barnett, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at the Queensland University of Technology, “Children who are taller have an obvious advantage when playing [Australian rules football]. If you were born in January, you have almost 12 months’ growth ahead of your classmates born late in the year, so whether you were born on December 31st or January 1st could have a huge effect on your life,”

Strange to think that two children, born only a day apart, could experience things so differently. One will bear the disadvantage of being the youngest and smallest in the year, while the one born on January 1st will have the benefits of being bigger and stronger earlier than peers.

The Australian research results mirror other work that links being born near the start of the school year and the chances of becoming a professional in either football, volleyball, basketball or ice hockey.

The studies have found that those born at the start of the year do better academically while also having more confidence. Smaller kids miss out, perhaps getting discouraged by playing with those in the same grade who are physically bigger and stronger. Missing out on sports and the exercise that comes with it has consequences not only on their potential athletic careers, but also on their future health as well.

Continues below…

Professional Athletes From Birth Continued…

Organized sports have no shortage of cheerleaders, and there are certainly lots of benefits to being part of a team. Just be sure that your child is both emotionally and physically ready to participate – pushing a sport too early is frustrating (and pointless) for everyone.

Sometimes being pushed can turn a child off from sports for good. It’s really not until the age of 6 or 7 (usually) that most children have the physical skills and attention span to listen, take turns and understand the rules of a game.

The findings of the Australian research also suggest that children who have potential to excel in sports might be missed because they have to compete with more physically advanced peers.

Understanding the system that’s a part of organized sports and the evaluation of potential that favors children born in the early months of any year in sports like hockey, soccer and baseball is key.

Unless a child has exceptional talent at an early age, they won’t stand out to coaches as readily and the mechanisms for second chances in a year or two simply don’t exist.

Share This

It’s not that we don’t know exercise is good for us, that it might help to improve our self image, our mood and how we sleep, we do; but we struggle to stick to those fitness goals.

Surprisingly, those who believe most strongly in the importance of exercise are the obese and overweight according to a survey of more than 1,500 men and women conducted by researchers at George Washington University Medical Center.

The trouble is that many who are carrying extra weight cringe at the thought of huffing and puffing in front of more fit gym goers according to the poll. No surprise there. And it’s not just the gym patrons, many feel intimidated about sweating it out in front of the in shape health club staff.

Compared to men of any size, women are more likely to feel overwhelmed by complicated gym equipment, to feel the need for trendy clothing and the added discomfort of exercising in front of men.

In the end, it’s these feelings, not a lack of determination or willpower, that might be keeping resolution breakers from regular exercise. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, two thirds of American adults are either overweight or obese. Since 1980, obesity rates have doubled for adults and tripled for children.

“Overweight people have received the message from their physicians and all the publicity about the importance of exercise,” explains study author Wayne C. Miller, a professor of exercise science at George Washington University Medical Center. “Most of the negativism or barriers that are associated with not participating in exercise are emotional, and there are differences between men and women.”

In the study, about 18% of respondents belonged to a health club; 82% did not. Much like the U.S. population, about two thirds of the survey respondents were considered obese or overweight.

The more a subject weighed, the lower their assessment of their own health, yet despite being aware that they needed to exercise, negative feelings about the health club environment, for both men and women, kept them from working out there.

Continues below…

Why “Get Fit” Resolutions Don’t Stick Continued…

Health club owners take note – look for ways to make overweight or obese patrons feel welcome, rather than self conscious or intimidated by the environment or equipment, and you’ll have a steady supply of clients.

The survey also found that just about 30% of those who are trying to lose weight meet the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommendations for exercise – that’s 2½ hours a week of moderate aerobic activity.

While experts can’t say just how much exercise is needed, we do know that being active on a regular basis helps to reduce obesity related diseases, and has been shown to help those who do lose weight, to keep it off.

The key might be to stay away from the all-or-nothing approach to exercise, and fitness. Don’t expect a daily commitment to spinning classes at the health club to work – Instead start by making smaller changes like taking the stairs, parking far away from the entrance, or enjoying a walk at lunch to get a few extra minutes of exercise in each day. Once you’ve reached this goal, move forward – slow, steady steps to get more activity into your day so that in six months you can take, and enjoy, that class.

This approach also works when it comes to what you eat. A few small changes can add up to big ones over time. Try to eat a bit less each day and substitute low calorie, healthy options for the richer, bad-for-you choices you’re used to making.

Drink more water and keep an eye on your portion sizes. Make changes that are gradual, heading in the right direction and not too restrictive, and you’ll be taking healthy steps that are good for your body today and in the future.

Daily Health Bulletin
For A Limited Time: Click Here To Grab 5 Free Essential Health Reports Today!

Share This

Even if you’re exercising on a regular basis, sitting at work, in school, in the car, in front of a computer or TV all add up – and not in a good way.

Figures from a U.S. survey in 2003-04 found we spend more than half our time each day sitting.

Worrisome because preliminary findings from several studies point to time spent sitting as increasing the likelihood of heart attack or death.

In an editorial that appeared earlier this month in the British Journal of Sports Medicine written by Dr. Elin Ekbolm-Bak and colleagues, the suggestion is plain that authorities take another look at definitions of physical activity and highlight the dangers of prolonged sitting.

We’re all aware of guidelines for a minimum amount of physical activity (at least 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous intensity exercise).

We all know that being active cuts your risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease as well as helping you manage stress, improve your immunity and help you get more restful sleep.

But recent research has found that long bouts of sitting and lack of whole body muscle movement can undermine all you’re doing to stay healthy.

What’s more, there’s nothing out there about limiting the time spent in a seated position, and this is a dangerous oversight in the opinions of the Swedish scientists.

“After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send harmful signals,” says Elin Ekblom-Bak of Stockholm’s Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences. Sitting for a long period causes the genes regulating the amount of glucose and fat in the body to start to shut down. Even if you exercise or would be considered “in shape” by others, a long stretch at your desk isn’t good for your body.

In fact, a study published in 2009 tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for almost 12 years and found that people who sat more had a higher death risk, and it didn’t matter if they exercised or not. “We don’t have enough evidence yet to say how much sitting is bad,” points out Canadian study leader Peter Katzmarzyk of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. “But it seems the more you can get up and interrupt this sedentary behavior, the better.”

Continues below…

*Highly Recommended*
1 Quick Technique To Burn More Fat
Here’s Your Free Presentation To Discover:

The 1 sneaky technique to trick our bodies to burn more fat…

How a unique, simple and quick NEW way of moving eliminates fat – Hint: it’s the exact opposite of boring cardio, but with no cardio at all…

How a tasty little dish eaten late at night actually boosted the most powerful fat loss hormone in our bodies while you sleep…

Click through here now to discover how to burn more fat quicker today…
*Disclosure: compensated affiliate*
Sitting Too Much Can Kill You Continued…
Dr. Ekblom-Bak agrees and recommends a five-minute break from sitting every 45 minutes.

Stand up; move around for several moments before resuming your seat (and your work). Remember, Mother Nature designed our bodies to be active, recognizing and working with this is a step toward achieving lasting good health.

The idea that sitting too long is bad for you isn’t all that new. There’s a condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), the medical term for when blood thickens and clumps together to form a clot in a vein that’s deep in your body.

And while most DVTs happen in the lower leg or thigh, they can also be found in other parts of the body. The clots can either partially or completely block the flow of blood, bringing swelling, pain and hypertension. The danger here is that a blood clot like this can break off and travel through the bloodstream. If it reaches the lungs it can cause a pulmonary embolism (potentially deadly) though the condition is treatable with blood thinning medications.

Experts from the World Health Organization offer a smart solution while more research is being done. Spread out your daily workout into smaller, but still intense, sessions rather than doing it all in one shot.

Daily Health Bulletin
For A Limited Time: Click Here To Grab 5 Free Essential Health Reports Today!

Share This

Add regular exercise to your plans to cut calories and you’ll find the combination of these two healthy habits leads to better results – not just in pounds dropped, but in lower blood pressure and better cholesterol numbers according to research set to appear in the January 2010 issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

The study involved assigning 36 overweight men and women (average age 39) to one of three different groups.

One group followed a diet plan that cut calories by 25%; the second group als cut calories, but by 12.5%, and exercised to the point where they were able to increase their energy output by 12.5%. The third group served as control subjects, sticking to a weight maintenance diet for the six months of the study.

The exercise prescription used varied depending on body weight at the start of the research. Typically the men walked briskly for 50 minutes, five days a week. Women worked out for 45 minutes, five days a week, but were able to choose the activity and intensity level of their exercise.

At the end of the six-month study, both the restricted calorie group and the calorie restriction plus exercise group lost almost 10% of their body weight.

The average weight of the subjects at the beginning of the research was almost 178 pounds, leaving participants with a loss of 17 pounds on average.

Beyond the pounds lost, those who included exercise in their program had better health outcomes. Blood pressure readings saw major improvements, even cholesterol numbers and insulin sensitivity got better.

“It’s better to lose weight with a combination of caloric reduction and exercise rather than caloric reduction alone,” said study author Dr. Enette Larson-Meyer, an assistant professor of family and consumer science at the University of Wyoming. Too many of us look to trendy, often expensive fad diets and exercise programs that don’t promote a true healthy lifestyle, but rather a “quick fix” approach to health.

Continues below…

Cutting Calories Is Not Enough Continued…

To make the changes you need to live a healthy lifestyle, experts suggest you work with a professional wellness coach, especially when you’ve tried and had little success in the past.

These pros can help you decide on a restricted calorie-eating plan that still gives you enough of the nutrients your body needs, as well as allows for treats you enjoy.

Professionals are also incredibly helpful when it comes to designing a healthy, safe workout, especially for those who are obese, have chronic health problems, orthopedic problems or been inactive for a long while.

Of course making one change is hard enough, but two at the same time can be a real challenge.

Start by identifying what is really important to you (your long term health and quality of life, for example) and then take small, measurable steps toward that goal.

Slow and steady change, always working toward your overall healthy lifestyle goal, is the best way to have you feeling well, being well, today and in the future.

Daily Health Bulletin
For A Limited Time: Click Here To Grab 5 Free Essential Health Reports Today!

Share This

In fact, the more time you spend in front of the tube, the greater your risk of dying at an earlier age.

Earlier work had found a link between the time we spend sitting and heart disease (and death), but this is the first research to look specifically at TV watching, one of our most common activities.

Adults in Australia average about three hours of television watching each day, but in the U.S. the average is estimated to be as much as five hours a day.

Interestingly other activities that require sitting, like reading or doing homework, don’t seem to be linked to the risks of early death as much as time spent in front of the TV.

Maybe it’s the inactivity and the snacks…

The latest work, which controlled for diet quality and calorie intake, involved a six-year follow up of 8,800 adults (284 died during the study) who didn’t have any history of heart disease.

Those who watched four hours or more of TV a day were 80% more likely to die from heart disease; 46% more likely to die early from any cause, as those who watched less than two hours of television each day.

Each added hour in front of the TV upped the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 18%, and the overall risk of early death by 11%.

The pattern held up even after the researchers accounted for overall health and the education levels of the subjects. Age, smoking history, cholesterol numbers and blood pressure were also considered.

Continues below…

Too Much TV Leads To Earlier Death Continued…

And if you think that exercising will counter the damage of too much TV, the research found that being active didn’t necessarily make up for the long hours in front of the TV. Watching burns about as many calories as sleeping, and this reduces how much overall energy you body puts out, as well as stops the body from using muscles and processing sugars and fats.

Even when the team compared groups of adults who exercised the same amount, but watched different amounts of TV, they found that those who watched more TV were still at a higher risk of dying earlier than those who watched less. A little exercise, while better than one at all, is just not enough.

It’s not that TV is replacing exercise time, but it does cut down on everyday movements like standing and walking around, and study lead author David Dunstan, Ph.D., the head of the physical activity lab at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Victoria, Australia, believes the positive health benefits of these actions are underestimated.

“Prolonged watching of television equals a lot of sitting, which invariably means there’s an absence of muscle movement,” says Dunstan. Muscles that stay inactive for too long can disrupt your metabolism, but he cautions that TV isn’t the only thing to blame for our lack of activity.

More and more of us sit behind desks at work all day, technology like e-mail and instant messaging have made it easier to stay put – Appliances make everyday chores faster and less physically demanding, and all these things have combined to make our lifestyles less active overall.

To avoid long periods of sitting, you might try…

- Propping your monitor up with a few books so that you need to stand up for a while.

- Stand while on the phone.

- At regular intervals, get up and move around – take a walk, stretch, get a drink.

- Get up during commercials – fold laundry, feed a pet, empty the trash.

Daily Health Bulletin
For A Limited Time: Click Here To Grab 5 Free Essential Health Reports Today!

Share This

The research teams found that those who did moderate exercise in midlife (or later) had a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment. What’s more, six months of high intensity aerobic exercise improved the cognitive function in those who already had some thinking impairment.

Mild cognitive impairment is the term your doctor uses for the in-between state of normal changes to thinking, learning and memory that come as we age and dementia.

Almost 15% of those with mild cognitive impairment end up developing dementia each year. In the general population, the number is much lower, a mere 1% to 2% will be diagnosed with dementia.

The U.S. government estimates that 6.8 million people in the U.S. have dementia, and 1.8 million of that number are severely affected.

Other studies have found that almost half of all those 85 years and older have some type of dementia, though this memory and independence robbing condition is not a normal part of the aging process. There are examples of those living into their 90s or even 100s without any decline in functioning.

The first of the two studies on aging involved 1,324 dementia-free subjects who were participating in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging.

Subjects filled out a questionnaire on physical exercise and were assessed and then classified as having normal cognition (1,126 of the participants) or mild cognitive impairment (198 subjects). Those who reported they did moderate exercise (swimming, brisk walking, yoga, aerobic or strength training) during midlife were 39% less likely to have mild cognitive impairment.

Those who did moderate exercise later in life were 32% less likely to have this problem.

Exercise might help protect against mild cognitive impairment in a number of different ways – By producing nerve-protecting compounds, by increasing blood flow to the brain, by improving the development (and survival) of neurons as well as the lower risks of disease of the heart or blood vessels.

Continues below…

Exercise Holds Off Mental Decline Continued…

The second of the studies was smaller, including only 33 adults of an average age of 70 years old who had mild cognitive impairment.

Some of the subjects were assigned to high intensity aerobics for 45 to 60 minutes a day, four days a week. The other group did stretching exercises that kept the heart rate low, also four days each week.

After six months, those who did the high intensity aerobic workouts had improved cognitive function compared to the subjects of the control group.

The helpful effects are more pronounced in women than in men, and experts speculate that this may be due to the difference in the body’s use and production of insulin, glucose and cortisol (a stress hormone) that’s different in men than in women.

“Aerobic exercise is a cost-effective practice that is associated with numerous physical benefits. The results of this study suggest that exercise also provides a cognitive benefit for some adults with mild cognitive impairment,” writes Laura D. Baker, of the University of Washington School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, and colleagues.

Long story short, if you want to stay sharp as you age, get up and get active. It’s never too late.

Daily Health Bulletin
For A Limited Time: Click Here To Grab 5 Free Essential Health Reports Today!

Share This

But before you berate yourself for giving in to your kids passion for video games, or worry when you hear a horrible crime blamed on a video game, new research will have you breathing a sigh of relief (and perhaps picking up a controller).

It seems that there are some rather important benefits that come from playing those action packed video games.

Regular players of video games learn to process information faster and more accurately when they’re playing in both virtual worlds and real situations according to a new study in the December 2009 issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science.

The researchers found that regular players get faster in the games they play often, but also in totally unrelated lab tests of their reaction times.

And since speed can be of vital importance in many everyday situations, this work was especially careful to look at the evidence on video games and reaction times.

The games used included popular titles God of War, Halo, Unreal Tournament, Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty. All these action themed games call for fast processing of sensory information and acting quickly. This forces the player to make decisions and respond at a much faster pace than what we might do in real life.

Continues below…

Real Life Benefit To Video Games Continued…

The team, including Matthew Dye, Ph.D. of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, reviewed existing literature on video games and found some things in the data that will surprise the skeptics.

- Players don’t lose accuracy as they pick up speed in the game, but instead they maintain accuracy and get faster too. The researchers think this is due to improvements in visual cognition that come after repeatedly playing the same game.

- Players show enhanced performance on mental rotation skills, visual and spatial memory and tasks calling for divided attention.

- Training on video games might help reduce the differences between boys and girls visual and special processing, and they might also help hold off some of the cognitive declines that come as part of getting older.

“Video gaming may therefore provide an efficient training regimen to induce a general speeding of perceptual reaction times without decreases in accuracy of performance,” the study authors suggest.

More and more, video games are shedding their troublesome reputation and the gaming industry has become a growing source of employment for many talented people.

Gaming systems like the Wii are now part of many rehabilitation programs, and those who play the games are enjoying not only increased skills, but the fun of socializing while playing.

Research continues to show that video games do have educational value, allowing kids to use the scientific method as they learn how to play the game, while others make geography, resource management, math, history, typing or spelling something kids want to do.

So relax, grab that controller, and play along. You just might pick up a few more skills than you thought – All while having a bit of fun, too!

Daily Health Bulletin
For A Limited Time: Click Here To Grab 5 Free Essential Health Reports Today!

Share This

What’s more, time off from regular workouts because of the winter holidays makes getting back into the swing of daily exercise a lot tougher.

Add in those motivation sapping winter blues and you can see why even regular exercisers might find it tough to workout during the long winter months.

But the reward, if you make the effort, won’t just be to your body when bathing suit season comes along, but also to your overall health and mood according to exercise experts out of Saint Louis University.

If you’re struggling to exercise… the experts suggest you think outside the same old workout… get creative. Consider swimming or water aerobics at an indoor pool, or attend a Pilates, yoga or other workout class you’ve been curious to try.

Walk the mall or join a walking group that forces you to be accountable to someone else besides yourself. You might also look at your libraries selection of workout videos you can check out for free.

Winter sports also offer lots of fun ways to exercise. Ice skating and skiing are both winter activities that burn lots of calories, and allow you to enjoy the fresh air and cold sunshine as well.

Winter chores like shoveling the drive or walkway are workouts that get you moving and get a bit of work done to boot. Even a snowball fight or an afternoon sledding with the kids can be a fun, natural and effective way to get your heart pumping and your body moving.

By making some adjustments to your exercise routine during the winter months you can still get those workouts in according to Tony Breitbach, Ph.D, director of athletic training education at Saint Louis University. “A change in weather should bring a change to your mindset,” he advises. “As temperatures get colder … you need to have a winter sports strategy.”

Just what is that? Start by looking at what you wear.

Extreme cold, wind and snow make it vital to dress properly – wearing layers you can take off as you need to. The layer closest to your skin should be of a breathable wicking fabric rather than sweat absorbing cotton.

To this add a layer of fleece or cotton for warmth, and then a windbreaker or another outer layer that blocks wind and water.

Don’t forget to protect your face, fingers and toes – as these extremities are the most likely to get frostbitten while you’re out in the cold. If you start to have pain or tingling in your ears, toes or fingers this is a signal that you need to get inside and warm up.

Continues below…

Winter Exercise Strategies That Work Continued…

And just as mom always told you… don’t forget the hat.

Even though it’s cold and raw outside, you’ll still want to bring along that water bottle, as staying hydrated during winter workouts is just as important as it is during the summer.

While you might not feel as thirsty, you’ll still need to take in liquid as you exercise. If your outdoor workout occurs in the early winter darkness, be sure to wear light colors or reflective clothing so that drivers can spot you easily.

Probably most important of all to winter workouts are the warm ups you do before your outdoor exercising begins. Cold weather makes muscles tight and more prone to injury, so you’ll want to pay special attention to your warm up.

Before you head out, do some stretching or other exercises to loosen up those muscles… then when you get out, start with a brisk walk before breaking into a jog.

Once you’ve finished the workout don’t stop and peel off clothing when you get back inside – instead let your body adjust gradually to the warmth so that it doesn’t rapidly lose its heat.

By keeping up an exercise routine, indoors or out, during the winter months to come you’ll not only keep your weight under control, but you’ll be improving your health, your strength and stamina… not to mention your mood… just in time for spring!

Daily Health Bulletin
For A Limited Time: Click Here To Grab 5 Free Essential Health Reports Today!

Share This

A team from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago followed nearly 1,000 older adults of an average age of 80 who were without dementia at the start of the study. The subjects were evaluated for a number of things, including cognitive function and muscle strength.

During the average 3.6 years of follow up, 14.2% (138 people) of the subjects had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

The team found those who had the most muscle strength at the start of the study were 61% less likely to develop the memory robbing condition than those who had the weakest muscles.

The link between strength of muscles and Alzheimer’s stood up even after accounting for other factors such as body mass index and levels of physical activity. The reason for the link remains a mystery.

Weak muscles were also linked to an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment, thought to be the first sign of cognitive decline.

“Overall, these data show that greater muscle strength is associated with a decreased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment and suggest that a common pathogenesis may underlie loss of muscle strength and cognition in aging,” writes study author Patricia A. Boyle and colleagues.

Alzheimer’s, for those lucky enough not to know, is more than the normal forgetfulness of aging, it’s an irreversible and progressive disease that destroys thinking and memory. In the end, patients are unable to do everyday things that once were no problem – cooking, dressing, driving a car, making decisions, running errands – all no longer possible.

In a large number of cases, the Alzheimer’s symptoms show up after age 60. Recent estimates have as many as 2.4 to 4.5 million Americans living with this life altering disease.

Science still doesn’t know what starts the Alzheimer’s process in motion, though experts continue to believe that the damage begins from 10 to 20 years before you see any symptoms.

Continues below…

Weaker Muscles Linked To Alzheimer’s Risk Continued…

Clearly there’s a complex series of things that happen over a long period of time. Genetics, environment and lifestyle factors (nutritious diet, exercise, social engagement, mental stimulation) are all thought to play a role.

Today there are four medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine for mild to moderate forms; memantine for moderate to severe cases of Alzheimer’s.

These drugs work by regulating neurotransmitters, helping to keep thinking, memory and speaking sharp. While they won’t stop the progression of your disease, they do help you retain function for as long as possible.

While you can’t repair the deterioration that’s happened silently over the years, you can learn more about treatments (or clinical trials) that can give you a chance to hold on to your cognitive function for months or even years.

Early diagnosis gives you the time to plan, to make your own choices about where you’ll live, as well as see to financial and legal decisions you want to have control over before Alzheimer’s makes this impossible.

Daily Health Bulletin
For A Limited Time: Click Here To Grab 5 Free Essential Health Reports Today!

Share This

Those who develop this problem tend to have weaker quads and hamstrings according to study co-author Darin Padua, Ph.D. “As a result, they don’t bend their knees as much when doing tasks, such as running or jumping. That means the contact area between the kneecap and the femur is smaller, so pressure is focused and pinpointed on a smaller area.”

Known to medicine as patellofemoral pain syndrome, the study out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the first of its kind to look at athletes both before and after they develop this painful problem.

The pain around or behind the kneecap can be so bad it limits your ability to exercise at all, and the symptoms are likely to recur.

Of course if you’ve got a high enough pain threshold, you might try and ignore it, but this only causes cartilage to break down, bringing you to the point of bone on bone contact. Once this happens there’s nothing that can be done to replace the destroyed cartilage.

Earlier research had identified possible risk factors for runner’s knee that were related to biomechanics and strength, though no one could say what caused the problem in the first place.

For this work, the team studied about 1,600 midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy. They looked at participants’ biomechanics when they first enrolled at the academy, then followed them for a number of years to see what happened to their knees. Of these subjects, 24 women and 16 men (for a total of 40 in all) developed runner’s knee over the study period.

The researchers noticed that those with weaker hamstring muscles were 2.9 times more likely to develop runner’s knee than those with the strongest hamstrings.

Weaker quadriceps were 5.5 times more likely to suffer runner’s knee than those with stronger muscles in this area. Those with a bigger navicular drop, a measure of arch flattening when bearing weight were 3.4 times more likely to have runner’s knee.

Finally, those with smaller knee flexion angle (knees that bent less on landing after a jump test) were 3.1 times more likely to have this troublesome condition.

Lead researcher Padua believes that the pain that comes with runner’s knee might be explained by all these factors coming together to create a focal point of pressure between the kneecap and the bone underneath.

Continues below…

Runner Knee Cause Finally Found Continued…

The UNC work appears in the November 2009 issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine and does bring some good news.

If you change the way you move, and work to improve your leg strength, you may be able to prevent or even correct the problem. If you’re wondering about your own risk, Padua suggests three questions to ask…

- Does the knee cross over the big toe when squatting?

- Do the arches of the feet collapse when landing from a jump?

- Do you bend your knees much when your land?

If you answer “yes” to these questions, you may stand a better chance of developing runner’s knee.

To help yourself if you’ve got runner’s knee already there are things you can do to speed healing. Rest the knee as much as you can. Ice the knee for 20 to 30 minutes every 3-4 hours for a few days to reduce pain and swelling.

Use an elastic bandage, straps or sleeves to compress your knee and give it extra support, arch supports for your shoes may also help with flat feet. Keep your knee elevated when you’re sitting or lying down and take anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil, Aleve or Motrin that will also help with pain and welling.

You might also practice some stretching and strengthening exercises if your doctor gives the okay.

Daily Health Bulletin
For A Limited Time: Click Here To Grab 5 Free Essential Health Reports Today!

Share This