All posts tagged: Physical

If you have sore shoulders, you may be overusing this muscle—here are two exercises a physical therapist recommends to improve mobility and stability

If you have sore shoulders, you may be overusing this muscle—here are two exercises a physical therapist recommends to improve mobility and stability

Published by Jenni Sidey

Have you ever spent too much time hunched over your phone or computer, only to find your shoulders sore and achy when you straighten up again? This used to happen to me almost daily. I’d close my laptop, stand up, have a big stretch and let loose an ungodly groan as my shoulders uncrumpled for the first time in hours. Article continues below You may like It’s a common complaint according to Dr Andrew Gorecki, a licensed doctor of physical therapy and owner of MovementRX. “I often see this, not only with patients who have tight muscles, but also those who do not control their scapula [shoulder blade] well enough,” he says. This causes his patients to “rely too much on their upper trapezius muscle.” (Image credit: Getty Images / sumaki) This can happen when the lower stabilising muscles, which hold the scapula in place, are weak due to poor posture, sedentary living or slouching during long bouts of sitting. Imbalanced training or injury can also be factors. So, Gorecki focuses on improving mobility and …

Childhood adversity predicts combined physical and mental illness in later life

Childhood adversity predicts combined physical and mental illness in later life

Published by José Betancourt

Traumatic events during early life can cast a long shadow, substantially raising the risk that people will develop a combination of depression and chronic physical disease in their later years. By tracking thousands of older adults over time, researchers found that cumulative childhood adversity predicts a heavily increased burden of combined illnesses. The findings were recently published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. Health professionals define childhood adversity through a broad spectrum of negative experiences occurring before adulthood. These events include direct harms, such as physical abuse, emotional neglect, or severe bullying. The definition also encompasses household dysfunction, meaning a child might grow up witnessing domestic violence, living with a severely depressed parent, or experiencing extreme poverty. Public health estimates suggest that massive numbers of people globally carry the weight of these early difficulties into adulthood. Medical researchers are increasingly focused on a specific health outcome defined by the co-occurrence of multiple ailments. This term refers to a patient suffering from at least one mental health condition, usually depression, alongside at least one chronic physical …

A physical therapist recommends this 15-minute resistance band routine to build strong ankles and reduce your risk of injury

A physical therapist recommends this 15-minute resistance band routine to build strong ankles and reduce your risk of injury

Published by Jenni Sidey

Ankles and feet are often overlooked in strength training programs, but it’s worth making sure they’re robust enough to handle what life throws at them. A 1982 study estimated that ankles must cope with a peak force of up to 13 times your bodyweight when running. If they’re not up to the task and things go wrong with your ankles, you can’t even take pain-free walking for granted, let alone running or any other kind of activity. Dr Tom Walters, orthopedic physical therapist, certified strength and conditioning specialist and author of the Rehab Science series of books, is about to publish a new book dedicated to looking after your ankles and feet. Article continues below You may like He’s shared a 15-minute resistance band workout from the book, which will help you keep your ankle joints and muscles in good working order, and reduce your risk of injury. “This type of routine can be useful for improving ankle strength, restoring control after injury, and building resilience for walking, running and balance-based activities,” he says. “This …

Coping With Physical Anxiety Symptoms

Coping With Physical Anxiety Symptoms

Published by Jenni Sidey

Experiencing strong and uncomfortable physical sensations is a common part of anxiety. Your heart may pound or race, you may feel tightness in your chest, dizziness, a dry mouth, or stomach upset. When these symptoms occur, it feels like you don’t have control over your body, and you may lose a sense of physical capability. Over the past couple of months, I have experienced physical symptoms of anxiety when walking outside, something I have never felt before, and the symptoms have diminished my sense of capability. This has been a challenging experience, and as I work to build back my capability, I want to share effective strategies for coping with physical anxiety. Acknowledge That You Are Safe Often, when you experience physical anxiety, it is because your anxiety alarm is misfiring, telling you there is a threat or danger when you are actually safe. Feeling a sense of threat is frequently based on the idea that something bad could happen, not on an actual danger in the moment. For example, your heart may pound before …

Spotify Partners With Bookshop.org to Offer Physical Books

Spotify Partners With Bookshop.org to Offer Physical Books

Published by José Betancourt

Spotify has quite a few new book offerings this spring. For starters, the streaming company is now officially offering physical books in the US and UK (available today on Android and iOS starting next week) through its partnership with Bookshop.org. Through the Spotify app, users can order physical books from Bookshop.org. As part of Bookshop.org’s mission, the books purchased will support local bookstores and authors. But this isn’t the only bookish expansion Spotify has announced. Since launching its audiobooks feature in 2022, Spotify’s catalog has grown almost five times—from 150,000 to 700,000 titles. And, since launching the Page Match feature in February, which allows readers to seamlessly switch between a physical book and its audiobook, Spotify has added 30 more languages (including French, German, and Swedish). Spotify has found that people who use Page Match “consume 55% more audiobook hours each week,” and “62% of Page Matched audiobook titles on Spotify are books the user had never streamed previously,” which means that people who were previously only reading the physical book are now moving between …

6 stretches to relieve plantar fasciitis pain, according to a physical therapist

6 stretches to relieve plantar fasciitis pain, according to a physical therapist

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Of all the fasciitises (fasciiti?), plantar fasciitis is, well, it’s the only one you really have to worry about. Anecdotally associated with the obese and pregnant, it’s foot pain and tightness common among all walks of adult, particularly those between the ages of 40 and 60. But it’s important to know that you’re unlikely to take a wrong step and suddenly catch plantar fasciitis. “Plantar fasciitis can happen acutely with heavy use, but it’s more common for it to happen progressively, over time and chronically,” says Paul Schroeder, MPT, CSCS, C-PS, founder and lead physical therapist at Fast Track Physio in Chicago, Illinois. Habitual runners, dancers, athletes and people who work on their feet are at heightened risk, but we’ve all got about a 10 percent chance of experiencing plantar fasciitis at some point in our lives. That doesn’t mean, however, that there aren’t steps we can take to lengthen those odds. We spoke with Shroeder on the risk …

The physical exercises that boost memory and don’t require much effort

The physical exercises that boost memory and don’t require much effort

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Many of us turn to Sudoku, Wordle or brain-training apps to sharpen our minds. But research is increasingly showing one of the best ways to boost memory, focus and brain health is exercise. Our new research reviewed data from more than 250,000 participants across 2,700 studies. We found exercise helps boost brain function – whether it’s walking, cycling, yoga, dancing, or even playing active video games such as Pokémon GO. Moving your body improves how we think, make decisions, remember things and stay focused – no matter your age. What the science says Our review adds to a growing body of research that shows regular physical activity improves three key areas of brain function: cognition, which is your overall ability to think clearly, learn and make decisions memory, especially short-term memory and the ability to remember personal experiences executive function, which …

VC Eclipse has a new .3B fund to back — and build — ‘physical AI’ startups

VC Eclipse has a new $1.3B fund to back — and build — ‘physical AI’ startups

Published by skeptic

It takes just a skim of Eclipse’s recent investments to see where this venture firm’s interests lie — and where it is headed. The Palo Alto-based VC, which saw its median deal size explode over the past several years, has poured an increasing amount of money into the “physical world.” Its deals include electric boat developer Arc, buzzy battery recycling and material firm Redwood Materials, self-driving construction vehicle startup Bedrock Robotics, autonomous vehicle tech company Wayve, and industrial robotics lab Mind Robotics. With $1.3 billion in fresh capital — which is split between a $591 million early-stage incubation fund and one more oriented toward growth startups — Eclipse is zeroing in on what partner Jiten Behl describes as the next big technological era. “Over the last two decades, we’ve seen multiple waves of innovation,” Behl said, listing the internet, mobile cloud, and social media eras. “This is the first time where stuff is going to move from our screens into the physical world; we’re going to see advanced levels of intelligence, along with actual actions, …

A physical therapist says these exercises can help protect your back for the long term

A physical therapist says these exercises can help protect your back for the long term

Published by Jenni Sidey

If you’re not one of the millions of people who suffer from non-specific low back pain, you probably know someone who does. So you’ll know it’s something best avoided. There’s no one action you take to ward it off, but a combination of adjustments can help. “While poor posture can contribute to back pain, small daily adjustments such as strengthening and stretching exercises, as well as changing your position frequently throughout the day, can lead to meaningful improvements,” says Nicole Shirley, a physical therapist at Cape Concierge Physical Therapy. Article continues below You may like Shirley previously explained how our pelvic position when seated or standing can cause back pain, but here she recommends adding these six exercises to your routine to strengthen the muscles that support your spine, and stretch muscles tightened by too much sitting. 1. Bridge How to Do Bridge Pose – YouTube Watch On Sets: 1-3 Reps: 8-10 How to do it: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Engage your core and …

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor accused of ‘physical altercation’ with senior aide of Elizabeth II

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor accused of ‘physical altercation’ with senior aide of Elizabeth II

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had a “physical altercation” with one of Elizabeth II’s most senior aides, it is claimed. The former Duke of York is said to have lashed out at Vice-Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, master of the Royal household, after he was told that he could not accommodate a Pitch@Palace event at Buckingham Palace. The altercation was described by one member of staff as a “kinetic” blow that caused astonishment within the royal household, a senior member of staff told royal author Robert Hardman. “It was a routine household matter. The Duke wanted to have a reception and there wasn’t any room. It was as simple as that,” a senior member of staff told Mr Hardman in an excerpt from his book Elizabeth II, which has been serialised in the Daily Mail. “Tony said he’d have to wait his turn like anybody else and the Duke …