Lumbar Support in the Car

There is a growing awareness of how sitting all the time is bad for our health. There is a growing demand for the sit-to-stand desks in the workplace. People are opting to try and move more. However, sometimes we just have to sit in our cars as we are stuck in traffic. We can't really avoid it. All those hours in the car can contribute to low back pain. Especially if we get road rage and tense up all of our muscles. 

If we are stuck in our cars, at least we can drive with our low backs supported. You don't have to invest in the latest, greatest lumbar support pillow 2000. As seen above, you can make your own support from a towel you already have. Living in Southern California, I have an abundance of beach towels. I took one of those towels, folded it in half lengthwise, then rolled it up.  Voilà! A lumbar roll perfect for supporting your low back and promoting good posture while in the car. 

When placing the towel, you want it to be in the small of your low back, right above those hip bones (aka your iliac crests). It should help support the natural curve of your low back, and allow you to have better posture while in the car. (Thanks, R.L. Spine for modeling the proper placement of the lumbar roll!)

I'd also like to point out 2 more important safety tips for driving/riding in cars. 

1. Wear your seat belt!
2. Make sure your head rest is positioned properly. The top of your head rest should be level with the top of your head, so in the event of a collision, your entire head is held in line with your body to prevent whiplash. You should also try to minimize the distance from the back of your head to your headrest (4 inches or less).

Happy (and safe) driving! 

When to Get New Running Shoes

This post is brought to you by Dr. Emily not listening to her own advice and waiting too long to replace her running shoes. 

After her Tuesday track workout, Dr. Emily's foot was aching along the outside, and it made running not as enjoyable. Running through pain can often alter how you run and lead to additional injuries. Dr. Emily did not want that, so she examined the bottoms of her shoes to see if that was the culprit.

If you look at the bottom of the shoe, you can see how many parts of the shoe are nice and smooth and lack all the tread that used to be there. This is much like you check the tires on your car for wear and tear. When your tires loose their tread, you replace them! Do the same with your running shoes. 

To help with her foot pain, Dr. Emily put RockTape along the muscle that she felt was contributing to her foot pain. She also taped around the bone that she felt wasn't moving as well as it could. (It's hard to adjust your own foot.)

Dr. Emily found that the RockTape helped calm down the discomfort in her foot, but she knew running again in her old shoes wasn't an option. When picking out new running shoes, Dr. Emily went with the newer version of her old shoes. If you do this, make sure to try them on first! Sometimes the newer editions of shoes have a slightly different fit. 

Rules of Thumb

1. Track your miles (Shoes are usually good for 400-600 miles)
2. Check your soles (Replace your shoes when the soles lose texture)
3. Don't wait too long to replace your running shoes

Happy running!!