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Mr. Trainer's Fit Tips (February 15-28, 2002)
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Helping You Build Your Best Body Ever
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Workout Mistakes by Mr. Trainer
Did You Know?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by William Harrison, M.D.
About this newsletter
....>>.........................................................<<.... Workout Mistakes by Mr. Trainer
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Walk into most gyms on any given day and you'll find a
lot of well-intentioned and hard-working individuals that
are frustrated with their progress. Why? The following
mistakes are often to blame.
mistake: Not prioritizing
Do you have a lagging muscle group or area of your
body you'd like to improve most? If you do, then most
likely you are basing the majority of your progress off of
this area. But are you really focusing your workouts on
this area? If one of your bodyparts needs extra help,
the answer lies in prioritizing. How do you prioritize?
The solution isn't always to train the bodypart more
frequently, although this is a common approach. You
may want to train this area at the beginning of your
workout or early in the week when you have the most
energy and motivation. Calves are a common example,
as are abs. If you are trying to improve these areas,
don't train them as an afterthought at the end of your
workout. Instead, train them in the beginning or as a
separate workout.
....>>.........................................................<<.... Did You Know?
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* In 2000, 29.7 percent of high school senior girls
reported having smoked within the past 30 days.
* Less than 9 percent of Americans eat enough fruit.
* If you want to keep a healthy heart, keep your cool.
A study points to maintaining control under fire as a way
to minimize stroke risk. The risk of stroke among
hypertensive men who became flustered by a test was
nearly
double that of men who were unruffled by the stress,
say the authors of the study in Stroke: Journal of the
American Heart Association.
....>>.........................................................<<.... Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by William Harrison, M.D.
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A narrow passageway, known as the carpal tunnel, is
where nine tendons and the median nerve travel
through to reach the hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome is
caused by entrapment of this nerve as it passes
through the wrist and into the hand. Although the
tendons are not very susceptible to injury, the delicate
nerve can become irritated or damaged by pressure
exerted on it. This causes pain, tingling or numbness in
the area supplied by the nerve. In this case, the
median nerve provides sensation over the palm of the
hand, particularly the thumb, index, middle and ring
fingers. The little finger is not supplied by the median
nerve, and pain or numbness in this finger is not due to
carpal tunnel syndrome.
Certain conditions may lead to enlargement or swelling
of the connective tissue that forms the roof of the
tunnel. This includes thyroid disorders, hormone
changes (as are found in pregnancy, menopause or oral
contraceptive use), arthritis, or repetitive motion
activities of the hands and wrists. Certain activities
like repetitive computer keyboard use, mouse use, or
small assembly work may lead to swelling of the
tissues. This in turn places pressure on the nerve
causing the symptoms of pain, numbness or tingling as
mentioned earlier.
The condition is often diagnosed by eliciting the typical
symptoms in a patient with risk factors. Nerve
conduction testing can also verify the diagnosis, and
exclude involvement of nerves in the arm or
neck.
Treatment is usually begun by avoidance or reduction in
the activities that created the syndrome. A night splint
worn on the wrist may be helpful to keep the carpal
tunnel from being compressed during sleep. Anti-
inflammatory medications or steroid injections may be
used to decrease inflammation. In persistent cases,
surgical release of the carpal tunnel tissue may be
performed to relieve pressure on the nerve.
....>>.........................................................<<.... About this newsletter
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Mr. Trainer's Fit Tips is a bi-weekly
publication and is
dedicated to the memory of Max Beeners.
Matthew Beeners, aka Mr. Trainer, is ACE Certified and
degreed in Exercise & Sport
Sciences. William Harrison, M.D. is board-certified by
Colorado Internal Medicine.