Tom Willemann Health Tips

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Add Strength Training to Your Stretching

Let’s face it: Stretching feels good. It is relaxing, and getting all the kinks out of scrunched-up muscles can be liberating. Unfortunately, improving your flexibility through a stretching class is simply not enough, either as a therapeutic approach, or to protect your body from future damage. Strength training is a necessary companion to your stretching class.
As we age, the natural loss of muscle makes it harder for our bodies to handle daily activities, such as bending, walking and picking up heavy objects. This loss of muscle tone contributes to back problems, knee injuries and a myriad of other body ailments. No matter how limber you may be, the cardinal rule for muscle is “use it or lose it.” Strength training not only helps maintain muscle but it can also

  • reduce the risk of osteoporosis by increasing bone density
  • help you maintain a healthy weight—lean muscle mass burns more calories than fat
  • protect your joints and ligaments, helping you to avoid future injuries
  • improve balance and overall well-being

It is important to engage in the right kind of stretching, as well. Some studies have suggested that the traditional static stretching (stretching a muscle or muscle group to its farthest point and then holding that position)—often a part of stretch and tone classes—is not ideal when used alone before exercise. Instead, the dynamic stretching (slow, controlled leg and arm swings or torso twists) often used by athletic teams to warm-up or a combination of the two (gentle general exercise to warm up and gentle dynamic stretching after exercise) may be more helpful. A 2008 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that engaging in both static and dynamic workouts reduced the risk of knee injury in female soccer players by half.
To truly improve your physical health, heal from injury and prevent future chronic ailments, a good overall fitness plan is needed. We can design an individualized plan that incorporates the right kind of stretching, strength training and aerobic exercise to turn your body into a well-oiled machine.
Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation in Wyckoff, NJ provides orthopedic and sports physical therapy
services for the greater Ridgewood, Wyckoff, and Bergen County region. This blog is intended for
informational purposes only and should not be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. The
views expressed here are the author’s views and should be taken as suggestions. Always consult
your doctor or healthcare practitioner before engaging in a physical therapy or rehabilitative
program.
 

Tom Willemann

Tom Willemann

Tom Willemann is a premier physical therapist based out of Bergen County, New Jersey. He holds an MS in physical therapy from the University of Miami, is credentialed in the world-renowned McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), and holds an OCS (Orthopedic Clinical Specialist) certification. As of 2018, there are approximately 14,000 ABPTS certified specialists in the nation and less than 400 of them are located in the state of New Jersey. Tom is the owner and director of Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation in Paramus. He opened the clinic, which specializes in spine and sports injury prevention, in 2004 after many years of experience in the field. Tom’s caring interest in others and his strong belief in continuity of care, combined with his clinic’s ability to find solutions for the most difficult orthopedic problems, have earned Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation its excellent reputation with patients and medical professionals in northeastern New Jersey and beyond. A true “family man,” Tom takes pride in his clinic’s warm and welcoming environment.
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