Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics (also spelled orthopaedics, see below) is the branch of surgery concerned with acute, chronic, traumatic, and overuse injuries and other disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons address most musculoskeletal ailments including arthritis, trauma and congenital deformities using both surgical and non-surgical means. They are often specialists in Sports Medicine (sportsmedicine) and are among the most common specialty that serve a team physician, even at the high school level where they are on standby at football games, for example, in case of serious injury. Orthopedic Surgeons are often the last surgeons to operate on a multiple trauma victim, because other organ system repair often takes priority over the musculoskeletal system.

Orthopedic Surgeons work closely with physical therapists, athletic trainers and personal trainers. While orthopedic surgeons are often considered the most “alpha”of physicians, they usually have excellent working relationships with coaches, athletics trainers, strength trainer, personal trainers and physical therapists. For example, they are usually open to recommendations from the playing field viewoint of an athletic trainer or a personal trainer.

Orthopedic surgeons (also known as orthopedists or orthopedic specialists) complete a minimum of 10 years of postsecondary education and clinical training. In the majority of cases this training includes obtaining an undergraduate degree (a few medical schools will admit students with as little as two years of undergraduate education), an allopathic degree or osteopathic degree (4 years), and then completing a five-year residency in orthopedic surgery. The five-year residency consists of one year of general surgery training followed by four years of training in orthopedic surgery.

Many orthopedic surgeons elect to do further subspecialty training in programs known as ‘fellowships’ after completing their residency training. Fellowship training in an orthopedic subspeciality is typically one year in duration (sometimes two) and usually has a research component involved with the clinical and operative training. Examples of orthopedic subspecialty training in the US are:

These are also the nine main sub-specialty areas of orthopedic surgery.
Hand surgery, and more recently Sports Medicine are the only truly recognized sub-specialties within orthopaedic surgery by the Accredited Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The other sub-specialities are informal concentrations of practice. To be recognized as a hand surgeon or sports surgeon, a practitioner must have completed an ACGME-accredited fellowship and obtained a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) which requires an additional standardized examination. Some orthopedist often work treating two musculoskeletal regions, such as knees and shoulders. Large orthopedic practices often have physicians with different sub-specialties to help round out the complete practice.

A personal trainer is a professional who educates people about physical fitness and designs and recommends general and specific workout routines and workout techniques. Personal trainers are also referred to as “trainers,” or “PT’s” — not to be confused with athletic trainers or physical therapists, who are the original  “PT’s.  Personal trainers typically design exercise routines and teach physical exercises to their clients. While some personal trainers work with only one client each session (One-on-One), others also teach groups of clients (Buddy Sessions or Group Sessions).

With an understanding of exercise physiology, sports biomechanics and nutrition; personal trainers are often called upon to help with three general goals of individuals: improvement of body composition (usually involves gaining muscle mass while losing fat weight), improvement of health and exercise safety, and sports performance enhancement (usually by improving strength, speed, endurance, power, balance and agility). Experienced trainers may also be qualified to work with doctors and physical therapists for people who need help with physical dysfunction and rehabilitation, including the improvement of balance, range of motion, low back issues, knee and shoulder issues, and those released from physical therapy. A personal trainer can often act as an extension of the physical therapist outside of the medical office by continuing to manage the objectives and action plan of the physical therapist on the practice field.

Personal trainers work with clients on several time intervals. Some clients meet for a single session to answer questions and to develop an exercise program (or to ensure that their existing program is balanced). Others prefer to work with a trainer for several months to also include motivation, variety, exercise design, or to work toward a specific goal. And still others work with a trainer indefinitely for motivation, accountability, variety, distraction, or to ensure consistent progress. People who meet regularly with a trainer usually meet with a trainer one to three times per week and then workout on their own on the non-trainer-supervised days.

Personal trainers often also have a specific method of motivating clients. Common techniques for motivation involve attitude and personality, such as an aggressive and commanding demeanor or a more calm and supportive — always monitoring for correct technique, safety issues, incentives for reaching goals, action plan adherence and positive re-framing or visualization.

A certified personal trainer is a personal trainer who has met the standards of a particular certifying agency. A Certified Personal Trainer will have the letters “CPT” after his or her name. Certification shows a minimal standard of knowledge in the area of personal training. Personal trainers can be certified with more than one organization. Different certifications may be more fitness focused, sport specific or supportive of special populations in health and medicine. Some trainers have multiple certifications. Some trainers have advanced degrees, such as a Master of Science Degree. Even some Chiropractors and Physicians have doubled as Personal Trainers. An advanced degree develops research skills and a knowledge base that certifications do not offer in one or two-day seminars. A personal trainer with an advanced degree is better equipped to glean through research and understand individual issues and design exercises and routines, than a trainer that does not have an advanced degree. Certifications are also usually easier to pass when a personal trainer has a fitness degree or advanced degree. Although that does not mean that advanced-degree personal trainers can just walk up and pass a certification test without preparing.

Certification offers evidence of continued development of knowledge and skills as a Personal Trainer. Certification is offered by several reputable organizations, such as NASM, NSCA and ACE. Most respected certification programs require that a comprehensive test be taken in person to verify identity. In addition, any reputable program will require both CPR certification and at least ten hours of continuing education per year.

Researchers examined morphologic changes in the somatosensory cortex (SSC) of patients with migraine headaches. Cortical thickness of the SSC of patients with migraine was measured and compared with age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. The study included 24 patients with migraine, subdivided into 12 patients who had migraine with aura, 12 patients who had migraine without aura, and 12 controls. Group and individual analyses were performed in the SSC and shown as average maps of significant changes in cortical thickness. RESULTS: People with history of migraines had on average a thicker somatosensory cortex than the control group. The most significant thickness changes were noticed in the caudal SSC, where the trigeminal area, including head and face, is somatotopically represented.

CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates the presence of interictal structural changes in the somatosensory cortex (SSC) of people with migraines (migraineurs). The SSC plays a crucial role in the noxious and nonnoxious somatosensory processing. Thickening in the SSC is in line with diffusional abnormalities observed in the subcortical trigeminal somatosensory pathway of the same migraine cohort in a previous study. Repetitive migraine attacks may lead to, or be the result of, neuroplastic changes in cortical and subcortical structures of the trigeminal somatosensory system.

Source:
DaSilva AF, Granziera C, Snyder J, Hadjikhani N. Thickening in the somatosensory cortex of patients with migraine. Neurology. 2007 Nov 20;69(21):1990-5.

Harbinger  Wrist Wrap Training Grip Weightlifting Gloves 125040
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The best pair of gloves for weightlifters and bodybuilders that are lifting heavy weights is the pair by Harbinger — Model 125040. What makes these Harbinger gloves the best?

 Two of its many fine features stand out.
1. A sturdy built-in wrist wrap.
2. TechGel Comfort Pads, that mold to your hands, protecting them from the stresses of active training. A hard bar of a barbell or dumbbell can press hard against bones of the hands and fingers. the TechGel Comfort Pads help protect against that pressure, which can help prevent pain and injury.

Patented WristWrap stabilizes the wrist joint with adjustable but gentle pressure, keeping the wrist in the proper position while training, while the extended finger length maximizes hand protection.

Unique Comfort Tech fabrics remain supple, while the innovative curved finger design offers a natural, flexible and comfortable fit.

Palm features Harbinger’s TechGel Comfort Pads, that mold to your hands, protecting them from the stresses of active training.

Hand washing and air drying removes salt and oils, maintaining suppleness, original fit, helping gloves to last longer.

Provides the maximum in cushioning and comfort for frequent lifting and all-around training, while the NoSweat lining wicks moisture away from your skin.

Available soon on CoolFitnessGifts.com — buy weightlifting gloves on Amazon.com

If you have enough energy and you are wondering about the best exercise after Thanksgiving, congratulations for having the motivation to work out. Many people, who blame the amino acid tryptophan in turkey meat for causing sleepiness after the traditional turkey dinner, are actually tired from travel, overeating, longer nights and the beginning of the stress of the holiday season. If you have eaten a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, you are digesting a generous mix of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. The heavy combination puts a load on the stomach and digestive system which in turn gets priority blood flow. The muscles and the rest of the body are not getting as much blood circulation. That can make you feel tired and sleepy.

Within two hours of finishing your meal, you should avoid intense exercise. You probably won’t be in the mood anyway. The best exercise is a nice brisk walk with family and friends. Especially if you are relatively new to exercise. A brisk walk is not intense enough to require the two-hour wait after eating.

If you’re really ambitious, you probably have a home gym setup or a membership at a 24/7/365 gym. The post Thanksgiving Dinner workout is a good time to focus on the musculoskeletal system. Consider working on ‘tune-up’ exercises, such as your shoulder rotator cuff tendon exercises, Yoga exercises, or flexibility exercises. If your stomach is still distended, avoid hard flexion at the hips and low back. If you choose weight training, consider slow reps with extra attention to form and healthy, full breathing with full range of motion muscular contraction effort. Light-to-moderate cardio is also a good choice.

Friday you can pick up the intensity again, just watch out or Black Friday shoppers if you are on a training run or other outdoor cardio trek. There are plenty of preoccupied drivers in heavy traffic that have a shopping list on their minds, not pedestrian traffic.

The most important point about Thanksgiving and exercise and diet is to recognize that Thanksgiving is part of an eating season that begins with Halloween candy in October and ends with Valentines Day chocolates in February. Couple this prolonged eating season with inactivity associated with winter months; and many people gain a quick 10 pounds or more. Don’t let Thanksgiving be a turning point that leads you to turn off your activity switch and turn on your eating machine. Rest is great for the body.  Just like rest and sleep are needed every day, the same goes for exercise. Activity includes cardio or aerobic work and progressive resistance or weight training. Examples of cardio are fast walking, running, swimming, exercise on elliptical machines, and exercise on stair climbers. Examples of acceptable weight training include, circuit training, multi-set weight training, and body weight exercises, such as push-ups, chin-ups, dips, squats and lunges. Beginners should do weights about every other day and some type of cardio should be done four to six days per week. Starting out slow the first three to six weeks.