In a recent article on WebMD, it was discovered that there are more hospital errors once thought or hoped for. Those errors include common hospital errors, medication-related issues, procedure-related mistakes, and hospital-acquired infections. Being involved in your medical hospital experience could help you more than you know. By asking questions to the medical staff, repeating back instruction for confirmation, and getting a broad understanding of your diagnosis and treatment will help you out greatly!
How can you protect yourself from hospital errors?? A few ways stated in the article include: get a second opinion, have an advocate with you (be it a friend, parent, spouse, etc), watch to see if the medical staff wash their hands every time they enter the room, ask what the hospital’s bloodstream infection rate is, go to specialist when possible, get procedures done by doctors with great reputations and years of experience and pay close attention to your discharge instructions.
I hope that we’re getting closer and closer to warm weather! The sun was out all weekend and it gave me hope for Spring to come!! One thing I’m very excited about this Spring that I’ve never done before is plant a garden! My roommates and I don’t have much garden space, but what we do have, we’ll try to harvest! For those of you who are also going to plant a garden, I put together some key things to remember when working in your yard to save your back from much pain!
Lifting and bending correctly
Most important: keep your back (especially your low back) in a neutral, stress-free position. There is a forward/ anterior curve to your low back and it is important to keep stress off your spine by maintaining a healthy “S” shape and hinging at your hips.
Begin by standing with “unlocked” or soft knees, bend at the hips until tension in the hamstrings (back of the thighs) is sensed, then if you need to bend further, bend at the knee
Keep elbows close to your core and shoulders depressed and back
Maintain a wide base of support to allow your power to come from your glutes and thighs. This will also reduce the chance of strain on your back.
Do your best to keep your knees parallel over your ankles.
Once you’re ready to lift your load, begin straightening your legs in a smooth, slow motion, keeping the object close to your body if possible
Keep your back neutral.
Put a load down by reversing the process (ensure your fingers are not trapped underneath!).
GardeningTips
When transporting objects, remember to hold them close to your body without excessively flexing, extending, or twisting your back.
Dig large areas in stages to give yourself time to rest.
Lift only as much soil, plants, and tools as you can comfortably hold (you don’t have to prove to your neighbor that you could win a strong-man competition).
Use tools that are ergonomically correct and put less stress on the wrists, back, and rest of the body
Using a wheelbarrow
Use a wheelbarrow when possible as you can displace much of the load
Try to put most of the weight over the wheels
Lift the handles using the technique described above
Always push the wheelbarrow… don’t pull if possible
Weeding, standing
Lean forward at the hips and maintain a neutral low back
Feel free to rest your elbow against your thigh to bring your center of gravity back a bit (which will make the isometric hold easier on your legs)
Keep your heels planted into the ground (pun intended) to stabilize as you reach and shift your weight in all directions.
Keep both knees and hips unlocked, and use your lower body’s movements to give momentum in upper body movements and pulls
Author : Katie Culver is our rehabilitation specialist here at Compass. She is responsible for helping our patient stabilize their spines and extremities in our to achieve long lasting results. Katie graduated from IU Bloomington with a degree in Athletic Training and brings her knowledge and skills to assist our patients.
This ivory-colored seed is a staple in many parts of South America. Not only is quinoa very high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein (meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids)! This is a unique food! Quinoa is additionally a very healthy food because of its amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair. In addition to protein, quinoa is a host of other health-building nutrients such as manganese, magnesium, iron, copperand phosphorus. Because of this healthy profile, this “grain” may be especially valuable for those of you with migraines(the high magnesium relaxes blood vessels, which prevents the constriction and dilation in the head), fatigue (the riboflavin/ Vitamin B2 allows for healthy energy production within cells), cardiovascular problems (Low levels of magnesium is linked to increased rates of hypertension, ischemic heart disease and heart arrhythmias), diabetes and atherosclerosis.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon coconut oil (Can be replaced with olive oil if you don’t have coconut oil)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed until water is no longer cloudy
1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Himalayan sea salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tablespoons of fresh lime juice
Directions
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans, cilantro, and lime.
Humor me and do a quick experiment… Sit up straight with good posture where you’re at. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Close your eyes for about 30 seconds and feel your pattern of breathing. (In this previous blog post, I explained how posture effects breathing). What do you notice? Is one hand moving more than the other indicating the muscles in your chest or in your belly doing most of the work? Or do your breaths resemble symmetrical and smooth ebbs and flows or rigid and quick bursts of movement?
Each day, the average person takes about 21,600 breaths totaling around 11,000 liters of air in a day! Of that 11,000 liters of air, is roughly 550 liters of pure oxygen taken in each day… just through breathing. That oxygen is essential for bodies’ functions and more specifically is delivered to all of your muscles to metabolize energy. In the same way that a strong enduring building needs a solid foundation to be built on, your body needs a strong foundation at the core for optimal and longstanding function. Correct breathing is a big part of that foundation and effects the stability of your body and limbs, your nervous system, heart, digestive system, muscles, sleep, energy levels, concentration and even your memory.
So back to my experiment… What did you notice about your breathing pattern? The most noticeable incorrect trend in our culture is “chest breathing.” This happens when you use muscles from your neck, chest, and intercostals (muscles in-between ribs) instead of using the muscles deep in your belly. Chest breathing is not ergonomic as it uses more muscle power than the deeper and more relaxed abdominal breathing. Additionally, when the chest muscles are used to breath, more breaths per minute are needed to receive the same amount of oxygen as with belly breathing. This deep abdominal breathing is much more functionally effective and is established when the abdomen expands forward, to both sides and also back towards the spine, 360°. For example, if you were wearing sweat pants with the elastic band around your true waist at the base of your ribs, you should be able to feel the elastic expand all the way around. Don’t be discouraged, though, if you don’t feel that when you first try; belly breathing surprisingly takes a bit of concentration and practice at first. If you want a visual of this skill, watch the youtube video below.
Efficient, functional, and natural breath occurs when you recruit your diaphragm, a parachute-shaped muscle that contracts upon inhalation. If you need to see a great example of correct breathing, your toddlers model it well! If you ask your kiddo to lay face up on the ground, you’ll see his little belly get big, expanding out with inhalation and compress back down with exhalation. Whether we’ve learned to chest breathing from trying to keep our stomachs flat and strong or if it’s simply a result of stress and anxiety, taking some time to relax, relearn the basics, and breath efficiently will add many years to your life.
