With Covid-19 changing daily routines and canceling all sports and activities for the last few months, many sports enthusiasts and athletes have been out of commission for far too long. As we gradually return to a “new” normal and implement our fitness routines, it is essential to ease back in to avoid injury. After a period of inactivity, your body needs to adapt and slowly increase activity as tolerated.

You may ask, “How do I go about this safely?” The answer is - make a plan.

Return to play:
Whatever your end goal - whether you are a collegiate athlete, a weekend warrior, an avid yoga goer, a once a week golfer or a high school track star - you have to start back at square one after being off your game for a few months.

Before you jump back in, start by creating a daily stretching plan, then slowly incorporate a strengthening workout to complete every other day. Core strengthening and cardio or aerobic exercise are also essential to do every day as you gradually increase your baseline activity.

If you were used to running 5 miles a day or squatting 250 pounds, do NOT start working out at that previous intensity. Instead, begin at HALF of your “normal” activity (in weight, distance, duration, intensity, etc.), and slowly increase as tolerated, provided you do not feel pain while doing it, that night, or the next day.

Recovery:
It is very common to be sore after returning to an activity that you have not done in a while. Soreness is okay and expected, but do not neglect persistent pain that continues for more than a few days. Sharp shooting pain felt during activity could be an overuse injury and a sign you tried to do too much too soon. LISTEN to your body. If your body is telling you that you need a rest day, take it. Your body will thank you later.

If you are feeling tightness in your muscles, applying heat to them before stretching will help warm up and loosen your muscles to allow for maximum mobility. If stretching and heat do not help feeling sore after exercise, try applying ice or taking anti-inflammatories.

Any training regimen, whether rebuilding or maintaining, is not complete without proper nutrition. If you are not fueling your body with a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, complex carbs, and lean protein, as well as maintaining good hydration before, during, and after exercise, you will not be able to reach your peak performance. When you ask your body to perform on an empty tank, it is harder for your body to train and recover, and most importantly, injuries can often occur.

Injury prevention:
Preventing injury is key to any training or participation in athletic activity. The last thing that you want is to sustain an injury, sidelining you or setting you back when trying to return to your sport. Your chances of avoiding injury are best if you can develop and stick to your training plan. Gradually increase activity intensity, incorporate strength, conditioning, and core workouts, stretch before and after exercise, maintain a healthy diet and hydration, get a good night’s sleep and always listen to your body.

Dr. Lisa Daye and her Sports Medicine Orthopedics team are here for you. Whether you need to get your training back on track, avoid injury, or are injured and need treatment, Dr. Daye and her team can work with you to develop a plan that’s right for you.

Call 716.500.BONE(2663) for more information or to schedule an appointment.

It has been a very challenging few months. Due to COVID-19, many women had to delay their annual exams and screenings such as PAP smears and mammograms. 

The primary purpose of the annual exam and screening is to catch a disease as early as possible and address it in a timely fashion. While waiting for a month or two is not usually a problem, delaying your healthcare visit for a more extended period could be a problem. 

Even more pressing issues like seeing a doctor for a problem or renewing medications have been delayed because of the COVID-19 crisis. As you probably know, the Coronavirus pandemic forced us to stop all non-urgent surgeries in NY State and nationwide. Even though we restarted performing same-day procedures recently, the majority of elective surgeries are still on hold.

What are elective surgeries? Elective surgeries are planned operations that are scheduled weeks or months in advance. Delaying surgical treatment is negatively impacting patients by prolonging symptoms, decreasing quality of life, and sometimes could make surgery more difficult.

At General Physician PC, your safety and well-being are our primary priorities. We don't want you to delay your care. Rest assured that at all our offices, we have implemented robust procedures to ensure a safe and clean environment. We have changed our routine significantly by incorporating an initial screening upon entrance to the office, eliminating the need to wait in the waiting area, utilizing extreme sanitary measures to clean exam rooms as well as full mask regimen. All these changes are necessary to ensure patient safety in our offices. 

We understand, however, that some people may still be concerned about coming to the office. We now offer telemedicine visits so you can talk to your doctor via phone or video. This type of appointment is an excellent way to discuss your concerns with your doctor, renew or change medication, follow up on chronic issues, and get all of your questions answered. If the problem is more challenging and requires a physical examination, we would recommend you schedule an in-person visit with your doctor.

We are happy to see a definitive decline in the number of COVID-19 cases in NY State. With these positive changes, it is an excellent time to start thinking about your routine health again and take care of yourself.

For more information or to make an appointment with Dr. Kirakosyan please call 716-656-4077.

Armen Kirakosyan, MD, FACOG, FPMRS, FACS 
https://www.gppconline.com/armen-kirakosyan-md
Women's Health, Urogynecology 
https://www.gppconline.com/specialties/medical-specialties/urogynecology