Piriformis Syndrome Advice and Treatments

Piriformis Syndrome Advice and Treatments:

Interesting and appalling video.

Quick conclusion:
Sciatica may well be caused by piriformas syndrome, not spinal issues.
But, instead of costly/dangerous MRI/surgery, classic stretches and muscle balancing exercises may be the best starting point.

Most Innovative Companies

Fast Company Blog

Even in these tough times, surprising and extraordinary efforts are under way in businesses across the globe. From politics to technology, energy, and transportation; from marketing to retail, health care, and design, each company on the following pages illustrates the power and potential of innovative ideas and creative execution.

cooper vo2 max estimate

Flexible Calculations

Page allows variation in age, gender, units of measure and provides estimates of Mets & VO2 Max and provides population averages, a score and a rating.

It does not explain 'population averages'; they may well be averages from Coopers studies, which clearly are not representative of the U.S. population.

Inkscape. Draw Freely.

Inkscape. Draw Freely.

About Inkscape

An Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.

Inkscape supports many advanced SVG features (markers, clones, alpha blending, etc.) and great care is taken in designing a streamlined interface. It is very easy to edit nodes, perform complex path operations, trace bitmaps and much more. We also aim to maintain a thriving user and developer community by using open, community-oriented development.

http://www.bestinclass.dk/index.php/2010/01/global-warming/

http://www.bestinclass.dk/index.php/2010/01/global-warming/

As a Danish Citizen I feel its mandatory to engage in this debate. Denmark recently hosted a major conference to facilitate solutions to the climate threats of this the 21.th century. The result as you all probably know what unfortunately a huge failure, so tons of CO2 was needlessly emitted by flying in all the foreign officials, security motorcades etc etc.

I plan on getting a better result. I’ve learned that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have published about 3 Gigabytes of tarballed weather data, going back as far as 1929. My mission is now to organize and parse that data, to see exactly what the effect of our recent boom in CO2 emission is doing to the environment. From the total effect I’ll be able to approximate Clojures contribution to the Global Warming.

Why should I read this post?

Well if you should read it, it’s because one of more of the following applies:

• I care about Global Warming
• I love heavy computational parallelized Clojure
• I want to know how to stream Tarballs and GZips

The post continues with clojure code for fetching the data.

Polar RS800sd : No HR Signal

Erratic Or No Heart Rate Signal Using The Wearlink Transmitter?

We would recommend washing the electrode belt regularly in the washing machine to avoid any corrosion building up inside the belt and snaps. It is also very important to disconnect both sides of the belt from the transmitter when not in use. Following regular maintenance will ensure a long lasting electrode belt.

If you are having a problem registering heart rate the first thing you should do is check the electrode belt for any corrosion in or around the snaps on the belt. If you have not been washing the transmitter regularly now would be a good time to start. Chances are you will see some type of corrosion that hopefully a good wash will eliminate. Make sure you do not use a machine dryer and never put the connector in the washing machine or dryer.

If this does not solve your issue, you may need to replace the battery in the transmitter. The Wearlink transmitter is the first Polar transmitter designed to have a user replaceable battery. The battery used in the Wearlink transmitter is a CR2025. Using a coin, open the battery cover by turning it counter clockwise to open. Insert the battery inside the cover with the + side against the cover. Make sure the sealing ring is in the groove to ensure water resistance. Press the cover back into the connector and turn the cover to close.

If you are still having the same problem, it may be time for a new electrode belt. Electrode belts are available online at www.shoppolar.com.

This device has been in a box for a year or so. I got interested in the Garmin HR Monitor & did not bother to figure out what was wrong. But, the time has come. Looks like:

1. wash belt  :: washed carefully and then added salt to make sure connection was excellent. No help.
   
2. replace battery
3. replace belt

Medical Experments You Can Do At Home

Man vs. Food | Outside Online

Conclusion:

What I can provide, though, after 12 months alone in the diet-industry wilderness, is a strategy for finding what does work for you—my own take on what is commonly referred to as an elimination diet. You'll have to keep a diary of everything you eat and how it makes you feel, but it won't take a full year—more like two months.

The first two weeks will be the hardest. Eliminate prepared foods, coffee, dairy, nightshades, wheat, soy, alcohol, corn, eggs, processed grains, processed anything else, added sugar, and all but the most organic, free-range, grass-fed of meats. Relax; this leaves you with a lot of options. You'll find most of them in the produce section. Mix in the occasional serving of fish, turkey, or buffalo, drink herbal tea, discover spelt bread, and learn to cook quinoa. You'll get through.

After that, start methodically experimenting, one at a time, with foods you eliminated and see what happens over the next 72 hours. Did that omelet make you feel nauseated? Any skin issues after tomatoes? Did meat make you feel better? You see where this is going. After two months, you'll have a functioning idea of foods that work for you and ones that work against you. If you can, see your doctor and ask for blood tests at the beginning and end of your two months.

To reach that conclusion John Bradley tried each of 8 diets for 4 weeks in a one year period. Take the time to view the detailed version of the chart outlining his results. I think its a nice example of a graphic presentation -- pretty with a lot to say.

One nice thing: Bradley is healthy by most measures. I like studies that look at healthy people rather than diseased populations (like the broad U.S. population) for guidance.

There is a meta-message here: we need to experiment on ourselves. Unfortunately, most of us have health plans that make this kind of analysis hard or impossible.

Sciatica

http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/exercise/exercise-sciatica-degenerative-disc-disease

Pacific Crest Trail

No topo, but impressive.

Pacific Crest Trail

Interactive elevation maps
http://www.bearcant.org/elevation.php

Our Vehicles | ECORENT

Bike rental in Tuscany

Sample self guided tour

Our Vehicles | ECORENT

Blood Pressure Chart - Normal Blood Pressure Range

Interesting use of graphics, ranges, context specific (i.e. evening BP) readings, etc.

Blood Pressure Chart - Normal Blood Pressure Range: "Systolic vs. Diastolic Blood Pressure Range - Units = millimeters of mercury"

Phys Ed: Can Running Actually Help Your Knees? - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

These studies partially explain my experience with knee pain. I think they underestimate the value of increased flexibility in the hips and ankles. I also suspect that regular modest stress brings more blood flow to the joint facilitating regeneration. Finally, I suspect anti-inflammatory help slow down degeneration because the degeneration is caused by the inflamation itself -- at least partially.

Phys Ed: Can Running Actually Help Your Knees? - Well Blog - NYTimes.com: "An article in Skeletal Radiology, a well-respected journal, created something of a sensation in Europe last year. It reported that researchers from Danube Hospital in Austria examined the knees of marathon runners using M.R.I. imaging, before and after the 1997 Vienna marathon. Ten years later, they scanned the same runners’ knees again. The results were striking. “No major new internal damage in the knee joints of marathon runners was found after a 10-year interval,” the researchers reported."

Processing 1.0

Thanks to Ugo Sangiorgi's twitter feed for this...

Processing 1.0: "Download

Processing is an open source programming language and environment for people who want to program images, animation, and interactions. It is used by students, artists, designers, researchers, and hobbyists for learning, prototyping, and production. It is created to teach fundamentals of computer programming within a visual context and to serve as a software sketchbook and professional production tool. Processing is an alternative to proprietary software tools in the same domain."

The site lists books, material on building from MIT, etc.

Progress in 6 months

Last January 24 I posted:
This week:: 90 minutes @4.0 mph with 1500 ft., elevation gain. HR=151.


I suspect I did not go quite that fast, because until today I've never done that well. Today, however, was a piece of cake:
This week:: 90 minutes @4.1 mph with 1650 ft., elevation gain. HR=140.

A year ago I'd frequently plan on a 4 mph x 1000 ft/hr pace, but I never quite felt like it. Today was easy & its not been a good week for sleep, relaxation, etc.

July 2, 2006 Hotlum-Wintum (Mt. Shasta, CA)

Looks like a nice route for a late spring ski/board trip. Where are the kites?

July 2, 2006 Hotlum-Wintum (Mt. Shasta, CA): "July 2, 2006 Hotlum-Wintum (Mt. Shasta, CA)
« on: 07/05/06, 09:14 PM »
Self-registration is possible at Brewer Creek trailhead (20 miles from Hwy 97), so no need to visit Shasta City or McCloud. Nice camp at 10200', just don't turn over any rocks. Up at sunrise, off an hour later, leisurely non-technical hike to the summit without crampons or skins. 7000' of skiing to within 100yds of the car (1/2 mile from the trailhead.) Slightly sticky corn conditions like Adams SW chutes sounded, with smaller crowds, longer drive (545miles each way.) Much smoother and more consistent snow than Rainier sounded."

Norm values for VO2max

V02Max is often estimated with the Balke Test.
Talk about making things too complicted! Since the real value is almost never available, why not just publish values for distance in a 15 minute test -- with separate tests for runners, swimmers, etc.?

In other words, for most people, its not VO2Max that is important, it is the useful work they can perform -- i.e. distance they can cover.

More interesting, would be a measurement of how fast they recover. A good result with a slow recovery may indicate poor health and strong motivation while a more modest result with a rapid recovery may indicate excellent health and poor motivation.
Norm values for VO2max: "This table categorizes VO2max scores for adult men and women of various ages. These are relative VO2max scores, in the units of mls of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute."

For my money, Cooper's tests make more sense for most people, although a serious understanding of VO2Max and lactate threshold certainly benefit a serious athlete.

No Orcas: Watch out Sun Mountian

Did not get into Oracas. Probably a good thing. But, I'm getting ready for the Sun Mountian 50/25 k on April 11th which will give me much more training time.

This weeks hardest workout was a significant step up -- but I can't make such a big step often -- probably not until after Sun Mountain.

As a bonus, I'll get to see Elsa, Emmet, Cory, Ann, Seth, Jerry and Molly!

Last week:: 60 minutes @ 3.3 mph with 1,000 ft. elevation gain. HR = 151.

This week:: 90 minutes @4.0 mph with 1500 ft., elevation gain. HR=151.

50 % longer; 50 % higher; 80 % more distance.

However, I'm tired. It will take a few days to recover.

That result was a good example of the combination of improved sleep and improved feeding. The latter is only possible when one gets the muscles really tired and then gives them 20 % protein and 80 % carbs -- in a hurry.

I still have a major way to improve diet :: use of R4 as a replacement drink after workouts and diluted by 50 % during workouts -- especially for anything over 45 minutes.

Ready for Orcas 25K on 7 Feb?

No.

I may not be able to get in to the Orcas 25k, but if I do, it will be a real stretch -- its 14 miles and 3500 feet of elevation. I've had little exercise for a month [Nasty cold.] and I was not in great shape anyway.

Here is the plan:

• 8 level 2-3 classes before the race.
• 4 1 hr treadmill workout/tests: pace 3.3 mph; elevation gain 1,000 ft.
• 4 runs in hills 5-8 miles each.
• 3 hikes averaging 5 hours each.
• cut back the plan if the average HR for the treadmill test is above 155.
• place lots of emphasis on feeding; I can't change my fitness much in 3 weeks, but I can get the feeding down and have a good idea about pace.

Results so far:

1. Treadmill test with HR=151; that includes: 5 minute warm up 3 mph @ 5 % incline; one 5 minute break walking on the level at only 3 mph; and one 8 minute cool down walking at 3 mph. 3.3 mph @ 1,000 ft/hr does the 3,500 ft of climbing in 3.5 hours with 2.45 miles to go. So if I can maintain that pace for 4 hours, I'll have a time between 4 and 4.5 hours. I won't be the last at that rate, but I won't be close to the top half. A HR of 151 is about a 70% effort for me; there is some chance I can maintain it.
   

heart rate recovery time

One study reported in the NEJM is based on the drop in HR from max exercise during a 1 minute recovery.
Recovery is 1.5 mph on a treadmill at 2.5 %.
Exercise was using the 'bruce' protocol.
The study found a relative risk of
6 for a recovery of 5 bpm
3 12
2 17
1 22
Risk is chance of dying within 5 years from a cardiac event. Bruce protocol used for stress.
Stage 1 is 1.7 mph at 10% grade (5 METs).
Stage 2 is 2.5 mph at 12% grade (7 METs).
Stage 3 is 3.4 mph at 14% grade (9 METs).
It goes higher, but most gym treadmills can't handle more grade.
Since the goal of the recovery test is to measure recovery, getting to max quickly can be achieved by speeding up the treadmill, as well as more grade.

It estimates vo2 max with VO2max = 14.8 - (1.379 x T) + (0.451 x T2) - (0.012 x T3). What are T, T2, T3?

Michael Lauer, author of the study explained it all in lay terms in 1999.

Its unfortunate that there are not studies for sub-maximal testing.

classic test #2 -- big improvement

Today's results
5 m each lap ::
3 mph 5% grade
3.5 mph 5% grade
3 mph 5% grade
4 mph 5% grade
3 mph 5% grade
4.5 mph 5% grade
5 mph 5% grade
5mph 0% grade
[In last segment pulse stabilized at ~154 (not ~170 like two weeks ago) -- today I continued...]
4 (perhaps 4.5) mph @ 5% grade
4 (perhaps 4.5) mph @ 5% grade -- yes, two laps 10 min total
3 mph 5% grade
6 mph @ 0% grade -- pulse in high 160s
1 minute only & pulse pulled up t 175
forgot exact next sequence, probably 3 mph at 5% pulse dropped below 120 quite quickly

Note that during the intervening two weeks, I had no hard exercise and little of any kind as work was very difficult and sleep hard to find.


~2 weeks ago
am weight: 193
% fat: 24.5

5 pm test/workout
5 m each lap ::
3 mph 5% grade
3.5 mph 5% grade
3 mph 5% grade
4 mph 5% grade
3 mph 5% grade
4.5 mph 5% grade
5 mph 5% grade
5mph 0% grade
In last segment pulse stablized at ~170