Medical Supplies Blog

Because so much of your weight rests upon your ankles, an ankle injury, such as an ankle sprain, can be tough to make a full recovery from. As someone who has to deal with weak ankles and has been plagued by ankle injuries for years, I understand the difficulty associated with getting back on your feet again after a sprain, strain, or break.

The BAPS Board (Biomechanical Ankle Platform System) introduces a safe, effective, and fully adjustable way to do ankle exercises during the recovery process. You can enjoy controlled, calibrated, and predictable stress on your lower leg, foot, and ankle to help strengthen the joint and speed up recovery. Five different hemispherical attachments allow the user to increase or decrease the range of motion while the included weights create different levels of resistance.

This product is great for Physical Therapists - the BAPS Board can be kept in the office to be used by patients with sprained ankles, strains, and trauma from overuse as well as patients in post-operative and post-immobilization situations. Coaches, personal trainers, and athletes will find the BAPS Board to be a useful tool for screening, training, conditioning, and preventing injuries.

All in all, the BAPS Board is great tool for recovery from and prevention of lower extremity injuries. For more information on the BAPS Board, visit http://www.activeforever.com

Madonna uses it to stay in incredible shape well into middle age. Shaquille O’Neal used it to recover from surgery for the 2002-2003 NBA season. The NFC Champion New York Giants use it to keep their players out of the training room and on the field. Finally, in a recent independent research study, it helped senior citizens in a retirement home regain lost balance and mobility after only 6 weeks of use.

The Power Plate is an incredible machine that offers a variety of benefits for users from all walks of life by using Acceleration Training and Whole Body Vibration. Athletes enjoy the ability to get an effective strength training workout without the need for heavy weights in a fraction of the usual time. The Power Plate also helps them to heal from muscle and tendon injuries faster by improving blood pressure and helping oxygen to reach inflamed areas.

Elderly patients and caregivers have enjoyed the Power Plate’s ability to give them greater mobility, better blood pressure, improved balance, and increased bone density while personal trainers and those looking to get in shape enjoy the way the power plate helps them to lose fat and cellulite. When used in conjunction with treatments such as Far Infrared Heat Therapy, whole body vibration can be even more effective for improving the patient’s way of life.

For more information on the technology behind the Power Plate and the health benefits of whole body vibration, click the link here: Power Plate and Whole Body Vibration Information

The Power Plate is available in 4 versions depending on your preferences and whether the machine will be for personal or commercial use. Visit http://www.activeforever.com for more information on each version of the Power Plate.

When the average athlete, such as myself, first looks at a Pilates workout, they usually think, “That’s not a workout, it’s just stretching.” Then they try it… and find out that it really is a great workout!

Often thought of as a boutique form of exercise for the wealthy, Pilates is quickly becoming one of the most popular forms of exercise and stress relief amongst all age groups and fitness levels regardless of income. Many celebrities, ranging from young actresses to middle-aged rock stars attribute their health and enviable bodies to Pilates workouts. Unfortunately, the costs of Pilates instruction can be expensive. Between the equipment, studio rental, and the instructors expensive education, the cost of Pilates classes still discourages many from trying it or continuing a program.

Now there is an afforable solution that enables anyone to enjoy the health benefits of a Pilates program: the PilatesStick. Developed by physiologist and personal trainer Charles Blount, the Pilates Stick offers users the ability to perform Pilates workouts in a studio or at home. The high quality covered elastic tubing protects your skin from being pinched while the comfortable foot straps keep your feet secured, allowing you get the most from your Pilates workout. The PilatesStick is easily attached to other pieces of workout equipment or can be shut in a door with the foam door anchors. It includes an instructional DVD to get you started as well as a workout mat and carrying case.

If you are looking to keep your New Year’s resolution to get fit, need a healthy way to unwind from a stressful day, or are simply looking for a low impact exercise for fitness or rehabilitation, we recommend the PilatesStick for all of your fitness needs. For more information on this device, please visit: http://www.activeforever.com.

When most people hear the word “sauna”, they think of a miserably hot room where people sit and sweat in silence. No entertainment of any sorts, just a small room kept at a suffocating temperature full of stale air. Despite this lack of comfort and amenities, saunas are widely used due to the health benefits of sweating out toxins.

Thanks to the Far Infrared Home Sauna, sauna therapy has becomes more comfortable and much more cost effective to have in your home. Using roughly the same amount of power as a high dryer, the Far Infrared Home Sauna heats your body without heating the air around it by using far infrared heat technology. The infrared rays penetrate deep into the soft tissue of your body, heating and loosening tight muscles and providing warm relief to sore joints. As explained in the article “Far Infrared Heat Therapy - The Latest Innovation in Pain Relief, Blood Circulation and Healing” and an earlier blog that we posted (click here to view our far infrared heat therapy blog), infrared heat therapy offers users a variety of health benefits including reduction of cellulite, restoring elasticity to skin, removing toxins from your body, and increasing blood circulation.

Far infrared heat therapy is available in a variety of applications, but I have found the far infrared sauna to be the most enjoyable. Besides the adjustable heat levels and timer, the far infrared home sauna includes an AM/FM Stereo CD Player and an integrated reading light. With the use of an FM transmitter you can even get your iPod to play through the sauna’s stereo system! Whether you suffer from arthritis, are sore from work or a tough workout, need a way to relieve stress and tension, or deal with back pain from an old injury like me, nothing compares to the effectiveness of spending time in a far infrared sauna.

If you suffer from low back pain, you know how miserable it can be to sit in an office chair for long periods of time or take long car trips. Typically lower back problems are caused by bad posture, and while there are a variety of products available to deal with the symptoms of back pain, the key to getting rid of back pain is to treat the source of it.

The Sacro Wedgy is a great product for dealing with low back pain, sciatica, hip pain, knee pain, and other conditions. More than just a product with a funny name, the Sacro Wedgy is designed to be placed under the sacrum, which is the large triangular bone at the base of your spine and upper part of your pelvic cavity, directly between your two hip bones. The design is based on an old osteopathic technique of placing a hand under the sacrum which elevates the bone and allows your hips to relax on either side. The Sacro Wedgy holds your hips in place, giving them the ability to drop, relax, and release. When combined with a firm neck support, such as the Dr. Riter’s REAL-EaSE Neck and Shoulder Relaxer, the Sacro Wedgy creates what therapists refer to as “natural traction”.

Because the sacrum is shaped differently on men and women, the Sacro Wedgy is available in two models. Keep in mind that this is not an immediate solution for bad posture or back pain. The Sacro Wedgy must be used consistently for you to begin to see results and for your muscles to balance themselves properly.

Since so many people suffer from back pain, the Sacro Wedgy makes a great gift. So give your friends and loved ones a “wedgy” and help them say good-bye to back pain! And don’t forget the Neck and Shoulder Relaxer!

So far my weight loss plan for the early New Year has been a success. The Perfect Pushup has worked great: I feel my arms and chest getting toned and my strength increasing. I never knew pushups could actually be fun! I even bought the Perfect Pushup Travel Edition for when I travel this holiday season and throughout the year. It collapses down to be much smaller than the standard version, includes a travel bag, and comes with an instructional workout book. The Perfect Pushup Travel fits great in my suitcase and should make a great gift this season as well.

Unfortunately, my busy schedule doesn’t always allow me the time that I need to get the workout I want. So I started doing research and discovered a device called a Pedometer. A pedometer counts the number of steps you take. However, simply counting your steps is not the key to weight loss. Tracking the total number of steps should be a way to improve one’s overall step count. An average person takes 3,000 - 5,000 steps each day. Japanese scientists who researched pedometers and the science behind their use came up with a goal of 10,000 steps taken each day for a healthy lifestyle, or as it is commonly referred to, “10k steps per day”.

So far I have quite a ways to go to get to the ten thousand step mark, but I have found it easy to make the necessary changes to increase my total number of steps. When I go to the mall to shop this Christmas season, I’ll be sure to park farther away (like I have a choice) and take a few extra laps around the shopping center. The same goes for when I go to the store. I also intend to walk to shorter destinations that I would normally drive to and take my dog for more frequent walks (I’m sure he will appreciate that).

The model I chose was the Omron Digital Premium Pedometer Model HJ-112. Unlike most others, it counts both walking steps and aerobic (or jogging) steps. It also calculates the distance that I have walked and how many calories I have burned. The HJ-112 is easy to set up and, best of all, does not have to be worn on my wrist. It can be kept in my pocket, in a backpack, or on my belt with the included clip. I typically keep it on my belt, but it is so lightweight and compact that I hardly even notice that it is there.

Anyways, I am well on my way to my fitness goals with the help of the Omron Digital Premium Pedometer Model HJ-112. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. To learn more about Pedometers, check out the article titled “Counting The Steps To Physical Fitness - Pedometers Encourage Healthy Lifestyles Through Walking”. Happy holidays!

This year I decided to get ahead of the game as far as New Year’s resolutions. Like 80 percent of Americans, I made the resolution to get fit, get in better shape, tone my muscles, and lose some weight. However, unlike everyone else, I decided to start mine the day after Thanksgiving. With all of the inexpensive yet highly effective exercise equipment at my disposal, I figured there was no reason to wait any longer.

The first purchase I made was the Perfect Push Up. Push ups are one of the oldest and most widely used forms of exercise, but when you weigh 235 pounds, they can be rough on your wrists. The rotating motion of the Perfect Push Up takes the strain off of my wrists and joints while the extra height of the handles allows me to go lower into each rep. I can feel the “workout burn” in my arms, chest, shoulders, and back when I use them and I can hardly wait to see what a difference this will make in my physique after a few weeks.

I have always been one to spend a lot of time working my upper body to build and tone muscle. Big arms, broad shoulders, and a toned chest… every guy wants them and every girl wants their guy to have them. That was the main reason I decided to buy the Perfect Push Up, but I decided that I also need to work my abs and lower body. For that reason, I bought the Fitball Exercise Ball with Pump. This is a seemingly simple product but there are an endless number of gym ball exercises that you can do. They work everything from your abs to your legs, and even your upper body. The seated wall roll was especially tough - I can still feel it in my legs this morning!

Those are the only two products I have purchased so far, but I am well on my way to getting in shape for the New Year. My next purchase will probably be the PilatesStick Portable Body Sculpting System. Pilates is a low-impact form of exercise used by professional athletes and celebrities to stay toned, fit, and flexible - honestly, who wouldn’t want to look like a baseball player or a movie star?

You can read more about all of these and other products in the article titled “Lose Weight and Get in Shape - Home Fitness Equipment Suggestions that Challenge the Everyday Myths”. Happy New Year, and good luck!