While these responses are important for keeping you alive, they’re not always helpful for working out, since they can affect how easily you move and make you more prone to injury. Cold weather can also stress your cardiovascular system.

Nnaemeka Echebiri, MD, physiatrist at HSS, spoke with The New York Times about how winter temperatures can affect your workout.  

Dr. Echebiri said cold exposure can impair your balance since stiff muscles can lead to unsteady ankles and knees. This may make you more likely to slip and fall, especially on icy or uneven surfaces.

He also stressed the importance of drinking fluids before, during and after a cold-weather workout, even if you’re not thirsty.

Read the full article at nytimes.com. 

When shopping for a big and tall office chair, Nnaemeka Echebiri, MD, physiatrist at HSS, emphasized the importance of adjustability.“‘Big and tall’ encompasses a wide variety of individual body types, so being able to customize a chair to the individual provides the most benefit,” he said. “The seat should be high enough so that the person can sit comfortably with their knees at a 90-degree angle. Cushioning is also important, as the chair material should be able to accommodate the weight of the individual without sustaining wear too quickly.”

Read the full article at forbes.com. 

Nnaemeka Echebiri, MD, physiatrist at HSS shares the importance of rest and refueling for first-time marathon runners following race completion.

Watch at abc7ny.com. 

This kind of poor posture can lead to consequences like back pain, neck pain and even an acquired round-shouldered posture known as a dowager’s hump, said Nnaemeka Echebiri, MD, physiatrist at HSS. 

A dowager’s hump (or hunchback, clinically known as kyphosis) is a curvature at the bottom of the neck that creates a sort of slouching posture. “It’s often due to poor posture over time,” explained Dr. Echebiri.

First, if you do work a desk job, it’s important to have an ergonomic setup, said Dr. Echebiri.

“There are a lot of ways that you can do this, but adjusting your screen height can be really important so that you’re not looking down at your screen or keyboard too often,” he said.

Read the full article at huffpost.com. 

So much depends on five bones in your lower back. These five vertebrae (in rare instances, actually six) are the bulwarks of your spinal column. Housing the lower part of the spinal cord, they provide the majority of support for your entire back, allowing you to twist, turn, bend, and rotate so you can move however you need to every day.

Known as the lumbar vertebrae, or “lumbar spine” (from L1 to L5 on your spinal column), they are located below the 12 chest (thoracic) vertebrae and above the five fused bones composing your triangular sacrum bone.

The lower you go down the spinal column, the bigger the vertebra, with the lumbar vertebrae the biggest in the entire spine—for good reason, noted Dr. Echebiri.  “The lumbar spine has the biggest vertebra because it supports the rest of the spine and everything above it.”

Its second major function, mobility, is just as important, Dr. Echebiri explained. “The lumbar spine has to stabilize the entire spine through all of its motions,” he said. “When you’re flexing and extending, leaning forward or bending at the waist, bending side to side, twisting, or pushing against or pulling things, your lumbar spine has a central part in it. Your lumbar spine is involved in all of those ranges of motion that you exercise daily.”

Read the full article at healthcentral.com. 

Unlike “tech neck,” a common term for repetitive strain caused by looking down at phones and tablets, back pain caused by hunching over a computer can afflict the neck, shoulders and entire back, said Dr. Echebiri. 

Backaches happen for a host of reasons and are best evaluated by your doctor, Dr. Echebiri said. 

To help prevent pain and keep your back strong, Dr. Echebiri recommends yoga, the elliptical machine, walking and swimming. 

Dr. Echebiri also encourages you to re-think your binge watch position and suggests positions that are better for your back and neck. He recommends sitting upright in bed, putting a pillow vertically behind your back, and placing the laptop on a breakfast tray or a stand. “I know it’s not as relaxing as reclining and watching TV,” he said, “but it’s definitely going to be better for your back and neck.”

Read the full article at nytimes.com.