Salt. The familiar taste trickles down your rough, cracked lips in small beads of sweat from your upper lip. With each new strike of the foot, small dust clouds rise up from the dry dirt. Your muscles feel weak, your body tired, and the pounding of your head seems to pulse in sync with the rhythm of your stride. Through squinting, heavy eyes, you can see the sun high in the sky, unremitting and fiercely beating down. It’s high time to hydrate.

Dehydration is a major concern for runners and athletes. Dehydration occurs in athletes or those participating physical activity because the body is losing fluid at a much higher rate—mostly due to sweating and high temperatures—without replacing it. So for all of you Ragnar relay-ers running the upcoming Wasatch Back (and marathoners, triathletes, hikers, cyclists, and other endurance enthusiasts) listen up and learn how to hydrate!

Prevent Dehydration While Running

• Before the Run - The week leading up to the race, you must make an effort to keep your body well-hydrated. Even if you consume ample water during and after the event, you didn’t go into the relay in the best condition. This can negatively affect performance, not to mention cause you to develop a heat-related illness. If you neglect hydration in the days before the event, you and your body will pay for it later whether it’s in the form of sore muscles or cramps, headache, heatstroke, or something more serious.

• During the Run - This can be a bit trickier. This is often a process of trial and error and getting to know your body—many experts recommend drinking to thirst to prevent underhydrating and overhydrating. How fast and how long you run can help determine how much water to drink while running. In one of our previous posts, we discussed how much to drink while running. It goes a little something like this: For every 20 minutes that you run, try to drink between 5 and 12 ounces of fluid. Consider a sports drink to replace salt and electrolytes, and know that there will be water stops along the course at our MountainStar first aid stations.

• After the Run – Consuming fluid in between legs of the race and after the event is equally as important. A good rule of thumb is to drink until your urine is a light yellow color. If your urine is still dark yellow after you run, keep hydrating.

By knowing the signs of dehydration and dispelling some of the myths, you can keep on keeping on!

How to Avoid Running Cramps

Ever been in a groove while running? Early morning air, sun rising over the mountain, and you just think: Life’s good. That is until the sharp pain runs through your body. The cramps begin—how frustrating!

Did you know that as many as 39 percent of distance runners may experience a cramp in their calves, hamstrings, hips or quadriceps while running? For most runners, preventing cramps is top priority. Here’s a list of five tips from the experts at St. Mark’s Hospital to help you avoid cramps while running:

1.  Drink up!
One reason cramping happens is the loss of fluids in your muscles.

• Water is the best way to hydrate your body. However, if your workout is running like a Ragnar Relay Race, you should consider a sports drink to replace salt and electrolytes.
• Try this: For every 20 minutes that you run, try to drink between 5 and 12 ounces of fluid. Also, 4 to 8 ounces before you run and when you finish.
• Just remember, the more you hydrate your body, the less likely you’ll get those dreaded running cramps.

2.  Stretch your muscles.

• The muscles most likely to cramp are those that contract. Stretch your calves, hamstrings, quads, and hips.

3.  Choose the right time of day to run—avoid heat and humidity.

• The hotter it is the quicker your body will burn through fluids—and as we mentioned above, hydration is key to decrease the risk of cramping.

4.  Proper running shoes will only help.

• Shoes that aren’t fitted right can cause major problems. Wrong shoes can create unneeded stress on your muscles and tendons. That stress can increase cramping while you run.

5.  Your diet can make a difference!

• Soda, especially those with caffeine, can dehydrate your muscles.
• Bananas are good! They help to prevent cramping.
• Refrain from eating within 4 or 5 hours before a run.
• Eat plenty of carbohydrates the night before.

So, the next time you get out for your run, keep in mind that only YOU can prevent cramps!

Ragnar’s Wasatch Back is an intense relay with many crazy ups and down—and we’re not just talking about Guardsman Pass, or trying to sleep in a van full of other sweaty runners.

We’re talking about the ups and downs of that annoying tag in the back of your shirt, or the front of your shirt…rubbing your nipples raw (yes, we just said nipples). It could also be your shirt, sports bra or worse, your own thighs.

That’s right, this blog is about chafing, and it’s no laughing matter (even though it’s ok to giggle a little). The Office used chafing to a very funny effect in an episode (which you can see here).

Chafing happens when an area of your skin is rubbed over and over again, either by another piece of skin or by a piece of clothing. The irritation is increased when you get sweat in the area. This common problem affects some runners more than others and can affect men and women in different areas of the body.

So how can you protect your skin from chafing so you can enjoy this race of a lifetime? Our Salt Lake City hospital has got some tips.

• Appropriate clothing
  • Do: Wear snug fitting (not too tight or too loose) clothing that wicks moisture from the body. Cover areas of the body that do rub so that there isn’t contact with spandex or the like.
  • Don’t: Wear bras with seams, clothing with tags or wear cotton.
  • Bonus tip: Bring an extra set of clothing in the van so you don’t have to run that last leg in damp shorts, which will increase your risk of chafing.

• Use Topical Barrier Products
  • Bodyglide® products, or Petroleum Jelly – These provide a barrier so your skin doesn’t rub, but you may need to reapply frequently. Places to apply: thighs, nipples (men), bra line (women), and between the butt cheeks (so we’ve heard).
  • NipGuards® or Band-Aids over nipples for men.

• Stay Hydrated
  • Staying hydrated before, during and after running long distances is a good idea anyway, but if you get dehydrated your sweat will dry into small, gritty crystals that increase skin irritation and chafing.

While chafing isn’t a serious condition it certainly can be painful. If you do get chaffed (or have another medical problem during Wasatch Back) visit us at one of our MountainStar first aid stations for help.

The RAGNAR Wasatch Back Relay race is scheduled for June 20 – 22, 2013.

RAGNAR features a crazy 12-person team (or sometimes an even crazier 6-person team) completing a combined run of almost 200 miles along the backside of the Wasatch mountain range – from Logan to Park City!

Teams run all day and through the night pushing themselves to their physical limits—and they say it’s fun! And it is! Teams are well-known for their wacky names, wackier costumes and even wackier van decorations, which you can see here.

RAGNAR Relays is a nationwide race franchise started right here in Utah by Kaysville residents, Dan Hill and Tanner Bell. Their first race was the Wasatch Back, but now they run 14 different overnight relay races around the country.

In 2012, the Wasatch Back saw more than 13,500 runners (and just about as many spectators).  That’s a lot of athletes, and a lot of potential injuries. That’s why St. Mark’s Hospital, a proud member of MountainStar Healthcare, is there to help.

MountainStar Healthcare is proud to sponsor this event for the third year in a row by providing sponsorship, nurses and volunteers at various relay stations throughout the 200-mile course. We stock first aid stations for onsite treatment and help EMS services with more serious injuries requiring transport to one of our local MountainStar hospitals for treatment.

From blisters to cuts and scrapes to more serious injuries like dehydration that can come from running in long distances, we are prepared with medical professionals and supplies on hand to provide assistance to all the participating runners.

On behalf of our Salt Lake City hospital and MountainStar Healthcare—Happy running! See you there!

But when heart disease strikes, you need your treatment to be just right. Your life is at stake, so it’s vitally important to know the right way and the right person to fix it. When it comes to heart disease, coronary artery bypass is one of the best ways to fix what’s happening in your body and help you reclaim your life.

So, what is a coronary artery bypass? It may sound complicated and a bit scary, but with highly-trained doctors at the helm, it’s actually an effective and safe treatment of heart disease.

The heart needs plenty of oxygen — a task facilitated by the coronary arteries. Unfortunately, the plaque buildup that can occur in those arteries as a result of coronary artery disease prevents the right amount of oxygen from reaching the heart on a consistent basis. Eventually the plaque buildup can prevent blood flow altogether, resulting in a heart attack.

But it doesn’t have to get that far. Coronary bypass surgery is a well-tested procedure that improves blood flow to the heart. By taking a healthy blood vessel from another part of your body, a surgeon can re-route the flow of blood to your heart, so that it bypasses the section of your coronary artery with plaque buildup — think of it like a detour around the unhealthy artery.

Coronary bypass surgery is not the only way to address symptoms of heart disease, such as chest pain and shortness of breath; sometimes lifestyle adjustments or medication are all that’s necessary. But when surgery is a must, you will need an established surgeon and a well-trained team like the one at our Salt Lake hospital to put your mind at ease—and your heart at ease, too.

What’s the first thing most people think when their car starts making a funny noise? Probably something like, I hope that goes away. And a lot of the time, it does.

But sometimes, the noise starts getting worse. What you thought might be radio feedback or a simple squeaky wiper could be something more serious. Though you try to ignore it and drive like you normally would, the car starts slowing down or grinding through turns. Pretty soon, every warning light on the dashboard turns on and then it just stops running. You take it in and the mechanic tells you something about a warped transmission or a broken axle. You know you have no choice but to let him get in there and fix it.

Back surgery is lot like this. The majority of back problems are fixed via non-surgical options because the back is a central part of the body and surgery comes with risks. If attempts to fix the squeaky wipers (so to speak) of compressed spinal nerves, bulging or ruptured disks, vertebral fractures or something degenerative (like scoliosis or kyphosis) doesn’t seem to be providing any relief, then surgery might be the best option.

So, if you’ve reached this point, here are five things you should know about back surgery:

1. There are some risks. As with any form of surgery, the risks are higher for some people. The risks specifically associated with back surgery can include bleeding, infection, and reactions to anesthesia, along with more serious problems like blood clots, heart attacks, stroke, or nerve damage. The best way to avoid these risks is to discuss them with a surgeon beforehand.
2. Relief from pain is typically the largest benefit of back surgery. Pain relief is most often why patients request an operation.
3. Physical activity increases. Successful back surgery should lead to less pain, but also better overall physical fitness and activity levels. This can improve your attitude, make work better, and decrease dependencies on pain-relieving medications.
4. There are different types of back surgery. Patients may be in need of a laminectomy (removal of bone spurs or ligaments), spinal fusion (the most common surgery), foraminotomy (relieving pressure on nerves), or a diskectomy or disk replacement. You should discuss the various spinal surgery procedures and what would be best for you with an orthopedic surgeon.
5. Know where to find help. Finding a qualified and experienced surgeon is the most important part of the surgical process. Get in contact with one of the trained spine specialists at the St. Mark’s Hospital Spine Center.

Long distance runners sometimes get leg cramps (ouch!), swimmers often get charley horses (yikes!), other athletes can suffer from muscle spasms in their arms or backs (yuck!), and pregnant women get Braxton Hicks contractions (@#&$!).

“What’s the big deal?” some people say. “They aren’t real contractions anyway.” Ha! Charley horses, leg cramps and muscle spasms aren’t contractions either, but they too can be very painful.

So, what are Braxton Hicks contractions? And why do they happen?

Braxton Hicks are false labor pains that are essentially irregular contractions of the uterus. They can actually start as early as six weeks into pregnancy, although they are usually not felt until the last few weeks  - at which point they can be very painful.  When these contractions happen, the muscles of the uterus tighten for approximately 30 to 60 seconds and sometimes as long as two minutes. These “practice contractions” are essentially preparation for the real event.

John Braxton Hicks, an English doctor in 1872, first defined these false contractions that occur before real labor. Generally these practice contractions are irregular in intensity, infrequent, unpredictable, non-rhythmic, and somewhere between just uncomfortable and truly painful. Usually they do not increase in intensity or frequency, but rather taper off and then go away.

And there may actually be a purpose to Braxton Hicks contractions – in preparing for childbirth. Some doctors and midwives suspect that they may play a part in toning the uterine muscle and promoting the flow of blood to the placenta. They might also have some impact on the softening of the cervix and perhaps help in the dilation and effacement process.

So, don’t panic. Everything will work out just fine. A little bit of knowledge goes a long way toward calming the nerves, as well as the pains, that come with pregnancy.

And remember that at St. Mark’s Hospital in Salt Lake City we focus on providing our pregnant moms with the best support and greatest resources.

Rebuild. Restore. Readapt. Redeem. Rejuvenate. Repair. Refresh. Revitalize.

What do these words have in common? Ok, obviously they all start with the prefix “re.” But they are all very important parts of yet another “re” word—rehabilitation.

The term “rehab” covers a wide scope; there are many different forms of rehab that help patients with a variety of conditions. Patients that sustain orthopedic injuries typically go to physical therapy. People battling addiction enter counseling. And patients that suffer a heart attack or undergo heart surgery go to Cardiac Rehab.

Generally, patients with heart conditions go to a cardiac rehabilitation center after having a qualifying entrance exam. Cardiac rehab facilities, like the one at our hospital, provide the resources and environment patients need to get their heart back on track. Like other muscles in the body, the heart’s strength can be increased through exercise that is slowly increased in intensity over time. However, after experiencing a heart attack or having heart surgery, it’s crucial to have expert cardiologists on your side as the heart is still very delicate.

Medically supervised exercise is one of the main components of the cardiac rehabilitation process, while the other parts include education in order to take steps toward recovery. This helps to rebuild and restore the heart and encourage a heart-healthy lifestyle. To combat heart disease and reduce the risk of future heart problems, some of the topics patients receive education about include:

• Heart healthy diets and foods
• How to control stress
• Heart disease risk factors
• Cholesterol management
• Smoking
• Exercise and weight management

Typically, patients will participate in their cardiac rehab program a few times per week for several months. After this time, the heart is usually at a healthier, more stable point and requires less direct supervision. The ultimate goal is to help you get back to life—so you can rejoin, reconnect, and remain active in your life.

Back injuries are one of the most unpleasant kinds of injuries; they sit right in the middle of everything you want to do. Spine injuries are divided into two groups: traumatic and non-traumatic.

Traumatic spinal injuries are often caused by sudden blows to the spine that fracture, dislocate, compress or crush one or more of the vertebrae. Much of the real damage in traumatic back injuries comes from the inflammation, swelling and fluid-accumulation stages in the days after. This type of damage is most often seen in car accidents (more than 40 percent), falls (especially in patients older than 65), sports, and acts of violence. Alcohol is also shown to be a factor in one out of every four traumatic spinal cord injuries.

On the other end of spectrum are non-traumatic spine injuries, which can be caused by diseases like cancer, arthritis, inflammation, infection or spinal degeneration. Though they are less sudden, they can be just as dangerous.

Whether the damage is traumatic or non-traumatic, the effect of spinal injuries on nerve fibers (little information highways in the body that go from the brain to muscles, organs, etc.) can be harsh. Impaired muscle movement, partial or full paralysis, loss of bowel, bladder, or sexual function and even a limited ability to breathe often result from injuries to the back, neck and spine.

If you’re experiencing back pain, don’t just lay there on the couch and hope it goes away—talk to a healthcare professional immediately. Ignoring treatment can make the situation much worse. The highly trained spine specialists at St. Mark’s Hospital know how serious these situations can be. Whatever is to blame for your particular injury, our orthopedic physicians and the excellent doctors at the Comprehensive Spine Center in Salt Lake City are readily available for consultation.

What woman doesn’t like a makeover? Ok, maybe we should rephrase that—what woman doesn’t like a well-done makeover? We’ve all seen those makeover shows—What Not to Wear, Extreme Makeover, How Do I Look?—and the before and after looks amaze us. But during the nine months of pregnancy, a lot of changes can happen that leave us feeling like we’re on the opposite end of the makeover spectrum—it’s a transformation that brings mood swings (not the positive kind…), strange cravings and weight gain.

The pregnancy makeover starts the second of conception. Your hormone levels will increase immediately and result in all those other changes in the body. In fact, there are so many changes that you may feel like you are walking around in someone else’s body. The maternity experts at St. Mark’s Hospital can help make sense of all of these body changes by addressing what changes occur in each trimester.

The first trimester- Your hormone levels rise and are responsible for:

• Breast tenderness and enlargement
• The formation of the cervical mucus plug
• A loosening of ligaments and tendons
• Morning sickness
• Menstrual cycle and ovulation stopping
• Uterus changes, which are adapting to support the embryo

The second trimester- The physical changes become more noticeable:

• You finally begin to “show” as your belly begins to grow
• Light cramping called Braxton Hicks contractions
• A return of energy and generally feeling much better from the first trimester.

The third trimester- This trimester brings more physical discomfort:

• The baby is growing, so the uterus grows bigger
• Weight gain is more noticeable
• Aches, pains, swelling, or hemorrhoids
• It will be more difficult to get comfortable
• You will notice changes as your body prepares for labor

In addition, you may experience any or all of the following changes at any time during your pregnancy:

• Congestion
• Frequent urination
• Gums may bleed easier
• Shortness of breath
• Constipation
• Heartburn and gas
• Leg cramps
• Fatigue
• Itchy skin
• Mood swings
• Increased appetite
• Food cravings

With so many changes occurring, how are you to know which changes are normal in this crazy “makeover” called pregnancy? That’s where Women’s Services at St. Mark’s Hospital comes in. Regular prenatal visits will help you navigate the changes that occur so that you can progress through your pregnancy with happiness and confidence.