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She’s taught our miners the importance
of smart movement on the job,
but as we step further into 2018, Dr.
Alicia Turner wants us all to do
so with a truly healthy stride.
The physical therapist and
her team have helped “industrial
athletes” across the
Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and
Southwest divisions as well
as at Magnesia Specialties’
Woodville, Ohio, facility. While
the goal of these visits is
to help miners avoid orthopedic injury
on the job, Turner says overall joint and
tissue health requires more than regular
stretching in the quarry. It requires a lifelong
commitment to flexibility, strength,
control and symmetry.
While there is no perfect set of exercises
suitable for everyone, Turner’s most
important words of advice remain the
same both in and out of the quarry.
“Keep moving,” she says. “We want to
“Once you gain a baseline of flexibility
and strength, it’s important to then
incorporate rotation and challenging surfaces
into your routine. This will improve
muscle efficiency, which becomes really
important as we get older.”
To improve control, Turner recommends
balancing on each leg for 10 seconds at
a time – with eyes open at first and later
with eyes closed. Other exercises include
planking with hands on a BOSU ball,
single leg squats, plyometric exercises
and reactive single leg balance exercises.
Once flexibility, strength and control
improve, body symmetry will follow, she
says, adding that nearly all movement will
then seem more fluid and even. For many,
the results of this or similar routines can
be life-changing.
Greg Menniges, a pit loader operator
at the North Georgia District’s Red Oak
Quarry, has taken Turner’s words to
heart and begun stretching or performing
light exercise at the start and finish of
his shifts. Additionally, he stretches for
at least 15-20 minutes at home every
morning. Since adopting the routine, he’s
found himself stronger and more flexible.
“I experience much less pain in my
back and other parts of my body and I’m
able to stay loose throughout the day,”
he says. “Overall, I’ve seen vast improvements
in my physical health.” ▼
Anyone interested in starting
a new exercise program should first
consult their physician. To learn more
about Dr. Turner and the exercises
she recommends, visit her LinkedIn page
at www.linked.com/in/physiofunction
or email alicia@physiofunctionllc.com.
challenge our bodies to do a variety of
different movements, not just the same
ones we perform day after day.”
To encourage this, she educates people
about the parts of the body that are
typically problematic and then offers exercises
to provide adequate conditioning.
Areas like the lower back, shoulders/
chest, upper back and hips tend to be
tight, or lacking in flexibility, she says,
while areas like the buttocks, abdominals
and shoulder stabilizers are often
physically weak. With those areas in
mind, she says people seeking greater
flexibility should consider exercises
like the prone press-up, the extended
child’s pose yoga stretch, the “open
book” exercise, and the hip flexor
stretch while those seeking increased
strength should perform planks, squats
and lunges.
“Combined, these exercises provide
an awesome fitness routine that requires
only minimal equipment,” she says.
Dr. Alicia Turner
The Keys to Joint & Tissue Health
Stretching and exercising seven days
a week is one way Pit Loader Operator
Greg Menniges keeps his body strong.