7/10/2019 0 Comments I Was Told I Shouldn't Run AnymoreThink of your favorite type of exercise and the joy you get while doing it. Then, you develop pain in one of your joints. The pain doesn’t seem to be going away, and as much as you don’t want to, you decide to see a physician to figure out what is causing the pain. After getting an X-Ray, and possibly an MRI, the physician comes back and says, “Nothing is broken, but you do have some arthritis in there.” The physician then gives you an anti-inflammatory to take and ends the conversation with, “You should stop doing that exercise.” Now what? You leave the physician’s office with the same pain you had when you went in, been told you have something wrong, but can’t be treated other than taking some pills to limit the pain, and you’ve been told to give up your favorite exercise. What a terrible and helpless feeling that leaves you with! You have 2 choices: Option 1) You take the physician’s advice and stop exercising and take the pills to limit the pain. But, you’re left with a feeling of loss because you no longer have the enjoyment you received by doing the exercise. Option 2) You decide to keep doing the exercise because you aren’t willing to give it up. But, it continues to be painful and causes more damage. Both options have pros and cons, but neither option seems like a good long-term solution. What if there was a 3rd option? Option #3 is the solution I implement every single day. Option #3 comes from the belief that you shouldn’t have to give up your favorite exercise; that there is a reason you started having pain and when that reason is identified, it can be changed. To be more specific, if an individual has the required strength, flexibility, coordination, stability, and muscular endurance needed to complete a desired activity, it would be expected that he/she could perform that activity without pain or increased risk for injury. A deficiency in one, or more, of these areas will increase your likelihood of pain or injury. Therefore, when we identify the deficiency and return it back to an optimal level, it is realistic to think you could return to your favorite exercise again. In my opinion, this is the only option full of pros and no cons. It is the option if you are not willing to give up the activities you love! Click the link below if you'd like to be contacted to set up a free Movement Assessment and find the solutions you need to keep you out of pain and enjoying your favorite activities.
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Every time I open my news feed, there is a new article with a headline stating something like, “The 5 Best Stretches Every Person Should Do” or “The 10 Best Exercises for Stronger Legs,” etc. Out of curiosity, I open the article to see what these “Best Exercises” are and if the live up to their claim.
While most of the exercises suggested in these articles are good exercises, and ones which I incorporate into my practice, there is one similar thought I have after each article I read. That thought: These are advanced exercises/stretches that should only be performed by people that don’t have pain, and already have a more advanced level of strength or mobility to begin with. The problem, with any awareness of health statistics, is that the majority of people don’t meet these minimum requirements necessary to safely perform the recommended exercises. I see it with patients as a physical therapist, but also see it all the time as a CrossFit coach, with people who would be considered “healthy.” My advice for you and how to apply this information: If you come across one of these articles and you really want to improve in the area mentioned, give the exercise a try. But, pay attention to how your body feels when trying it. If it is painful, or too difficult, stop! Don’t force your body to do something it is not able to handle. Every exercise or stretch has several variations, or modifications that can be made, to make the exercise easier or harder. The creative process of what I do, is finding the most appropriate variation/modification for each individual, knowing where they are today and where they eventually want to get to. If you don’t know how to modify the suggested exercises to fit your current ability level, find someone who can help. Find someone to be on your team, who knows your body, knows what areas need to be improved, and can show you how to do that every step of the way. Having that trusted professional will help you to see progress faster, keep you safe and healthy in the process, and save you a ton of time in the long run not having to deal with frustration and uncertainty. Every person has the potential for improvement. How each one of us makes that improvement is what makes us different. Something unfortunate happens and you get injured. You have to stop your exercise routine, so you can heal. After sufficient time passes, your body is healed and the pain is gone. Now, it’s time to start exercising again… But, you’re afraid. You’re afraid of re-injuring yourself; you’re not sure if you can do it because of all the time off. What do you do?
This is a conversation I had recently with an individual, who recently had abdominal surgery. She made the decision she was going to get in “better shape” and had started an exercise routine at a local group exercise studio. She was doing really well and enjoying these new workouts. Then, an unfortunate medical event required her to have abdominal surgery. She tells me that she’s afraid to start exercising again, even though her abdomen is healed and no longer painful. She then asked, “Do you help people in this situation?” The short answer is, yes. The majority of individuals I help are active people who have a new injury, or are trying to overcome an old, chronic injury, so they can get back to exercise, or improve their performance with certain exercises. What can you do about it today? If you decide to jump right back into an exercise class, take 5-10 minutes before class to speak with the instructor or coach. Make sure they are aware of the situation and can make appropriate modifications during class to avoid re-injury. In fact, with great coaching, people can often continue exercising throughout the course of the healing process by training around the painful areas. If it hurts, stop! Feeling pain in the previously injured area, does not mean you have re-injured it. It is most likely your body’s way of protecting itself, telling you it was too much stress too soon. As long as the pain stops within 5 minutes after discontinuing the painful movement, there are no reasons to suggest a serious injury has occurred. My advice is to begin an exercise routine that slowly begins to stress the previously injured tissues. Your body will adapt to this gradual increase in stress and become more resilient and less likely to be re-injured. The exercises selected should be easy enough that you can successfully complete 10-15 repetitions without pain, or your movement quality breaking down. After completing these exercises for the first time, you wait. See how your body responds over the next couple of days and adjust accordingly.
The goal of this article is to provide you with principles to follow with returning to a full, unrestricted exercise routine. There are too many body parts and different exercises to give you specific information on what exercises would be appropriate for each individual. If you are unsure how to apply this information specifically to you and what exercises are safe exercises to start with, I am here to help you. Complete the short form below, I will get back to you and help you any way I can. 5/30/2019 1 Comment Bench Press and Shoulder PainIt’s Chest Day!
Even if you are a casual gym-goer, I’m sure you’re aware of Chest Day. The day where everyone “patiently” waits for their turn on the bench press or pec machine. This day usually consists of 3, 4, 5+ different exercises all targeting the chest muscles. Unfortunately, anyone who has joined in this well-known routine, has probably also experienced the shoulder pain that comes along with it. It’s the pain, sometimes sharp, that you get in the front of your shoulder. What Does This Pain Mean? A little lesson on shoulder anatomy: The shoulder joint is a ball-and-socket joint. Within that socket, lies several muscles, called the rotator cuff. The primary role of the rotator cuff muscles is to keep the ball and socket together. When these muscles are weak, you get excessive movement between the ball and socket. That excessive movement results in the rotator cuff muscles getting pinched between the bones. The pinch is the sharp pain you experience. Pinched enough times, you end up with a rotator cuff tear. How Does This Happen? The rotator cuff muscles are infrequently trained in most people’s exercise routines, mostly because they are not visible like the larger muscles around the chest and shoulders. (Nobody ever got complimented for having large rotator cuff muscles) Without strengthening the rotator cuff muscles, and spending more time strengthening the larger muscles around the shoulders, the rotator cuff muscles get weak and eventually lose their ability to stabilize the ball-and-socket. What Can I Do About It? The good news is this can be resolved rather quickly, as long as a rotator cuff tear hasn’t occurred. Three exercise tips you can implement right away are:
The overall goal is to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles and have more balance between the front- and back-side of your body. Implement these strategies right away and see if the shoulder pain goes away. If you continue to experience discomfort with bench press, or similar movements, I recommend further evaluation to look more closely at the shoulder, so more specific action can be taken to help YOU. For further questions, click the button below, and complete the form. I will be able to get back to you soon and answer any questions you may have. Or, call me directly at 973-885-3893 to schedule a time for evaluation. |
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February 2020
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