Category: Rehab/ Prevention Tips
Foam Roller
Breaking the injury cycle could be as simple as investing in a foam roller. Working out, although great for your health, can often wreck havoc on your muscles, fascia, and joints. Due to the interaction between the central nervous system, fascia and muscle, stretching just isn’t enough. To incorporate change in these faulty movement patterns [...]
Read moreTrochanteric (Hip) Bursitis
Anatomy: A bursa is a fluid filled sac that protects a soft tissue structure from a bone. The trochanteric (hip) bursa is located directly on the outside of the hip. Inflammation and swelling of this bursa causes pain. Symptoms: Pain or ache in the outside of the hip that worsens with movement or pressure. Pain [...]
Read moreRolling the Tibialis Anterior (shin muscle)
The Tibialis Anterior is a muscle that runs up the lateral (outside) of your shin. It is often the culpret for shin splints. A quick easy way to loosen up this muscle is to use a rolling pin. Pause for 30-45 seconds on areas that are extra painful or have muscle knots. Never roll over [...]
Read moreIT Band Syndrome
This injury responds extremely well to immediate treatment; but if left unattended, it can become a nagging, chronic problem. To prevent IT Band syndrome, check out the exercises below under treatment. They can easily be added to your routine to keep injury at bay and in the process make you a little faster. Improving muscle [...]
Read moreAnkle Sprains
An ankle sprain typically happens from stepping on an uneven surface and rolling your ankle, stretching out the ligaments and soft tissue structure that provide support. The most common ligament affected is the anterior talo-fibular ligament (on the outside of the ankle). Depending on the degree of damage injury can range from a mild tear [...]
Read moreHamstring Strain
Cause Hamstring strains generally occur from starting speed work before building a base. Whether it’s sprinting, hills or just plain over striding, a hamstring can be the first to go. The hamstring can also be strained from an improper firing sequence. This occurs when the hamstring fires a split second before the glutes, thus causing [...]
Read moreMetatarsal Stress Fracture
A stress fracture occurs when the bone undergoes more repetitive stress than it can handle. The metatarsal bones in the feet must withstand high loads of force over long periods of time, which makes them a common place for stress fractures to occur. Symptoms: Sharp pain in the ball of the foot during activity. Pain [...]
Read moreWeak ankles? Building eversion and inversion ankle strength.
Maybe you feel like you were born with weak ankles or suffered from repeated sprains early in life, either way your ankles need to be stronger. Each time you “turn” your ankle, even if it’s quickly walked off, you stretch out the supporting ligaments that secure the ankle in place. As the ligaments get stretched [...]
Read morePlantar Fasciitis
Anatomy: The plantar fascia, consisting of thick fibrous connective tissue, runs from the calcaneus (heel bone) to the toes. Symptoms: Pain in the bottom of the foot, especially when first standing in the morning. Discomfort when the bottom of the foot is stretched or placed in a dorsiflexed position. Mild swelling or redness. Over 10% [...]
Read moreShin Splints
Characterized by pain or tenderness in the front of the tibia (shin bone). Medically known as medial tibial stress syndrome. Cause: Too much, too soon in relation to mileage, speed, agility work or hills Worn out shoes Incorrect footwear, i.e. not enough or too much motion control Running on a slanted or hard surface Tight [...]
Read moreHip Arthritis
What is Arthritis: progressive wearing down of the cartilage in the joint. cartilage provides a protective layer of cushioning between the bones. also called degenerative joint disease or wear-and-tear arthritis. means “inflammation of a joint” often begins as a feeling of stiffness or discomfort which progressively gets worse over time. pain may be worse in [...]
Read moreUnderstanding the Shoulder
The shoulder is a very complex joint to understand because there are so many factors involved in movement. I’ve broken it down below into a several key concepts, that when applied to your workout, can create a strong pain free shoulder for life! First, a little basic bony anatomy to get us started. 2 key [...]
Read moreBasic Exercise for Serratus Anterior
The serratus anterior (SA) is small muscle that plays a major role in stabilizing the scapula and shoulder joint. This muscle attaches to the ribs and the base of the scapula, controlling forward movement of the scapula. The scapula is the base of support from which shoulder movement occurs. A weak serratus can lead to [...]
Read moreLower Traps
The lower traps are important muscles to target during your workout routine. They play a crucial role in movement and stabilization of the shoulder joint. Without strong lower traps to help balance out the midback muscle structure, the upper traps will take over and cause upper neck pain and shoulder dysfunction. Prone V Arm Lift [...]
Read moreScapula Pressdown
Training your shoulders to go down rather than up can be a difficult task. Especially at the end of a stressful day. An easy way to do this is scapula press downs. Tips: Sit on edge of chair or low table with fingers hanging over the edge. Lift body up and down keeping elbows completely [...]
Read moreTips for Fixing a Swayback
Having a swayback or increased lumbar lordosis, can cause pain in the facet joints, as well as pain in the structures above and below the area. Listed below are some great tips to help fix this posturing: 1. Start with lots of stretching to open up your hip flexors. Try these: Hip Flexor Stretches If [...]
Read moreCervical Isometric Stabilization
This basic neck exercise can really increase stability when done on a regular basis. 4 Way Stabilization Perform the chin tuck in sitting or standing and hold the position Do not hold your breath Firmly press against hand in all four quadrant positions (front, back, sides) Hold 2 to 5 seconds Relax and repeat up [...]
Read moreStabilization: Completely Forgotten?
The Body and Stability Building a Base … Each day a new pledge is made to get back in shape. It’s carried out with determination and dedication to push the body to new limits. This might sound like a grand plan, but think again. Due to inactivity (or never developing them in the first place), [...]
Read moreCorrect Sitting Posture
Poor posture in front of the computer can cause a host of problems, including: Neck Pain Shoulder Pain Wrist Pain Upper, Mid and Lower Back Pain By just practicing a few simple posture techniques, you can prevent the aches and pains caused by bad posture. Be aware that even if you are not experiencing any [...]
Read moreTMJ Dysfunction
TMJ disorder symptoms include: Pain or difficulty biting or chewing, often associated with noise, clicking or grinding sound Aching, dull pain in the jaw and face Earache, Hearing Loss, Tinnitus (ringing in the ear) Headache or Migraine Neck and shoulder pain Main Causes: Jaw misalignment Stress Forward head posture Posture Correction Check your posture to [...]
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