Time for a little slow down, the last few posts have been loaded with technical jargon and I don't want to alienate anyone who has been reading my blog and isn't interested in all the technical reasons behind different ideas. I want to talk about something really basic. Loving what you do. This is the most important rule in life. I am constantly talking to friends that are at the same place in life as I am (Trying to figure out what career to pursue) and they say something along the lines of "I don't really like it but it pays well".
If it was okay to paddle people I might. I understand that you have to make a living but why pursue something you don't enjoy. If you work to 50% of your capabilities I would be surprised. You should never regret going to work or practice or school or whatever it is you have committed your time to. This idea came to me after a lecture I had to do on Wednesday. The assignment called for a 15 - 25 minute lecture on a fitness concept. My topic was about putting your body in an optimal position to build muscle. I had talked to the teacher ahead of time and asked if it was alright if I went a bit longer. She told me if I could stretch it into an hour she would let everyone go for the second half of class. I was a bit worried that I couldn't do that but I said I would try; I lectured for 80 minutes.
I loved everything I was talking about and as a result it was easy. I believed in what I was saying and feel it is important to everyone's lives. I heard a great quote a short while ago about knowing when you are in the right place and it went something like this (paraphrased) "You are where you are supposed to be if the pay checks stopped tomorrow and you would still show up". The message is simple, work for something you are passionate about and don't settle. Don't quit on what you are chasing. Chances are someone else is after the same thing and they are waiting for you to quit. You will never force them to compete and win the race if you take yourself out and sit on the sidelines.
Saturday 24 September 2011
Tuesday 20 September 2011
Knee Injury Epidemic - Part 2
In the first section we looked at the joint itself and the different reasons behind stress on the knee. Let's quickly recap the big 4 that we finished with.
1.) Poor Mobility in the Ankle and Hip
2.) Weak/ Undeveloped Muscles
3.) Tight Adductors
4.) Poor Proprioception
This post is essentially a prehab / rehab section. If an injury has not happened yet this does not mean that the body is in alignment or safe from a tear. Quite often people will be asymptomatic (no pain or discomfort)but score high for injury potential in screening and manual muscle testing. I will offer a couple of different suggestions for each of the above issues.
1.) Poor Mobility- Ankle / Hip
This is section deserves special emphasis we (as a society) are fighting a losing battle on this front. As I write this and doing homework I am sitting down wearing my Nike Running Shoes. I have been up for 4 hours and spent 3 of them seated which I would estimate is pretty average. This creates tightness in the hips and ankles and limits both joints ROM. The body compensates in order to perform the movement especially if it is in a sport setting.
RX'n
Lacrosse Ball (softball works as well)
30 sec: Rolling Out ea. Hip Flexor Area
30 Sec: ea side of Warrior Lunge Stretch (add a slight lean back and twist to your closed side- this will stretch out the psoas)
30 sec: Roll out the calves with the lax. ball
10X - Stand with your lead leg close to the wall, foot flat. Push your knee toward the wall trying to touch the wall with your knee, keeping the heel flat, then slowly back out. Progress further from the wall still trying to tough the knee. You are stretching the lead leg in this stretch, not the back.
2.) Weak / Underdeveloped Muscles
This is a muscular imbalance issue as much as it is an undeveloped muscle. As a quad dominant society we typically have strong quads but a really weak posterior chain. In the weight room emphasis needs to be put on these posterior chain muscles.
RX'N
Clam Shells - Here is a great and simple exercise for glute training that you can coach yourself through. Laying on your side wrap a thera-band or mini-band around your knees. Knees bent at 90 degrees turn your hips in slightly. Keeping your heels together you should abduct your top leg focusing on firing your glute. It helps to put your fingers on our glutet to insure that it is causing the movement versus your TFL. Break the exercise down into steps, contract glute, open the knes slowly, return to start, and relax glute. The picture is an okay example but the movement should be smaller (knees should only be a hand length apart at the end of the movement)
Single Leg Squat (to bench) - When examining a bilateral squat (2 feet) there is very little glute med/ max firing until the end ROM. (We mentioned earlier how weak glutes will cause the femur to adduct. and internally rotate) This is not the case in a single leg squat, where both are called on immediately to stabilize the movement and drive up. Wrap a thera-band or mini band around the legs at the knee to force you to push your knees out and eliminate the valgus action. Focus on keeping the knee straight and driving through the heel. Start with the bench as high as needed and slowly progress down toward 90 degrees.
3.) Tight Adductors
Go grab your foam roller (yes you should have one...shame on you if you don't) and roll out the last 10 inches above your knee on the inside of your leg. Now that you have done that it is likely that you are silently cursing (or loudly cursing) how much that hurt. The adductor magnus is chronically tight in most individuals(partially because it has the ability to act as both a hip flexor and extensor as well as its primary roll as an adductor. When this muscle gets extremely tight it pulls the femur into that "danger zone" that we discussed earlier.
Side note:
Although not mentioned earlier the TFL/IT band is another muscle that is chronically tight and is a culprit in
most lateral knee pains. It can be treated in the same fashion as the adductors although it does not stretch as well.
RX'N
Foam Roll!! Sometimes I feel like I am repeating myself but I cannot overstate the importance of soft tissue work in removing adhesion in the muscle. Roll out the muscle 20-30 times looking for those trigger points and really focusing in on them.
Stretch
One of the easiest ways to get a nice mild stretch for your adductors is the classic groin stretch with the soles of your feet together and elbows pushing down on your thighs.
4.) Poor Proprioception
Understanding where your body is in space is key to preventing knee injuries. One of the big factors behind knee injuries in females is the lack of coaching they typically receive in comparison to males throughout their careers. However, just because males have received some coaching does not mean they are proficient. I advocated in an earlier post the positives on using a video camera and this is one area where I really feel it can help build understanding, especially in single leg work. Have a training partner record you performing the exercise and then review it after being critical for any valgus action during your lift. It is typically prevalent during squatting or lunging.
The other important area to address is proper jump mechanics. A common issue is loading from the knees and not hips. This typically causes the femur to IR and Add. When you are doing broad jumps or box jumps think hips back/ knees out. This movement can also be recorded and analyzed by a camera, but having a coach on hand to watch is probably your best bet.
I hope you learned something in this post. No it is not a full rehab program but I tried to touch on some of the key concepts that I think should be addressed in knee injury prevention and rehab. If you have any other questions about specifics shoot me an email at avilaca90@gmail.com
1.) Poor Mobility in the Ankle and Hip
2.) Weak/ Undeveloped Muscles
3.) Tight Adductors
4.) Poor Proprioception
This post is essentially a prehab / rehab section. If an injury has not happened yet this does not mean that the body is in alignment or safe from a tear. Quite often people will be asymptomatic (no pain or discomfort)but score high for injury potential in screening and manual muscle testing. I will offer a couple of different suggestions for each of the above issues.
1.) Poor Mobility- Ankle / Hip
This is section deserves special emphasis we (as a society) are fighting a losing battle on this front. As I write this and doing homework I am sitting down wearing my Nike Running Shoes. I have been up for 4 hours and spent 3 of them seated which I would estimate is pretty average. This creates tightness in the hips and ankles and limits both joints ROM. The body compensates in order to perform the movement especially if it is in a sport setting.
RX'n
Lacrosse Ball (softball works as well)
30 sec: Rolling Out ea. Hip Flexor Area
30 Sec: ea side of Warrior Lunge Stretch (add a slight lean back and twist to your closed side- this will stretch out the psoas)
 |
| Warrior Lunge |
10X - Stand with your lead leg close to the wall, foot flat. Push your knee toward the wall trying to touch the wall with your knee, keeping the heel flat, then slowly back out. Progress further from the wall still trying to tough the knee. You are stretching the lead leg in this stretch, not the back.
2.) Weak / Underdeveloped Muscles
This is a muscular imbalance issue as much as it is an undeveloped muscle. As a quad dominant society we typically have strong quads but a really weak posterior chain. In the weight room emphasis needs to be put on these posterior chain muscles.
RX'N
Clam Shells - Here is a great and simple exercise for glute training that you can coach yourself through. Laying on your side wrap a thera-band or mini-band around your knees. Knees bent at 90 degrees turn your hips in slightly. Keeping your heels together you should abduct your top leg focusing on firing your glute. It helps to put your fingers on our glutet to insure that it is causing the movement versus your TFL. Break the exercise down into steps, contract glute, open the knes slowly, return to start, and relax glute. The picture is an okay example but the movement should be smaller (knees should only be a hand length apart at the end of the movement)
Single Leg Squat (to bench) - When examining a bilateral squat (2 feet) there is very little glute med/ max firing until the end ROM. (We mentioned earlier how weak glutes will cause the femur to adduct. and internally rotate) This is not the case in a single leg squat, where both are called on immediately to stabilize the movement and drive up. Wrap a thera-band or mini band around the legs at the knee to force you to push your knees out and eliminate the valgus action. Focus on keeping the knee straight and driving through the heel. Start with the bench as high as needed and slowly progress down toward 90 degrees.
3.) Tight Adductors
Go grab your foam roller (yes you should have one...shame on you if you don't) and roll out the last 10 inches above your knee on the inside of your leg. Now that you have done that it is likely that you are silently cursing (or loudly cursing) how much that hurt. The adductor magnus is chronically tight in most individuals(partially because it has the ability to act as both a hip flexor and extensor as well as its primary roll as an adductor. When this muscle gets extremely tight it pulls the femur into that "danger zone" that we discussed earlier.
Side note:
Although not mentioned earlier the TFL/IT band is another muscle that is chronically tight and is a culprit in
most lateral knee pains. It can be treated in the same fashion as the adductors although it does not stretch as well.
RX'N
Foam Roll!! Sometimes I feel like I am repeating myself but I cannot overstate the importance of soft tissue work in removing adhesion in the muscle. Roll out the muscle 20-30 times looking for those trigger points and really focusing in on them.
Stretch
4.) Poor Proprioception
Understanding where your body is in space is key to preventing knee injuries. One of the big factors behind knee injuries in females is the lack of coaching they typically receive in comparison to males throughout their careers. However, just because males have received some coaching does not mean they are proficient. I advocated in an earlier post the positives on using a video camera and this is one area where I really feel it can help build understanding, especially in single leg work. Have a training partner record you performing the exercise and then review it after being critical for any valgus action during your lift. It is typically prevalent during squatting or lunging.
I hope you learned something in this post. No it is not a full rehab program but I tried to touch on some of the key concepts that I think should be addressed in knee injury prevention and rehab. If you have any other questions about specifics shoot me an email at avilaca90@gmail.com
Tuesday 13 September 2011
Knee Injury Epidemic - Part 1
This post was super easy to write for a couple of different reasons. Primarily because I was writing something very similar for a class presentation and have been gathering a bunch of resources on the topic already. The second reason is because I had a request that I cover it. This really is awesome because sometimes as I write this blog I wonder if there is any interest. The topic is the knee injury epidemic that is running rampant through the world of athletics. Part 1 will address the anatomy of the knee and some of the reasons behind knee injuries. I did not discuss female athletes and the plethora of additional factors that predispose them to knee injuries. There is enough content for a completely separate post and it has also been addressed already by quite a few coaches. I tried to keep this as basic and non-technical as possible but if you have any questions fire me an email.
Joe Susi, one of my professors and good friends, sent me a few power point presentations (from different athletic trainers that had presented in his class) last week and one of them had some great statistics. First though a little background on the different types of injuries. In viewing knee injuries they can be classified into two categories. Contact- meaning the injury occurred as a direct result of external contact. This makes the cause of injury very easy to diagnose. The second category is: Non-contact - meaning just that. The injury occurred without any external force.This makes it much more difficult to pin point the exact cause of the injury.
As I learned this week 70% of serious knee injuries are non-contact, meaning no opponent was touching them as the injury occurred. The average number of ACL surgeries each year is est. at 100 000. So, 70 000 of these occurred without the athlete being touched. The two most important questions are: Why? and How can I prevent this?
Knee Anatomy
When studying then knee it is important to understand that the joint is designed for stability and not mobility. The knee is supported by a variety of muscles, ligaments, and passive tissue. They all act on the knee in different directions, creating tension but also protecting it from shearing forces. Your knee is very similar to a ball with strings extending off in all different directions. If one string gets pulled tighter than the others the ball is rotated and taken out of optimal alignment. Once pulled out of this alignment the ball will no longer act as it should and one of the strings may snap during movement. It is the snapping of these "strings" that can sideline someone for months. (2 years for 100 percent performance recovery) As stated earlier it is very difficult to pinpoint the exact source behind non-contact injuries, there are multiple factors at play that influence the injury. Even if the injury is a contact injury and a specific cause can be identified it is likely that these factors still played a role.
1.) Poor Mobility in the Ankle and Hip
The knee is designed for stability, not mobility. The ankle and hip are designed to provide mobility and if these joints are excessively tight or lack full ROM the body may compensate by creating mobility at the knee. It is similar to trying to twist a long stick. You may get some rotation but it does not take much to cause the stick to splinter and break. The knee behaves in the same fashion, it has some mobility but if pushed something will break.
2.)Weak / underdeveloped Muscles
The strength of your glutes can go a long way in avoiding knee injuries, the glutes acts directly on the femur which is obviously a major part of the knee joint. Most of us sit to much which leads to tight hip flexors and weak glutes and inhibits its actions on the femur. A weak glute will cause valgus forces (forces collapsing inward) and internal rotation of the femur which puts the knee in the "danger zone".
3.) Tight Adductors
The muscles that draw the femur inwards toward the mid-line of your body are the adductors. These muscles are typically VERY tight due to overuse through body compensations. This further compounds the issue with our glutes by further adducting and internally rotating our femur.
4.) Poor Proprioceptive Abilities
Often people will not even realize that they are allowing their knees to collapse inward during their activities. The rate is even higher in untrained individuals. They may have not received the type of coaching that would educate them on knee heath.
These are by no means the only factors that influence knee injuries but they are 4 of the more important ones IMO. In Part 2 I will discuss ways to prevent these injuries and different movements that should be incorporated into a training program.
 |
| Torn Ligament can really ruin your day |
Joe Susi, one of my professors and good friends, sent me a few power point presentations (from different athletic trainers that had presented in his class) last week and one of them had some great statistics. First though a little background on the different types of injuries. In viewing knee injuries they can be classified into two categories. Contact- meaning the injury occurred as a direct result of external contact. This makes the cause of injury very easy to diagnose. The second category is: Non-contact - meaning just that. The injury occurred without any external force.This makes it much more difficult to pin point the exact cause of the injury.
As I learned this week 70% of serious knee injuries are non-contact, meaning no opponent was touching them as the injury occurred. The average number of ACL surgeries each year is est. at 100 000. So, 70 000 of these occurred without the athlete being touched. The two most important questions are: Why? and How can I prevent this?
Knee Anatomy
The knee is designed for stability, not mobility. The ankle and hip are designed to provide mobility and if these joints are excessively tight or lack full ROM the body may compensate by creating mobility at the knee. It is similar to trying to twist a long stick. You may get some rotation but it does not take much to cause the stick to splinter and break. The knee behaves in the same fashion, it has some mobility but if pushed something will break.
2.)Weak / underdeveloped Muscles
The strength of your glutes can go a long way in avoiding knee injuries, the glutes acts directly on the femur which is obviously a major part of the knee joint. Most of us sit to much which leads to tight hip flexors and weak glutes and inhibits its actions on the femur. A weak glute will cause valgus forces (forces collapsing inward) and internal rotation of the femur which puts the knee in the "danger zone".
3.) Tight Adductors
 |
| Valgus Force |
4.) Poor Proprioceptive Abilities
Often people will not even realize that they are allowing their knees to collapse inward during their activities. The rate is even higher in untrained individuals. They may have not received the type of coaching that would educate them on knee heath.
These are by no means the only factors that influence knee injuries but they are 4 of the more important ones IMO. In Part 2 I will discuss ways to prevent these injuries and different movements that should be incorporated into a training program.
Thursday 8 September 2011
Making a Case for the Heel Lift
Well your Honour as you can clearly see my client was able to alleviate knee pain, allow the individual to drive through their heels and also obtain an acceptable depth. My previous argument stands, the Heel Lift is beneficial to poor / beginner squatters. Case Closed, Coach V Wins.
The Heel Lift discussion, sometimes I feel as if we are having the Pepsi/ Coke argument when this topic gets brought up. The two sides will never agree on which can of sugary tastiness is best. Personally, I like Coke... and blocking the heels. Why? Because they are better, and don't tell me that I need to support my argument.
Reason two - The ability to drive through their heels. If you have poor dorsiflexion and to squat to full depth it is likely that the heels will come off the ground. As a society we are very quad dominant and need to look to correct this imbalance with more posterior chain work. Although squatting is a primarily a quad dominant exercise we can gain posterior chain work by driving hard through our heels and squeezing our glutes. If you are on your toes there is no way you can drive through your heels. If you look at Olympic lifting shoes they have a built in heel-lift that aids in front squatting your clean and overhead squatting your snatch from basement.
Expectations – Obviously we do not want to have to block our heels forever. It is more of a transition stage between our current poor squatting self to our future ATG squatting self. I would give 3 weeks for soft tissue work and mobility exercises to correct any ankle issues. So there are my thoughts on the heel-lift feel free to disagree but Coke is way better.
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