Question: Should I stretch prior to exercising or after?
Answer:
I do not recommend stretching a cold muscle. You will receive greater benefits in activating the muscles in which you are preparing to call on for your chosen form of exercise. Consider this as a “waking up” period for the muscles that need to stabilize or drive you in your workout.
If you have a specific tightness that you feel needs to be addressed prior to your workout, keep in mind the speed in which you will be performing your exercise. You don’t want to teach these muscles to lengthen in a “slow and controlled” environment during warm-up and then throw them into an environment that requires the movement to occur rapidly. Consider dynamic stretching as a safer form of preparation.
*For more information on dynamic- stretching, you can contact Tracy Ryckaert, Director of Performance Enhancement at MIHP (Michigan Institute for Human Performance) at tryckaert@mihp.net
*For more information on dynamic- stretching, you can contact Tracy Ryckaert, Director of Performance Enhancement at MIHP (Michigan Institute for Human Performance) at tryckaert@mihp.net
Yaktrax “ROCK”
For the past two years my patients have been bragging about how great these "Yaktrax" are for winter running, and knowing that I had been training for spring 1/2 marathons, they highly recommended making the investment in a pair of "yaks". I have to say that I have not feared the cold temps during my winter runs, but after taking a good fall on my back a few years ago I am a little reluctant of the ice. Unfortunately my procrastination kept me from making a purchase I wish I would have made two years ago and I apologize to all those who tried to convince me then.
After completing (barely) three treadmill runs this winter, I decided I was willing to pay any price to get off that "monster", and I was not going to put it off any longer. I headed into Hanson's this past Saturday and purchased my "Yaks". They told me I would be looking for snow and ice to run on and would actually enjoy it. So I headed out at 7 am Sunday very excited to put them to the test. Of course my passion for biomechanics would cause me to assess the position of the foot in landing and push off phases of gait, if my hip felt vulnerable, and how the knees tolerated it. However, my critical analysis was quickly put to rest when I discovered how much fun I was having. It was an entire new run offering similar benefits that I have found with trail running. The challenge of the varying uneven terrain activates the larger muscles such as the hip stabilizers, hamstrings, and core muscles, which are muscles that are often inhibited with the repeated motions of road running.
When the foot is meeting different terrain with every step, the ankle joints and hips have to adapt by engaging the larger muscles in the core and hips to stabilize. This reduces the injuries that are caused by repetition of the same landing and pushing off position that occurs when running the even terrain of the road. I feel this is a large part of the reason that we see less injuries in the ultra- marathon and trail- marathon runners. On the occasion they do come into the clinic, they always present with excellent core strength, but an occasional rolled ankle. Now if we can just get the shoe companies to stop manufacturing all of those "stability trail- running shoes", but that is another blog another day.
In the meantime, I look forward to running in the snow this winter and hope to see you out there in your "Yaktrax" Enjoy the new soreness you will feel from this form of running, it is a "good soreness".
Tracy Ryckaert
Get to the Core of Cycling
We all know that core strength is important to improve performance in sports, however, a recent study was done to test the effects of core strength specifically with cyclists. A group of 15 competitive cyclists participated in the study at the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh. The participants performed a “core fatigue workout” prior to cycling.
According to the November issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2007; 21 [4], 1300-1304), “a core fatigue workout altered the mechanics of the lower extremity”. The author suggests that cyclists “ integrate a year-round core conditioning program into current training to promote lower extremity alignment while cycling.” We couldn’t agree more.
Increased core strength in cyclists is key in increasing performance, as well as in preventing injuries. The MIHP Think Tank has developed the Cyclist’s Daily Dozen. These 12 exercises are designed to improve performance by strengthening and lengthening muscles in the three planes of motion that we move in. Two of our favorite core exercises for cyclists are as follows:
Prone Leg Swings:
Begin at the top of the push-up position and swing your right knee toward the left hand. Without touching the leg to the ground, return to starting position. Perform this exercise 10 times and repeat on the other side. Do three sets on each side. (this is also a great shoulder stabilizer and glute activator).
Revolving Plank:
Begin at the top of the push-up position and then rotate to the right, lifting your right arm and leg straight up. Hold for 20 seconds (work up to that if you need to), come back to the starting position and repeat on the left. Do five times on each side.
Let me know how it goes…
Fire up the glutes!
I really don’t mean to keep picking on Men’s Health Magazine, but I just can’t help it. I guess it’s because it’s the only fitness magazine that comes to my house, and I really enjoy reading it. So, as I was perusing the December 2009 issue, I came across an article entitled “Work Your Buns Off”. My heart started to pound. Yes, an article about firing the glutes! Under the title, it reads, “Too much junk in the trunk? Here’s how to make your gluteus or maximus”. Clever and inviting!
It’s actually a very good article describing how most people’s glutes “forget how to fire”. So true! We see that every day. When I got to the exercise portion, it left me a little flat (like a lot of peoples’ butts). Anyway, the article describes nine different exercises. SEVEN of them are in the sagittal plane and the other two in the frontal plane. All of the exercises are good for getting the glute max to initially fire, however, they need to be trained how they are used. Since our bodies move in THREE planes of motion, with the transverse plane being the most used in normal movement, you would think there would be at least one exercise in that plane. Plus, when you train in the sagittal and frontal plane and then move and play in the transverse plane, you are setting yourself up for an injury.
A great exercise to work the glute max in the tranverse plane is a simple lunge with a twist. To do this exercise, stand with your feet shoulders width apart with your toes pointed straight ahead. Step forward and slightly out to the side with your right foot into the lunge position. Be sure that your knee does not move forward over your toes and does not “fall in or out”. Keep your back straight. As you lunge, twist your torso to the right as you reach with your left hand toward your right foot. Push up from the right foot back to the starting position. Repeat this motion ten times and then do it on the left leg.
Make sure you feel the glutes (butt muscles) working, because you know, “it’s almost always about the butt!” (Sherry McLaughlin, MSPT)
'til next time......
Is it Really Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
MoveWell is an exciting wellness program designed by the MIHP Think Tank to decrease workplace injuries. So far, we have been working with the corporate sector doing providing topics of “lunch and learns” on various topics, along with 5-minute screenings and 15-minute biomechanical assessments.
A majority of the clients have been “office” workers complaining of low back, shoulder, and neck pain. I’ve had at least five people just today that complained of neck or shoulder pain, numbness, and tingling in their dominant hand. That’s not too surprising when your job requires you to sit at a desk/computer with your hand on a mouse most of the day.
While researching this problem, I found some staggering statistics:
"According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), repetitive strain injuries are the nation's most common and costly occupational health problem, affecting hundreds of thousands of American workers, and costing more than $20 billion a year in workers compensation.”
That’s a lot of moolah!
“According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly two-thirds of all occupational illnesses reported, were caused by exposure to repeated trauma to workers upper body (the wrist, elbow or shoulder ). One common example of such an injury is carpal tunnel syndrome.”
In our findings, symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome can be the same as a pinched nerve, which can be caused by tight muscles in the neck, shoulder and/or upper back. That makes the next statistic even more horrifying:
“849,000 new cases of carpal tunnel syndrome occurred in 1994.-National Center for Health Statistics.
Approximately 260,000 carpal tunnel release operations are performed each year, with 47% of the cases considered to be work related.-National Center for Health Statistics.
Carpal tunnel syndrome results in the highest number of days lost among all work related injuries. Almost half of the carpal tunnel cases result in 31 days or more of work loss.-National Center for Health Statistics.
Carpal tunnel surgery has about a 57% failure rate following patients from 1-day to 6-years. At least one of the following symptoms re-occurred during this time: Pain, Numbness, Tingling sensations. Source: Nancollas, et al, 1995. J. Hand Surgery.”
Those are staggering numbers!!! 57% failure rate??? 31 days or more of work loss?? How can that happen? That is outrageous! Maybe the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is not in the carpal tunnel!! Maybe a knife is not the answer!
If you, or anyone you know, are experiencing this type of pain, do this simple exercise first to see if it lessens your symptoms. It worked with all five people I saw today.
It’s called STEMs (Sitting Thoracic Extension Movements) and it simply restores movement in the closest key rotational spot of your body, the thoracic spine. This is how you do it:
Sit tall on the edge of a chair with both feel firmly planted on the ground. Fold your arms across your chest and lift them straight overhead and down 6 times. Next, lift your arms (still folded) overhead and move side to side so you feel a good stretch down your side. Do this 6 times on each side. Lastly, twist right and left as far as you can go, again 6 times on each side. Be sure to keep your back straight, chest lifted, and neck in neutral position. See diagram below:
This exercise opens the chest/thoracic spine in three planes of motion and many times will get rid of or at least lessen pain in the neck, wrist and hand. This exercise can be done every day.
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