Yankees Get Good and Bad News on Bullpen Injuries

By BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/01/sports/baseball/yankees-andrew-miller-bryan-mitchell-bullpen-injuries.html?partner=IFTTT

@MarilynKaminski

Cardinals: Biggest remaining roster hole is at cornerback, which is a \"major question mark,\" writes Josh Weinfus… https://t.co/TVHjEKAtBe

— Marilyn Kaminski (@MarilynKaminski) March 30, 2016

Strength Imbalance: Training Your Weaker Side

Strength Imbalance: Training Your Weaker Side [Ep40]

 

How to Fix Strength Imbalance

When performing various exercises, if it feels like there’s a strength imbalance and your right side is stronger, or more stable than the left, this is something you might want to work on…

So this video is actually in response to a question that came up from one of our Bulletproof Runners Programme members.

I’m asked so frequently about how to fix asymmetries in strength, stability and mobility that I wanted to share my approach to working on the weaker side, in the video above!

Do you have a weaker side?

It’s not uncommon for runners to perform exercises such a single leg squat, lunge, side plank or single leg bridge, all of which challenge the body asymmetrically, only to find that performing the exercise on one side feels very different to the other.

One side might feel stronger, one side might fatigue quicker, one side might feel tighter and more restricted, one side might display really poor balance and stability compared to the other.

All of these are slightly different situations, and all are fixable with the right approach.

So how do we solve a strength imbalance like this?

Well I want to think of two different categories:

• Strength & Mobility
• Stability & Postural Control

Let’s start with strength and mobility.

A good context here is to talk about a single leg bridge. In doing this exercise, many runners will feel that one side feels weaker than the other, and fatigues more quickly. You may also feel that one hip feels tighter and more restricted than the other.

Often this kind of strength imbalance comes as a result of injury. Let’s say that our runner doing the single leg bridge is rehabbing a hamstring strain. He may well be weaker on the affected side as a result of the injury, and perhaps a little tight around the same side hip as a result of having to protect the injured leg.

Where we’re building strength on this weaker side, to correct a strength imbalance, I usually get runners in this situation to work to a 2:1 ratio of sets. So for every set of an exercise they do on the strong side, they do two sets on the uninjured side.

The same principle can be applied when it comes to doing mobility and stretching work to address your tighter hamstrings for example.

Now when it comes to stability and postural control, I take a slightly different approach. Rather than getting the runner to double-up on reps on the less stable side, I’d rather focus on reinforcing good patterns – starting from scratch if needs-be.

Let’s take the single leg squat for example. If your programme calls for 3 sets of 15 single leg squats, and you can do so on the right easily, but the left is wobbly and unstable after 5 reps, the last thing I want you to do is plough through the remaining reps regardless.

If right now, 5 reps is your limit, then we turn 3 sets of 15 reps into 9 sets of 5 reps. The same training volume, broken down into chunks of good form.

After a while those 5 good reps in a row will turn into 6, 7, 8 etc until you can do 15 just as well as you can on the other side.

I hope you find the above helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below.

The post Strength Imbalance: Training Your Weaker Side appeared first on Run Coaching, Ironman and Triathlon Specialists - Kinetic Revolution.

from Run Coaching, Ironman and Triathlon Specialists – Kinetic Revolution http://www.kinetic-revolution.com/strength-imbalance-training-your-weaker-side/

The Truth About Achieving Excellence

This comes from Daniel Ally, courtesy of Success Magazine

On Becoming a Master….

One time, a fine pianist performed at a party. After she was done, a woman from the party said to the virtuoso, “I’d give anything to play as you do.” As the master pianist sipped her coffee in slow motion, she took a brief pause and said, “Oh no you wouldn’t.” Soon, a great hush filled the room as they were baffled in astonishment and massive confusion.

She continued, “You’d give anything to play as I do, except time. You wouldn’t sit and practice, hour after hour, day after day, year after years.” Then she flashed a warm smile while repositioning her coffee cup. “Please understand, I’m not criticizing,” she said. “I’m just telling you that when you say you’d give anything to play as I do, you don’t really mean it. You really don’t mean it at all.”

– See more at: http://www.success.com/blog/7-powerful-habits-of-a-self-made-millionaire#sthash.29vKHP6r.dpuf

I used to ask all my Boston University players “who will do anything to play in the NHL”? They all raised theirs hands. I’d then tell them that 80% of them were liars. Once I explained that “anything” meant a reduced social life, less alcohol and an early breakfast every day many went from raised hands to sheepish looks.

 

from Michael Boyle's Strengthcoach.com Blog https://strengthcoachblog.com/2016/03/29/the-truth-about-achieving-excellence/
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ScottsdaleSportsMedicine.net

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The Dangers of Junk Food

A great Mercola article that no one can argue with.

The Dangers of Junk Food

from Michael Boyle's Strengthcoach.com Blog https://strengthcoachblog.com/2016/03/28/the-dangers-of-junk-food/
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Side Plank Exercise: Core Strength for Runners

Side Plank Exercise for Core Strength [Ep3]

 

Side Plank Exercise for Core Strength

The side plank exercise is a brilliant way to build core strength in a way that targets one of the common weak links in distance runners; lateral strength in the hips and torso.

Don’t get me wrong, as far as working with distance runners and triathletes is concerned, and these are largely the groups I work with day-in-day-out, getting somebody to invest time in ANY core strength work is a massive win. Us runners just want to run, after all!

However, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s important for us to choose exercises that will provide maximum benefit for your efforts.

When screening runners, looking at their individual physical strengths and weaknesses, one pattern I see it that we’re often pretty strong in the sagittal plane – back and forth movements – but disproportionately weak or unstable in the frontal plane – side to side movements – particularly around the core and hip region.

With that in mind, thinking about our various available different types of plank exercise, it should be clear why I often prefer to get runners working on their side planks, rather than focusing on the standard face-down plank exercise.

How to Perform the Side Plank

The side plank itself is pretty straight forward…

From a position sitting on the ground, roll onto the side of your hip and brace your elbow and forearm onto the ground.

Keeping your body straight, lift your hips off the floor and take the weight through your grounded arm. Clench your glutes and keep a straight line from shoulders hips and ankles – rather than buckling in the middle.

Make sure your head stays in line with your body during the side plank, and place your top hand on your hips.

You should try to keep your feet stacked on top of the other.

Hold this position for 30 seconds to 1 minute. When this becomes easy, try lifting the top leg in the air and holding.

Do let me know in the comments if you have any questions about the side plank exercise.

The post Side Plank Exercise: Core Strength for Runners appeared first on Run Coaching, Ironman and Triathlon Specialists - Kinetic Revolution.

from Run Coaching, Ironman and Triathlon Specialists – Kinetic Revolution http://www.kinetic-revolution.com/side-plank-exercise-core-strength-for-runners/

Does It Hurt?

I can’t tell you how many times I say the same thing. People ask “should I do ____?”

I always answer Does It Hurt?

This might be my favorite article I’ve ever written.

Does It Hurt?

from Michael Boyle's Strengthcoach.com Blog https://strengthcoachblog.com/2016/03/25/does-it-hurt-3/
Visit Us At:

ScottsdaleSportsMedicine.net

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@MarilynKaminski

NFL: Cardinals coach Bruce Arians tells MMQB \"People that say, 'I won't let my son play [football]' are fools\" … https://t.co/TVHjEKAtBe

— Marilyn Kaminski (@MarilynKaminski) March 24, 2016

@MarilynKaminski

McShay's Mock Draft 4.0: Cardinals select Miss State DL Chris Jones No. 29 overall; traded 2nd-round pick to Patri… https://t.co/TVHjEKAtBe

— Marilyn Kaminski (@MarilynKaminski) March 24, 2016

Throwback Thursday- Plyometric Training

I can’t believe this was 2005?

Click here to see a whole series of  Plyometric Videos

 

from Michael Boyle's Strengthcoach.com Blog https://strengthcoachblog.com/2016/03/24/throwback-thursday-plyometric-training/
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ScottsdaleSportsMedicine.net

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In N.F.L., Deeply Flawed Concussion Research and Ties to Big Tobacco

By ALAN SCHWARZ, WALT BOGDANICH and JACQUELINE WILLIAMS from NYT Sports http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/25/sports/football/nfl-concussion-research-tobacco.html?partner=IFTTT

@MarilynKaminski

Cardinals: Former G Daryn Colledge enlists in the Army National Guard; calls it an \"awesome opportunity\" (ESPN) … https://t.co/TVHjEKAtBe

— Marilyn Kaminski (@MarilynKaminski) March 23, 2016

Sportsmetrics March Course

On March 19th and 20th, we welcomed 15 new instructors to the Sportsmetrics family:

Elena Caruso, DPT, ATC:  Physical Solutions, Mineola, NY

Christian Cox, ATC:  Mercy Health, Cincinnati, OH

Jerome Eck:  Sterling Heights, MI

Stanford Lange, ACSM-CPT:  Mercy HealthPlex- Anderson, Cincinnati, OH

Kristine Messner, ATC:  Holy Family Memorial Lakeshore Orthopaedics, Manitowoc, WI

Anna Mielke:  Holy Family Memorial Lakeshore Orthopaedics, Manitowoc, WI

Christopher Miller, SPT:  Mercy Health, Cincinnati, OH

Neil Parry, SPT:  Mercy Health, Cincinnati, OH

Anthony Phillips, DPT, CMTPT:  OrthoVirginia- St. Mary’s, Richmond, VA

Maddie Schmitt, ACSM:  HFM Wellness Center/Lakeshore Orthopaedics, Manitowoc, WI

Chris Switzer, PTA:  OrthoVirginia, Richmond, VA

Brett Williams, DPT:  Performance Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab, PC, Lincoln, NE

Megan Winter, ATC:  Mercy Health, Cincinnati, OH

Andrew Wolfla, CSCS:  Mercy HealthPlex- Anderson, Cincinnati, OH

Maddie Wunder, SPT:  Mercy Health, Cincinnati, OH

 

 

The post Sportsmetrics March Course appeared first on Sportsmetrics.

from Sportsmetrics https://sportsmetrics.org/sportsmetrics-march-course-2/

Women, Kids Playing Soccer Rival Gridiron Players in Concussions

By REUTERS from NYT Sports http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/03/22/sports/football/22reuters-soccer-concussions.html?partner=IFTTT

Knee Pain

Being the largest body joint, the knee is crucial for every athlete or anyone who actively takes part in repetitive movement activities. The knee contains structures that distribute forces to all parts of the body. Thus, there are numerous factors that cause knee pain but the main ones are knee trauma and overuse.

How knee pain occurs

Often, knee pain does not result from changes in the knee itself but changes in other body parts. For example a tight hip flexors, iliotibial band or quadriceps muscles contribute to excessive knee straining that in turn causes knee pain. Moreover, if you have an unstable core, the body tries to gain stability form the knee hence pain.

Most minor knee pains, respond well to home self-care such as massages and exercises. In advanced cases, knee braces and physical therapy helps to relieve the pain. In extreme cases knee surgery may be recommended.

Where do different knee pains come from?

Knee front

Front knee pain can manifest above the knee, under and below the kneecap. Pain above the knee occurs when the quadriceps muscles are subjected to tension, and the quad tendons are inflamed. Pain under the kneecap occurs when the knee cap is subjected to excessive compression while pain below the kneecap results from changes or tension in the patellar tendon that links the lower leg’s top to the knee cap.

Back knee

Back knee pain results from poor joint mobility when bending the knee, arthritis, knee sprain, bakers cyst or hamstring tendinitis among other conditions that cause inflammation. In case of inflammation, increasing blood flow reduces pressure and prevents compensation injuries.

Inside and outside the knee

Inside knee pain is caused by inflammation of the tendon from the groin muscles or straining the medial collateral ligament. Outside knee pain results from irritation of the outside meniscus or inflammation of the tight iliotibial band.

Dealing with knee pain

Exercising is the best way of dealing with knee pain and avoiding further complications. Strengthening the knee muscles reduces the amount of knee stress and pain during exercises and allows the knee to absorb shock better. Some exercises that reduce knee pain are; hamstring curls, wall squats, straight leg lifts, step ups and single leg dips. Additionally, it is advisable to perform some gentle stretches after every workout. This keeps the muscles flexible and eliminates soreness. Do not let knee pain stop you from enjoying what you love doing.

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from Scottsdale Sports Medicine | Efficient Movement | Sports Injuries http://www.efficientmovement.com/knee-pain/

Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain can come from various degrees of shoulder injuries that may or may not occur during a sporting activity. Shoulder pain is defined as pain and discomfort which occurs around the shoulder joint i.e. the joint which connects the upper arm to the neck and chest. Sports injury related shoulder pain can be resulted by straining of the muscles or spraining of ligaments connecting to the shoulder joint while performing an overhead throwing motion, or tackling action. According to research, most athletes usually tend to incur injuries to their shoulders with high frequency than non-athletes, although some conditions which are unrelated to physical activities can lead to shoulder pain also.

Typical Causes of Shoulder pain

Shoulder Pain

Dislocation

The shoulder joint is a kind of joint that allows for great mobility and thus it’s susceptible to injury. Basically, in a dislocation, the ball part of the shoulder joint pops out of socket thus causing damage to the surrounding tissues and eventually causing severe pain.

Separation

Separation of the shoulder joint occurs at the small joint where the collar bone meets the shoulder bone. This separation is named based on the severity of the ligament sprain associated with it. Types 3-5 separation usually requires surgery to be able to continue performing in sports.

Tendinitis

This is condition whereby the tendons of a person’s body become inflamed and irritated as a result of recitative rubbing from poor alignment and function of the shoulder blade during arm movement. Rotator cuff is a small muscle that helps the shoulder to rotate the arm outward and inward. Sometimes the rotator cuff’s tendons and biceps tendon can rub on the bones or other structures and eventually become afflicted with tendinitis. This can lead to a person experiencing extreme pain in his/her shoulder.

How to Relieve Shoulder Pain

Applying Ice:

Applying ice to the painful area can help in relieving the pain. When the pain starts to slightly lessen, you may start exercising your shoulder according to the home exercises prescribed by a Certified Athletic Trainer or Physical Therapist .

Stretching your Arm:

Stretches will target the top of the shoulder whereby your arms insert into the shoulder blade. Try to make a 90 degree angle with your arms. Grasp your elbows and push them up towards the top of your head. Since shoulder pain is normally caused by the tearing of cartridge or ligaments in your shoulder, it’s always important that you stretch and strengthen the affected area in order to relieve the pain.

Crossing the Arms Across the Chest:

Cross your arms across the chest area and then grasp your elbow and pull it towards the opposite direction. Generally, this stretch will effectively stretch your shoulder blade and in the end relieve pain in your shoulder. Note that the shoulder blade is a part of the shoulder joint which holds your arm in its socket.

If possible, it is also recommended that in your attempt to get rid of shoulder pain you hire a athletic trainer or physical therapist who will help you in rehabbing your shoulder.

Last, but not least, it is essential that in case the pain persist you seek the advice of a qualified physician.

The post Shoulder Pain appeared first on Scottsdale Sports Medicine | Efficient Movement | Sports Injuries.

from Scottsdale Sports Medicine | Efficient Movement | Sports Injuries http://www.efficientmovement.com/shoulder-pain/

Sports Performance Coach

Indeed, being one of the most successful athletes is a dream for any athlete out there. But to achieve that dream you have to go through various stages; skill identification, skill development, and skill achievement. Hence, with the increasing competitive nature of athletics today, many parents are opting for alternatives such as speed, strength and seeking the services of a sports performance coach to help their young athletes gain a desirable competitive edge. But the big challenge is that sports performance is an unregulated field in the health industry, hence the need to choose the right performance coach that is professional. Therefore, here are tips to consider when choosing a sports performance coach.

Sports Performance Coach

Great communication skills

A good sports performance coach should understand the importance of communication. Communication is a two-way street involving back and forth between the coach and the athlete. A good coach is one who is ready to engage the athlete in the communication and is prepared to listen carefully to what the athletes is saying. Good sports performance goes hand-in-hand with good communication skills.

Flexibility

The best coach is one who is ready to look for a better way to reach every athlete. A good coach will not see the struggles of the athlete as a learning disability or even blame the athlete for incompetence. The coach will always be ready to seek an alternative that will fit the ability of the athlete and help increase the skills and commitment of the athlete. Therefore, the best coach is that who has mastered the art of flexibility.

Creative and makes the sports fun to their athletes

Just like any other game, athletics involves a lot of fun. A good coach will find creative ways to integrate some fun into their daily practice sessions and during competitions. When an athlete is under the stewardship of a creative and fun coach, he/she will always be relaxed. Since being relaxed is one of the most essential ingredients of performance, it is the best interest of a good coach to find creative and innovative ways to keep the athlete smiling.

Instill self-belief in their athletes

Best coaches get their athletes to believe in themselves. They always inspire their athletes to do more than they think they can by getting the athlete to entertain possibilities that will stretch the limits of his/her belief. A good sports performance coach will always build the athlete`s self-esteem by praising the athlete for every improvement made. A good coach will never be caught up playing head games that will leave the athlete questioning his/her abilities and skills.

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from Scottsdale Sports Medicine | Efficient Movement | Sports Injuries http://www.efficientmovement.com/sports-performance-coach/

Crossfit or No Crossfit

Is Crossfit a good sports performance training option or should we avoid Crossfit? I get asked this question all the time. I used to quickly say, “no” and suggest athletes that are participating at a competitive level should not participate in Crossfit, solely because of the number of injuries I would see from athletes that would participate in Crossfit training programs. But then, my mind was opened to the benefits of Crossfit exercise selections, and realized it wasn’t a Crossfit exercise that caused the injuries, it was the poor training techniques taught to these adolescent athletes that was causing the surplus of injuries from those high school athletes that went to Crossfit (and then came to me for their injury care).

So, here’s my new opinion about being an athlete and doing “Crossfit exercises”…. I LOVE THEM! I can’t believe I just said that, but I really have a new-found respect for the exercise selections from many Crossfit programs that I have been exposed to. I am a Certified Sports & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and with this certification, program design and Olympic lifting exercises is quite a bit of the focus of this certification. But, I also am a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) and have been working on the sports-injury side of athletics for many years. With the combination of being a CSCS and an ATC, I get exposed to many athletes that have been doing exercises wrong for a long time and result in non-contact injuries that could be prevented if their strength programs balanced out their body, rather than imbalancing their biomechnanics needed for cutting and jumping movements in sports.

Therefore, now that I have properly educated myself on what Crossfit training is really about, I have one thing to say: Yes do participate in Crossfit, but ONLY after you have the right firing pattern in your biomechanics to ensure when you do a hang clean, snatch, back squat, etc you are helping your athleticism and not setting yourself up for an injury as serious as an ACL tear or a low back injury or knee cap dislocation. And after you have this optimal firing pattern of the muscles in your body, be sure to do Crossfit programs in addition to injury prevention programs, hip mobility programs and comprehensive speed development programs all together.

If you would like to know how to make the most out of your Crossfit program and get the most optimal athletic development, as well as prevent injuries, please do not hesitate to call and schedule a consultation today! This will be the best decision you ever do. Crossfit already is designed for some pretty powerful results, but let us make sure your body has the proper foundation and muscle firing patterns first, and you will be totally amazed by your results!

One of our more recent athletes said, “Wow, I have been doing Crossfit programs for a few years, but what you just did to my body in 2 weeks is absolutely insane. I have never felt my glutes and abs work the way they do now my Crossfit program….my squat and bench just PR’d by 20 lbs in two weeks!”

….And now…..Efficient Movement Crossfit Scottsdale is coming soon! Call to learn more (602) 358-8862.

The post Crossfit or No Crossfit? appeared first on Scottsdale Sports Medicine | Efficient Movement | Sports Injuries.

from Scottsdale Sports Medicine | Efficient Movement | Sports Injuries http://www.efficientmovement.com/crossfit-or-no-crossfit/

Why didn’t physical therapy help my knee pain?

Scottsdale, AZ – I am floored by the number of patients, that ultimately find me, say these words “I don’t know what else to do, we have tried physical therapy at multiple places and have seen multiple doctors and have had multiple MRIs and nothing worked and we have no answers”. It makes me sad to hear this over and over again, especially when after I assess their biomechanics and analyze their pain history I am able to identify exactly why they are still experiencing unnecessary knee pain.

Why didn’t physical therapy help my knee pain?

Yesterday I had this same scenario occur once again, 13 year old softball player and has had over 3 years of knee pain, MRI that revealed multiple ganglion cysts and patella tendonitis and has gone through many many months of physical therapy at multiple locations to get zero results. She stands in front of me, at the beginning of her assessment, and I can instantly observe how restricted her range of motion is across multiple joints and it is very clear to me what needs to be the first priorities of her treatment plan. Her hip flexors are ridiculously tight and quads over developed, pelvis rotated and SI Join locked to the point she can’t even touch down her heel to the ground on that leg! Plus glute activation and strength is non existent, and leg power on that leg is significantly weak. I ask her what exercises she did at therapy and she tells me they strengthen her quads and stretched her hamstrings a lot…exactly opposite of what should have been done!!!

I then have to proceed to tell the patient (and/or parents) my diagnosis of the “cause” of their pain and inform them of my treatment plan and they are utterly amazed that no other medical professional has addressed the same things I have mentioned. I just don’t understand how other medical professionals, such as physical therapist or orthopedic physicians do not place focus on the “cause of the symptoms” rather than just the symptoms themselves. If we can get all sports medicine professionals to focus on getting down to the biomechanical and neuromuscular cause of symptoms, I wouldn’t hear these same type of scenarios happening over and over and these young athletes can get out of pain much quicker.

If this scenario sounds similar to you, please contact the Experts at Efficient Movement to finally get you over your knee pain.

Efficient Movement | 9332 N 95th Way #104, Scottsdale, AZ 85258 | (602) 358-8862

The post Why Didn’t Physical Therapy Help My Knee Pain? appeared first on Scottsdale Sports Medicine | Efficient Movement | Sports Injuries.

from Scottsdale Sports Medicine | Efficient Movement | Sports Injuries http://www.efficientmovement.com/didnt-physical-therapy-help-knee-pain/

ACL Knee Injury Again!

Scottsdale, AZ – How many athletes have said those words? Sadly way too many! It breaks my heart and boils my blood when I hear someone get a “repeat” ACL injury or tear the opposite knee soon after returning from their previous ACL therapy. This is a topic that I know can be reduced significantly if health care professionals and strength coaches would educate themselves on what type of therapy and strength training should be done with an athlete recovering from surgery for a torn ACL. I also blame health insurance companies for putting these healthcare professionals (physical therapist specifically) into a bad position and allowing restrictions on the the appropriate rehab to provide and length of time they work with an ACLR patient (i.e. number of sessions and body parts they can provide therapy to).

ACL Knee Injury Again!

If an athlete sustains a non-contact ACL knee injury, then there MUST be a CAUSE for this to happen. Is it the muscle imbalances, or hip flexor tightness, glute weakness, or muscle firing patterns that caused this to occur? I personally believe, we are the experts and we must find out the cause when it comes to providing physical therapy to a post-surgical ACL patient and not just follow a general protocol or just focus on strengthening the knee. And more importantly, if it occurred to one of the knees, it will most likely occur to the other knee if the cause is not addressed on BOTH sides of the body. Therefore, therapy should include balancing out the entire body, including surgical side and non-surgical side, including hips, glutes, ankles, feet, and knee imbalances or whatever it may be that has imbalances, weaknesses or immobility.

So my heated discussion, is why are these health care professionals not seeking better ways to recovery and prevent ACL injuries? Multiple times, I have observed physical therapists allowing PT techs to work with ACLR patients on their exercises. But PT techs typically have minimal education on recognizing improper biomechanics of these exercises. So the reason they most likely received a torn ACL is improper biomechanics and now they are doing their therapy with improper biomechanics. Does this make any sense?? Why are therapists not watching EVERY repetition and EVERY exercise and CONSTANTLY analyzing the patient’s biomechancics to ensure the proper biomechanics and proper exercises are being done with each patient? This is a soapbox with me….every exercise has a right and wrong way to do it (squat isn’t just a squat and a lunge isn’t just a lunge, and a glute bridge isn’t just a glute bridge)…how the core is activated and how the glutes are firing and how the body is moving through those exercises is essential to ensure proper biomechanics. You shouldn’t just do “squats” because it’s on the ACLR protocol the doctor prescribed. If the quads are being fired before the glutes, then the knee will continue to have an anterior stress to it and risk of injury is still just as high as prior to the first knee injury.

Please please please do yourself a favor, if you are an athlete that has sustained the unfortunate torn ACL injury, then find expert clinicians that really do know how to assess the most likely cause of your knee injury and fix it and fix it in both sides of the body, not just the injured side.

Please learn more about building a foundation and preventing future knee injuries from the Experts at Efficient Movemement.

Efficient Movement | 9332 N 95th Way #104, Scottsdale, AZ 85258 | (602) 358-8862

The post ACL Knee Injury Again appeared first on Scottsdale Sports Medicine | Efficient Movement | Sports Injuries.

from Scottsdale Sports Medicine | Efficient Movement | Sports Injuries http://www.efficientmovement.com/acl-knee-injury/

The Secret on How to Run Faster

Scottsdale, AZ – Almost every athlete wants to run faster. I have parents calling me all the time asking for speed training for their child. Athletes try different nutrition plans or supplements, speed coaches, weight lifting exercises, plyometric exercises, shoes, and even clothing, to try to run faster. But, what really works and what doesn’t work?

I love to focus on the basics that we are all taught in high school…and that is physics! Newton’s 3rd Law of motion, says “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction“. So, if there is an equal force coming out of the ground that is put into ground by an athletes foot when it strikes the ground (i.e. running, jumping, or cutting), then, two very important principles need to be optimized:

1) Athletes must be able to put more force into the ground

2)Athletes must be able to optimize all of that force production and not lose it through any joints as the force transfers up through the body.

For both of these to happen, It is important for the “links” of the body to be connected and stabilized to the best of their abilities. Any imbalance of muscles or stability around a joint, will cause the force that is transferring to be re-directed through a joint. This is when an athlete is at risk of injuries, plus now the force production is compromised and the athlete is unable to perform with much speed.

To better understand this, think about a wet, cooked, spaghetti noodle versus a dry, uncooked, spaghetti noodle. If you would drop an uncooked spaghetti noodle vertically 1 centimeter from the floor, it would hit the floor and most likely bounce back off the floor. This happens due to Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion. But, when you take a cooked spaghetti noodle, and do the same thing, it would not bounce back up, because force production has been lost. So, with an athlete, we want to make the ankle, knee, hip, core, shoulders be in a straight line and rigid to optimize force production. If the ankle, knee, hip, or core was unstable, force would redirect through the unstable joint and not result in equal force production, just like the wet noodle.

Therefore, to answer the question, “What is the secret on how to run faster?”, it is to do everything you can to stabilize and strength the ankle, knee, hip, core, and shoulders in the most optimal position for force production. Optimal position is the key phrase.

The Secret on How to Run Faster

There is tons of research on what range of motion each joint should have during running. The term Triple Extension-Triple Flexion describes the general position for the ankle, knee, and hip; one leg is full plantar flexion at the ankle, extension at the knee, and extension at the hip and the other leg is full dorsiflexion at the ankle, flexion at the knee, and flexion at the hip.

The common imblances we see with youth and adolescent athletes, is: poor ankle stability, weak “shin” muscles to hold foot up in dorsiflexed position, restricted range of motion in ankle due to past ankle sprain, weak VMO quad muscle near the knee, very tight quads and hip flexors that don’t allow for full hip extension, weak “deep inner core muscles”, and rounded shoulders due to tight pecs and weak lower trap muscles. When all these components are addressed, it is unbelievable the potential most athletes have to run faster!

To learn how your body can be better positioned and strengthened to run faster, please contact the sports performance experts at Efficient Movement. We can guarantee you will see drastic improvements with your speed within just days of working with our knowledgeable staff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sports Injuries are on the Rise!

Scottsdale, AZ – I just read some astonishing statistics about sports injuries in youth and adolescent athletes, and now, even more so than before, I am on a mission to educate the athletic community, the importance of the focus on prevention of injuries. Coaches, parents, athletes, strength coaches, sports trainers, and sports medicine professionals – physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers all need to be place a much bigger emphasis on getting down to the “cause” of these injuries.

Sports Injury Statistics:

The concussion rate for female athletes is rising 21 percent each year, for past 11 years, and for boys, the increase has been 14 percent. (American Journal of Sports Medicine)

More than 3.5 million children ages 14 and younger get hurt annually playing sports or participating in recreational activities. (National SAFE KIDS Campaign and the American Academy of Pediatrics)

62% of organized sports-related injuries occur during practice (National SAFE KIDS Campaign and the American Academy of Pediatrics)

Injuries caused overexertion from excessive physical exercise or strenuous movements in recreational or other activities were among the leading causes of injury-related emergency department visits among adolescents ages 15–19, ranging from 5 to 10 visits per 1,000 adolescents. (Childstats.gov)

75% of the surgeries done on professional football players involve ligament tears, ACL tears,and the meniscus

Percentage knee injuries amongst different athletes:

• 67% of injuries among skiers are knee injuries
• 46% of injuries among soccer players are knee injuries
• 43% of injuries among football players are knee injuries
• 42% of injuries among basketball players are knee injuries
• 38% of injuries among runners are knee injuries
• 31% of injuries among gymnasts are knee injuries
• 29% of injuries among dancers are knee injuries
• 24% of injuries among tennis players are knee injuries

Injury Prevention is key!

Sports Injuries are on the Rise!

These statistics are astonishing and we, sports medicine professionals, need to step up and start making a difference. I opened my business, Efficient Movement, 5 years ago for this purpose. I was frustrated seeing injured athletes, one after another, coming into physical therapy, so I decided to take advantage of the Certified Strength and Conditioning Certification that I obtained years prior to that, but was not really utilizing. I took the sports medicine principles I knew and directly applied them to the strength training, speed training, and agility training athletes were seeking. I discovered the more I applied these principles, not only did I reduce injuries significantly with these athletes, but I also developed more athleticism in these athletes, than I knew was possible.

If you are looking to reduce sports-related injuries, please call us today and let us educate you on the risk(s) of injuries your body’s biomechanics may exhibit.

Efficient Movement | 9332 N 95th Way #104, Scottsdale, AZ 85258 | (602) 358-8862

 

 

 

 

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Choosing the Right Sports Performance Coach

Scottsdale, AZ – Athletics have become much more competitive for youth and high school athletes than they were 10 years ago. Good athletes are not even making teams by the time they reach high school. Therefore, choosing the right sports performance coach to work with your child is a very important decision. You don’t want to risk wasting money or time with the in-appropriate “trainer” for your child. It is important that your child develop

Choosing the Right Sports Performance Coach

s their optimal level of athleticism, as well as, prevent sports injuries. A nationally certified accredited sports performance coach combined with a sports medicine background is the optimal coach you should find to work with. In the past few years, multiple university athletic programs have been integrating their sports medicine program into the strength and conditioning programs. The extensive amount of knowledge a sports medicine specialist is combined with the understanding of sports performance results in astounding athletic results, and much lower injury rates!

Read about the 4 levels of sports “trainers” you may become exposed to, to help you make an educated decision about hiring the right sports performance coach for your child!

Efficient Movement, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, falls in the category of Level 4 sports “trainer”. Efficient Movement’s sports performance coaches, combine their sports medicine expertise with strength and conditioning principles. Contact Efficient Movement Today and get superior athletic results now! (602) 358-8862

 

 

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Why Do Athletes Wear Knee Straps For Knee Pain?

Why do youth athletes tend to be wearing knee straps more often?

Scottsdale, AZ – This is a great question. It makes me so sad to hear a statement like this. Athletes, at a very young age, are accepting knee pain as the norm. This should never be the case. If there is knee pain, or pain in ANY JOINT AT ANY TIME, it is not a good thing!!!!! Pain that continues to be in one spot or comes and goes in the same spot, is a RED FLAG and NEEDS to be addressed!!! So, when kids are wearing knee bands around their knee, it is telling me, as a sports medicine specialist, that those athletes are having chronic (continually) pain around their knee while

Why Do Athletes Wear Knee Straps For Knee Pain?

playing their sport. My first reaction is we need to find out the CAUSE OF THAT PAIN!! I would want to assess what is not balanced within their biomechanics, resulting in a re-directed force through the knee (or knee cap). Most of the time, when I see an athlete that has continual or intermittent pain in their knee and feel the need for a knee brace or knee strap, I notice that the quads are too tight, hipflexors are too tight, and directly applying an extra shear force across the knee cap every time the knee bends. Also, a direct effect of quads and/or hip flexors being too tight, is the Glute muscle are unable to activate fully, and therefore doesn’t allow the hip to get into full hip extension. Full Hip Extension is a very important biomechanical pattern needed for running, jumping, and landing. When hip extension is compromised, force has to be re-directed into another joint…most commonly the knees, but force can re-direct into the ankle, hips, or back too. All of which is bad and results in injury.
Another, conclusion that can be made from knowing an athlete has chronic or intermittent joint pain, is: the athlete is not optimizing their full athletic potential and compromising their speed, agility, and/or power. And always remember, knee straps and knee braces only decrease pain symptoms, they do not cure knee pain.

What can parents and athletes do to help reverse this knee pain, keeping in mind that practices and games take up a lot of time and makes it difficult to get in for regular training?

There are so many things an athlete can do in their own home and at their practices that can help with sports injuries like knee pain. To make home exercises as effective as possible, a thorough biomechanical assessment, done by a knowledgeable sports performance & sports medicine specialist is vitally important. When we know what the CAUSE of the injury is, then a 10-20 minute routine at home before or after practice is much more efficient and effective. From experience, the common causes and concurrent home exercises that tend to help are as follows:

Overly tight quads — Foam roll the outside portion of the front of the thigh. Find the most painful spots on the thigh and roll back and forth over that spot with a foam roll.

Overly tight hipflexors — See the videos on my website for some excellent hip flexor stretches

Weak of glutes/lack of hip extension — Glute bridges, Prone Glute Squeezes off back edge of couch (someone would only know this exercise if you have worked with me before), Triple Extension-Flexion Exchanges against wall, kettle bell swings (when they are actually done correct)

Please visit my informational website on sports injuries and sports performance at: www.ScottsdaleSportsMedicine.net and follow us on our Facebook Fan Page www.Facebook.com/EfficientMovementAthletes for more information on sports injuries.

What would it take to have our team train with you a regular basis that would fit around their practice schedule?

We have athletes that come in 1x per month up to as much as 3x/week. Any exposure we can have with them to teach them how to stretch and train their body PROPERLY is beneficial. I have seen some pretty significant changes in athletes that only come to me one time per month, but the key to this, is they have to do at least 10 minutes of exercises, specific to their body, at home a few times per week.
Prior to any sessions, I STRONGLY recommend they schedule a full body assessment with me prior to any team training sessions though. This way, each individual athlete does their own exercises that will correct their biomechanics.

 

Thank-you, with great sincerity, for helping me educate parents, athletes, and coaches. This is an area of knowledge I would like EVERY parent, EVERY coach, and EVERY athlete understand and know.

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Six Months Into 'Dieselgat' Scandal, Gloom Deepens in VW's Hometown

By REUTERS from NYT Business Day http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/03/20/business/20reuters-volkswagen-emissions-mood.html?partner=IFTTT