Fitness. Strength. Nutrition.
Rehabilitation
Back Spasms
Aug 24th
Back spasms are involuntary, intermittent and often prolonged contractions in the muscles of the back, they have various causes and severity levels, however they are painful, cause a lot of discomfort and can really put you out of activity for a while. Most people that are active in some way would have felt the wrath of back spasms before, and just like anything else, it is important to ensure that you understand what is going on, in order to get rid of the pain.
Common Causes Of Back Spams
Hip Labral Tear
Aug 23rd
Hip pain is pretty common, and one diagnosis we are seeing more of since investigative technologies have been developed, is the hip labral tear. Not only is this painful, depending on the severity, it can require surgery to correct. The labrum in the hip is actually a ring of cartilage and has two important functions. It acts to deepen the socket to provide stability to the joint, and it also acts to reduce the friction that is felt whilst moving. A hip labral tear is characterized by the breaking or damaging of the labrum in the hip, the surface is no longer smooth.
How To Self Massage
Aug 23rd
We have repeatedly discussed the benefits of self massage and ensuring that your muscles get the soft tissue work they need. I found a great video that tells you exactly how to self massage with a foam roller and tennis ball. I can’t stress enough the important of you actually getting into some soft tissue work, you will immediately discover the benefits. You no doubt have a lot of trigger points in your body that are causing you pain. Check out these posts to get some more info:
How To Get Rid Of Shin Splints
Aug 20th
You upped your training levels, started to push harder, got more serious, everything was fine for a while, until you started to feel pain in your shin. No doubt this pain only got worse over time. Chances are you are suffering from shin splints. Shins splints are a common condition that many people suffer from. They are painful, annoying and if you don’t look after them correctly they only get worse. Finding out how to get rid of shin splints is important, and will ensure that you don’t end up with a stress fracture.
What Are Shin Splints?
Electronic Muscle Stimulators
Aug 17th
A lot of people wonder about the use of electronic muscle stimulators in sport and training, and the fact is that they do have their place. Although not at the forefront of methods that will help you be the best, they can certainly give you an edge in both your training and recovery. The problem is that they don’t come cheap, so here are a couple of great cheap electrical muscle stimulator options from Amazon that I found. If you want to see the full range of EMS machines to choose from then click here.
Achilles Tendon Injury
Aug 16th
The Achilles tendon is a problematic area, and one that can get pretty painful. It is important when you start to feel pain in this area, that you take notice and do the correct rehabilitation. Achilles tendon injuries are painful and complicated, but not impossible to rehabilitate. They often take a lot of time, and you need to be patient with the work you are doing. it is important that you get it right the first time in order to avoid repeating the injury, and possibly making it worse. The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to your heel bone. It is a thick tendon that is visible at the back of your foot, and works to help you rise onto your toes. There are two common injuries to this tendon that we will discuss.
Arch Pain: Causes & Treatment
Aug 13th
Arch pain is usually felt as a burning sensation or discomfort that you feel under your foot, in the arch. The most common cause that you will hear about is plantar fasciitis, however there are a number of other reasons why you might be suffering this pain. Generally it will be caused from an imbalance, like most most problems in the body, leaving other areas to heavily compensate. Combine that with other factors that can cause overuse injuries, plus some bad footwear, and you have a serious recipe for arch pain.
Arch Anatomy
The Ultimate Sports Recovery Guide
Aug 5th
Whether you are a professional athlete, a weekend warrior, or someone who loves working out, you will benefit from having a good grasp on how to recover properly. Good recovery will enhance performance, allow you to train harder and ensure that you get better gains from your training. It helps the muscles repair, adapt and build and is essential in any training routine. Of course, not all sports recovery methods are necessary for everyone, but as we well know, knowledge is power. Here I am going to review the top methods for recovery, talk about why you need them, and what cases you should apply each one. The best evidence is trying it yourself. If you feel better, then it is a good recovery method for you.
Thoracic Mobility: The How & Why
Aug 4th
If you suffer from back or neck pain, from constant shoulder pain, slump over when you walk and sit, and have trouble keeping your chest up and out while you are lifting, there is a fair chance that you have poor thoracic mobility. Although this is now a problem that many more people are aware of, it is, in relative terms, a pretty recent finding. Unfortunately, the nature of our lives currently almost forces us into a bad posture. You do something for long enough, it’s going to stick. Thoracic spine immobility is a common cause, or at least contribute to a lot of different pains above and below it. You need to be mobile through that area for your body to move the way it needs too.
Why Do You Need Thoracic Spine Mobility?
Firstly, it is necessary to understand where the thoracic spine actually is and what it should be doing. Check out the picture, and you will see that the thoracic spine is basically your upper back. To put it simply, you want to have stability in your lower back, and you want to have mobility in your upper back. The thoracic spine is made to rotate, to extend, and to flex. It is supposed to be mobile, and it is where you should be getting a lot of your movements from. Unfortunately, a lot of people get that mobility form their lower back, where stability is they key. This is why poor thoracic spine mobility can lead to lower back pain. You can get lower back pain relief from getting better thoracic mobility. Your biomechanics are bad, you get imbalances down the chain, one thing leads to another.
Hip Flexor Stretches
Jul 23rd
Here are two of my favourite hip flexor stretches. As we know, these are very troublesome and important muscles in the body, and they get tight very easily. The nature of our lives means we are sitting down most of the time, and our hip flexors are in a shortened position. This can cause a lot of pain, and consequently a lot of issues in many other areas of the body, back pain being the main complaint. I won’t go into it anymore, but check out these posts to find out more about tight hip flexors and how fascia can affect your body. Enjoy!
Bulging Disc Treatment
Jul 22nd
Back pain is a condition that many people have had to deal with at some stage in their lives. There are many different causes of back pain, but a common culprit is a bulging disc. It is one of the most frustrating spine injuries to heal and causes a lot of pain and discomfort. There are things that you can do to ease the pain of your bulging disc, which can help you avoid surgery. A bulging disc in the lumbar region, the lower back is most common, and this is what we will be discussing today.
What Is A Bulging Disc?
Piriformis Test
Jul 8th
The piriformis test is used to detect piriformis syndrome. This is when the sciatic nerve is compressed or irritated by the piriformis muscle. It is a neuromuscular disorder and it causes pain, tingling and numbness of the thigh and leg.
How Does Piriformis Syndrome Occur?
The piriformis muscle lies deep to the gluteal muscles, and the sciatic nerve passes underneath it. In about 15% of the population it will pass through the muscle. The pain is usually in the bum, hamstring, or back of the leg. This is why it is frequently misdiagnosed glute med dysfunction, bulging disc, sciatica, stress fractures and other musckuloskeletal problems. When the piriformis gets tight or spasms it can irritate and even compress the sciatic nerve, causing pain and numbness in various places down the back of the leg.
Knee Ligament Damage
Jun 29th
Knee ligament damage is a common injury, and can occur from a wide range of mechanisms. A ligament is a short band of connective tissue that attaches from bone to bone. Ligaments are in the joint to stop and limit mobility, this is why they are injured often due to outside forces. This can happen during a collision, a change in direction or a bad landing. When the knee is forced into a movement range that the ligament restricts, there is trouble. Usually these injuries happen at a higher speed, as the forces generated are much greater.
Knee Ligament Classifications
Pinched Nerve In Shoulder
Jun 18th
A pinched nerve is a term that is quite common to hear, but most of us don’t really know what it means. A pinched nerve in the shoulder is a complaint that you will hear often, a very painful one at that, however not totally correct. Nerve compressions can be caused by muscles, tendons, bones and cartilage that surround the nerve and branches of it. Often people can get a pinched nerve in the shoulder region when they have tight muscles, however, generally the nerve is not actually being pinched by a muscle in the shoulder. Typically it comes from the disc area in your neck. If you know a little anatomy then you will understand that this usually happens around C6 and C7. This is typically where problems can occur and result in symptoms like a pinched nerve in the shoulder. The nerves that run through C6 and C7 travel down through your shoulder blades, and can cause chronic pain and muscles spasms. A pinched nerve in the shoulder that originates in the neck is not always the actual diagnosis, but it is something you need to look out for, as it is quite typically disguised as a shoulder problem.
How To Treat Tennis Elbow
Apr 20th
Tennis elbow is a condition otherwise known as lateral epicondylitis, and affects the elbow. The pain is in the outer area of your elbow and it occurs if the tendons that are connecting the muscles to your elbow become damaged. If you let this condition go untreated it can get really painful and even doing simple things will cause you a mountain of pain. The good news is that it can be treated, and there are even some things that you can do at home and by yourself to reduce the pain significantly.
What Are The Causes Of Tennis Elbow?
Bum Exercises: 8 of the best
Jan 29th
We have spoken many times on this blog about the importance of getting your butt in gear, but we are going to go through it once again. There are some things that I like to overdo, this is one of them.
Lower Back Pain Relief: 10 Hot Tips
Jan 20th
Nearly every single person that will read this post will have suffered from back pain at some stage in their life. It doesn’t matter who you are, you are susceptible to back pain. The fact is that our spines are a very very strange part of the body, complex and not easy to figure out. A lot of the time you will have pain and you will not get a direct diagnosis, but you can always find a way to reduce your pain, if not cure it completely.
Whiplash Neck Injury
Jan 19th
Many of us would have heard about this, and quite a few of us would have experienced it. Whiplash is a painful condition that is actually quite common. Knowing what to expect from a whiplash injury and how to treat it, will ensure that you get rid of the pain faster and more effectively.
What Is Whiplash?
Basically, whiplash occurs when there is a sudden acceleration and deceleration force on the neck. Most of you would have heard about it in people after car accidents. It is a very common injury after a crash, because of the excessive force placed on the neck in such a short time, causing an abnormal range of motion. It results in neck pain, as the soft tissues in your neck are injured.
Hamstring Rehabilitation Manual: MORE
Jul 22nd
I forgot to post a few more things bout the Rehab manual. You can also check out a bit more about the manual here at the Bertolacci site. Head to the Products page for more info about the Hamstring Rehabilitation manual, or check out the resources page for more Hamstring Injury Information. You can also check out Dads blog and find a lot of strength and conditioning information and thoughts. He knows his stuff and if you are interested in athletics and strength and conditioning then you should check it out.
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Hamstring Rehabilitation Manual
Jul 19th
My father has recently written an e-book on hamstring rehabilitation. Although this won’t interest a lot of my readers I wanted to get it out there, both for you and for him. There isn’t really a better place to launch it, and if there are some athletes or sports coaches out there, or people with recurring hamstring injuries, then this should be of interest for you.
