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The Gratuitous Boston Marathon Post 1 of 2

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:16:19 +0000

It seems as though every Tom, Dick and Harry from New England has at least one post about the Boston Marathon every Patriots Day, so here is mine;

Boston Marathon 2010

Although I have lived in Framingham and Natick for a combined total of 21 of my years, I have not gone down to the Boston Marathon race route as an adult and probably only did it a handful of time as a kid. Route 135 in Natick is literally a block and a 1/4 from my house and every year my wife, children, mother in law, some friends and their kids, neighbors and countless others in our community take in the spectacle. My kids love to hand out orange slices and get high fives from the runners, but this is the first year that I have witnessed it live.

I usually work a full day every Patriots Day, a holiday in Massachusetts so I never get to share in the reindeer games, until this year. I took a half day and made sure to get up early and park my car on the other side of rte. 135 so I could get to work when I was ready because the road is closed most of the day for the Marathon. So my Lab and I dropped the car off, enjoyed a brief walk back to the house and started to get ready for the Marathon. We loaded up on snacks, juice boxes and of course tons of orange slices for the marathoners.

It is a tough racket as kid handing our orange slices. There are now engineered yummies such as Cliff Bar “Shots” etc.

So many runners go high tech and skip taking an orange slice from some snot nosed kids who ay have already licked the orange they are offering him or her.

Nature's Sports Refreshment!

It was fun for the kids regardless and we helped facilitate the offerings to these running crazed marathoners, who are so appreciative of the support they get. They give kids high 5′s, cheer and clap back to the screaming crown and are mostly smiles (so are in down right agony). Our post was about 10.5 miles in to the race…so most people were still cruising pretty good, but I am sure much more pain was yet to come.

Let me stop this post now and come back with round 2 in case you are getting bored:)

Thanks for reading!

Eric Beard

CEO A-Team

Corrective Exercise Specialist

AthleticShoulder.com
http://facebook.com/theericbeard

http://youtube.com/theericbeard

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April 19, 2010 -- Please Read This: Gratuitous Boston Marathon Post Part 4: The Juice (0)
April 19, 2010 -- The Gratuitous Boston Marathon Post Part 3 (0)
April 19, 2010 -- The Gratuitous Boston Marathon Post Part 2 (0)
November 20, 2010 -- 99 Problems But a Vision Ain’t One (0)
August 21, 2010 -- Corrective Exercise 2010 Summer Update (0)
May 27, 2010 -- Whiplash is Not Just an Awesome Song From Metallica or Mickey Rourke’s Character in Ironman 2 (0)
March 19, 2010 -- Active Heel Slides for Deep Core Stabilizers and Psoas Inhibition: Corrective Exercise (0)
February 26, 2010 -- First Month of Another Fitness Challenge Brings Eric Beard Some Results (1)
February 24, 2010 -- Another Fitness Challenge Update on Ankle Mobility of Eric Beard (0)
February 19, 2010 -- Upper Extremity Reach Range of Motion Assessments (0)

Knee Pain: Quad vs. Glute Dominant Lunges

admin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:28:00 +0000

Time for a short video…about a minute and a half. I was asked a question about lunges and knee pain, whether front or back lunges are easier on the knees.

In the video I talk about the difference between quadriceps dominant lunges vs. glute dominant lunges. Quad dominant lunges are the more traditional 90/90 lunge and the glute is closer to a squat variation.

Which is better???

Thanks for watching and reading!

Eric Beard
Athletic Performance Enhancement Specialist
Corrective Exercise Specialist
theericbeard.blogspot.com
www.ericbeard.com

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Runner’s Knee (Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome) Solution-Tube Walking!…Not Quite.

admin — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:43:00 +0000

I had some great responses to my last post on runner’s knee. One mentioned that they like Tube Walking for a corrective exercise to strengthen the posterior fibers of glute medius to help with this impairment. I like the exercise, but cringe when I see most people do it…take a quick look at this short 2 minute and 21 second video and see if you are using this exercise correctly.

Thanks for reading!

Eric Beard
Athletic Performance Enhancement Specialist
Corrective Exercise Specialist
theericbeard.blogspot.com
www.ericbeard.com

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Runner’s Knee (Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome)

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 03:14:00 +0000

I am enjoying my vacation in Colorado with my family. We came out to attend and celebrate my nephew’s graduation from CU in Boulder. We went to the Denver Zoo today which was great as usual.

I have worked out a few times while I have been here at a gym in Castle Rock over the last few days and I was not able to shut my “work brain” off as usual. Lots to blog about from these workouts, but I will stick with Runner’s Knee (more recently called Patella Femoral Pain Syndrome or less recently Chondromalacia). My friends were running and biking indoors while I did my thing and I watched them as well as the other regulars at this gym. Endurance athletes and runners are a mess more often than not. It seems that the traditional information that they receive is helpful in the short term at best and crumby over the long term at the worst.

What is runner’s knee??

Wiki does s nice job with the definition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runner%27s_knee if you are unfamiliar with this condition.

Another site I perused tonight listed the possible causes as;

Wide Hips (female runners)

Knock Knees (Genu Valgum)

Subluxating Patella

Patella Alta (high patella)

Small medial pole of patella or corresponding portion of femur

Weak Vastus Medialis

Weak Quadriceps Muscles

Tight Hamstrings or calf muscles

Pronation of the feet

Pronation of feet? What about the rest of the Kinetic Chain?? More on this later…

So another site listed some self treatment tips…

1)Stop running (yeah right…You tell this to a runner who can still walk!!!)

2) Take a course (5 – 7 days) of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(ibuprofen/voltaren/cataflam/mobic) available from your general practitioner or pharmacist (if you are in pain…then this can help with that symptom)

3) Apply ice to the shin area – for 10 minutes every 2 hours, in order to reduce the inflammation (not a bad idea…love ice for repetitive strain injuries)

4) Avoid weight-bearing activities and keep foot elevated where possible (again…good luck…)

5) Self-massage – using arnica oil or anti-inflammatory gel, on the sore spots around the knee (I like it to manage THE SYMPTOM!)

6) Stretch 2 – 3 times per day- the quadriceps, hamstring, iliotibial band (ITB) and gluteal muscles (….okay, why are we stretching the glutes to prevent over pronation…??? maybe trying to reduce pull on the ITB…but how about Myofascial rlease???)

7) Strengthen the quadriceps muscle only when pain-free.

Exercises include:

a) Place pillow under knee, tighten quadriceps, push knee down into pillow and lift foot up. 20 times (not horrible for VMO and articualris genu)

b) Repeat exercise as above with foot turned out in order to strengthen the inside of the quadriceps muscle. Repeat 20.(not horrible for VMO)

c) Squats. Perform with back against wall. Bend knees slowly to between 45 – 60. Ensure that knee travels over line between bigand second toes. Hold for a count of 5 seconds. Relax slowly. 20 times (do this only if you want to continue quad dominance, like most runners, and continue to exclude the glutes from the picture)

d) Step-downs. Stand on step or box. Tighten quadriceps and lower opposite leg slowly to the ground.Ensure that knee travels over line and between big and second toes.Then raise the leg up onto the step,relax. Repeat 20. Increase the number of repetitions in increments of 5 every two days, all the way up to 60 reps. (okay if done correctly)

Return to running gradually (AMEN!)

Full recovery is usually between four to six weeks” (but what other symptom will show up next month??)

YES DO THIS!!!

From a human movement standpoint, looking at the entire kinetic chain, obviously there is much more to this. To be brief let me just approach this with corrective exercise for the lower body.

With runner’s knee I see;

Over-Active Muscles	Under-Active Muscles
Calve complex	Tibialis anterior/posterior
Tensor fascia latte (TFL)	Gluteus medius
Psoas/illiacus	Gluteus maximus
Vastus lateralis	Intrinsic core stabilizers
Adductor magnus	Medial hamstrings/popliteus
Biceps femoris (short head	Medial hamstrings/popliteus

Soft tissue work, including self myofascial release (SMR) for the overactive muscles as well as the illio-tibial band (ITB) is the first place to start. A roller like the Rollaxer is an ideal tool or for true beginners who want to get more comfortable with a foam roller before committing to a high end tool try a 2.2lb density foam roll (can get just 1 of these, just click on it) from Perform Better. I say spend the $ now and get the Rollaxer…or at least a high density molded model.

SMR can pay instant dividends as it can help to eliminate trigger points and free up adhesions with in the connective tissue that envelopes the effected muscle fibers. Trigger points are points that are sore and tender with pressure and refer pain, numbness and tingling (as well as other sensations) to other parts of the body. Trigger points in the; TFL, ITB, Vastus lateralis and biceps femoris can refer pain to the knee and SMR techniques can provide instant relief from pain in the knee complex. SMR can also free up adhesion that may restrict joint movement and hamper function.

Static stretching for the; calves, hip flexor complex and biceps femoris will help return these muscles to their normal resting length allowing better range of motion at the hip, knee and ankle.

Activation techniques for the following muscles are next; tibialis anterior/posterior, glute medius, glute maximus, medial hamstring complex/popliteus and intrinsic core stabilizers. Making sure that these muscles can be stimulated by the nervous system and generate enough force to reduce, produce and stabilize movement is an important part of the corrective process.

The glutes especially help to stabilize the femur and decelerate pronation throughout the lower extremity. The posterior fibers of glute medius and glute max are particularly important.

Integration techniques help to reinforce coordinated movement patterns. Exercises like a squat to row or step up to curl to press can help groove coordination through the entire kinetic chain.

This of course a quick once over on the corrective exercise process, but I had to start somewhere.

The point is, look at human function, the 5 kinetic chain checkpoints (feet, knees, hips/pelvis/spine, shoulders, head) and address impairments that cause symptoms.

Address symptoms fine, but find the cause and address it now or be prepared for more pain in the same place or pain somewhere else later.

Thanks for reading!

Eric Beard

Athletic Performance Enhancement Specialist

Corrective Exercise Specialist

theericbeard.blogspot.com

www.ericbeard.com

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My Knees Hurt, What Should I Do? Corrective Exercise of Course!

admin — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:36:00 +0000

Corrective Exercise for Knee Pain

I have had countless tennis players come to me with “sore knees”.Well, the knee joints are pretty important to all of us whether we are running around a green, grassy, blue or clay court chasing a fuzzy green ball. Even a couple of hundred yeas ago, if our knees joints stopped working , we would probably would not have survived much longer, unless we were rich or moved back in with our parents to get some free food.

It seems that people get caught up in trying to improve the health of their knees by strengthening the quadriceps and the hamstrings. Not a bad idea, but there is plenty more that could be done before and in addition to this approach; Corrective Exercise! This is a simplified approach to a potentially complex problem, but solid information that can help almost everyone!

To paraphrase a wise man “the knee joint is a dummy joint that goes where the ankle lets it go and the hip tells it to do”. What do I mean by that? Well most often when the knee joint is not moving how it should (as evidenced during the overhead squat test) discomfort soon will follow. Even if the knees are not sore, this imbalance could exist and be evident by a player taking extra steps when chasing down balls. Instinctively, or though outdated advice, people start stretching and strengthening the muscles directly around the joint when the problem often is emanating from the ankle joint below that is not moving well itself or the hip joint above that can’t control the thing. If the ankle can’t move front to back because of tight calves (due to prolonged sitting, wearing high heels, omitting proper flexibility training into ones exercise program) then the joint directly above, the knee suffers the consequences.

If the hip, which supports the thigh and helps to keep it in alignment, is weak (due to prolonged sitting, poor posture, low back pain, omitting proper flexibility training into ones exercise program etc.) then the knee is subjected to excessive and deleterious stresses. Here is a daily routine that can be used to help the ankle move better and the hip to support the knee more. If pain persists, then you should see a licensed health care practitioner.


SMR	Calves	Biceps femoris (short head)	TFL/ITB
Hold each sore spot for 30-45 seconds, repeat this on 203 sore spots per muscle on each side of the body	Quadriceps	Adductors
Static Stretching	Calves	Hip Flexors	Adductor Magnus
Hold each stretch 30 seconds 2-3 times each side
Core Exercises 1 set of 20 repetitions each	Ball Bridges	Clamshells ( 1 set each side)

Take home points;

1) to “strengthen” the knee joint, first look above and below

2) be consistent with your program, the above sample can be done daily

3) be sure to progresses to a complete exercise program

4) check your sneakers, it could be time for a new pair!

5) see a licensed health care practitioner if you have pain that does not go away

Hope this provided some “knee-ed” information!

Eric Beard

Athletic Performance Enhancement Specialist

Corrective Exercise Specialist

theericbeard.blogspot.com

www.ericbeard.com

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