Sometimes paying attention to where you have been helps you to figure out if you are on the right track…
Have an awesome day!
Corrective Exercise Specialist
Sometimes paying attention to where you have been helps you to figure out if you are on the right track…
Have an awesome day!
Corrective Exercise Specialist
Good morning!
I just downloaded this Word Press App for my iPhone. It let’s me post to my blog directly from my iPhone. This us just a test. I look forward to using thus to get you more helpful content in the future.
Be well.
Eric Beard
CEO A-Team
Corrective Exercise Specialist
Athletic Shoulder DVD
When we first got down to the marathon route, we caught the tail end of the first heat of elite runners. These guys were moving! Most of them were still a mess-protracted shoulders, all bam-string, no glute…but it is still impressive to see people who have truly worked on their craft for years in the throws of competition. I will never run like they were running. Very cool.
As this pack thinned out and the first wave of runners from the next heat came through there was a very different feeling…
These runners were cheering back to the crowd! High Fivinng, smiling! Yelling…happy to be alive and running in the Boston Marathon. They probably all had personal goals for times, but they seemed to run for the love of the sport and experience. These runners donned the garb and colors of their country and outrageous costumes. There were a couple dozen Canadian proudly displaying the maple leaf. A group of 4 men carrying the Japanese flag. Several Irish folks running along. A man carrying an American flag with red white and blue clothes on. A man dressed as a fairy..wings and all. A Ninja, a man with a towel and rubber ducky, characters from movies, people with their 20 year old college and high school cross country pinnies on. Celtics and Red Sox T-Shirts, their names or the names of the people they are running for written on their bodies and more.
There were the teams of runners running for a cause or a sick or departed friend or family member. Runners running for themselves and those who could not run.
A blind man with 2 escorts, an 80 year old who was running Boston for his 8th time, an old man pulling an oxygen cart (yes…pulling his oxygen…with 2 health aides walking with him). There were people with prosthetic limbs and other seeming physical challenges.
It was amazing…I could not clap or cheer for an hour…I thought I would burst into tears. The humanity, the sacrifice, the camaraderie the unbridled and unconditional support of one another…total strangers! It was beautiful.
There were people handing our notes to runners…young girls near us…one runner took one and accidentally dropped it…this man RAN BACK through the other runners to get it!!!! He was so appreciative of the words of encouragement on the paper that he actually ran against the tide of thousands (only about 10 feet) to get the note off of the pavement and kept going.
This is what sport should be about. This is what life should be about. there are crowned winners who stand out…but not a single loser. It was about each man and woman being out for themselves on this journey, while sharing it with thousands of strangers. People cheering for other people who were limping or tired, that wanted to quit!
There was a man in obvious pain…limping, barely walking and woman shouted to him “Keep ti up! You are doing a great job!”…honestly at any other time in Boston this woman would have been yelling at this man to “hurry up and get the heck (PG version) out of the way!” .But this was “Boston”…what they call the Boston Marathon. Where the crowds treat the participants like kings, queens and family.
Never have I experienced a culmination of effort, dogged determination and sacrifice like this. Never have I felt this much pride about this community, about the people at this race and in this race. It was a celebration of life. My narrow mind tried to pick and analyze the human body but my heart and soul would not let me ignore the human spirit.
Thank you to the thousands of volunteers and tens of thousands of marathoners and untold number of fans. I feel like a better person for what you showed me today.
Talk about “Acres of Diamonds”…
Thank you for reading…I hope this story, my experience today can make a difference for you too the next time you have the opportunity to pick someone else up when they are down.
Corrective Exercise Specialist
Here is a short video I took at the Marathon as well…
I am respectful of the runners for their years of training to get to this point and the personal sacrifice that they have endured. By no means do I intend to add negativity to these individuals experience. I merely want to point out some opportunities that they may have to stay healthy their and run faster and more efficiently:)
If you observe the first woman with the green shirt, you can notice her right knee moving in and foot moving out. Often their is tightness in the muscles around the ankle and hip, like the lateral gastrocnemius fibers, soleus, TFL, psoas, illiacus and biceps femoris short head and quite possibly a joint restriction at the subtalor joint in the ankle. Many time sin this situation, the medial hamstrings and gluteal complex along with the medial gastrocnemius are under active and weak.
If left unchecked, this pattern can wear down the medial meniscus, aggravate the plantar fascia, patella femoral joint and lead to low back pain, neck pain and even headaches as the ground reaction forces are transmitted through the kinetic chain.
The man in the blue shirt displays a varum or bowlegged stride. This can be congenital and has a similar pattern of muscular imbalance with the piriformis and long head of the biceps femoris joining the over active group. There is less that can often be done about this type of gait because it is possibly structural, but corrective exercise can still help to minimize the muscular imbalances and enhance personal athletic performance and recovery from running.
Lastly the woman in the yellow top that takes the orange from the girl in the crowd displays that leg whip (foot out/knee in) compensation similar to the woman in the green shirt.
These compensations can all be observable in a movement assessment like the overhead squat, which makes a great pre-screen to a running program.
Even a basic regimen of self myofascial release, static stretching, core stabilization and balance training can have a major positive impact on these three runners and how they feel during and after a run.
I have helped several endurance athletes train for and recover from major and minor events and it is a challenge to balance corrective with the Horus of training needed to complete these events, but the importance of a corrective exercise program, good sleep, a smart meal plan, consistent training and complimentary/adjunct therapy (massage, acupuncture, chiropractic, physical therapy) is the way to have long term success with endurance sports,even if they are just F.T.F.O.I. (for the fun of it)
One more to go!!! Thanks for your persistence:)
Corrective Exercise Specialist
Whiplash is Not Just an Awesome Song From Metallica or Mickey Rourke’s Character in Ironman 2
Don’t get me wrong, I have been an Iroman fan since I was a kid (I even collected Ironman comic books and still have them in storage)
Yes...I have this issue...
and…I have been thrashing to Metallica since the 7th grade when I bought the ride the Lightening cassette
Yes I still have this cassette in my attic
But feel free to download Whiplash if you are looking for a great example of the Southern California/English Invasion of metal in the early 80’s.

But on to the post! Acceleration/deceleration injuries are no joke and I can vouch from personal and professional experience. I have had whiplash
Dude is angry at Ironman
Ouch! Been there done that!
WebMD does a nice job summarizing whiplash even though there are a host of other resources out there to learn more about this condition and it’s treatment.
“Whiplash, also called neck sprain or neck strain, is injury to the neck. Whiplash is characterized by a collection of symptoms that occur following damage to the neck. In whiplash, the intervertebral joints (located between vertebrae), discs, and ligaments, cervical muscles, and nerve roots may become damaged.
None of these are good.
What Causes Whiplash?
Whiplash is caused by an abrupt jerking motion of the head, either backward or forward, and often occurs as a result of a car accident.
What Are the Symptoms of Whiplash?
Symptoms of whiplash may be delayed for 24 hours or more after the initial trauma. However, people who experience whiplash may develop one or more of the following symptoms, usually within the first few days after the injury.
Neck pain and stiffness
Headaches
Pain in the shoulder or between the shoulder blades
Low back pain
Pain or numbness in the arm and/or hand
Dizziness
Ringing in the ears or blurred vision
Difficulty concentrating or remembering
Irritability, sleep disturbances, fatigue
How Is Whiplash Diagnosed?
In most cases, injuries are to soft tissues such as the disks, muscles and ligaments, and cannot be seen on standard X-rays. Specialized imaging tests, such as CT scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be required to diagnose whiplash.
How Is Whiplash Treated?
No single treatment has been scientifically proven as effective for whiplash, but pain relieving medications such as Motrin or Aleve along with gentle exercises, physical therapy traction, massage, heat, ice, injections, (chiropractic manipulations-Eirc added this and this has been documented in several high level studies) and ultrasound all have been helpful for certain patients.
In the past, whiplash injuries were often treated with immobilization in a cervical collar. However, the current trend is to encourage early movement instead of immobilization. Ice may be applied for the first 24 hours, followed by gentle active movement.”
Some personal insights-take a look at this picture
Release that SCM already!
Also, I think this is the most important part of the post, is that symptoms can take days even weeks manifest, If you are in an accident (fall, mva, roller coaster etc.) go see your primary care physician or report to an emergency room asap to get radiographic evidence following a proper evaluation to protect yourself when you may want to pursue care a couple of weeks down the line and you do not want anyone accusing you of slipping and falling on ice or hurting yourself moving your buddy’s coach instead of being hurt in that original accident. Get check out and be proactive. Don;t wait till things are so tight that you can’t sleep 3 days alter or you have headaches a week alter and you can not figure out why:)***also receiving treatment early (even mobilizations) on may speed recovery***
This is a real x-ray I took of someone who fell off of monkey bars at a playground and landed on their back.
Dude needs some corrective exercise
They used a cervical collar for 3 days, ice therapy, arnica, Biofreeze, shiatsu, acupuncture, massage therapy and Chiropractic care to restore their lordotic curve to their cervical spine in 8 days, full range of motion in 10 days and complete elimination of pain in 10 days. This person is a minor and they heal at a faster rate than adults, but the care process can apply to adults as well. Corrective exercise protocols can be implemented now that pain and swelling have been eliminated.
So don’t just think of your boy Tony Stark (Ironman)
get anyone who is suffering from signs and symptoms of whiplash some care and corrective exercise.
Go help someone with this information today or add on with a comment!
Eric Beard
CEO A-Team
Corrective Exercise Specialist
AthleticShoulder.com
http://facebook.com/theericbeard
http://youtube.com/theericbeard
