ericbeard.com » Eric Beard http://ericbeard.com Corrective Exercise, Human Movement, Posture, Success and Personal Development Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:24:18 +0000 en hourly 1 Disney Vacation Workout: Corrective Exercise on the Road http://ericbeard.com/2010/06/08/disney-vacation-workout-corrective-exercise-on-thr-road/ http://ericbeard.com/2010/06/08/disney-vacation-workout-corrective-exercise-on-thr-road/#comments Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:26:04 +0000 admin http://ericbeard.com/2010/06/08/disney-vacation-workout-corrective-exercise-on-thr-road/ I am on my way back from (or just got back from-depending on when I finish this-my 4 year old is playing with his cars so I have a moment or 2 now) an amazing vacation. My wife and three children took our first family trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida. It was the trip of a lifetime! The wonder, excitemet and magic in my kids eyes was priceless. I documented a chunk of my trip in pictures on my Facebook page http://Facebook.com/theericbeard friend my and just message me that you read my blog if you want to connect there.

I had to wake up early or stay up late to get this work in since I was enjoying the time with my family pretty
much every waking hour. I do my SMR / soft tissue work first followed by my static stretching for any muscles that are shortened. I typicaly do my core stabilization work next then any needed activation work. I have been utilizing some variations of some Yoga poses during my stretching sessions and have really enjoyed the benefits.

My best an biggest workout came while the wife and kids took a nap on a rainy afternoon. I got my rolling on while they were settling down then grabbed my bands as headed outside once they laid down for some zzzs.

I went out in the rain and did a total body workout with some Yoga and sprints. It was amazing to be outside and working out. It was refreshing especially after the rain stopped. I got a few strange looks from passers by like they were thinking “what is this nut doing? He’s going to get struck by lightening!”

It was peaceful by the riverside. There was a crane that stayed next to me the entire time, even during my sprints and dynamic flexibility. It felt great to take care of my body on the road during this hectic trip. It would have been easy to blow everything off and come back home feeling all tight and crummy but I am so glad that I didn’t. I didn’t over do it, but took car or myself to be able to feel good and move well. I felt like it kept my energy up too. I was pushing a double stroller full of 2 kids with bags draped over it and sometimes a third on my back. I needed to be up to the task. I enjoy active type of vacations and this sure was one. I walked and walked and walked in the Florida heat for hours a day and felt great, albeit sweaty.

So it is ok to unplug, step back and dial down, but take care of yourself to keep feeling great. I bet you enjoy your vacation even more.

Hope you are having an awesome day!
Eric Beard
Corrective Exercise Specialist
CEO A-Team
AthleticShoulder.com

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]]> http://ericbeard.com/2010/06/08/disney-vacation-workout-corrective-exercise-on-thr-road/feed/ 0 Whiplash is Not Just an Awesome Song From Metallica or Mickey Rourke’s Character in Ironman 2 http://ericbeard.com/2010/05/27/whiplash-is-not-just-an-awesome-song-from-metallica-or-mickey-rourkes-character-in-ironman-2/ http://ericbeard.com/2010/05/27/whiplash-is-not-just-an-awesome-song-from-metallica-or-mickey-rourkes-character-in-ironman-2/#comments Fri, 28 May 2010 03:02:52 +0000 admin http://ericbeard.com/?p=708 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.
Old School!!!

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!

and imagine the muscle spindle fibers in the scalenes and anterior neck musculature, as the spine is forced into extension, the spindle fibers are stretched and the stretch reflex is activated and they go into spasm. The scalenes, sterno-cleido mastoid, longus coli, longus capitus and hyoids go into lock down trying to keep the head and neck from ripping off of the body. Depending on which direction the force comes from, this of course changes the muscles that are initially lengthened. I just want to remind people that the anterior neck musculature must be addressed. Often times massage therapists (and even other manual therapists) that go to shorter educational programs do not have the training to address these tissues safely, but it must be done.

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

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]]> http://ericbeard.com/2010/05/27/whiplash-is-not-just-an-awesome-song-from-metallica-or-mickey-rourkes-character-in-ironman-2/feed/ 0 It’s Okay to Peek into the Past http://ericbeard.com/2010/05/26/its-okay-to-peek-into-the-past/ http://ericbeard.com/2010/05/26/its-okay-to-peek-into-the-past/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 17:41:19 +0000 admin http://ericbeard.com/?p=706 Sometimes paying attention to where you have been helps you to figure out if you are on the right track…

Have an awesome day!

Eric Beard
CEO A-Team

Corrective Exercise Specialist

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

http://youtube.com/theericbeard

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]]> http://ericbeard.com/2010/05/26/its-okay-to-peek-into-the-past/feed/ 0 Love These iphone Apps! http://ericbeard.com/2010/05/16/love-these-iphone-apps/ http://ericbeard.com/2010/05/16/love-these-iphone-apps/#comments Sun, 16 May 2010 13:21:52 +0000 admin http://ericbeard.com/2010/05/16/love-these-iphone-apps/ 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

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]]> http://ericbeard.com/2010/05/16/love-these-iphone-apps/feed/ 0 Please Read This: Gratuitous Boston Marathon Post Part 4: The Juice http://ericbeard.com/2010/04/19/please-read-this-gratuitous-boston-marathon-post-part-4-the-juice/ http://ericbeard.com/2010/04/19/please-read-this-gratuitous-boston-marathon-post-part-4-the-juice/#comments Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:28:17 +0000 admin http://ericbeard.com/?p=698 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…

Boston Marathon 2010 Start

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.

Eric Beard
CEO A-Team

Corrective Exercise Specialist

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

http://youtube.com/theericbeard

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]]> http://ericbeard.com/2010/04/19/please-read-this-gratuitous-boston-marathon-post-part-4-the-juice/feed/ 0 The Gratuitous Boston Marathon Post Part 3 http://ericbeard.com/2010/04/19/the-gratuitous-boston-marathon-post-part-3/ http://ericbeard.com/2010/04/19/the-gratuitous-boston-marathon-post-part-3/#comments Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:28:47 +0000 admin http://ericbeard.com/?p=693 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:)

Eric Beard
CEO A-Team

Corrective Exercise Specialist

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

http://youtube.com/theericbeard

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]]> http://ericbeard.com/2010/04/19/the-gratuitous-boston-marathon-post-part-3/feed/ 0 The Gratuitous Boston Marathon Post Part 2 http://ericbeard.com/2010/04/19/the-gratuitous-boston-marathon-post-part-2/ http://ericbeard.com/2010/04/19/the-gratuitous-boston-marathon-post-part-2/#comments Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:59:28 +0000 admin http://ericbeard.com/?p=682 Of course the corrective exercise specialist in me is conflicted when taking in these events. I applaud and admire the human spirit but am always shocked at what most people are doing to themselves with all of this dysfunction and movement impairments!

I took a few pics with my trusty iphone and got a few usable ones, although I saw much more craziness than I got I on film.

Low back pain? Runner's Knee?

[/caption

Leg Whip! Foot Whip!

This last one is the most obvious, you can really see the knee collapsing inward and foot turning out. This is loading the ligaments and cartilage of the knee abnormally and will wear down those tissues.

Think of how much energy they have to use just to propel themselves down the road? They are not using the elastic properties of their tissues, they have to use so much concentric effort instead of "springing" from one stride to the next.

Don't his lines look better?

This is HUGE from a performance perspective as well as injury prevention and longevity. Some people can handle the pounding and their ligaments and passive system are durable enough to take it. That does not mean they don’t limp around with poor posture…they just can persevere through the training. This does become a quality of life issue at some point. People keep runnig  to run instead of learning how to move so they can then run. There should be a physical and psychological challenge to athletic training and race preparation, but we should not be sacrificing our joints just to earn T-Shirt or jacket.

I could go on for hours about dysfunction, movement impairments and why people should not be doing what they are doing…but there is something to be said for the human spirit…that is what struck me even more powerfully that the ugly running and punishment people were perpetrating on their poor joints.

Next post I will show you a video I took and write about some of the things I see as well as the emotional impact this day had on me…the intellectual part is easy:)

Thanks for hanging in!

Eric Beard
CEO A-Team

Corrective Exercise Specialist

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

http://youtube.com/theericbeard

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]]> http://ericbeard.com/2010/04/19/the-gratuitous-boston-marathon-post-part-2/feed/ 0 The Gratuitous Boston Marathon Post 1 of 2 http://ericbeard.com/2010/04/19/the-gratuitous-boston-marathon-post-1-of-2/ http://ericbeard.com/2010/04/19/the-gratuitous-boston-marathon-post-1-of-2/#comments Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:16:19 +0000 admin http://ericbeard.com/?p=677 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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]]> http://ericbeard.com/2010/04/19/the-gratuitous-boston-marathon-post-1-of-2/feed/ 0 What is Missing in Most Fitness, Performance and Rehabilitation and Corrective Exercise Programs? http://ericbeard.com/2010/03/22/what-is-missing-in-most-fitness-performance-and-rehabilitation-and-corrective-exercise-programs/ http://ericbeard.com/2010/03/22/what-is-missing-in-most-fitness-performance-and-rehabilitation-and-corrective-exercise-programs/#comments Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:17:00 +0000 admin http://ericbeard.com/?p=670 What is Missing in Most Fitness, Performance and Rehabilitation and Corrective Exercise Programs? Here are some of my and my students observations.

Thanks for checking in!

Eric Beard

CEO A-Team

Corrective Exercise Specialist

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

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]]> http://ericbeard.com/2010/03/22/what-is-missing-in-most-fitness-performance-and-rehabilitation-and-corrective-exercise-programs/feed/ 0 Active Heel Slides for Deep Core Stabilizers and Psoas Inhibition: Corrective Exercise http://ericbeard.com/2010/03/19/active-heel-slides-for-deep-core-stabilizers-and-psoas-inhibition-corrective-exercise/ http://ericbeard.com/2010/03/19/active-heel-slides-for-deep-core-stabilizers-and-psoas-inhibition-corrective-exercise/#comments Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:56:13 +0000 admin http://ericbeard.com/?p=667 A fun little corrective exercise to improve the strength of the deep core stabilizers, inhibit the psoas and enhance core stability.

Have a great weekend!

Eric Beard

CEO A-Team

Corrective Exercise Specialist

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

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]]> http://ericbeard.com/2010/03/19/active-heel-slides-for-deep-core-stabilizers-and-psoas-inhibition-corrective-exercise/feed/ 0