Can the human body handle this?

When I was a kid the NFL regular season was 11 games.  Now 18 games, plus another 11 if you make it to the super bowl?  Thanks to my buddy Lou Argondizza for bringing this to my attention:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=110128/PainkillersCurrentUse

Working at the periphery of the envelope of function

This athlete is a wrestler re-abilitating a grade 2 L knee MCL sprain.

He needs to move from a four point stance to a stand up position.  The transfer from kneel to standup right now is outside his envelope-  the knee perturbates in the process.  So I have his R knee elevated to reduce the depth of the stand up.  I keep folding the mat and have him single leg stand up until the perturbation resolves.

By the way, the single leg stand up is a great remedial tool to improve the single leg squat.  By moving the knee of the trail leg ahead of the forward leg heel, it reduces the ability of the trail leg to assist in the movement.

Now this is a functional movement screen

Simply asked this athlete to 2 step, hop, return, and repeat 10x.

Sagittal plane task, we should expect stability in the other two planes.

Frontal plane:  Elevated R ilium, knee valgus.
Transverse:  R shoulder, pelvis L rotation, knee, foot IR.

Why don't we see the foot collapsing also?

Something I want to drive home...

It's all about athletic development, planned performance training designed by you so that your athletes thrive, not just survive your protocols.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=6061650

Thanks fellow GAINer Randy Ballard for bringing this to my attention.

Seats?! We don't need no stinking seats!

Knee Rehab, Treasure of Sierre Madre Style.

When is a squat no longer functional?

The heavy load, combined with the long lever arm created by the olympic bar forces the athlete to place the feet outside of hip width and externally rotate the legs for more stability.  Does it have a carryover to jumping, landing, running, & ACL prevention anymore?

CJW "Stop it Before it Starts" Symposium

Sorry I haven't been posting.  Been preparing and presenting down in Richmond Va.  Great, smart enthusiastic, friendly people.  The P.T. clinic is so cool!  Think of a good high school or Collegiate A.T. room, not the typical assembly line style that is so popular.  Minimal machines, with everyone up and moving.  I  got that warm fuzzy feeling as soon as I walked in and felt right at home.  Interesting many of the patients pay cash to continue their conditioning and fitness beyond the rehab.  I also found out why they laugh at what we call barbeque up here.

I took some hits on the NJ accent.  I didn't think I sounded like Snooki and Tony Soprano but I guess it needs some work.

Very Timely

Thanks for fellow GAINer Sal Marinello (http://www.salmarinello.com/) for bringing this to my attention:

"Relationship Betwen Core Stability, Functional Movement, and Performance"- Okada et al, JSCR Jan. 11.

A lot of great research is coming out of Indiana State lately.  Stuart McGill's trunk muscle endurance tests along with the functional movement screen were used to determine the relationship between core stability, functional movement, and performance on the overhead medicine ball throw, T test, and single leg squat.  Found a moderate to weak correlation.  The authors go on to say that although core stability (as interpreted by McGill) is important, it should not be a primary emphasis of any training program.

If I understand what the authors are saying correctly is the "bracing" type exercises should be included as a general physical competency movement, but not used ad nauseum as a "corrective" exercise.  The test exercises described require a "reactive core".  The "trunk stability exercises" have stillness as their goal.

Vern Gambetta has some very good reactive core tests.  One is to repeatedly laterally hop onto one foot while a teammate tosses a medicine ball to opposite sides of the torso.

"It ain't me babe"- Bob Dylan

"The best trainers and coaches of all time find and fix weaknessess.  The rest simply focus on strengths".

That's a quote from a well known physical therapist.

And I imagine I'll never be the best because it's the athlete's strengths I focus on first during rehabilitation & return to play.  Set them up for success by finding that athlete's comfort zone & using it as my starting point.  Gradually expanding their envelope of function by monitoring them both intra and inter workout; and making adjustments.

Great post by the Iron Maven

http://ironmaven.blogspot.com/2010/11/nothing-by-slice.html

In this blog I am very guilty of serving it up by the slice.  But at least I serve it up Jersey style with lots of sausage and anchovies.  In my mindset the nature of blogging or tweating is serving up soundbites. Here we're only dipping our big toe into the lake of function.  Please think about joining us at GAIN this June at Rice University in Houston Texas.  Having the faculty of Vern Gambetta, Kelvin Giles, James Radcliffe, Tracy Fober, and Greg Thompson as rescouces is invaluable no matter what level of athletic development you're on.  But what really sets GAIN apart is its members, which are presonally selected by Vern each year and return to join us.

Inverted Winshield Wipers

This is an early phase neuromuscular exercise I am using for an athlete with a right shoulder subluxation.  Think of the Oregon sway drill with the hands gliding in an upside down windshield wiper pattern on the wall.  The glenohumeral jonint capsule remains protected throughout the exercise because the humerus remains in the scapular plane, and does not abduct above chest height.  The closed chain pressure on the hands combined with the total body movement challenges this athlete's shoulder stability within his zone of function.  No need to be concerned here about what muscle is firing when; the nervous system is conducting the concert.  I got the idea of these exercises from Mabel Todd's (Dance instructor @ Princeton U.) book, "The Thinking Body" published in 1937.  Doing the exercise with a partner, rather than the wall enhances it.

Joe P. speaking appearance

I'll be speaking at the 3rd annual CJW "Stop it before it starts" Seminar in Richmond, Virginia this January 22 with Vern Gambetta.

http://cjwmedical.com/custompage.asp?PageName=sportseducation

 The topic will be "Return to play considerations for the Elite Athlete", and teaching the PCA (Physical Competancy Assessment).

http://www.movementdynamics.com/

If you're in the area stop by and say hello!

Enough with the Turkish Get Up

Teaching & learning it is very time intensive, and I'm not sure if what the athlete gets out of it is worth it.  Compared to other things they could be doing with that time.