Rehab it as you see it

If this stuff doesn't get you psyched up...

Thanks to Dr. Dave Tiberio for the heads up on this article from the June '08 "European Journal of Physical Rehabilitation Medicine". "Rehabilitation of Adolescent Idiopathic scoliosis: results of exercises and bracing from a series of clinical studies".

The SEAS (scientific exercise approach to scoliosis) was shown to be an effective alternative to bracing. These exercises are isometric in nature, & not the ones I would necessarily choose, but exciting none the less. The concept that soft tissue can ideed influence structure. They actually reduced the Cobb angle. The important concept of SEAS is that there is no one size fits all protocol. It is individualized to the patient.

I think this concept can be generalized to incude athletic injuries. We are on the right track here. Rehabilitation should be athlete driven, not protocol driven. Like Bob Dylan sings, "you better start swimmin', Or you'll sink like a stone, For the times they are a-changin'."

Promenades sous la peau

Or, "Strolling beneath the Skin". I would like my readers to google image "biotensegrity" & "tensegrity" and look at the structures. Then go to Dr. Stephen Levin's (Ezekiel Biomechanics Group) biotensegrity blog. If you you scroll to the bottom of the page, he gives a preview of French hand surgeon J.C. Guimberteau's fascia DVD.

http://web.mac.com/stephenlevin1/_StephenLevins_Biotensegrity/Shear_or_Not.html

You really begin to appreciate the similarities, & how fascia links the body together as system. Manual therapists bring up an interesting point- that the human body's center of gravity doesn't really pass through the spine, but rather through the gut. We begin to see how soft tissue can influence structure. It creates new possibilities for us. For instance, we can understand how we need the entire body working correctly to prevent lower leg stress fx, not just strong legs.



It is the essense of what "core" is all about.

Joe's Training Room, 1 year out

My goal was to get a grass roots movement going at the high school level. Mobilize the foot soldiers into tackling problem areas in the care & prevention of adolescent athletic injuries.

I've failed.

I've gotten over 25,000 hits in the past year. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful to all my blog readers. I'm not just blowing smoke when I say you guys keep me on the ball. It's humbling when I check my hit tracker & see readers coming from almost every continent around the world to read what some high school guy from New Jersey USA has to say.

Unfortunately, barely any are from my home state. And almost none from the high school level. I would really appreciate everyone's opinion as to what I'm doing wrong, and where to go from here. I realize it's not just me. The ATSNJ has had a decline in enrollment in the past 2 years. The new ATC's coming out of college have figured out you can join the NATA BOC without actually joining the NATA. And I hate to sound sarcastic, but we're getting what we deserve. The ATC certification is not carrying much weight any more. I would like to give you specific examples, but I can't without using names.

I'm going to end this post with a quote from Bob Wiersma's "performance builders" blog, referring to the fact that more & more U.S. citizens are going uninsured each year.

"This is about real people in your community in crisis - they have real problems that they can not afford to address in the current health care system. Their solution is not in "the box" of traditional providers and services. What is need is a solution that is out of the box... There is something you can do about it!"

Guys, this is the environment I've worked in for almost 30 years. Most of you have been insulated against it. Get ready because it's coming.

Milestones in Biotensegrity

1948, artist Kenneth Snelson’s “floating compression” principle.
1949, Architect Buckminster Fuller develops 1st working model
1970’s, Orthopedist Stephen Leven applies tensegrity principles to human gross anatomy (biotensegrity)
2004, French orthopedist J.C. Guimberteau publishes “Promenades sous la peau”.
2007, Tom Flemons publishes, “The Geometry of Anatomy – the Bones of Tensegrity”

Biotensegrity as a Core Stability Model

“Tensegrities are self–contained non–redundant whole systems. All components are dynamically linked such that forces are translated instantly everywhere; a change in one part is reflected throughout. These features distinguish tensegrities from all other tension structures, e.g. a sailboat’s mast is fixed at the base and needs that fixed point to keep it upright. The boat does not need the mast for it’s integrity but the reverse is not true.”
- A Biotensegrity Explanation for Structural Dysfunction in the Human Torso, Flemons ‘07

Now we need not be concerned how are bodies are oriented to gravity. Many core training enthusiasts use the term, "you can't fire a cannon from a canoe!" But what if you must? Volleyball players do it all the time. As do divers & swimmers.

Biotensegrity is no new-age thing. It has sound engineering roots going back to the 40's and makes perfect sense. And, it fits in perfectly with the new fascia research that has come out in the past few years. I will elaborate more on this in the coming weeks.

Are there any honest politicians left in NJ?

Black market kidney trafficking, bootleg designer handbags, money laundering; it all goes on here. 3 mayors, a governor's cabinet official & 40 other government officials go down:

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20090724/D99KQQT80.html

Go Roberto!

Former Elizabeth High School N.J. short stop Roberto Ramos tore through the Gulf Coast league last week, posting a .526/.545/.632 line with 2 doubles, scoring 5 runs while batting in four, taking 2 walks and stealing 4 bases in 23 plate appearances over 8 games, for which feats he was recognized by the voters as SoxProspects.com Player of the Week of July 6-12. Ramos, 20, is hitting .448/.485/.517 with five stolen bases on the young GCL season. This is Ramos's second go-around with the GCL Red Sox after having hit .261/.306/.348 in 18 games in 2008. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by Boston in June 2008.