Fitness Thread III - We're here to pump you up!!

Thanks. I'll check that out. I have been trying those kinds of exercises at the gym...lots of dynamic motion...high jumps, broad jumps, stair steps, medicine ball work. I think that works out a lot of those muscle groups if I do it right.

Except the X-ray doesn't tell you anything about the ligament. Sure, if you don't know how you injured yourself, an X-ray may shed some light. But most people know how they got injured. They heard the pop. They know what happened. This is the scenario in which I am talking. Like I said, I talked to four doctors about it recently, since in my case, I first went to a urgent care facility that then sent me to the ER that then made me see my doctor first who then sent me to an ortho. I base my opinion on those conversations with real doctors (the ortho I had the convo with I talked about early is the ortho used by many of the Caps players...he's pretty well known) not on the internet. It is a diagnostic tool. I just don't think it's a very good one since it sheds little to no light on the severity of the injury itself, which is why you are there in the first place. That's just my opinion and advice. However, the treatment for partial tears is the same - rest. And you don't need a doctor to tell you that to figure that out nowadays.

Not directly, no. But if a ligament is torn and has caused bones to separate, an x-ray can show that without the expense of an MRI.

Agreed, but that's not the scenario in the thread that predicated the discussion and ensuing recommendation. He doesn't know how it happened. He cited "stress in the gym" as the cause of some pain.

As well you should! But I wouldn't rule one out if a doctor recommended it. Hell, I'm not even recommending it, per se. I just know that, generally, that's the first step in getting something like this diagnosed. Most competent orthos can diagnose a problem with an x-ray, physical examination (range of movement, etc.), and a portrayal of how the injury occurred.

Don't get me wrong -- an MRI is fantastic, if you need one.

Mmm, I don't think that's necessarily true, either. What if it's some kind of stress fracture? Unlikely, but you never know.

It will for sure, but it's probably best to stay away from jumps and stuff while you rehab--lot of force on the knee. And these kind of things don't do too much to correct muscle imbalances or chronic shortness.

For example, as a nation we have an epidemic of anterior chain muscle shortness. All the sitting down in chairs that we do really shortens the hip flexors, like the psoas, illiacs, and even further down into the quad (rectus femoris). This has really negative implications for lower back and knee integrity. So Kelly Starrett is really big on lengthening of the hip flexors through static stretching and soft tissue work. And this kind of work needs a couple minutes per day on each side. 10 or 30 second stretches don't cut it if you're trying to alter your biomechanics long-term.

That's probably not relevant to your injury but it shows you the kind of stuff he's about; prepping the body, and doing the maintenance, to put you in the best positions for movement in the future. I highly recommend everyone look at the oldest pages of the blog I mentioned earlier (mobilitywod.com) to get a good sense of some mobilizations that can be incorporated into an everyday routine. I've done it and noticed a considerable difference in my squatting range of motion, for example.

His hip flexor stretches are painful as all hell if you're doing them right, but they feel amazing once you stand up. Like a new person!

it sounds like u have got what i get from playing basketball and being a fat bast

tendonitis of the knee (patella tendon?) i wear a knee strap for example, like this and it stops pain when playing (still aches in general but ah well!)

Holy crap...you can say that again. I've done them the last couple nights along with the ankle stretches. I figure if I can't play or work out I might as well work on my flexibility.

Awesome! Good stuff. Let me know how it goes...It makes sense to go to the oldest entries in the blog, and the newest ones, because the old ones are the most fundamental and the new ones are the perfected versions of some of the more complicated stretching techniques.

Yeah, he somehow does find a way to make mobilization really complicated.

Married life hasn't started yet! Everything is going good. As for the marathon, it went about as well as it could. It got hot and I was completely drained by like mile 17 but I finished. I think part of my problem was too many "gels". Should've had my cheering section with normal food for me to munch on during the race, not the processed sugary crap. Never did a half before the race. In fact, had never eve ran a 5k! I also wasted too much energy weaving around people at the beginning trying to stay at my 10:18 per mile pace. Should've just relaxed and not cared if I slipped to 10:30-10:45 on a few miles.

well get to the Globe so we can get you drunk before the wedding!

WOW! Thanks for sharing. Threw my name in the drawing for the NYC Marathon,
but odds are against me to be selected.

my girl keeps making me eat bad food lol

need to step my healthy eating up!

anyone ever come back from ankle dislocation? any good stretches to stop the stiffness in my calf?

Went to the ortho today (they did do an X-ray by the way). Good diagnosis - patellar/femoral syndrome...basically the patella doesn't track quite right across the bottom of the femor when the knee flexes. Probably due to flat feet/pronation. A little PT, rest, shoe inserts and a knee brace should get me back out on the field on a week-to-week basis.

good news there, Kev!

Start my coed touch rugby league tonight! get to touch coeds, sounds like fun!

Kevin,

Great to hear your knee problem is not serious.
Put your feet up and watch our Gunners take on
Wolves and Wigan in the next week, should bring
joy to your spirit and healing to your body.

diddn't i diagnose this? call me doctor bigman

Just ran this event yesterday. Fun and challenging is hell. There are events in the UK for this as well.

My the way, my new best friend (sports massage specialist who is fixing all kinds of problems in my legs) is a big fan of m-wod, so props to you again!

Glad to hear he's checking out with people with credentials! How's rehab coming Kev?

Who here plays some form of football?

I recently played again, after 4 years out with a groin injury.
I was far slower than I remember, but still as rough. I'm left-footed, and was always a left-back.

Before my injury, my club tended to play me at a left-wing as well. I struggled, and I actually realize now that it wasn't ideal for me, since my strength was my defensive knowledge and sense.

Anyways, I'm only 5ft8 and pretty light. Nevertheless, I'm looking to move into central defence if I can get my point across in Korean. Vermaelen in the house!

i play casually on thursdays with my old sunday league side, some good players and some shite lol

i play upfront as a targetman with a good touch and finishing ability

Great time on your run. I'm doing a half on Saturday, but because of my training program, I'm running 5 miles down to the start of the race! I'm signed up for the Houston marathon in mid-January. I'll see after this one about any more full marathons. I quite like the half and want to get back on track to breaking 2 hours. I was just a few minutes away before taking on this and the previous full.