Tuesday, June 19, 2012

How To Avoid Overuse Injuries


As I type this I have been informed that I have a torn posterior labrum in my shoulder.  The labrum is the cartilage that protects the glenoid fossa (the socket) from the humeral head (the ball).  I sustained this injury through years of throwing baseballs as a catcher all the way through college, and now as a college coach throwing batting practice.  I would put my total number of throws over my lifetime over 1,000,000 if I had to guess.  This is considered an overuse injury—one that isn’t caused by an acute incident or a traumatic accident.


Overuse injuries are one of the fastest growing injuries in sport, and can range from mild shin splints to rotator cuff tendonitis to IT Band Syndrome to plantar fasciitis.  All of these usually occur in people that do repetitive motions over and over again like running, cycling, swimming, tennis, or baseball.  Overuse injuries can sideline an athlete for a whole season, or even a year, if they are not treated soon enough. 

Overuse injuries usually can be controlled with rest, ice, and your favorite NSAIDs, but if they go untreated they can derail your training and leave you in pain on the couch.  So, what should you do?  It depends on what sport you participate in:

·        Swimming: The most common injury is deterioration of the rotator cuff tendons (tendinosis) and can usually be avoided by not swimming when tired, properly warming up, and resistance training.  Strengthening the muscles of the rotator cuff and the muscles supporting the scapula can help.
·        Running:  Running is great for overall health, but can be very hard on the legs—especially if you are starting from scratch.  The most common injuries are shin splints (strained anterior tibialis muscle, to the point where it starts to pull bone fragments off the tibia in severe cases), plantar fasciitis (inflammation and aggravation of the thick tissue on the bottom of the foot), and IT Band Syndrome (thickening and shortening of the connective tissue supporting the outside of the upper leg).
o   Shin Splints: RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation).  A good tip is to take Dixie cups, fill them with water and freeze them.  Once frozen, peel the paper off and apply the ice in a figure 8 motion over the affected area.  Another thing would be to mid foot or toe strike when running instead of heel striking.
o   Plantar Fasciitis:  RICE.  Foam rolling the muscles of the lower leg will help alleviate tension further down the kinetic chain.  You can also take a tennis ball, lacrosse ball, or golf ball and roll it, front to back, on the bottom of your foot.
o   IT Band Syndrome:  The IT band is a little trickier as it is usually very tender once it is aggravated.  Foam rolling of the TFL (Tensor Fascia Latae) and the IT band from the hip to the knee will help release tension.  NSAIDs can help with knee pain associated with the ITB Syndrome.  These stretches will also help stretch the TFL and the IT Band:

 


·        Cycling: The most common overuse injury in cycling is IT Band Syndrome and Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome related knee pain. For the IT Band see above, for Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome resistance training will usually help alleviate pain associated with incorrect tracking of the patella.  Focusing on the glutes and hamstrings and less on the quadriceps will help the knee cap track correctly.
·        Overhead sports:  Sports like baseball, softball, volleyball, and tennis all have similar overhead throwing motions and also have similar modalities to keep you healthy.  Most importantly is making sure your shoulder and scapula work in harmony with each other.  If they don’t, you may be impinging your rotator cuff tendon between the humeral head and the inferior side of the acromion. Strengthening the muscle of the rotator cuff, the muscle supporting the scapula, and keeping proper posture will help keep you healthy!

If you have any questions about overuse injuries please leave them in the comments below!  If you would like to talk with me directly about how to keep you healthy, contact me at jgrainger@uvac-swim.org.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?

As a 30 year old part time professional athlete with no children, no student loans, and a 9-5 job down at the button factory, I'm always looking for new and exciting ways to fill the uncountable hours of free time I have every day.

If you're in the same boat (or, wish you could be), I've finally found the perfect way to kill all that free time your friends and family are always telling you you're wasting.

Why don't I get a real job Dad? I'll tell you why. Because I'm too busy

JUICING

Friday, June 1, 2012

10 Reasons You Should Learn How To Swim


As the Swim Lesson Director at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center, I want to share with you some reasons why learning to swim is SO important! With summer right around the corner, the necessity grows much stronger as we will be in and around water for many of our days.



10 Reasons You Should Learn How To Swim:

1     Safety
According to the Center for Disease Control, “Every day, about ten people die from unintentional drowning. Of these, two are children aged 14 or younger. Drowning is the sixth leading cause of unintentional injury death for people of all ages, and the second leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 14 years.” Register now for swim lessons at uvac-swim.org.

2    Fun
Swimming is an enjoyable activity that can be done at any age!

3    Exercise
Keep fit by swimming laps or trying aqua aerobics.

4    Opportunity
You need to know how to swim if you want to go boating, kayaking, canoeing,
snorkeling, go to the beach, tubing, water skiing, surfing, or sailing.

5    Experience
Swimming is one more thing to make you a well-rounded individual.

6    Health
Swimming is a great way to keep your heart and body healthy.

7    Life-Long Skill
No matter what age, swimming is a skill you will always use.   
Safety, exercise, or opportunity.

8    Employment
Lifeguarding or teaching swim lessons to others. UVAC now trains lifeguards   
and swim instructors.

9    Leisure
Relaxing way to detach from your crazy world for a little while.

10  Competition
Push yourself and compete against others to improve your
endurance and ability. Check out UVAC’s Master’s Program or AdultSwim Lessons!

Catherine Pearson
Swim Lesson Director
Upper Valley Aquatic Center
SwimAmerica Instructor Certified
American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor Certified
802-296-2850 ext 106