Brian Schiff’s Blog

So, for Labor Day 2010, I decided to take my family to Kings Island.  I have always been a fan of thrill rides and it has been well over a decade since I had been to Kings Island.  It was also before I have experienced more than one bout of sciatica.

My nieces live nearby and they agrred to watch my sons for a brief time while my wife and I headed off to ride some of the bigger rides.  I insisted we ride the Beast - a coaster classic by any standards.  It is the world’s longest wood coaster and lots of fun.

What I failed to remember was just how much jarring and abuse the good ol’ Beast could inflict on one’s body in those tiny little cars.  After 4 minutes of fun, it all came back to me.  For those who don’t know, I have been training for a marathon and admittedly after most 19 plus mile runs (I did one on Sunday) my back is stiff for a day or two.

Perhaps riding the Beast (and the Racers too at my wife’s insistence) the day after a long run was not such a wise move.  :)  I woke up this morning with what I term “old man back.”  Now while that may sound funny, to anyone who has experienced it, you know how unpleasant it is. 

I crawled out of bed and managed to teach a boot camp class at 5:30 AM without incident.  Beyond the stiffness, my day has been marked by difficulty bending forward and lots of ice.  I am not complaining as much as I am telling you that as we get older (unfortunately I mean older than age 30) our shock absorption qualities in the spine begin to decline.

You see, our discs between the vertebrae act as a cushion and help prevent injury.  But, as we age, they naturally begin to degenerate in our thirties (degenerative disc disease - bummer).   This ultimately means we are more vulnerable to harmful forces and stress on the spine.  Ever wonder why those signs warn you not to ride if you have neck or back pain? 

It is likely the sudden torque, twists, turns and bumps that may leave you feeling rough then next day.  Am I saying not to ride?  NO!!  I love coasters.  I will be back at it again in the near future.  What I am saying is know your own personal situation and if you have some past back issues like me, be prepared to endure “old man back” for a few days as you hit the theme parks.

I will be over it in a day or so.  As a matter fo fact I ran 4 miles today with no pain.  Some keys to spinal fitness are:

1. Practice good body mechanics with bending, lifting, sitting, etc.
2. Don’t sit too much without standing up.  Our bodies need balance, and too much sitting (flexion) is bad for the discs in the back.  Be sure to stand up no less than once per hour as your back craves to be in extension an equal amount of time.  Standing back bends (sets of 5-10) is a great way to improve spinal fitness if you have a desk job.
3. Stretch and strengthen the abdominals, but avoid full sit-ups.
4. Strengthen the low back muscles and hips.
5. Avoid flexion and rotation moments.

In the end, if you have a flare-up, then use ice and let pain guide your movements.  One last tip: stick to the steel coasters for a smoother ride!

Over the years, I have worked with hundreds of athletes (male and female).  One consistent finding among many I see is weakness in the hips and core.  Knee injuries are often the result of poor frontal and transverse plane stability, which is often related to weakness in the glutes (max and medius).

In order to resist valgus/rotational loads effectively, athletes must address this weakness with training.  I am always looking for ways to get the most out of exercise provided it makes sense to me.  So, I began using the exercise I am sharing with you today - BOSU planks with hip abduction/extension.  I use both to work on the gluteus maximus and medius muscles.  This exercise targets hip and core weakenss at the same time.

Hip Abduction

Hip Extension

Click here read how to execute the exercise and apply it to your routines.

It is no secret that the average male gym goer loves to do plenty of bench press exercises.  I was out at a piano bar last weekend celebrating the 10 year wedding anniversary of some close friends and witnessed the “bar body” syndrome firsthand.

For those not familiar with this lingo, the “bar body” belongs to the guy who overworks the chest and biceps, while typically neglecting the back leg muscles altogether.  They routinely sport tight t-shirts and jeans even in the dead of summer in Ohio.

I spotted the bouncer right away.  He was likely 25 years old and obviously proud of his caveman posture and large stature.  What he does not know is that in 5-15 more years he will likely suffer significant shoulder impingement and AC joint arthritis, not to mention he will have little to no upper body flexibility.

Know anyone that fits this description?  Look around in your local health club and you will surely find them.  So, the takeaway messages are:

1. Perform back to chest strengthening exercises in a ratio of 3:2 or even 2:1 to promote balance and better posture
2. You do not need to bench press all the time (once per week is sufficient and may even be too much for some)
3. You should do routine flexibility exercises for the chest as these muscles are tight in most of the population and they can contribute to increased internal rotation of the shoulders and rotator cuff problems

In light of this, I want to share a few effective exercises from my brand new Training & Sports Medicine Update Newsletter.  To view these exercises, click HERE.

If you enjoyed this information, you can get even more info on exercise, recent research, sports performance training, injury prevention and rehab delivered to your inbox monthly by signing up for a subscription to my newsletter.  You can grab the digital version for just $9.95/month.  By subscribing, you are become eligible for immediate product discounts and promotional pricing on all new items.

Click here to sign up and get the entire first issue today!

In health,

Brian

A quick note for those who follow my blogs.  I have been wanting to launch two new information based platforms this year: a monthly printed newsletter and online membership site.  What I have realized is that I am so busy I will likely not get both done in 2010 as I am also working on my Fit Knees DVD series as well as running my training business.

So, I have prioritized the printed newsletter titled Brian Schiff’s Training & Sports Medicine Update.  My love and passion lies in sports medicine, injury prevention and sports performance training.  So, the newsletter will have the following components:

• Exercise of the month - I will share pics and how to info with you
• Sports performance - topics relevant for athletes and weekend warriors
• Injury prevention - tips on how to stay injury free
• Rehab - advice on how to rid yourself of aches, pains and injuries
• Research corner - review of current pertinent research and trends
• Q & A - ask me your own questions about training and injuries

My goal for this publication is to deliver solid up to date information for coaches, ATC’s, physical therapists, parents, weekend warriors and athletes seeking information on how to be their physical best and remain injury free.  You can see the art for the inaugural issue soon to be released below. 

For more information and to stay updated on the official launch, be sure to sign up for my newsletters at www.brianschiff.com.  I will be offering a special launch price to the first 100 subscribers.  I look forward to helping you stay healthy and performing optimally for many years to come.

It has been known for years that increased coefficient of traction can predispose the knee to catastrophic injury.  Hence, the reason we got rid of all the old style astro turf in football stadiums.  But, traction is influenced by the sole architecture of the shoes as well as the playing surface.  Unfortunately, we are not fully aware of how exactly the sole architecture or this increased traction can lead to injury. 

Nike Astro Turf Shoe

Does footwear really matter?  I say YES.  Case in point - I am not a big fan of Nike Shox because they position the ankle in a plantar flexed position, thereby making it so much easier for ankles to roll inward with cutting.  I have seen too many female athletes suffer inversion sprains while running suicides or training in these shoes.  I simply believe the design creates a biomechanical mismatch and elevated risk for ankle sprains.

Now what about traction?  A study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine by J Wannop et al. recently looked at the difference between two shoe designs in a controlled laboratory study.  The tread types of shoes used were either smooth or tread. 

The shoe used in the study was the adidas Response 2+ CPT (smooth shoe) and adidas Response=2(A) (tread shoe).  The traction testing was performed using a robotic testing machine, while the researchers also observed 13 recreational athletes performing 45 degree V cuts in both shoes.  Data was collected using 8 high speed cameras and a force plate.

The results are not shocking.  The highlights are:

• The coefficient of translational traction and peak moment of rotation were both significantly higher in the tread show compared to the smooth shoe.   
• In addition, the high-traction shoe had much higher peak ankle externalrotation moments, peak knee external rotation moments, peak knee adduction moments, and knee adduction angular impulse compared to low-traction shoe.

The findings of the study indicate that the resultant joint loading increased 12% in the ankle (transverse plane) and 13% and 20% in the transverse and frontal planes for the knee.  This increased traction is certainly enough to push the knee into the previously reported mechanical rupture zone.

What we cannot deduce is whether the increases in joint loading is strictly attributable to the higher linear and rotational traction or if there is even a linear relationship between them at all.

You should also note that athletes often choose traction shoes for enhanced performance.  In this study, there was no significant difference in the performance measured between the two groups.  So, we are left to ponder whether we really need higher traction shoes at all.  Future studies will need to address this relationship as preventing knee and ankle injuries just by adjusting footwear seems like a no-brainer if the science supports this.