Brian Schiff’s Blog

Ever have knee pain in the gym with lunges?  I work with so many clients who find their strength program limited by knee pain.  It is very common for women to suffer from Patello-femoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) as they get older.  It commonly begins affecting them around age 30.

Essentially, the cartilage behind the kneecap may soften (often referred to as chondromalacia) or break down exposing the subchondral bone (below the cartilage) to excessive stress.  There are many pain receptors in the subchondral bone region that let you know quickly when the knee is unhappy.

Activities like stair climbing, kneeling, squatting and impact exercise often bring this pain on.  Therapists and trainers have long debated whether one should lunge or squat with the foot beyond the toes.  To date, little research has been done to support the notion that allowing the knee to extend beyond the toes dramatically increases PF joint stress.

That is until now.  In a recent study in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT November 2008), researchers compared a short and long step lunge both with and without a stride (stepping out and back).  The results in a nutshell confirmed that indeed a short lunge (allowing the knee to extend beyond the toes) produced more force and stress on the PF joint than a long step lunge (knee remains over the foot).  The stride with a short step and long step also produced more force than it did with a stationary lunge indicating a stationary lunge is less stressful, especially at lower knee flexion (bending) angles.

The angles where the forces really increased on descent were from 60-90 degrees.  This research would suggest that people with anterior knee pain would be better served to lunge less than 50 degrees with a  longer step length in a stationary position while rehabbing or until they build enough strength to move safely into a deeper lunge without pain.  The big takeaway here is to find the range of motion that works for you, but ultimately lengthen the step length to avoid increasing PF joint stress with lunges.

With all that said, I still believe we were designed to move in ways that the knee does extend beyond the toes.  It happens with step-over-step stair descension and sprinting/acclerating for sure.  Yet, doing 2-3 sets of weighted lunges 1-2x/week on a regular basis for strengthening in this fashion may lead to problems long term.  For those with documented PF problems, the safer route is to side with the research and listen to the body.  I hope this info serves you well in the gym moving forward!

Ever wonder why your fitness program does not work, or why that nagging pain in your back, shoulder or knee never goes away?  I will tell you WHY.  It’s because most people fail to listen to their body.  Stay with me here.

If your fitness program is not yielding results, I bet you are not working hard enough and likely doing the same old routine.  Your body knows this and tells you this as it is not ever sore, nor does it change.  Likewise, the body sends signals of injury or mechanical failure in the form of pain, swelling, stiffness and weakness.  If you blow it off, bad things are likely to follow in time.

Consider the stubborn client who has a small shoulder pain related to a new kettle bell class he has been taking.  The pain starts out as a minor irritation, but as time goes by it grows.  Now bench press and shoulder press is hard to even do.  Even getting dressed is uncomfortable.  You guessed it.  The rotator cuff is flat out mad and inflamed.  Continuing to ignore it may lead to a tear, chronic inflammation and certain activity restrictions.

Can this be avoided?  In many cases the answer is yes.  Recognizing changes or the lack thereof, should give all of us a call to action.  It is much easier to solve pain and inflammation with early detection.  Telling yourself you can work through it and it will get better in time is foolish.  Not true 9 times out of 10.  Look at my neck problem.  I tried to work through it for a week and then realized it was not going away.  In fact it got worse.  Then I started an anti-inflammatory medication (mostly beneficial early on) and cervical traction.  The result is my symtpoms are resolving within 5 days of beginning treatment.  Whew!  The surgeron can keep waiting for me because I have no plans to visit anytime soon.

Am I fortunate?  Absolutely.  No one likes a pinched nerve.  But, do NOT discount the value of early recognition and intervention.  It has and will continue to keep me healthy long term.  So, listen to your body.  It provides all the clues necessary for people like me to help you stay fit and healthy while overcoming the plateaus and physical injuries.  Check back as my next post will give you some guidelines to determine if and when you can safely ramp activities back up after injury.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family.  I enjoyed my time away from the office and my PC as well.  With one more day remaining on my Holiday pre-launch book sale, Healthy Golf Shoulders is selling well.  I have received lots of positive feedback from many customers already and sold well over a hundred copies in the past 3 days. If you were unable to see a sample file you can view one here.

The sale will end tomorrow at Midnight EST so take advantage before the price goes up to $39.95.  I also wanted to share a challenging sample exercise from the book that I featured in a recent online post for my “Functionally Fit” Column in PFP Magazine.  Check out the tripod push-up plus here.

By the way, if you have questions related to injuries, rehab or sports performance, I want to read them.  I am always looking to provide solid info on my blog and if you have a question many others may have the same question and benefit from reading my answers to them.  I may even write an article about your particular issue.  Send all questions to info@brianschiff.com or post a comment to the blog as well. 

I look forward to hearing from you.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend!!

Well, today is Thanksgiving.  It should be a relaxing time to get together with loved ones and reflect on all we have to be thankful for.  I know 2008 has been full of triumphs for me personally and professioanlly speaking.  It has also had its challenges.  I am thankful for both as I reflect back on the year.

Oddly enough, I believe the challenges often lead to the most growth even though they can be very painful.  I feel so blessed to get up every day and help make the lives of others better through my fitness programs and knowledge about injury prevention and rehab.  So, thanks ot all of my clients and customers for putting your faith in me.  You only have one body on this earth, and making it the best body should be a goal shared by all.

With that said, I promised an update about my new e book.  As advertised, you can grab a copy online at www.HealthyGolfShoulders.com for only $19.95 from now until Sunday November 30.  This is half price!  Take advantage of this special Holiday offer.  I think it has great content that will help anyone has shoulder issues and/or plays golf.  You can get a sample online prior to buying if you like.

I look forward to hearing what people think.  If you have questions or comments, please send them to info@thefitnessedge.cc.   I have included another photo from the manual below.  This exercise is one of my preferred core strengthening exercises.  Lots more fun ones in the manual too. 

3 Point Plank

Be sure to tell all your golfing friends and family about the site even if you do not golf so they can test drive the book risk free for 60 days.  Now go enjoy your Thanksgiving feast!

Well, it is only 2 days away!  I will officially throw back the curtain and unveil my new e book on shoulder training and golf fitness.  I am pleased with the manual because I feel it offers in-depth knowledge about golf specific fitness, offers 3 distinct circuits that any golfer from novice to expert fitness abilities can do, and provides a complete A-Z guide for fixing physical limitations

Beyond that, the book offers a blueprint for unlocking your body’s potential and developing a strong, fluid golf swing all the while preventing a likley injury due to the repetitive stress of the game.  Remember, I golf and train lots of golfers.  Most of them never warm-up and think 18 holes is all the conditioning they need.  Until they suffer an injury or experience how much better they are able to play once they strengthen the body for golf, they do not prioritize physcial training.  This is a big mistake.

I have included a sneak peek of my book, Healthy Golf Shoulders, today HERE.  Stay tuned and visit my blog tomorrow for a special announcement on a subscriber only special price for the book.  I will reveal how you can save 50% off the retail price for a limited time before I promote it to the general public.

On another, note my neck pain is slowly subsiding. 🙂  Thanks to all those offering kind words the past few days.  I believe the massage therapist sufficiently squeezed some of the pain out last night. LOL  If you have never experienced deep tissue massage and experience muscle tightness, I highly recommend it.  Releasing trigger points cna often be the first step to full recovery (hurts so good!) 

Have a great day and stay fit!