Brian Schiff’s Blog

Facilitating better lower leg stability is always a priority in my rehab and training programs. I have long been an advocate of single leg training to resolve asymmetry and reduce compensations and injury risk. Once a client masters form on the ground, adding in more proprioceptive challenges can take their training to a new level.

Today I wanted to share a previously unpublished video I shot for my ‘Functionally Fit’ column that demonstrates a single leg squat exercise on the BOSU Elite Trainer. It is a relatively new exercise tool that offers some tweaks on the original BOSU balance trainer.

Increasing hip strength and stability is a common focus in training and injury prevention programs. Current research indicates hip and knee strengthening is more effective than knee strengthening alone in those suffering from anterior knee pain. I routinely use mini-bands to strengthen the hips and maximize proximal stability.

Many clients struggle with poor proximal hip stability that shows up as excessive frontal plane adduction and compensatory trunk lean. This exercise targets the hips and closed chain control needed for those participating in jumping, running, cutting and pivoting activities. It is an excellent way to warm-up and activate the hips as well as reduce patellofemoral overload and prevent knee injuries.

Every month there are new papers on ACL surgery and rehab appearing in the literature.  I do my best to stay up on them as this is one area of my practice I am extremely passionate about.  I am driven to understand as much as I can about both prevention and rehab, but find myself increasingly focused on preventing secondary ACL tears in my patients.

I feel poor movement patterns, muscle imbalances and inefficient neuromuscular control are major risk factors for athletes suffering a primary ACL tear.  We also know being female markedly increases injury risk.  Research also tells us that males are more likely to suffer a re-tear of the same side, whereas females are more likely to suffer a contralateral injury.

A study just published in the July issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine looked at the incidence of second ACL injuries 2 years after a primary ACL reconstruction and return to sport.  In a nutshell, the findings were:

• 24 months after ACLR and return to sport, patients are at greater risk (6x) to suffer a subsequent ACL tear compared to young athletes w/o a history of ACL injury
• Female athletes in the ACLR group are 5x more likely to suffer a second injury
• The contralateral limb of female athletes is at greatest risk

Click here to read the full abstract

This information is not surprising as I have seen it firsthand in 17 years as a physical therapist.  What we do not have much information about is how do the younger patients (e.g 15 and under) really recover from this injury.  When should they be cleared?  I worked with a young female soccer athlete who tore her ACL and medial meniscus at age 13.  She worked diligently with me in rehab 3x/week for about 6 months and then continued training with me at least 2x/week until she was about 1 year out from surgery.

Continue reading…

Many people struggle to activate their gluteal muscles while running, jumping or performing athletic activities. Turning on these muscles and “priming” the body to utilize the glutes in its normal neuromuscular programming is helpful in improving alignment and reducing injury potential.  The band rotation exercises cue external rotation with the resistance pulling the knees toward one another.

Activating these muscles prior to doing multi-joint lifts, sprinting, plyometrics, etc. is beneficial in promoting optimal activation/stabilization in order to control excessive pronation with deceleration and eccentric training. The rotations can easily be added to the dynamic movement prep or even used as part of the normal training program. I also like to use them prior to incorporating side stepping and forward/backward walks with the bands.

The video below is one I created as part of my Functionally Fit series for PFP Magazine.  It is a staple in our rehab programs and movement prep routines for our athletes at EXOS Athletes’ Performance at Raleigh Orthopaedic as well.

The tensor fascia lata (TFL) is a problematic muscle for many clients. In many cases, it is synergistically dominant over the gluteus medius and often contributes to tightness associated with the IT band. Its actions are primarily hip flexion and abduction, and it tends to be tight in many runners and athletes I see. Performing targeted soft tissue mobilization can help resolve myofascial tightness as well as promote better activation and preferential recruitment of the gluteus medius.

Many people argue the effectiveness of foam rolling the IT band itself. While I am not inclined to ignore it altogether, I do believe that foam rolling probably has a far greater impact on the length/tension of the soft tissue beneath and associated with the IT band (e.g. glutes, quads, hamstrings and TFL). The TFL is often full of trigger points.

Below is a video I created for my Functionally Fit column for PFP Magazine. Employing some routine soft tissue mobilization will help reduce hip flexor tightness and help reset the neuromuscular system and set the stage for enhancing preferential gluteus medius activation during training exercises.