How My Disability was preventable

This blog reflects my own experience, understanding and research i have done. I'm sorry for any mistakes and shortcomings. I made this for my kids so they can avoid the injury I had, but ill be happy if it can help others. There is so much research and studies out there and many different views and mixed studies. I did the best i can in making this, but my logic is limited, in a such a complex subject which is human movement.

Theres so many different stances and systems and they totally contridict eachother. There is this one system called www.functionalpatterns.com , they have incredible results in there rehab and training of their clients (best i have een). To my kids if your reading this they have a small course you should do or get trained by these lot. Also try and do a good sports thearpy massage course.

My Contact is: malkeetkang82@gmail.com

I used be do a lot of sprinting but never did any sort of stretching or muscle release techniques. Eventually I suffered from short hypertonic (Excessive tension) hip adductor muscles (they had too much muscle tone, and lacked adequate flexibility also known as mechanical shortening (locked short) and overactive) which inhibited my glute Medius (underactive) via altered reciprocal inhibition. But due to misdiagnosis it took 2 years for me to get the right treatment for my movement dysfunction. Which was to massage and stretch out the adductors and strengthen the Glute meduis after. But by this time the adductors were in a fibrotic contracture (which didn't stretch out due to structural changes in my muscle). If caught early it was a simple fix and if I had foam rolled after I sprinted, my adductors would not have got hypertonic (commonly known as tight (excessive tension) in other words the muscle remains overly contracted altering its flexibility and pliabiity). I have ended being disabled. Foam rolling or massage after your workout is very important to prevent joint imbalances from altered reciprocal  inhibition and altered resting lengths. The body works as a system and needs muscle pilabilty in its tissues for healthy ranges of motion. 

A muscle imbalance between an agonist and antagonist muscle can occur due to a neurological disorder, spinal cord injury, and our lifestyle/postural habits. A decrease in muscle tone leads to continuous disuse and eventually muscular atrophy. The constant contraction of the agonist muscle with minimal resistance can result in a contracture. Farmer, S.E; M. James (2001). "Contractures in orthopaedic and neurological conditions: a review of causes and treatment". Disability and Rehabilitation. 23 (13): 549–558

In other words a extreme long term imbalance between opposing muscles can cause contractures, this is what happened to me. 

Eventually my adductors got so tight they interfered with my sleep and urine passing, so I had to detach them from my pelvis. The physios that I saw before my diagnosis all spotted the weak glute and gave me strength exercises which made my condition worse as they failed to relise my adductors were the cause of this. I was correctly diagnosed by John Gibbons (Body master Clinic) from oxford UK. 

 Picture is post op of adductor removal in July 2020.

Joints are balances when muscles from both sides are at their normal resting lengths. When this is altered it causes issues in the kinetic chain and the muscles get damaged and harden up. In most clinics they use stretching and strength excercises to fix this.

Some clinics use massage and foam rolling to release the short muscle.

In the long term prolonged passive stretching is not recommended as it is known for causing hypermobility, joint instabilty, loss of muscles contractile potential (force production), joint laxity and lack of elastic recoil due to creep. But in a rehab setting for short term it can be a tool to get you were you need to be. There is many other types of stretching out there, like active stretching which is different to passive stretches. 

When the length and tension of muscles around the joint are balanced, the joint is aligned properly, resulting in better posture and performance. A properly functioning can lengthen (relax) and shorten (contract) but return to its normal resting length. In a muscular dysfunction this does not happen.

Massage or foam rolling in the cool down can  help prevent 

Hypertonic muscles

Altered reciprocal inhibition

Adaptive Muscle shortening (altered resting length)

Inflexibility 

postural distortion

Some contractures

Joint dysfunction (muscle imbalances)

Movement impairments.

*Note some contractures are caused by diseases and cannot be prevented or treated by stretching or massage. I am talking about adaptive muscle shortening via sedentary life style or bad exercise program; these types can be prevented and even treated in most cases.

massage gun is good at preventing muscle hypertonicity. 

Muscle Dysfunction & Joint Alignment

The human body is made to move, without movement (Bed ridden) it starts to decay and cramp up via atrophy and contractures (damaged muscles). Muscles allow movement by “talking” to each other via The central nervous system. Muscle adapt to stimuli, overtime a unbalanced exercise program, inactive lifestyle or bad postural habits will alter the way the Central nervous system talks to the muscles. This creates a altered firing pattern and can cause dysfunction. 

There are many movement assessments , which can identify if muscle are working in sync as they should. Every one should get assessed before a training program and once a year to make sure your moving as optimal as you can be. The overhead squat assessment is one that can identify most movement impairments. Everyone can benefit from corrective exercise which will help you move better and decrease your chance of injury. When we have a shortened muscle is weakens the opposing muscle causing movement impairments.

What is Maps Technology on muscle movement. it is available in Stretchlab USA, not sure about UK.

Here at StretchLab we use cutting edge technology to assist your flexologist in creating the best flexibility training program for you! Our state-of-the-art, MAPS machine by TRX takes an overhead squat assessment and breaks it down into different categories for us to analysis; our mobility score being the first and most important to our stretch.

🔹TRX MAPS mobility can be describe as “integrated goniometry” because we are measuring and evaluating range of motion of individual body segments working as an integrated system performing a functional movement, the over-head squat.

🔹Mobility scores are derived from direct measurements of body segments using proprietary algorithms developed specifically from biomechanics analysis by Phsmodo and TRX.

🔹That means that we are able to discover where we are tight, where we are imbalanced in our range of motion, and where we could improve- all from an over head squat.

🔸Come on in and get your MAPS mobility score today! and make your movement better.

I'm not sure if the UK one is the same but their site seems good still.

https://stretch-lab.co.uk/

Muscle Behavior

Weakness: Without strength exercises, our tissues becomes weak. A strength program is essential to maintain good muscle force production. 

Stiff Tissue: Because most of us do not partake in regular massage, foam rolling, or stretching, our muscles can become rigid and tight. Foam rolling and massage are for kneading muscles breaking down muscle knots. Stretching (elongation) keeps the muscles supple and prevents them getting hyper contracted. 

Weak And Stiff Muscles Cause bad posture and movement issues.

A picture of the lower cross syndrome which is a movement dysfunction. 

Common Muscle Dysfunctions

Muscle knots is a lump of contracted muscle fibers which are always in a state of contraction, these need to be  massaged out and then stretched to unwind the muscle. Also joint muscle compression with hands is a great way you can relax the tension away and promote healing in your body, just squeeze muscles and hold for 20 to 30 seconds.

Extract from Body back company, Ashland: 30 seconds Compression on trigger points produces a therapeutic response in the muscle, for maximum results return 3 to 4 times to the area per session. Restoring function is done by releasing the muscles tightness and hyper contraction, they will then regain, strength, elasticity and pliability. For long term muscle health and function, exercise and stretching are crucial.

Muscle contractures are when muscles do not lengthen; they are caused by disease or extreme prolonged muscle imbalances of the antagonist and agonist. Contractures most often cause disability.

Muscle Imbalances: There can be all sorts of muscle imbalances in the body that can cause movement dysfunction, bad posture, and pelvic tilts of all types. Agonist and antagonist muscle imbalances can misalign joints and cause serious injuries. We will always have a dominant side when it comes to left and right side of the body, but exercises can be done to minimize this. Muscles locked long or locked short dont produce optimal force. If someone has forward rounded shoulders due to shortened chest muscles. When the posture is corrected via chest stretches, they will be able to lift more due to more available force.

Short Hypertonic Muscles Expalined:

Extract by Dr. Joe Muscolino (learn muscles for manual therapy and movement professionals

A hypertonic muscle is one that has too much tone; “hyper” denotes an excessive amount. Tone refers to tension; in other words, it is the pulling force of a muscle. The degree of tone that a muscle has varies based on the degree of its contraction. There are two types of hypertonic musculature: a globally tight muscle and a myofascial trigger point (TrP). The first term is used to describe an entire muscle or large portion of a muscle that is too tight; the second term is used to describe a small focal area of muscle tightness that can refer pain to a distant site.

When you consciously contract a muscle, its tone is high. However, when a muscle is at rest and you are not consciously directing it to contract, other than a small amount of baseline tone to maintain the posture of the joint, it should be relaxed. This condition is called resting tone. A resting tone greater than the amount needed to maintain joint posture is what defines a muscle as being hypertonic. Other terms often used synonymously are spasm, cramp, and contracture, all of which essentially describe a muscle whose baseline tone is excessive or hypertonic.

Tight muscles are so often ignored by conventional medical professions. There are medical specialties for every organ system of the body, but there is no “muscle doctor.” Even the chiropractic profession usually relegates the importance of tight musculature to a position of lesser importance compared with joint positioning and function. Perhaps the importance of tight musculature is overlooked because it does not show on x-rays, other radiographic imaging, or in laboratory results. For this reason, manual therapists who are highly trained in muscle palpation assessment skills and soft tissue treatment techniques have the opportunity to step into this niche.

Muscle Pain

Pain is complex and can happen for many reasons; I think it is a way that the body alerts us something is wrong. Many muscle dysfunctions can cause pain but sometimes they don’t, you can just start limping and feel no pain but you may feel a spasm somewhere. Also it is important to note just because you feel pain in the back it does not mean that the back is the cause, this could be a symptom from another issue. So in this example if you go to the physio with back pain, a lot of them will massage it, give you some stretches or strength exercises for the back, 10 weeks later there is no improvement. This happens often, but a competent person would assess the whole kinetic chain , with all the assessment tools available, with  further investigation they may find that weak glutes were causing your back to compensate, or the glutes were inhibited by the hip flexors or adductors and then the correct flexibility and strength exercises can restore proper function.  If the treatment plan is successful you will feel a difference very quick.  If it is unsuccessful a competent person will send you to get scans to investigate other possibilities, or send you to a specific type of specialist. There is a lot of misdiagnosis and unresolved issues out there; this could be due to a lack of knowledge or lack of practical experience. Some professionals are stuck in their own approach and don’t try other approaches. An empathetic and competent professional is the key (their positive patient outcomes speak for themselves). The Body is a complex machine and with a little understanding of all the systems and how they work together, most issues can be resolved. But unfortunately it is hit and miss as every professional has a different approach and may be dismissive (out of ignorance) about the actual treatment that could fix you.

I was reading a case that John gibbons (Body master Oxford UK) was dealing with. The woman complained about adductor pain. She saw some physios in the NHS who just gave her exercises which never worked they eventually did a scan (which revealed a tear on the adductor), but they discharged her without resolving the issue. Every time she ran she had pain, she privately had massages for a year on the adductor, but her symptoms would not go. In his clinic john did more assessments and found that her hip flexors were inhibiting her glute from altered reciprocal inhibition. With the right treatment he managed to reduce her symptoms within 10 days and she was running pain free eventually.

The shortened muscles are released and the weak muscle are activated. 

In summary

Muscle dysfunction leads (trigger points aka knots) to adaptive shorenting which leads to joint dysfunction which leads to altered recipricol inhibtion and lenght tension relationships. This leades to weakness and compensation which leads to movement impairment along the kinetic chain. Over active muscles can become fibrotic which can lead to disabililty.

Movement Dysfunction And Corrective Excercise

What Is Bad Posture ?

In simple Bad posture can be defined as misalignment of joints via muscle imbalances. This effects our movement via impairments and dysfunction. Specific flexibility and strength exercises in the correct order can correct bad posture. In 1916 the Journal of the Osteopathic Association defined normal posture as “an equilibrium in which there is no strain on the ligaments and a minimum expenditure of muscular force over and above the energy called muscle tone, a nice balance in which the centre of gravity passes in the correct relation to the bony structures.”

Since then, there have been various definitions of normal posture all concluding without proper sagittal alignment the spine and body will undergo compensatory changes both physically and mechanically. Bad posture will not only cause pain, but can alter breathing mechanisms. 

Posture & Joint alignment explained simply

Our muscles all have a resting tone & length; this is the amount of tension needed to keep our posture and joints aligned in a neutral position (healthy position/well balanced). The Central nervous system can alter this resting tone, for numerous reasons. When the resting tone changes our postures and joints can become misaligned and cause movement dysfunctions. Some muscles become mechanically shortened, mechanically lengthened, over active, underactive, hypertonic (increased tone), and hypotonic (decreased tone). When the CNS stores a altered resting length (muscle dysfunction) for the muscle we get movement impairments. Sometimes the tissue itself can have restrictions, and needs manual thearpy.

In the clinic, the main emphasis is to return the body to the correct resting tone and length, via flexibility and strength exercises in the right order (lengthen the short (massage, foam roll & stretch) then strengthen the lengthened muscle). This will realign the joints and bring everything back to a optimal (neutral) position for more neuromuscular efficiency as the muscles will start functioning again.

There are many theories on what happens when we stretch. But for a fact we know the muscle gets "calmed down" and elongates. Which increases muscle compliance. I think its something to do with the motor neurons (inhibition and excitability).

There are many schools of thought in the physio and fitness industry. It is unfortunate that some reject flexibility methods and the whole corrective method. Sadly for physios this will leave their clients with unresolved movement impairments. For the fitness instructor it puts their client at a greater risk of injury due to adaptive shortening which changes biomechanics and neuromuscular efficence. Nasm and brookbush institutes are really advanced in the human movement system. If your interested to learn about sports medicine i recommend these 2 providers. Neurokinetic thearpy is spreading which is helping alot of people.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/blog.premierglobal.co.uk/opt-the-best-training-model%3fhs_amp=true

Mark wong is a physiotherapist who has a lot of experience treating bad posture. His take away message is that the body works its best when it is aligned correctly. Bad posture strains the joints and muscles causing stiffness and pain. It can increase the risk of injury and degeneration of joints. A minor posture issue if not treated early can turn complex. On his website he shows the bad postures and the fixes for free. www.posturedirect.com

There is a lot of Misdiagnosis when it comes to movement dysfunction. Most dysfunction, comes from tissue trauma or an imbalance due to a hypertonic shortened muscle which weakens the opposing muscle.

Causes of Muscle Imbalances

• Postural stress (Bad Posture)
• Repetitive movement or positions
• Cumulative trauma
• Poor training technique
• Lack Of Core strength
• Lack of neuro muscular effecinacy. 

Sometimes the fix can just be a massage to get rid of adhesions on a painful muscle and it regains function which corrects your movement.

A corrective exercise specialist will identify any imbalances with the following assessments:

• Postural 
• Movement 
• Range of Motion 
• Muscle strength

Next Steps are Generally: 

1. Shortened and lengthened muscles are identified.
2. Shortened muscles are inhibited and lengthened (PNF) Stretching.
3. Lengthened (weakened)  muscles are activated. Muscle activation techniques. like tapping the muscle and its insertion points wakes them up.
4. Integration into functional movement. 

Corrective exercise normalises the resting tone of muscles to correct altered reciprocal inhibition (causes weakness and stiffness), synergist dominance and compensations. A muscle release (stretching or foam rolling) program with a balanced strength program can prevent muscle imbalances. 

Hips Imbalances:

The most common hip imbalances are when the hip flexor muscles inhibit the glute maximus. Hip extension should be at least 20 degrees, any shorter, the hip flexors will need to be relaxed, lengthened and then then glute max should be activated.

Hip abduction should normally be 45 degrees any less indicates short adductor muscles which inhibit the glute Medius. The adductors will need to be inhibited and stretched and then the glute Medius will need to be activated. There are many imbalance syndromes and pelvic tilts. Also Isometric squeezes and tapping are good activation methods.

A Case Study Of A British Hurdler

This was told to me by my dry needling practitioner, there was a lad he suffered a lot of back pain. He was seen by the physios of the Olympic British team, they subscribed him squats etc. to try and strengthen his posterior chain. After a while he saw no results and had to leave to the team. He was then assessed by my practitioner, who checked his entire complex; his hip flexors were tight and had inhibited his glutes which caused the back (synergist) to be over active. The correct treatment of stretching the hip flexors and activated the glutes was given and he re-joined the team. So even at an elite level the knowledge seems to be lacking on how the muscular system actually works.  NASM corrective exercise specialists are competent and well trained.

The following book explains muscle imbalances excellently and can help you treat your own or prevent them in the first place: 

By definition Corrective Exercise Training accomplishes two things. First and foremost it is designed to correct muscle imbalances, joint dysfunctions, neuromuscular problems, and postural distortion patterns that the everyday person or athlete may have developed during everyday actives or from playing a long season. The second thing that Corrective Exercise can be used for is the process of injury reduction. When used for this purpose one is taking a proactive approach to protecting one’s self from injury. Establishing correct length tension relationships in muscles, creating mobility around joints, activating (or turning on) muscles, establishing core stability, and integrating the human movement system are all by products of corrective exercise; all of which will improve life quality and performance as well as to help reduce the likelihood of injury.

It corrects problems, reconditions individuals and improves total kinetic chain structural integrity or it will help prevent / reduce injury and prepare the individual for the higher-intensity training that will come down the road.

Clinical Trial Sci Rep. 2020 Nov 26;10(1):20688. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-77571-4.

Comprehensive corrective exercise program improves alignment, muscle activation and movement pattern of men with upper crossed syndrome: randomized controlled trial

Foad Seidi 1, Mohammad Bayattork 2 3, Hooman Minoonejad 1, Lars Louis Andersen 4 5, Phil Page 6

Abstract

Upper crossed syndrome (UCS) refers to the altered muscle activations and movement patterns in scapulae along with some abnormal alignment in the upper quarter, which may contribute to the dysfunction of the cervicothoracic and glenohumeral joints. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a comprehensive corrective exercise program (CCEP) and subsequent detraining on alignment, muscle activation, and movement pattern in men with the UCS. This randomized controlled trial included 24 men. The intervention group conducted CCEP (8 weeks), followed by four weeks of detraining and the control group maintained normal daily activities. Electromyography of selected muscles, scapular dyskinesis test, head, shoulder, and thoracic spine angle were measured at baseline, post-test, and follow-up. There were significant differences for Group x time interaction and also for within-group from pre-test to post-test and follow-up in all outcomes. Also, significant differences were observed in three outcomes at post-test and follow-up between the CCEP and control group in favor of the CCEP. In Conclusion, the present study demonstrates that the CCEP for individuals with UCS is feasible and effective, improving muscle activation imbalance, movement patterns, and alignment. Importantly, these improvements were maintained after four weeks of detraining, suggesting lasting neuromuscular re-training adaptations.

https://blog.nasm.org/uncategorized/top-three-postural-problems-caused-by-sitting-and-how-to-fix-them

Muscle dysfunction causes joint dysfunction which causes overall movement dysfunction.

Injury Prevention

Must teach our kids foam roll or massage them..

Dr. Matthew Enzweiler, a podiatrist with St. Elizabeth Physicians, agrees that stretching is very important, at a very young age. “Because we’re starting kids so young with athletic activities, it’s never too early to educate them on good stretching programs,” he said.

Enzweiler adds that he often sees kids with pain in their muscles and tendons, which can be contributed to tightness, particularly with kids who are very active in sports. “Muscles and tendons are pulling on bones with growth plates,” he said. “They’re very malleable, so stretching is a must.”

Foam rolling keeps the muscle in its normal range.

Here are some extracts from a injury prevention specialist (Liz Letchford, MS, ATC):  

"Flexibility within normal joint ranges of motion is very important," Liz told POPSUGAR. "But flexibility beyond normal range of motion leaves you at risk for hypermobility-related injuries like labral tears, dislocations, and ligamentous sprains."

"I work with many people who have stretched their hip joint into submission," she said. "They intended to stretch their tight hip flexor muscles, but instead destroyed their hip capsule — the strong 'suction cup' holding their hip into the socket." YIKES! "Now they struggle to find stability when performing even the most basic of movements, leaving them very susceptible to injury."

I know too many dancers and yogis who have terrible hip and back issues from years of asking too much of their hip joints."

Maintenance stage

Once you have reached your fitness goals, then there is no point going into progressive overload and adaption. As you will be taxing your CNS and body for no reason, now you just have to workout to maintain, what you have. For example you can run 20 mins and do 50 bodyweight squats and 50 push ups and you are happy with that, then stick to that.

Natural Movement

Movement is medicine, there are loads of diseases associated with the modern lifestyle of sitting and transport. Cavemen did not have personal trainers and modern science, all they did was move in nature and they probably had less fitness related disease than us.

The Natural way of moving is using muscles in an coordinated way through real space and engaging the core, this activates more muscles. Weight machines don't do this but calisthenics do, and so do most free weight exercises. 

Jogging in real space is also better than the motorized treadmill, as the motor is doing the work for the hamstrings and glutes so they are not activated as much as the quads and hip flexors. Its imbalanced training, the same can be said for exercise bikes, as the glutes are not activated fully and the working muscles are working in a shortened range of motion. 

For me brisk walking, jogging, swimming, and sprinting are good.

You can buy some treadmills that do not use motors. 

https://blog.nasm.org/certified-personal-trainer/research-review-shortened-hip-flexor-limit-hip-extensor-lower-extremity-biomechanics

 Modern day transport and sitting time

We sit a lot in the modern day, cars, ships, trains, planes, cycles, and then sit at work, school, home and then sleep.

Movement and walking are diminishing, hence why we have so much diseases and deconditioned people around. All this sitting and lack of movement is leaving our muscles tight, weak and easily fatigued. Even if you stand all day at work in one.

If you are at work or study every 45 mins get up and walk about for 5 mins and open your body.

High heels are not natural, they cause imbalances, they keep Shin muscles long and weaken them, and make the calves tight and overactive, this can damage Achilles tendon and cause foot pain and destabilise the knee joint and even alter spine health, which can cause tension headaches. 

Sunshine is the world’s energy source, nothing survives without it, the human body is made to absorb the sun. Loads of soothing factors come from the sun and so do some vitamins. Hence why night workers die younger.

Eat healthy and nutrious whole foods.

Interment fasting is good for you, so that is eating in an 8-hour window, this allows, sugar levels and hormone levels to go back to normal. Total water fasting has cured many diseases from blood pressure, metabolic syndrome and diabetes type 2. But please book you self into a retreat where you will be monitored by professionals.

Effects Of Muscle Imbalance (By John Gibbons)

 

John Gibbons is a world renown osteopath, he teaches physical therapy methods worldwide and is also the creator of the body master course. He also writes books to spread professional knowledge (can be bought on amazon). As someone who was examined by him, what I found was he would do an elimination and checklist strategy; this avoids misdiagnosis in 99% of the cases. He checks everything, nerves, strength, muscle length tests to really paint a perfect picture of what is going on to organise a treatment. 

Extract From John Gibbons Book Vital Glutes

The research results of Janda (1983) indicate that tight (short) or overactive Short muscles not only hinder the agonist (opposing muscle) through Sherrington’s law of reciprocal inhibition as stated by Sherrington (1907) but also become active in movements that they are not normally associated with.

This is the reason why, when trying to correct a musculoskeletal imbalance, you would encourage lengthening of an overactive (shortened) by using a muscle energy technique (MET or PNF stretching), prior to attempting to strengthen a weak elongated muscle.

A tight muscle will pull the joint into a dysfunctional position and the weak muscle will allow this to happen, therefore we lengthen the short before we strengthen the weak. For example, we would lengthen the shortened pectoral muscles prior to strengthening the weakened rhomboids.

If muscle imbalances are not addressed, the body will be forced into a compensatory position, which increases the stress placed on the musculoskeletal system, eventually leading to tissue breakdown, irritation and injury. You are now in a vicious circle of musculoskeletal deterioration as the tonic muscles shorten and the phasic muscles lengthen.

Muscle imbalances are reflected in posture, as mentioned earlier, postural muscles are innervated by a smaller motor neuron and therefore have a lower excitability threshold. Since the nerve impulse reaches the postural muscle before the phasic muscle, the postural muscle will inhibit the phasic (antagonist) muscle, thus reducing the contractile potential and activation. When muscles are subject to faulty or repetitive loading the postural muscles shorting and phasic muscles weaken, thus altering their length tension relationship. Consequently, posture is directly affected because the surrounding muscles displace the soft tissues and skeleton. This leads to altered movement patterns which cause compensation, pain and injury.

End of Johns Extract (you will be surprised how many therapists do not know this knowledge and instead make people’s situation worse by prescribing wrong treatment.

Common mistakes people make:

• A sensation of tightness does not always mean its tight a locked long muscle can feel tight too. (Muscle Length test is needed)
• When a weak muscle is found they don't check the opposing muscles for shortness, they just give strength exercises for weak muscle which won't solve issue if the opposing muscle is shortened. If it is , it must be stretched first every time before you try to strengthen the weakened. Aim is to correct altered reciprocal inhibition and length tension relationships. 

In an anterior pelvic tilt the hip flexors and quads will be tight and shortened. This will inhibit the Glutes and Hamstrings which will be long and weakened. You will want to stretch the hip flexors and quads first before you activate the Glutes and Hamstrings. In this situation the hamstrings may feel tight as the end up doing the glutes work too. 

Positive patient outcomes is what its all about

The right strength and flexibilty excercises can sort out most movement issues. 

PAUL J. FRANSEN, P.T.

After graduating from the Washington University School of Medicine Program in Physical Therapy in 1987, my post-graduate studies have included Manual Therapy and Muscle Energy Techniques (skills used to correct muscle imbalances and joint dysfunction); treatment of Post- Polio Syndrome; Treatment and Prevention of Sports Injuries; Balance Courses; Electro-Therapeutic Modalities and courses on Neuro-plastic Interventional Training Techniques. While working in rehabilitation hospitals with neurologically impaired patients, I consistently observed that a functional improvement could be achieved by treating muscle imbalances of strength and flexibility. Spontaneous improvements in joint function and walking were observed, as was the prompt resolution of existing pain symptoms.

Shortly thereafter, I began to specialize in the outpatient treatment of orthopedic, sports and work-related injury cases. Whether injury was due to faulty posture or physical trauma, I had observed a predictable pattern in the evolution of muscle and soft tissue pain into joint pain and dysfunction. However, when daily stretching and select postural strengthening exercises were consistently performed to optimize vertical postural alignment, even geriatric patients were able to achieve new levels of physical independence although joint pain had become chronic over several years. In many instances, the excellent clinical outcomes achieved through this conservative approach have allowed some patients to discontinue use of prescriptive analgesics and muscle relaxants and others to even cancel scheduled orthopedic surgery, because they experienced complete or near-complete resolution of their joint pain symptoms. The consistent performance of the stretching exercises resolves most pain symptoms and increases function, often in as little as three weeks.

Visit his website www.integrityphysicaltherapy.org and read the following articles:

1. Muscle balance

2. Adaptive shortening

His take away message is:

1. Keep body supple via flexibility excercises to maintain range of motion.

2. Keep posture correct with excercises

3. Exercise will help many people avoid a life at a care home in a wheel chair.  

His site is a must read very experienced guy.

BUY HIS BOOK TO PREVENT INJURIES OR HELP A INJURED PERSON IN YOUR FAMLY. 

Shortened muscles in kids

Reducing Shortened Muscles in 10-12-year-old Boys Through A Physical Exercise Program

December 2008Medicina Sportiva 12(4):115-123

Abstract and Figures

REDUCING SHORTENED MUSCLES IN 10-12-YEAR-OLD BOYS THROUGH A PHYSICAL EXERCISE PROGRAMME Janka Kanásová(A-G) Department of Physical Education and Sport Faculty of Education University of Constantine the Philosopher in Nitra, Slovakia Abstract Introduction: Shortened muscles, is one of the components of muscular misbalance that can have a dominant position in the development of muscular instability. Therefore, this is the focus of our research study a school population. We attempted to investigate the state of shortened muscles and implement stretching exercises to improve shortened muscle status by the school physical education. The work has been elaborated based on the pedagogical research. The purpose of this study was to obtain and expand knowledge regarding the prevalence of shortened muscles in 10–12-year-old boys within their physical education lessons. Material and methods: The subjects of our study group were 49 (forty-nine) boys from two primary schools in Nitra, Slovakia. Subjects were observed for a time period of two school years. During the 5th year of school there was no intervention and during the sixth years, we initiated a program of Physical Education lessons. In the childrens‘ fifth year of elementary school without Physical Education lessons and in 6th year with the experimental variable with the program of the school Physical Education lessons. Shortened muscles were examined using the method by (1), modified for the purposes of physical education practice by (2). We observed 11 muscles with the tendency to shorten, where muscles and muscle groups separately on the right and left sides were examined: m. trapezius, pars superior (upper part), m. levator scapulae, m. pectoralis major, m. iliopsoas, m. rectus femoris, m. tensor fasciae latae, lumbal joint adductors, hamstrings, m. quadratus lumborum, m. erector spinae, m. triceps surae. Results: We found a high prevalence of shortened muscles in the tested 10 –12 year-old pupils. In some muscles and muscle groups (hamstrings) up to 89%. The prevalence of shortened muscles in pupils in 5th year of elementary school at a standard contents of Physical Education lessons has markedly increased. In the same pupils in sixth grade, after implementing goal-oriented exercises focused on the removal of shortened muscles within the Physical Education lessons. After a year of implementation of the program we recorded favorable changes in the functional state of the motor system. The frequency of occurrence of shortened muscles, which ranked one to five, in boys decreased by 30 to 34%. Conclusions: Timely and appropriate initiation of a focused exercise program within the Physical Education lessons at school can positively influence the removal of shortened muscles.

Steps Every Workout Should Include

 

According to stretch zone 

"Passive stretching is more beneficial for helping your muscles and their connective tissues to relax. Passive stretching increases the range of motion due to the relax effect and it something that most people can do.

One incredible advantage of doing passive stretches is that it can help you maintain and increase muscle flexibility. It also helps preserve the psychological length of the targeted muscle after a physical activity. This will prevent muscle contractures from occurring. 

Passive stretching is beneficial after an intense training session because it helps reduce muscle fatigue and contributes to muscle. rehabilitation.

 

Functional Strength

 I don't advise using weight machines if possible,  they don't train functional movement patterns (In most machines your always seated which takes the glutes and core out the equation). 

Free weights and Calisthenics are a better way to go, as they activate the core,  and more muscles (promoting neurological coordination). Even with free weights try and do as many exercises you can by standing up so that you are always engaging your glutes and core (compound movements)

I personally prefer dumbbells when it come to free weights as they reduce imbalances between the left and right side of the body. I find them more comfortable than barbells which i find restrictive. If your going really heavy then you will need Barbells, but unless you are in a strong  competition, how much strength do you need ? Lets think more functional.

Climb a helicopter rope, or up a gutter pipe etc. 

Muscles also work in opposing pairs, so if we keep doing chest exercises and ignore back, there will be an imbalance there. Which will cause faulty posture and movement patterns. So whole body workouts which cover every muscle group is key to maintaining balance.

The following is a Basic balanced body weight workout to strengthen every muscle in the body. Most can be modified to single arm or leg exercises. Adjust reps and sets how you want, I would recommend 1 or 2 sets until failure or your desired number. 

Upper Body: Push Ups, Pike Push Ups, Chin Ups and pull ups, Dips (Inverted chin ups and pulls ups are easier versions for those that can’t do normal chin ups and pull ups yet).

Core: Dead Bug, planks and side plank.

Glutes:  Side lying hip abduction and Glute bridges (double or Single leg)

Legs: Squats (go low as you can - heel on floor all times), lunges, dead lifts (single leg), calve raises (double and single leg) shin raises

Research on some foot, hand and neck strengthening excercises.

Here are some neck excercises

 https://youtu.be/lWKMy4BETQM

So, all you need is a chin up bar or tall parallette bars which will cover all muscle groups. It is wise to learn all the muscles in the body and find exercises that target them, if we do strength and stretch exercises for each muscle group, we can keep the body in a good condition. The idea of training is to break the muscles down and then resting to let them repair to become stronger (it is recommended to rest at least for 48 hours between strength workouts to allow muscles to repair).

 

 

Gold Standard Body Weight Exercises

Aerobic (endurance) Exercises- skipping – mountain climbers – burpees – jumping jacks – running on spot

Upper Body - Push ups – Pike Push Ups - Triangle push ups - Pull ups - Chin ups - Inverted chin up and pull up – dips – wall slides

Core - Bird dogs - Dead bugs – Plank – Side plank - Fire hydrants – side lying hip abduction – Prone hip extension – Quadrant hip extension (donkey Kicks) – clam Shells - Glute Bridge – Single leg Glute Bridge – Bob and weave – boat

Lower Body – Calf raises – single calf raises – Squats - Lunges - Dead lifts - Single leg squats aka pistol squats, Single leg dead lifts - Quad and hamstring extensions

Total Body Strength - Crab walk - Bear walk - power walking and swimming are amazing for whole body.

What is Over training?

When we do a strenuous workout we breakdown muscle tissues, then they will repair stronger. This is the whole point of training it is to cause adaptive changes in the muscle tissues and chemical processes of the body and other systems too. 

Recovery days are just as important as working out, never train intensely on two consecutive days, always have a rest day between workouts, this rest day allows the cells to energise (replaces lost chemicals and fluids) and the muscles to repair (regenerate). The central nervous system also gets activated a lot during working out this also needs time to calm back down before another intense session. This healing process is important if we keep loading the tissues and not give enough time for healing, we can cause muscle damage from hypertrophic scarring leading to tissue failure and degeneration. Rest is also needed to help the ligaments and joints heal and recover too (overtraining causes over use injuries and muscle damage). 

General rules are:

1. allow 48 hours between full body strength workouts.

2. Allow 48 hours between High intensity training.

3. Allow 48 hours between long endurance training. 

Things you can do to allow rest:

1. De-load phase, this is when coaches just get their athletes to go light for a while and not push them as much. 

2. A well balanced and structured program.

3. Include active recovery days to  help the healing process (activity must be light intensity). 

Things that most people do on active recovery: 

Brisk walking, low-intensity jogging, low-intensity-swimming, foam rolling, active stretching, 

Example Of A Workout:

Monday - Workout Cardio/ martial arts class

Tuesday - Active recovery day - Brisk Walk - active Stretch 

Wednesday - Strength (Full Body workout)

Thursday - Active Recovery

Friday - Strength & Cardio Workout

Saturday - Brisk walk and active stretch

Sunday - foam roll massage, yoga or brisk walk.

Article for more info:

https://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness/post-workout-muscle-recovery-how-why-let-your-muscles-heal/

Muscle Relaxation Techniques To Benefit The Body & Mind.

 

Reflexology shoes release tension from the feet and calm the CNS. Try them and see how they feel. https://kenkoh.jp/proven-health-benefits/

Muscle relaxation techniques dampen the Central nervous system and release tension  in the body and mind. They are good for both physical and mental well being. 

Techniques:

• Stretching (passive is the most relaxing)
• Massage With Hands or Props Like a foam roller, Massage Gun, lacrosse ball, and hyperblade.
• Joint compressions (squeeze or press on for 20 seconds)
• Dry needling aka Intra Muscular stimulation (IMS) - Very good to release stiffness from spine. Excellent tool to help in chronic pain conditions along side other interventions. Scientific studies look at research in isolation (pain and just dry needling), but in the clinical setting many interventions are needed to tackle muscle conditions. A combination of Heat, massage, stretching and movement are good for trigger points.
• It is vital to try stuff for yourself and then see how you feel instead of listening to others. 

Benefits:

•  body, which can ease anxiety.
• Can help with dealing with depression.
• Prevents tight muscles which can help you avoid bad posture, muscle damage, muscle imbalances, the types of contractures that are caused by extreme muscle imbalances and Movement dysfunction.

If your having trouble sleeping you can try a warm bath in Epsom salts, foam roll slowly and then do a few gentle stretches (hold for 30 seconds). 

Here Are Some Stretching Exercises to relax the body and mind.

Passive stretching is important to maintain as passive flexibility is the foundation for other flexibility excercises like active or functional. Ot is also the most benifical in the cool down as it relaxes the body and mind and helps in the recovery process. 

What is the Benefit of Passive Stretching?
As your muscles and tissues are stretched slowly and held for a period of time then slowly released, the tissue will begin to relax and circulation will commonly begin to increase. Areas around the relaxing tissue will also be affected as joint and nerve pressure are released, aiding in overall comfort. With less pain and compression, blood pressure begins returning to a more normal state. Oxygen and blood can begin returning to the symptomatic area and promote natural healing and reduce the inflammation.

Relieve stress

Unlike static or dynamic stretching, passive stretching requires your muscles to be relaxed for it to work. This release of physical tension can benefit your mental health.

“When you fully relax for a passive stretch, you tell your brain to shift out of fight-or-flight mode,” explains Hill. “Passive stretching can take you out of survival mode so you feel relaxed.”

Since active stretching has the opposite effect, it’s important to remember the best time to do each stretch. Passive stretching is beneficial after an intense training session because it helps reduce muscle fatigue and contributes to muscle rehabilitation. 

The positive health benefits that come from stretching can have more of an impact on your overall health than you think. Improved blood flow to your muscles and joints will keep them healthy and mobile for a long time. Endorphin production that occurs from stretching can also help you feel less stressed in other aspects of your life. This can reduce tension and prevent tightness due to stress! 

Passive stretching will help reduce pain, speed up 

A relaxing massage can be used for people with increased muscle tone. Increased muscle tone is where there are high levels of tension in the muscle at rest. Increased muscle tone can feel tight and tense. Tight muscles produce less movement and restrict blood flow. Massage helps reduce increased muscle tone by increasing blood circulation and releasing knots and congestion. Massage reduces increased muscle tone by increasing blood circulation to the muscles. More blood circulation in the muscles increases temperature and allows the muscles to relax. Massage also helps to reduce increased muscle tone by relieving congestion and knots in the muscles. Increased temperature relaxes muscles so tension is released. Massage treats muscle tissue directly and assists in breaking down knots, relaxing the muscle and easing muscle tension. Knots are formed due to a build-up of tension and waste products.

Massage helps to reduce stress by triggering the body's relaxation response. The light pressure of massage stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system works to regulate the body back to a relaxed state after emotions such as stress or anxiety. Massage produces a feeling of calmness and a sense of well being.

Massage also has an emotional effect by releasing feel good hormones. Hormones such as, endorphins, serotonin and dopamine are released from the brain improving mood and increasing a sense of well-being. The release of serotonin can help reduce depression, stress and anxiety. Massage also increases the temperature of the skin and increases capillarisation. Capillarisation is the increased amount of capillaries in the blood which then increases more cellular exchange. Cellular exchange allows more oxygen and nutrients in the muscles. An increase of temperature and blood flow stimulates a deep relaxation response in the body. The relaxation response slows respiration down and decreases the heart rate allowing the body and muscles to relax. Relaxation from a massage treatment can prevent tension that contributes to soft tissues problems in the future.

Thai massage benefits proven by science.

https://www.healthline.com/health/thai-massage-benefits#bottom-line

What Is Corrective Massage By Austin Massage Clinic (www.austin massage clinic.com)

Corrective massage is designed to counteract harmful muscle imbalances that result in poor body posture. With the repetitiveness of occupation and daily activities, pain occurs due to imbalances created by overuse of certain muscles and under use of others. Our body posture provides a window into musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction.

 The amount of postural/musculoskeletal dysfunction varies from person to person; however no one presents with perfect muscular balance. This means everyone can benefit from corrective massage treatments. Muscle imbalances effect the whole body, causing stress and fatigue that tighten the muscles and limit oxygen to the cells. Poor posture can limit our body’s potential range of motion creating stress on the musculoskeletal system. The result is chronic pain caused by the weak underused muscles being pushed to their limit.

 Corrective massage can have positive results in those affected by:

 Chronic or acute headaches (migraines)

Lower back problems such as sciatic pain, sacroiliac joint pain, hip imbalances & spinal muscular restrictions

Neck and shoulder pain and rotator cuff tears

Knee tendinitis and restrictions

Chronic pain

Fibromyalgia

Scar tissue restrictions

Edema

Muscle pain is a strong signal of body misalignment. Whether the dysfunction is of a structural or of a functional nature is an important factor to consider, as this greatly influences the amount of benefit clients can expect to achieve from treatments.

 CORRECTIVE MASSAGE TREATMENTS

Corrective massage is a systematic series of treatments designed to effectively alleviate symptoms of acute and chronic conditions.  The corrective massage practitioner utilizes well-established and tested massage modalities to help clients work through scar-tissue restrictions, contracted and shortened muscles due to injury, restricted tissue that fails to result in healing, and dehydrated muscle tissue that results in imbalance and further restrictions.

 Corrective massage is different from the typical spa massage in that corrective massage is focused on results. The emphasis in corrective massage is to create efficient alignment of your bones and muscles. The results are freedom from pain and increased range of motion. The corrective massage therapist’s goal is to establish the root cause of musculo-skeletal pain and dysfunction and to eliminate it.

 Chronic conditions develop over time, and will often require multiple sessions to change the patterns and posture of your body.  As your corrective massage therapist, we listen to the pain and make the healthy alignment changes that are needed using massage.

 CORRECTIVE MASSAGE TECHNIQUES

The goal is for you to be pain free and capable of  living an active lifestyle. These tools are used to safely and naturally restore function :

 Cross-Fiber Friction

Neuromuscular Therapy (Trigger Point Therapy)

Myofascial Release Massage

Swedish Massage

Massage Cupping

Manual Lymphatic Drainage

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation

Sport Massage

Deep Tissue Massage

The tools offered by doctors to treat pain (pills and surgery) mask the issue and do not get to the root problem, muscular skeletal imbalance. With corrective massage, sessions are interactive requiring you to flex and release certain muscles during the massage to accelerate the results and to re-educate the body so that stretched muscles are contracted and shortened muscles are lengthened. This creates balance in the body. When the body is in balance, it is pain free and strong.