We ran two articles about injuries recently. Technically, they weren’t popular (we measure popularity by how often an article gets clicked on) but they generated a lot of email and a radio station asked me to do an interview. I think this is a good example of how our society is working these days. We don’t want to think about negative things that might happen, so we ignore them. Then, when they inevitably do, we’re all ears. Such is the case with our current banking situation, and it always seems to be the case with injuries.
The real deal is that you are going to get injured at some point in your life. The better prepared you are to deal with it, the less it will effect you. Furthermore, the more you know about the subject beforehand the less likely you are to ever get injured in the first place. In case you missed them, here are the articles:
http://www.beachbody.com/product/newsletters/323.dohttp://www.beachbody.com/product/newsletters/324.doNow let’s see if I missed anything.
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Hi Guys,
I am in week 10, having great results. My only problem is that my right elbow very sore, tendonitis I believe. I will have to rest it for a while. I guess I will try programs that work on the body other than stressing right elbow. Any suggestions for recovery?
Take care, Mike
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As a climber, elbow tendonitis is very dear to my heart. I hurt one of my elbows the second day I ever climbed and it took a couple of years of study, trial, and error before I was fully able to deal with it and still climb.
Tendonitis is very easy to treat. You stop doing what it is that inflames it and the inflammation will go down, then it won’t hurt. The problem is that over time it becomes more and more susceptible to flaring up. Here is standard protocol for any case of tendonitis.
Step 1 – stop and ice. The quicker you get the inflammation down that better. Taking anti-inflammatory meds is also advised. Let the area rest until you can manipulate the area with absolutely no pain.
Step 2 – Begin rehabilitation exercises. You can find these by searching the web, picking up a book or, better yet, seeing a physical therapist. You want to begin these as soon as you don’t have pain, which is often a day or so after the injury, though in major cases it could be longer.
These exercises build up the stabilizer muscles around the larger muscle where you usually feel the injury. They are generally low weigh/high rep movements that you can do daily. The exercises generally include some stretches as well. The key is to strengthen all the muscles so that your musculature is balanced and to stretch the muscles out so that your range of motion is good (loss of range of motion is often a culprit of injury).
You should keep icing the area after every workout.
Step 3 – Begin training again, but start easy. Pay VERY close attention to the affected area. As soon as you feel any sort of twinge you are done for that day. Then ice immediately.
If you follow this procedure your strength will increase quickly. Tendonitis generally occurs when the muscles become overworked, adding excessive stress to the connective tissues. If you keep your muscles strong and don’t push too hard during workouts, you can quite easily keep flare-ups to a minimum. Anytime you begin to feel something, end your workout. It does no good to push past this point because the damage you do will set your recovery back. Continually icing after workouts will help stack the odds in your favor.
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I started the P90X workout at the end of July. I was doing fine and lost 7 lbs in two weeks. I was lifting with no problems after suffering a shoulder injuring back January, of course I waited a few months before working out , however a freak accident while throwing a bowling ball in August tore my Labrum at the Bicep on my right arm. Same arm and shoulder that had major surgery 4 years ago. I was operated on yesterday and feel fine but of cause I am in a sling and will have to follow doctors order with rehab. My problem has been that this has stopped me from working out with the P90X program over the 30 days.(Scarred that I may cause more damage) I have been riding a bike and trying to do lower body exercising but I am not feeling the same as my P90X work out. Is there anything that I could do to speed up my recovery so I can get back to developing my midsection without risk of affecting my injured shoulder/bicep during this time till I can start back up with P90X.
Thanks, Dante
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If you attempt to come back too quickly you will almost certain re-injure your shoulder. The labrum is very small and it’s important that you strengthen it fully before you return to P90X. And when you do begin I would start doing abridged workouts and S-L-O-W-L-Y allowing your strength to build up.
The quickest way to recovery is to be religious about your PT. See the therapist as often as you possibly can. Ask how often you can do the given exercises. Ask how often you can stretch and do all the stretches you are given. Ice 3 or 4 times per day. Sleep as much as you can. Eat healthy and take supplements.
That may sound boring but PT is pretty boring. But if you stick to it you’re be rewarded by a return to form that is often better than you were prior. If you cut steps out of this process you could be dealing with your shoulder for years on end.
In order not to lose much fitness you can do a lot of cardio and core work. Again, ask your therapist. Be nosey and get all the info you can.
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I have shin splints when walking. Can you advise me how long I should walk to begin with and how can I avoid getting these shin splints because then I can not continue exercising because of the pain and I need to rest and recuperate however I also need to get in shape and be healthy. Any advice you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Pat Laurin
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Shin splints follow the same rules we’ve been discussing but are much easier to deal with. The first thing that you should do is buy some better shoes. Go to a store that advertises professional fitting (not Foot Locker). They will put you on a treadmill, analyze your gait, and get you in a shoe that will minimize impact.
Then stretch daily and ice often. Here’s an article on shin splints that will tell you what to do:
http://www.beachbody.com/product/newsletters/256.do#article2========================================
Hello! I enjoy receiving your emails about fitness, however I'm wondering why you never mention the benefits of chiropractic care. Chiropractic can help keep your body more stable, better functioning, and injury free, as well as recover faster. I'd love to send you some info if you'd be interested. Chiropractic definitely helps enhance physical performance. It works.... try it!!!
Thanks!
Leslie Starr
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We have talked a lot about chiropractic care on the Message Boards but because chiros vary so much it hasn’t been the scope of an article. You don’t, necessarily, need chiropractic care but it can be helpful. In some cases extremely helpful.
One of the problems with chiro care is finding a good chiro in the first place. I guess it’s the same as finding a good doctor or dentist, except not many people are familiar with what a good chiro can and will do for you. Many seem to fall into the “you need to come back forever” model for repeat business. And I find that model not only irresponsible but also dangerous. Too much bad chiropractic care can be dangerous. You need to choose your chiro carefully.
That being said, some of the best health care practitioners I’ve ever met were chiros. The best chiros often combine disciplines. Often they will also be trainers, kinesiologists, physical therapists, and/or other related things. What I tend to look for in a chiro is one who recommends other things besides what they do. It’s common for chiros to avoid discussion on physical therapy or rehab and tell you that all you need to do is continually be adjusted. The body doesn’t really work this way. You need to work it synergistically. If you’re getting your structure moved around you also need to strengthen the rest of your body to hold this adjustment. So always looks for a chiropractor who acknowledges other disciplines as well.
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I work out 6 days/ week. I ALWAYS do "Slim N 6"-Slim N Limber BEFORE I do "Turbo Jam". By the article "#323 SAY NO TO INJURIES", should I do Slim N Limber AFTER my workout??
Also, with Turbo Jam (and other Beachbody DVDs), the first pain of the routine is a "warm up". Is this "warm up" considered sufficient or should I do an additional warm up before starting "Turbo Jam".
Thanks in advance for your time...
Jennifer Ball
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The first part of your question is simple; yes, do Slim and Limber AFTER your workout.
Whether or not the warm-up in the video is enough is personal. If “should” be, but that doesn’t mean it is. Some of us need to move around more. If you feel you need more warm-up than absolutely add it. We’ve gotten better over the years and adding thorough warm-ups to our workouts. Tony’s new workouts can have you “warming up” for 20 minutes (they feel like—and are—part of the workout). Debbie has some good warm-up series as well. If you have Cool it Off you’ll see she warms up very thoroughly.
The easiest way to tell if a warm-up is working is whether or not you feel ready to start the workout. If you don’t, just hit pause and do some more movement until you’re ready.
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I just wanted to comment on your injury prevention article - as a
physical therapist and current P90X participant, I appreciated the
advice you gave, especially your recommendations to see a PT on a
regular basis!
Well done!
Sincerely,
Dr. Troy Hounshell, PT, ScD, COMT
I just wanted to thank you for providing the interesting articles on health, diet, nutrition and lifestyle. I am a P90X participant and have really enjoyed the improvements I’ve made in my life at home and at work with the help of your information-rich program.
Please keep it up!
Cheers,
Eric
Wow! As a physical therapist and 3rd week participant in P90X I just want to say that I am very pleased with your product and excited that you are recognizing the PT’s role in function and fitness. Thanks!
Ramona Carper, PT,
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Nothing to answer here; just wanted to close this injury session on a positive note. Until next time, don’t just train hard; train smart!
Steve
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