Overuse injuries are exactly what they sound like; repetitive action that degrades motor function over time causing muscles, bones, joints and tendons to become overused and injured. Any fitness nut, athlete, spin addict, weekend warrior, or marathon junkie can attest to the perils of overuse injuries. It makes your favorite activities a painstaking hellscape that seems unavoidable, due to one’s inability or reluctance to stop. However, your body needs rest and recovery relative to the intensity of the activity. If you ignore this, you are stifling an important internal process of your body.
Everybody has a built-in operation called the internal remodeling process. It has to do with the breakdown of tissue through activity and the subsequent rebuilding of that tissue through rest and recovery. If that balance is not maintained then your bones, tendons, joints, and muscles start to break down. We see this issue a lot with adults, but we’re beginning to see it at alarmingly high rate in youth athletes between the ages of 10-18. (Scroll to the end of this post to read two client stories.)
So why is this happening?
Sport specialization has become more popular in the past 20 years, and we’re seeing more kids becoming single sport athletes to hone their skills in one sport. The thought process behind this is that with more emphasis on sport specific competition this athlete could one day perform at a collegiate, Olympic, or professional level. Sport specialization, however, is entirely misguided in thinking a child, or anyone for that matter, can do the same thing, at the same intensity, for the same amount of time almost every day for a year. You are creating a system where only the resilient survive, and even they don’t move like they’re supposed to. Not even the best athletes in the world train at that intensity, for that amount of time, with the same activity. They do cross training (athletic training in sports other than the athlete’s usual sport.) like yoga, running, swimming, biking, in order to take pressure off of their bones, muscles, joints, and tendons that have been overused during their season. They also have a minimum 3-5 month off season to recuperate, get their strength back, and give their bodies a chance to recover. So why are we training our kids opposite to the professionals they’re aspiring to be?
With the goal of performing at higher levels of play, there is a precedent on skill development and strengthening with considerably less regard to rest and recovery. Skill and strength work are extremely important for honing motor development and creating muscle adaptation within the athlete. Having said that, the period where actual strength is formed is during recovery when muscle tissue is being rebuilt. Yet the focus is on developing skills that are utterly useless without a functional body, and the amount of micro-trauma we’re creating makes functionality impossible. As we continue to overuse our muscles, they become weak and unable to fire correctly which results in injury. Even if the overused areas don’t injure you right away, the lack of function from these areas will cause compensatory movement, which will then create injury. The old adage “Kids are young, they bounce back” is only true for so long. Rubber bands can be stretched and stretched while still keeping a level of elasticity. Until it snaps. Then it doesn’t matter how much tape or stapling you do to put it back together, it will never be the same as it was before.
There are many ways to prevent overuse injuries, the best way is to make sure competition readiness never takes priority over proper rest and recovery. This means limiting weekly and annual participation, as well as limiting sport specific movements such as pitching, kicking, or running. Getting a trainer and a seasoned coach to monitor the athlete through adolescent growth to limit negative adaptations like diminished bone mineral density, improper growth patterns, and weakness of growth cartilage is also a good idea. A good trainer can help the athlete avoid over training and overuse injuries through periodized training programs (progressive training that has loading and de-loading phases to limit over stressing the body prior to competition). Good coaching will also stress proper training techniques such as proper duration, intensity and frequency of sessions. Again, this comes from seasoned coach that can assist with the progression of training and technique rather than arbitrary skill development.
3 Ways LYMBR aids in overuse recovery and injury prevention:
Active Stretching: We perform active stretching in order to return function, create balance, and increase active range of motion to your muscles and joints. LYMBR stretch therapists can stretch damaged connective tissues, draw out inflammation, lactic acid, fill muscles with oxygenated blood, and return active range of motion to your joint, which will limit compensation and speed up recovery.
At-home modalities: LYMBR therapists can also recommend some recovery modalities that you can do at home to further your efforts such as stretches to help maintain the work done in the studio, and the use of heat and ice.
Corrective exercises: As all LYMBR staff are certified personal trainers, we can also recommend some corrective exercises to strengthen weak or under-utilized muscles, as well as speak to proper technique when it comes to exercise. Our new Strengthening Protocols can also aid in recovery as many have a corrective nature to them.
CLIENT STORIES
One client is a 13-year-old female who participated in lacrosse and swimming. This particular athlete did both activities 5 days a week with a scarce amount of time being spent on rest and recovery. Her mother told us that her swimming coach was noticing limitations in her shoulder mobility, she was unable to touch her toes, and experienced violent ankle pain during and after lacrosse to the point where they were planning on going in for surgery. We did three assessments to see where we needed to focus our attention. I noticed from her postural assessment that her shoulders were rounded forward and her hands were positioned in front of her body rather than the side. Her pelvic assessment showed a very tilted pelvis that made it so one leg was longer than the other. Her walking assessment showed an inability to plantar flex the foot, making her hamstrings do all the work in creating forward momentum. After 30 minutes of stretching her feet, ankles, hamstrings, glutes, shoulders, lower and mid back, she was able to extend her shoulders in almost perfect range of motion. She had no foot or ankle pain and was able to touch her palms to the floor. Her and her mother were ecstatic, and from then on, she saw me twice a week, every week, for an hour each session. She was able to continue both sports and was able to perform them both with maximal effort and minimal pain. She never went to surgery for her feet, and to this day does not experience any ankle or foot pain. She progressed and learned so much in her time here that she only comes in on a maintenance basis. Once or twice every two months with periodic checks. This athlete is a perfect example of why recovery and rest are so important. She went from almost having to quit both sports and undergo invasive surgery, to being able to participate and excel in her two favorite activities.
Another athlete is a 16-year-old football player who was experiencing pain and cramping in his calves during and after practice regardless of how much water he drank. This was limiting his ability to sprint and be explosive which was impacting his lifting and performance in practice and games. During his walking assessment I noticed that he was very flat footed and was unable to flex his ankle. We began working on his ankle, foot, and toe mobility as well as targeting his hamstrings and glutes. As he continued coming once a week for an hour and progressed through more difficult at home stretches, he was able to go through practices and games with no calf cramping or pain. He was able to add 50 pounds to his squat, shaved half a second off his 40-yard dash, and starts on his JV team. He now only comes twice a month for maintenance purposes and continues to use the stretches I’ve given him at home. This athlete put the same amount of effort into his recovery as he did his practice, and for that reason was able to perform at an optimal level. By eliminating pain and cramping in his calf, he was able to detach from the distractions of his physical body and focus on becoming better at the sport he loves.
If you have any questions about youth athletics in regard to movement, performance, relaxation, or recovery, please do not hesitate to seek us out. We want to make sure that every athlete can enjoy their sport, injury-free, with their most functional body.
Written by, Conner Fritchley. Conner is a Stretch Therapist in our Darien studio.
As the days get colder, you may start to notice discomfort and stiffness in your body. This is a natural and very common occurrence this time of year. When our bodies start to get cold, the first thing we do is hike up our shoulders, round our back and bury our chin. Even while sleeping, we curl into a ball in hopes that we will get that satisfying warmth. And chances are, you are not moving as much as you do in warmer weather.
In colder weather, our nervous system activates changes within our bodies to help regulate body temperature. Vasoconstriction occurs, where muscles tighten to constrict blood vessels throughout the body. Less heat reaches the surface of our bodies and in turn our core temperature can remain steady for our vital organs (Homeostasis).
Our bodies adapt to the positions that they are put in and the conditions they are exposed to. Over time, our muscles will shorten and become stiff.
Having a rounded back and shoulders, along with a protruded chin places a lot of stress on the upper back and shoulders. Stretching the muscles in the neck, upper back and shoulders which all support the cervical and thoracic portion of the spine, provide a lot of relief. Muscles like the trapezius, levator scapula, sternocleidomastoid, and rhomboids. These muscles are also very important for maintaining proper posture. After having these muscles stretched, people often feel taller and more open, and feel relief from pain and stiffness.
Temperature plays an important role in the way your muscles contract. It’s a lot more difficult for muscles to contract in cold weather as opposed to warmer conditions. The temperature affects how easily oxygen is released from hemoglobin to the muscle. In colder weather, the rate that oxygen is released is slower. Which means there is less oxygen available for the muscle, causing the muscle contraction to be difficult. This is where stiffness is felt. Oxygen intake is very important, as it is what fuels the muscle.
By regularly stretching with good form, you are promoting efficient blood circulation. The circulating blood provides oxygenated rich blood and nutrients to the muscle. This fresh blood is what is needed for the muscle to have proper function, strength, and flexibility.
Another way to increase your oxygen intake is to get more exercise. Be sure to warm up with active stretches and movements first. Injuries like muscle strains happen more often while exercising with cold muscles. Active stretching helps blood circulation to the muscles and warms them up.
Let’s continue to stay active and avoid poor movement patterns in the upcoming winter months. This can be achieved by warming up before exercise and properly stretching. Stay warm and BeLYMBR!
Written by, Michael Eaton. Michael is a Stretch Therapist and Asst Manager in our Darien, CT studio.
We all know how stress affects the mind, but it also affects the muscles in our body. The most common areas we tend to hold stress are in the neck, shoulders, hips, hands and feet. Planning one of your stretch sessions around these areas can help calm your mind and calm your body.
NECK When we experience stressful situations whether in a moment or over time, we tend to feel tension in the neck. Your shoulders hike up, causing tightness in the muscles along the back and side of your neck. Stress puts the neck muscles in a constant state of slight contraction, which can lead to unwanted tension. This tension leads to restricted range of motion, that feeling of having a knot in your neck, and sometimes tension or migraine headaches.
Stretching your neck will provide some relief. Not only is the experience of getting stretched relaxing, but the result is a lengthening of the muscles, allowing them to return to their natural, more relaxed state. Your neck will have greater range of motion, making your head feel lighter and your face more relaxed.
SHOULDERS / UPPER BODY We tend to hold a lot of stress in our shoulders causing them to round or hunch forward. This postural change reduces our mobility and puts added strain on our head, neck and upper back. Rounded shoulders also affect our ability to take full and complete breaths as the space in which our rib cage wants to move is restricted.
Stretching the muscles in your shoulders helps to open up and reduce the built-up tension in the upper body. As the shoulders relax and find their proper state, you experience a more open and relaxed posture. Your rib cage has more room to expand and the strain is taken off your head and neck.
HIPS If you study or practice yoga, you are familiar with the concept that we store a lot of stress and emotions in our hips. We’ve seen clients have an emotional reaction when we make significant improvements to their hip mobility during a session. The stress and restriction in your hips inhibit your comfort and your range of motion. Every movement we make begins with the hips, if they are not properly balanced and mobile, the effects resonate through your body – most commonly in the low back.
When you experience a proper series of stretches to open your hips, the effects can be felt on your entire lower body – you’ll feel lighter and move with more freedom. Some clients report a sense of calm, relaxation and release.
HANDS When we are feeling stressed, the muscles in our hands begin to clench, sometimes we don’t even notice it happening. Even when you are not holding something, they will stay in that tense position. This tension causes constriction to the tendons of the hands from the palm up through the tips of the fingers. This can have a negative impact on the forearm and the elbow. A common example would be similar to carpal tunnel syndrome – as the muscles in the hands and wrists begin to constrict, the nerves become inflamed from all of the pressure.
Stretching the hands will give you a feeling of letting go, literally. The hands will begin to relax releasing the tension from your fingertips up through your forearm.
FEET It is not commonly known that we hold a lot of stress in our feet. The result is restrictions in how the mechanics of our feet perform, especially in the arches, where we carry all of our weight. When the mechanics are not working properly, you put pressure on certain areas of the foot which are not designed to carry the load of your body on their own. The resulting tension and pain can resonate from the feet up the through your calf and behind your knee.
Having your feet and toes stretched may seem like an odd concept but the results are incredible. You’ll feel your toes open and your foot relax. Keeping your feet happy is a major factor in keeping your whole body happy. We ask a lot of our feet and they are so often overlooked.
Keep stress and its affect on your body at bay by taking time out of every day to focus on you. Put your phone down, try some deep breathing, go for a walk, and of course, focus on stretching.
Your posture affects everything you do in life, work and sport. The way we move, or don’t move, through our day has lasting effects on our body. Here are the 5 main areas of which you should be mindful, to minimize the chances of poor posture impeding your day and your ability to be active.
Chest/Biceps
Rounded shoulders are usually one of the first indications of poor posture and some muscular imbalance in that area. Oftentimes, this will suggest that the chest, or pectoral muscles, and the biceps are tight. Shoulders that are rounded forward towards the front of the body shorten these muscles, causing tightness. Daily activities that may cause this include typing at a computer while sitting at a desk or carrying a backpack heavier than it should be. Great stretches to help lengthen these muscles include the doorway stretch pictured below, and child’s pose.
Hip Flexors
The hip flexor muscles play a vital role in posture, as they connect the torso to the legs, aiding in spine stabilization. Tight hip flexors often reveal an anterior pelvic tilt, meaning the pelvis is rotated forward and the spine exhibits added curvature. The shortening of these muscles, as well as an excessively curved spine, will cause the upper body to be shifted forward. A sedentary lifestyle or sitting for prolonged amounts of time may cause this tightness. To help decrease tension in the hip flexors, make sure to get up and walk around if you find yourself sitting for an extended period of time.
Quadratus Lumborum (QL)
A tight quadratus lumborum, or QL, is often the source of low back pain and an anterior pelvic tilt. The Q Lis located in your lower back on either side of the lumbar spine. It starts at your lowest rib and ends at the top of your pelvis. Much like the hip flexors, a tight QL can be the result of sitting for long periods of time, sedentary behavior, and weak core muscles. Strengthening the core muscles and stretching the QL through back rotations will help correct this imbalance by bringing the pelvis and spine back to a more neutral position.
Latissimus Dorsi (Lats)
Are tight lats affecting your posture? Tight latissimus dorsi, or “lats”, can be easily observed during a postural assessment. Look at yourself in the mirror: Is one shoulder higher than the other? If one side of the torso appears shorter than the other, the side that appears shorter is tighter. This imbalance can be caused by carrying a bag on only one side of the body. By carrying a bag on one side, the lats on the other side will start to compensate and shorten for the unilateral added weight. Favoring leaning to one side more when sitting will also cause tension on that side’s lats. Make sure to properly stretch both side lats during the day. If a shoulder bag is being used, make a conscious effort to not overstuff it so that the spine can stay aligned, and alternate carrying on your left and right side. The stretch pictured below is one of many to target this area, and is a fan favorite amongst our clients.
Neck
Stiffness in the neck muscles will also cause a shift in posture. In today’s technology-based society, it is easy to find ourselves looking down at some sort of screen, whether it be at a monitor in the office, or a phone on the commute home. This repetitive stance of looking down causes the muscles in the front of the neck to tighten and the head to protrude forward, placing it out of line with the spine. Bringing any electronics in use to eye level, as well as making a conscious effort to sit up straight, will aim to prevent this imbalance.
Good posture takes practice and mindfulness of how you carry yourself throughout your day. Better posture leads to a better, more comfortable life.
Written by, Emma Younghans and Ariel Scheintaub, Stretch Therapists in Tribeca.
As our Hamptons studio at the SoulCycle BARN gets busier with riders, we’re helping more and more clients get more out of every class, and participate in more rides.
Spinning has become a dominant force in the fitness industry. As its popularity increases, so does the necessity for understanding spinning’s impact on the body. These classes provide a great way to sweat, burn calories, and have fun while doing it. Yet as more time is spent on the bike, more pressure is put on the muscles tasked to complete the pedaling action. The muscles most affected by the repetitive motion, also happen to be some of the largest in the human body; your quads, glutes, and upper back musculature.
QUADS
The quads are broken up into four muscles, hence the name “quad”. The quad muscles assist with the extension of the knee and are used for activities like walking, running, and other physical activities like spinning. With the high intensity demands of spinning classes, extra strain can be placed on the quad and the various points at which they insert or attach. This increases the possibility of strain and injury in the knee, hip, and low back. As the quads become tight they are unable to extend the knee fully, placing greater strain on the knee, hip, and low back to complete the motion. Tight quads will also pull your pelvis down, creating a pelvic tilt. This will throw your low back out of alignment and produce low back pain. A great way to avoid these injuries is by getting stretched. LYMBR therapists can reset a pelvic tilt in less than 3 minutes, and our quad stretches restore mobility and function to the quadriceps. By creating greater function, we allow the muscles to better assist with the extension of the knee, thus removing stress on the knee, the pelvis and therefore the low back.
GLUTES
The glutes are made up of three muscles: The glute maximus, the glute medius, and the glute minimus. Each muscle serves an important purpose in spinning, primarily dealing with extension at the hip, or the downward “push” of your stride. The glute max is one of the primary movers in spinning and creates the “push” off the pedal. The glute medius serves as a pelvic stabilizer during dynamic movements. As the spinner lifts one foot up and drives the other down, glute medius holds the pelvis in a neutral position. This lessens the chance of a low back or pelvic injury. Glute medius can be especially tight for females due to women having anatomically wider pelvis. The glute minimus helps shift your body weight to keep you balanced while pedaling. To ensure the glutes are performing all of these tasks, it’s important to stretch and take your glutes through their full range of motion. Keeping the glutes loose will keep the pelvis stable while you ride, assist with balance, and will ensure that you are not compensating with other muscles to complete the hip extension.
UPPER BACK AND SHOULDERS
Although they’re certainly not as common, upper back and shoulder injuries can also occur from spinning classes. The upper back, specifically your traps, lats, and rear delts (shoulders), are responsible for holding your body upright as well as stabilizing the shoulder through dynamic movement. When people spin, they often get into the habit of hunching over the handlebars and tensing up their shoulders. What this does is lengthen these muscles to the point where they are no longer able to function. Since these muscles do so much to facilitate posture, as their function begins to waver, so will your posture. Your chest will begin to tighten as well as your core, your pelvis will tilt, and your shoulders will lose stability. By stretching out your chest, core, shoulders, and neck we can restore proper length to shortened muscles and therefore take pressure off your back and rear shoulders. This will help reaffirm correct posture and make your experience on the bike much more comfortable.
Spinning is a fantastic form of exercise. You can burn calories, exercise your heart, increase endurance, lower body fat, all while being a part of a larger community of people trying to improve themselves. Like any activity, however, it’s best to start slow, and always listen to your body. We all have activities we love to do. If spinning is yours, then why not make sure your body is in its most mobile, functional state so you can make the most of every class.
Written by Conner Fritchley, Stretch Therapist in our Darien studio.
“You’re not a rider unless you’ve fallen off seven times.” This is one of many proven mantras in the Equestrian community. Equestrians are some of the toughest and strongest athletes I have come to know during my lifetime. Over time, we riders learn numerous aids, cues, and body positions to influence and support a horse’s movement. A full day of schooling, showing, and barn chores can leave us aching and exhausted. As hopeful lifelong equestrians, we need to start thinking about how our own body’s health and flexibility affect the flexibility we strive for in our four legged partners.
How can LYMBR help improve your riding?
I have been an avid horse-lover, rider, and competitor since the age of 5. Spending hours in the saddle can really take a toll on your body, and it wasn’t until coming to LYMBR after a fall that I started to connect some dots. Equestrians tend to be creatures of habit. We mount, dismount, tack up, and connect with our horses through groundwork, always on the left side. It’s a repetitive lifestyle, and constantly performing the same movements over and over again creates muscle imbalances in our body. Imbalances lead to discomfort and often times pain. No matter their discipline, most equestrians struggle with tightness and sore muscles in the hips, adductors, glutes, calves, spine, chest, shoulders, and neck. We spend a lot of time and effort caring for our horses and honing in on our connection in the saddle;why don’t we spend as much time and effort on our own bodies?
As a therapist and a client, LYMBR has helped me understand both the individual functions of muscles and how they work together while in motion. Because each LYMBR session is completely personalized, everything is catered to reach your goals. With therapists experienced in a wide variety of sports and exercise modalities LYMBR is able target those tense muscles through an intricate series of stretches. Learning how to target and lengthen those muscles while strengthening their counterparts has enhanced my riding enormously. Remember, for every working muscle, there is anopposing muscle working in the other direction. Also because I have become more open and available through stretching my connection to my horse feels stronger.
Lets go deeper…
The pelvis and lower back are irritated in practically every rider. Riding can actually promote and enhance stiffness that leads to poor riding posture. It can block aids and movements from you to the horse creating a domino effect. Our hips are another point of interest, while riding, they are in constant flexion, leaving our hamstrings lengthened. Often when a rider is swinging their legs or cannot keep their legs in alignment, it is because our hamstrings are not as strong as our hips. We strive for symmetry in our horses and our own posture; we want to make it look like riding is easy! If we are dealing with discrepancies in our bodies, it will affect the way your horse responds while under saddle. This is why these issues can and should be addressed out of the saddle.
Whether you are a new rider who wants to help recover those newly hard-working muscles or a seasoned competitor hoping to improve for this upcoming show season, better mobility, flexibility and range of motion that comes from proper stretching will help take your riding to the next level.
Written by Samantha Fabrikant, LYMBR Stretch Therapist and Equestrian.
Now that golf season is here, many of our clients are making their way back to the links for some much-needed and long-awaited tee time. These early months of the golf season are extremely crucial. If you haven’t prepared your body for the technically challenging movements of golf, then your season may be over before it begins.
In the past, we’ve covered how technically challenging and impactful a golf swing is on the whole body. When we think about stretching for golf, the focus is on relieving tension in the hips, adductors, and low back muscles to increase drive and create tension relief on the low back. These are the obvious areas to treat to allow for increased rotation and overall stability over the ball, but they are not the only muscles to investigate.
There are small nuances that go into the sport that can have a similar impact on your body’s range of motion and ability to function. One of those nuances is influenced by something we do every day; walking. With the implementation of golf carts people are walking less and less on the course, and although this is convenient, it’s really not doing your body any favors. Similar to hip and back overuse injuries of the golf swing, you can produce similar overuse injuries in your feet from walking, sitting, walking, and sitting again. This aspect of the game warms up the muscles, lengthens them, and then once you stop moving, contracts and thus shortens the muscles. Shortened muscles in the feet can lead to inflamed plantar fascia (plantar fasciitis), achilles/soleus injuries and calf tightness; all which eventually lead to limited motion and subsequently knee or hip problems.
When your feet are not functioning properly, the impact is felt on your golf swing. Your feet are first contact and therefore first to initiate the movement of the swing. If the range of motion of your feet and ankles are limited, then so will be your rotation. A limited ability of the feet will lead to limited follow through in the golf swing.
At LYMBR we have specific protocol for feet, ankles, and toes to make sure you are getting optimal performance from those areas. Remember that feet are the first point of contact to the ground, if they are weak, then the rest of the body is functioning on an unstable foundation. By stretching your feet and ankles we can restore range of motion and overall flexibility of those specific muscles. This will make them more able to absorb impact, withstand hours of stop and start walking, and allow for proper rotation of the ankles through the duration of your swing.
Written by Conner Fritchley, Stretch Therapist in our Darien studio.
March Madness is here, so it’s time to discuss stretching for basketball. The fundamentals of basketball are simple to grasp; dribbling, the jump shot, the chest pass, the rebound. Competitive-level players have mastered these abilities on a basic level and are always looking to hone their skills to improve their game. The sport played at such a level requires quickness and agility, as angle, direction, and explosiveness of each movement is constantly changing. Effectiveness of these movements is minimized in players with limited range of motion. By implementing specific stretch protocols into a basketball player’s daily routine, performance can be enhanced.
The stop-and-go nature of the game requires both agile and explosive movements. Proper extensibility of the quadriceps, adductors, glutes, hamstrings, and calves is necessary for those fast-breaks down the court, or powerful movements to the basket. Dynamic stretching beforehand increases oxygen and blood flow to those muscles, preparing them for full range of motion through the joints. It also stimulates the nervous system to increase awareness for performance. It is this enhanced neuromuscular ability that could give a player that advantage early in the game.
Incorporating stretching into a basketball warmup can also help prevent injury. Some of the most common basketball injuries include lateral ankle sprains, patellofemoral inflammation, and hamstring strains. While injuries occurring from trauma to the area are unpredictable, others can be prevented using stretching. By stretching muscles surrounding the hips and knees, the stress of those muscles on the knee joint will decrease. For example, the pulling sensation felt on the kneecap in those with patellofemoral pain can be lessened by stretching the IT band, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. Decreasing the amount of stress on a joint can reduce inflammation and bring muscles to their optimal length without overlengthening them.
Although lower limb injuries make up the highest portion of basketball injuries, it is also vital for basketball players to maintain proper flexibility in their trunk and upper body. Lumbar strains and sprains are the most common after lower limb injuries and are caused by trauma or overuse. The twisting, pivoting, and bending movements a player must make to create space, combined with a rigorous schedule, predispose the muscles to overuse. Our lower back stretches emphasizing the quadratus laborum, lumbar fascia, and multifidus, will help relieve the tension carried in the lower back, bringing these muscles to their optimal length pre and post-workout.
Keeping a basketball player in good range of motion can only help to keep the body aligned and flexible to optimize performance.
Written by Ariel Scheintaub. Ariel is a Stretch Therapist in our Tribeca studio.
There isn’t a single muscle that isn’t tested when it comes to the full totality of the sports of baseball and softball. Every aspect of these games is both mentally and physically demanding. The mental aspect demands that players have a wealth of knowledge and strategy about the game i.e. pitch selection, hitting for contact or power, knowing when to steal, etc. However, if their bodies are not flexible, mobile, stable, and strong, then just understanding the game is not going to get them very far. At LYMBR we hope to assist our fellow baseball and softball players by stretching muscles involved in the three movements of the sports: swinging, throwing, and running.
THE SWING
In your swing you use your deltoids, infraspinatus, wrist pronators/supinators, psoas, hip rotators, and lats to complete the swing. However, the function of any and all successful swings begin in the same place: the hips. Bat speed, point of contact, and how far that contact will go is determined by the rotational force of your lower body. It doesn’t matter how strong your upper body is, you will never be able to hit it as far as someone with better lower body rotation. The muscles listed above are consequently lengthened and shortened to complete the motion of the swing. If you’re doing this multiple times a day, every day, for years on end, then those muscles will adapt to the length and motion you’ve made it comfortable with. It’s repetitive action, and it’s one of the most common muscular adaptations we see here at LYMBR. By stretching out the back, shoulders, hips, wrists, and forearms we relax your connective tissues and lengthen your muscles back to its original length. This creates muscle balance. Swinging a bat at a tiny ball moving between 60-100 mph is hard enough without a tight, imbalanced body.
PITCHING AND THROWING
If the old adage “the best offense is a good defense” holds true, then pitching and throwing create the trebuchet that defends the castle of victory from total onslaught. At its most base, you’re just playing catch, but pitching and throwing at its heart is primal, ruthless, and steeped in strategy. You must understand pitch variance, changing your delivery times, hitting your cut-off man from the outfield, whether or not to risk the far throw to home. What sets great arms apart from good arms is the overall comprehension of the throw itself. This is another motion dictated by the force production of your lower body translated to your upper body. We are using similar muscles to swing such as the hip flexors, hip rotators, rotator cuff musculature, deltoids, lats, and wrist pronators but now with more engagement from the pectoral muscles, the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and the muscles responsible for flexion in your back. If these muscles are tight or out of place, then they have a higher chance of misfiring along with a much higher chance of injury. By loosening these muscles, we improve the range of motion of the joint, which allows the joint to move in it’s normal range, rather than a limited range created by repetitive movement or overuse. This will reduce tissue trauma which could lead to inflammation or spasm and by increasing range we allow for proper motion which will reduce injury prevalence. When it comes to pitching, whether it be baseball or softball, efficiency is the name of the game.
RUNNING
Running is often undervalued in softball and baseball. Often for a good reason. This sport is highly technical and extremely strategic. If you are a power hitter with a cannon for an arm and a very high baseball IQ, then running and speed is not a prerequisite for you. However, a decent majority of baseball and softball players are not that and use speed as a way to get on base, make tough plays in the gap, and allow for more ground to be covered in the infield. Most of the athletes we see at LYMBR are not solely athletes. They’re students, they’re kids, they’re hunched over A LOT, and very rarely do we find they have proper posture. Improper posture will lead to a pelvic tilt either anterior or posterior. When our pelvis is not aligned with the rest of the body, force production from the legs will be drastically cut. By realigning the pelvis, we are putting our legs in proper position for power and force. This could be the difference between a stolen base and an out, a double play and an error, or a diving catch and a face plant. Baseball is not an endurance sport so to speak. The games can be grueling and tiresome, but the movements are usually Quick and explosive, followed by periods of rest. These quick movements can become problematic if the muscles responsible are tight or unconditioned. It will increase your chance of injury, and your central nervous systems response to the play will be slower. By stretching out the muscles responsible for running like the psoas, IT band, calf, glute, hamstring, and ankle muscles we can improve flexibility which will increase blood flow, energy levels, and provide more oxygenated blood and nutrients to your body. Stretching also primes the central nervous system for movement, so the quickness at which you respond during activity will subsequently increase.
The winter months were long with the lingering cold, the biting wind, and the decreased access to outdoor activities. But spring is here, which means that sports like softball and baseball are in full swing. A sport that combines physical activities such as swinging, throwing, and running. Activities, that without optimal flexibility, mobility, stability, and strength could cause season ending, or career ending injuries. If you’re ready to start your season now, if you’re ready to create the most efficient version of yourself, if you’re ready to reduce injury and increase performance, then please join us at one of our LYMBR studios.
A Note from an injured ball player: Listen to your body, if something doesn’t feel right, please get yourself checked. Take one game, or one season off, rather than dealing with an injury for the rest of your life. It takes 4-6 minutes to stretch your shoulder, and rotator cuff muscles to prevent injury and inflammation. Inversely, it could take up to 4-6 months,often longer, for a full rotator cuff recovery. Do the math, take the time, talk to experts, and take care of yourself. There is nothing more demoralizing than hurting yourself on the field, and never being able to come back from it.
Written by Conner Fritchley. Conner is a Stretch Therapist in our Darien studio and played High School Baseball.
Yoga is a wonderful discipline where the mind and body interact together to take the practitioner to different levels of self-awareness. One aspect not well understood is that Yoga is not only about stretching but also about strengthening, conditioning, proper breathing and balance. The demands of a 60 to 90-minute yoga class can leave the practitioner feeling sore, tight and tired.
How can LYMBR help to improve your yoga practice?
I’ve been practicing yoga for almost ten years and have been an instructor for half that time. Even though I’ve always been very flexible, there were always postures that were more challenging to me after years of practice. The work we do at LYMBR has helped me to understand better where my restrictions are and how to address them properly. Not only do I have a better understanding of how the postures work in my body, but also how to properly stretch those restricted areas and how to strengthen unstable areas so my body is more balanced. It is very important to understand that for every tight muscle in your body there’s another muscle somewhere else (antagonist muscle) that is not working properly.
Isolation is key when it comes to LYMBR stretches. When a yoga pose is done, there are multiple muscles being stretched. Let’s take a forward bend for example: calves, back of the thighs, hips, and lower back are under elongation forces, so it can be very difficult to decipher where the restrictions are happening along the connective chains.
It is very common for yoga practitioners to be unable to fully extend the knees when doing a forward bend. Usually this is blamed on the distal hamstrings, but the calves are also responsible for lack of full range of motion in the knee. Another very common issue when dealing with forward bends is back discomfort, which is usually related to proximal hamstring tightness.
The more complex the muscle, the more stretches we must perform.
The stretches we do at LYMBR are very targeted and very specific. The more complex the muscle, the more stretches we must perform in that muscle to make sure we cover all the different aspects of those tissues: origin, insertion and diverse fiber orientations.
Let’s take the hamstrings for example: this group consists of three muscles (semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris); with the work we do in our studios we target each one of them individually. By isolating the muscles in that way, we undo the restrictions from the areas that otherwise are inaccessible through regular stretches. The hamstrings are not only responsible for hip extension and knee flexion, but key in knee rotation, thus the health of all three hamstring muscles are key for proper knee stability when performing a warrior pose and hip mobility when doing a downward dog.
Whether you want to get your body ready to start practicing yoga, or you are a seasoned practitioner who wants to take the practice to the next level, targeted personalized stretching will help you reach your goals.
Written by Adrian Garcia. Adrian is a Manager and Stretch Therapist in our Newton Studio, as well as one of our Therapist Trainers and a Yoga Instructor.
