You Should Not Deadlift. Also, You Should Probably Learn How To Deadlift.

For some reason deadlifting has a bad rap.  I think I know the reason:  Low back injuries.  There is a lot of information on the interweb that can scare the general public away from deadlifting.  Also, there are a lot of healthcare professionals who will tell you not to deadlift.  Some of them are right.  Let me clear some things up about one of the most misunderstood movements in fitness.

1.       Deadlifting must be done, but it must be done correctly.

2.       Most low back injuries that arise from deadlifting are due to a break in the form; this includes lifting heavy AND light weights.

3.       A deadlift is not a weighted back extension.  This means that you are not supposed to lift the weight with your back; rather, you should stabilize the back/torso while your legs move the weight.

4.       Do NOT deadlift if you do not know how.  More on this below.

5.       The deadlift is not an upper or lower body exercise.  It’s both.  And while we’re on the subject, every exercise that you do is a full body exercise- even your bicep curl.  If it isn’t, then you aren’t doing it right.

6.       Everyone should learn how to deadlift. EVERYONE! (It just does not have to necessarily be with a barbell and weights.  Do you pick things up from the floor? Then you should learn to deadlift.)

(I am not going to start describe how to deadlift because, honestly, it is not something that can be read and performed.  You should invest a little more into your exercise routine and find someone to teach you how to deadlift.  This will prevent you from being injured.  Also, here a nice write-up from stronglifts.com on 5 reasons why you may be experiencing low back pain with your deadlift: http://stronglifts.com/deadlifts-lower-back-pain-injury-technique/ )

The most important part of the deadlift is learning how to open and close your hips while keeping your spine straight throughout the movement.  This can be trained through and exercise called hip hinging.  If all you get from this blog is a fundamental idea of how to hip hinge, then I have done my job.  Here are the first few steps on how to hip hinge.

1. Stand tall with a neutral spine and pelvis.

2.  Lock your shoulders by bringing you shoulder blades closer together (be sure not to raise the shoulder blades).  

3.  Unlock your knees slightly.

4.  Tighten your stomach and bend forward at the waist.  The idea here is to maintain the same upright spine while bending forward.  Notice in the second picture that the curves of the back are maintained while the third picture depicts a large rounding of the upper and lower back.

 

(Click to enlarge)

There are a lot of things to think about with this exercise, so please seek some additional advice on how the rest of the movement is done.

Let me ask you a question, and be honest.  What is the purpose of your exercise routine?  What is the purpose of you not having an exercise routine?   If “general health” is somewhere in your purpose, learn the hip hinge and the deadlift.  Doing them correctly and routinely will preserve your active lifestyle.  It really will.  The absolute best place to learn how to deadlift is in Fairfield, CT at BKAthletics, www.crossfitperformance.com. 

As always for questions, comments, debates, etc. contact me through www.dryaun.com. 

Move Your Arms and Legs, Not Your Back!

Increasing you back flexibility will not increase your performance; in fact, it will probably cause you pain.   

Bold statement? Let’s look into it.

The spine has natural curves (if you want to get fancy and impress someone, you could call it lordosis and kyphosis) to act as a spring that helps absorb various movements done in any given day.  Chiropractors or other health and fitness professionals will often give back stretches with a goal to increase spinal flexibility.  This is faulty.  Generally spinal stretches should be given to help ease some pain, but this is NOT an adequate way to prevent pain, or even worse, injury.  As a matter of fact, Solomonow’s study (2003, 2008) showed that static stretching of the spinal ligaments can cause muscle spasm!  We stretch for temporary pain relief and exercise/rehab for prevention of pain and injury.  So here’s the rule:

Mobilize your shoulders and hips, not your spine.

On the surface, there may be some sports where it seems that developing spinal mobility is warranted.   If we look a little deeper into the actual movements involved, we will see that it actually is not the case.

Baseball Swing: 

            

Seems like it is a big twisting motion of the spine, but is it really the spine that’s twisting?

Golf Swing:

               

                Again, we are seeing aggressive HIPS, not big movements in the spine.  Trunk flexion in the golf swing allows for variance in your stroke, variance in your stroke means inconsistent play and how frustrating is that to a golfer?

Olympic lifting:

               

                This is an Olympic snatch, where one must move a load from ground to overhead without stopping at the shoulders.  Notice how the hips are low and the spine is straight.  The only mobility in the spine is actually in the 7^th picture where there is SLIGHT extension of the mid back.  The hips are actually fully open at this point and the spine is straight, even in the catching position (seen in the 8^th picture) - great technical lift here.

Tennis:

               

Again, we see significant flexibility of the shoulder and hips, internal and external rotation along with power of the hip extensors.

Gymnastics:

Here we have great flexibility of the hips and hamstrings.Look how the spine is maintained.

             

This shows flexible hips with a straight low back.  She then goes into thoracic and cervical (neck) extension.

Here is our exception for spinal flexibility.  The lumbar (low back) is in excessive extension along with the hip flexibility.

 

             Gymnasts are notorious for having laxity in the lower spinal ligaments which are associated with a condition called spondylosis or pars defect.  I can honestly only think of the gymnast where it is beneficial FOR THE SPORT AS A PROFESSIONAL to have more mobility of the spine.  Let me reiterate, this is NOT beneficial for the average person.

I could go on with more sports, but I think you get the picture. While we are on the topic of mobility, I want to address this whole hamstring tightness concept.  To date, there is very little evidence that hamstring tightness cause low back pain.  There is, however, some evidence suggesting asymmetry of hamstring flexibility is linked to back pain.  Stuart McGill, PhD makes a great point in his book, Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance:

                “… performance is not a stretching contest.  Mobility is a requirement, but loose joints without precisely controlled strength are unstable.  This decreases performance and increases the risk of subsequent injury.”

So the next time you think you have to work on your back flexibility, think about what you are actually trying to do.  Think of your activity and the functional involved.  In most cases you will find your back should be neutral (maintaining the natural curves of the spine) while your hips and shoulders have to move.

Questions? Criticisms? Need to learn how to stabilize?  Contact me through my website, www.dryaun.com!

Andrew Yaun, D.C.

Do you Smell Something?

The following body parts aid in walking, potentially predispose you to PAIN in your ankle, knee, hip, and low back, and just so happen to reveal the most about your current emotions.  Know what they are?   YOUR FEET! Crazy, right?

The feet provide structural support for the pelvis and spine.  When foot posture breaks down, additional stress is placed on the joints, muscles and ligaments of the pelvis, hips and knees!

An unequal amount of support from one leg results in an uneven foundation for the pelvis.  If one of your feet is flatter than the other you can expect your body to hurt all over.   Would you drive around your car with one flat tire?

 Let’s talk about daily movements, such as the squat.  I have seen quite a few people experience significant knee pain with squatting and running.  This question arises every time, “Is squatting/running bad for me because of my pain?”. 

 I will go out on a limb here and say no.  What we have to look at, however, is your actual technique and body alignment during these painful movements.  Maybe you have to narrow your stance, maybe you have to evert (point the toes outward) another 5-10 degrees,  maybe your feet are not maintain a proper posture.  If the arches in your feet drop during a squat, the knees cave inward and create almost double the stress on the medial plateau/meniscus.  This sets off an imbalance that eventually causes PAIN.  Where is that pain? The knee? The ankle? The low back? The buttock?

If you are having pain during a certain movement whether it is at the gym or in your daily life, you must address it before the pain gets worse.  People who have pain when running will “accept” that they just cannot run anymore.  That may be the case, but I’d be willing to bet, with adjusting the technique (yes, even in running) or addressing some muscular/structural imbalances, that one can overcome fallible boundaries.   

Yours in Health,

Dr. Spider

Rest: Good or Bad?

For years people have been told to rest after an injury has taken place.  The common acronym of "PRICE" (prevent, rest, ice, compress, elevate) is the guideline to help decrease pain and facilitate repair.  The question raised is, how long do I have to PRICE?

There are three phases that occur once a tissue (muscle, tendon, ligament, etc.) is injured.

Phase 1: The Inflammatory Phase - This phase occurs immediately upon the injury.  Blood flows to the area more than usual to for a clot in the tissue.  This can be visualized by swelling to the area (we can go into what exactly happens physiologically, but this is not the purpose of this post).
           How long does this phase last? 2-3 days depending on the type of tissue involved and how badly the injury was.

Phase 2: The Repair Regeneration Phase - The clot has been formed and all of the white blood cells have laid down a good enough base to start laying down the initial collagen (aka soft scar tissue is formed).
         How long does this phase last? 2 days to 6 weeks

Phase 3: Remodeling and Rehabilitation Phase - Scar tissue is remodeled and it begins its permanent repair.
          How long does this phase last? 3 weeks to 12+ months!

We are not PRICEing for 12 months.  In fact, we are not even PRICEing for 3 days.  The reason for this blasphemy of rehabilitation is because we need to have RELATIVE REST!  The scar tissue should ideally be formed in the same direction as the tissue it's being laid on.  What does that mean to our recovery? We MOVE! (without pain)


For your enjoyment, here are some effects that full immobilization has on the body:
1. Muscle atrophy (muscle loss) begins in 6 hours
2. The atrophy rate of muscle is 1.5% PER DAY!
3. This means 41% decrease in strength in 5 weeks
4. Loss of tissue mobility (adhesion formation)
5. Detrimental effects to the synovial joint and connective tissue
6. Damage to tendon structure
7. Permanent cartilage damage
8. Vein and artery complications
9.  Loss of neuromuscular coordination (ability to move the joint is impaired)

The key point is to be on top of your rehabilitation.  Letting an injury just heal by itself without taking an active role in rehabilitation will result in less range of motion, and chronic pain due to compensation.  Contact your chiropractor, physical therapist, orthopedist, or medical doctor for advise on how to progress your injury.  There is no injury too small to address; if it causes any pain or discomfort ask now before it grows into a much greater problem down the road.

Yours in Health,
Andrew "Spider" Yaun, D.C.
www.dryaun.com

Ice Massage

Hey Everyone,

We did 100 Turkish Get Ups today and may have caused some irritation to the knees and elbows.  So, here is a quick explanation on how to cut down the bruising/inflammation.

A bursa is a little pillow that lies within or around a major joint of the body.  It allows for less friction around the joint (so the muscles can move better) because they are filled with synovial fluid (basically water with some nutrients).  The consistency is that of an uncooked eggwhite.

Inflammation of these bursae is called bursitis and can occur by constant irritation directly over a certain bursa (in this case the knee and the elbow).  Not to worry, though.  Ice massage will help decrease the inflammation, block some of the bruising pain, and increase the amount of time that it will take to resolve.

Any questions? Comment on here or visit www.dryaun.com and send me a message through the "Contact Us" message form!

~Dr. Andrew "Spider" Yaun

The Yaun Chiropractic Wellness Program

The Yaun Chiropractic Wellness Program…  “Brutally Honest.”

                                                             

How many times does a health care professional have to tell a patient to drink more water, eat healthier, stop smoking, exercise regularly, etc.?  From the doctor’s perspective, we feel like a broken record.  From the patient’s perspective… we sound like a broken record.  Why is there no change?

Look.  Most people “know” what to do to achieve a higher level of health.  The problem is that most people throw the following word out there to make themselves feel as if they are doing all that they can.  The word is, “try” (sometimes accompanied with “usually”).

“I try to get 7-8 hours of sleep.”

“I usually try to eat breakfast.”

“I usually have some chicken with a piece of fruit for lunch.”

“I try to exercise/run/go to the gym 4 days per week.”

I don’t want to hear any of these statements.  I want to hear EXACTLY what you did this past week for exercise. I want to hear EXACTLY what you had for breakfast the past 4 days.  Not only that, but I want to know what time you put anything in your mouth and how much!  It’s time to be brutally honest with ourselves. 

The Yaun Chiropractic Wellness Program provides the community with a direct route towards better health.  The dedication can only come from you.  You have to WANT to achieve a better health status.  It’s a lack of this dedication that allows no change in lifestyle.

The following are taken into consideration for the wellness program:

-          Nutrition

-          Sleeping habits

-          Exercise

-          Stress Management

-          Recreational Activities/ Hobbies

-          Mood

One final thought.  This excuse is very common, “I don’t have time”.  Yes you do.  Yaun Chiropractic guarantees the incorporation of an exercise program that can fit into any daily schedule.  Let’s be brutally honest and take action towards better health.  We’re here to help.

                                                                                                www.dryaun.com

How Do I Know If I Get Enough Sleep?

By now, we all should have some idea that sleep plays an important role in our everyday lives. The million dollar question is: How do I know if I get enough sleep?

This installment on the topic of sleep is devoted towards the recognition of whether or not you need to address your sleeping habits a little more closely. The average person needs roughly 7.5 hours of sleep. The problem is that you’ll get those hours a few days per week, but you may miss an hour here or there. So what happens now? Is it okay to miss those hours and just forget about them (after all, it’s just one hour and I feel fine)?

Myth or Fact: Sleep debt (the hours you build up of lost sleep) accumulates over time.

The answer is fact.

In a future post, I will go into more detail on exactly what happens to your body and the changes that are made if you accumulate sleep debt. In the meantime, here are eight questions (some are repetitive, I know) to ask yourself in order to determine if your sleeping habits need to be changed:

1. Do you find it easy to get out of bed in the morning?

2. Do you find yourself sleepy during the daytime?

3. Do you have difficulty concentrating throughout the day?

4. Are you generally in a good mood?

5. Do you struggle to get out of bed?

6. Are you frequently irritable?

7. Do you find yourself needing more than 2 cups of coffee or caffeine per day?

8. Do you nod off or come close to nodding off after lunch or dinner, at the movies, watching television, or while driving?

Truthfully answer these questions. You may begin to notice that you’ve been ignoring what your body is telling you because, “I’ve been doing this job for 10 years and I’m used to getting feeling tired in the morning. I work through it and I eventually become alert within an hour or two.” This brings me to the second:

Myth or Fact: Your body gets used to a stunted sleeping schedule.

The answer is myth.

Ten years of limiting your sleep to five hours per night predisposes your body to having symptoms of Chronic Sleep Deprivation. Some common symptoms include depression, fatigue, weakness, headaches, migraines, stomach problems, and immune disorders.

So, your sleep tip of the day is: Keep track of your alertness throughout the day and answer the eight questions above as honestly as possible. If you find yourself answering any of them reluctantly, you successfully discovered an issue that needs to be addressed. “The first step to solving a problem is recognizing that there is a problem.”

Sleep tight!

~ Andrew Yaun, D.C.