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Exercise is Good…But These Four Work-Out Moves Can Hurt You

7/25/2015

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By Bruce

Like so many of you, I go to the gym regularly…and I especially hike and do Yoga. Over time, I’ve learned to listen to my body, not over-do certain exercises, and to keep in shape without getting injured. So, when I see people doing certain high-risk exercises in the gym, I warn them that they might be doing more harm than good. Here are four common exercises that might leave you with more pain than gain:

 #1: Upright Row

The Upright Row has the potential to really damage your shoulders. In order to do “The Row” your arms must be in "internal rotation." This is done by holding a barbell or dumbells in front and pulling the weight up to your chest, leading with your elbows. The result is that every time you raise the weight, a small tendon in your shoulder gets pinched by the bones in the shoulder. Over time the tendon wears down and gets damaged. You might not feel pain right away, but as the tendon gets weaker, the potential grows that it might snap. You don’t want that!

#2: Behind-The-Neck Press

Doing this requires maximum external rotation of the shoulders. Simply put, your shoulders aren’t designed for this. Even light weights used in this movement can cause damage to the Rotator Cuff muscles. Making it worse, most people also tilt their heads forward while doing this exercise, which often strains or even misaligns upper spinal vertebrae and connective tissue.

#3: Floor Sit-Up

The old fashioned all-the-way-up from full recline sit up. Don’t do it, because about half way through the move there’s an unbelievable amount of torque being placed on your lower back. Your spine gets yanked directly by your hip-flexors to pull the weight of your torso through the arc.  Anyway, this style of sit-up only works your abs “isometrically” so your stomach muscles aren’t even doing most of the work. Do crunches, ball-crunches or cable crunches as alternatives.

#4: Stiff-Legged Dead Lift

If you do this traditionally, standing with both feet on the floor and not using excessive weight, no problem. This lift will strengthen your glutes, hamstrings and lower back. What you should not do is stand on a block or bench when doing the lift. This will make it much harder to hold an arch in your back while lifting. This then places excessive stress on your spine and connective tissue.

If you often walk out of the gym in pain, something isn’t being done correctly. A work out should leave you energized, not agonized. Come in to see me for an exam and we’ll work out an exercise routine that will really get you on the path to greater strength without injury! Happy summer.



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What’s So “Funny” About Banging Your Elbow?

7/25/2015

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By Bruce

Whoever named it “The Funny Bone” had to have been joking. Right? That one spot on your elbow, that if you bump it just right, sends shooting pains and tingling down your arm and into your fingers. It hurts!

Well, the real name for the spot is the “Ulnar Nerve.” It starts in your neck and runs all the way to your pinkie. Most of the way, it’s protected, but right at your elbow, the Ulnar is right under the skin, passing through something called the cubital tunnel. That’s why just the right pressure from a bumped elbow can cause all that temporary pain. Temporary means just a few seconds to around a minute, but usually soon forgotten.

On the other hand (no pun intended) there are a few unfortunate people who suffer from pain or irritation of this area all the time, with a condition called Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. This can be caused by something as simple as repeatedly sleeping with your elbow bent under your pillow, or progressive physical activity that focuses pressure on your elbows. If it gets bad enough, it can cause your pinkie to curl up and stay that way! Fortunately there are ways to treat this: splinting, adjustment, physical therapy and even surgery in extreme cases. If your “funny bone” is making you miserable, let’s do some x-rays and get the problem solved.       


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    Dr. Bruce Yong

    Bruce is a long-time Doctor of Chiropractic in the Santa Barbara area. On this blog, our hundreds of patients and friends can get the latest news about what's going on here at the clinic, new healthcare  and treatment options, and some personal details about what we've been up to!

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