Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group, LLC Blog

Top Ten Reasons To Attend BSMPG - May 15-16, 2015

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Apr 27, 2015 @ 07:04 AM

top ten

 

10. Unleash your inner GEEK: Where else can you find speakers from other seminars in attendance to learn? Join the leaders in the sports medicine, rehabilitation, and sport performance training for two days of complete and utter knowledge BOMBS!  If you’re lucky you might just run into these leaders….

 

                  BILLHARTMAN  CRESSEY

 

9. Free Lunch:  Seriously, how many other seminars “cater” to your need to network during breaks?  We know you come for the information but we also understand that knowledge can be found from other attendees as well. Enjoy lunch on us May 15th along with plenty of coffee and snacks throughout the weekend.  Did we mention an epic social event at the conclusion of the first day? Oh we didn't? Hmmm, I guess you'll just have to wait to find out!

 

8. Complete Medical and Performance Integration: Join the Canadian Senior Men’s National Basketball team for a complete discussion and look behind the curtain as they rush the podium at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic games!

 

Canada hoops

 

7. Boston: Seriously, do we need to say more? Arrive a day early, or stay through Sunday and experience all that Boston offers including a Fenway Park tour, Duck Boats and great clam CHOWDA!

 

fenway

 

6. Once In A Lifetime Speaker Opportunities: Let’s be honest. You’ll never see a number of our speakers ever again.

Forever?

Forever.

Forever, ever? (you get the point)

Meet international experts Al Smith and Vincent Walsh as they travel across the pond to deliver two keynote presentations.

 

vincent walsh

5. Free Stuff: All attendees will receive a swag bag full of goodies and sample products upon arriving.  In addition, attendees who are present during our raffles will have a chance to receive gifts from our sponsors including PERFORM BETTER and MOVEMENT LECTURES.COM.

 

 
                      mvmtlectures
 perform better

 

4.  Detailed Breakout Sessions: In addition to our amazing keynote presentations, our seminar features detailed breakout sessions each afternoon.  Learn from these experts in small group settings and immediately improve your practice and coaching on Monday morning!  Be ready for the #BOOM during James Anderson’s breakout! You’ve been warned! #droppingknowledgebombs #boom

 

James.Anderson

3. Sam Gibbs, Allen Gruver, and Mike Davis: We know that you’ve probably never heard of these guys but we guarantee that you’ll never forget them after this year.  These three guys are absolute musculoskeletal rehab ninjas!

 

mike davis 

 

2.  Performance Coaches From The Highest Level of Sport: Learn from Matt Jordan - Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Canadian Sport Institute, Charlie Weingroff – Lead Performance Director for Canada Basketball, Roman Fomin – Omegawave, Sam Coad – Performance Manager – University of Michigan, and Andy O’Brien – Performance coach to elite NHL athletes, to name a few.

 

       MattJordan2 sam coad

 

1. The Man Himself: Dr. Robert Sapolsky – May 15th, 8:00 am. See you then!

 

                        SAPOLSKY  why zebras dont get ulcers big

 

 

 

Register for the BSMPG  2015 Summer Seminar Today!

 

  

 

Topics: Charlie Weingroff, Robert Sapolsky, BSMPG Summer Seminar, Al Smith, Andy O'Brien

Mind Over Matter: The Psychology of Rehabilitation

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Thu, Apr 23, 2015 @ 07:04 AM

 

This article originally appeared on www.conqasport.com by Daniel Gallan

 

 

Injury: the greatest fear for every athlete. Across any code, at any level, injury is a part of life for sportsmen and women. A torn hamstring, a broken arm, a severe concussion; all injuries require extensive physical therapy. But what about the mental battle that needs to be waged when injured? How does the psychological process measure up to the physiological one? Doctor Charlie Weingroff and Springbok captain Jean de Villiers reveal what an athlete goes through psychologically when undergoing physical rehabilitation.


Springbok captain Jean de Villiers receives medical attention after sustaining a career threatening injury against Wales last year. Image supplied by Jean de Villiers. 

 

 

Springbok captain Jean de Villiers receives medical attention after sustaining a career threatening injury against Wales last year. Image supplied by Jean de Villiers. 

On the 29th November 2014, at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, the South African rugby community held its collective breath when captain and 106 Test veteran Jean de Villiers fell to the floor clutching his left knee during a Test against Wales. His cries of agony could be heard over the live television feed with replays showing his leg bending at a sickening angle. A post-match prognosis indicated a broken knee cap, a torn hamstring and anterior cruciate knee ligament damage. What we had seen may well have been the abrupt end of one of the most illustrious and successful careers in the history of the sport.

“When it happened my first thought was definitely negative,” de Villiers says in an exclusive interview with CONQA Sport.  “I thought “that’s the end”. Because of my age and the stage of my career that I’m at, I immediately went to a negative place. I knew it was bad straight away.”

De Villiers is a positive person and those negative thoughts were vanquished within the first few minutes. The Springbok captain was being carried off the field on a stretcher when assistant coach Johan van Graan told him that he was still going to go to the World Cup in September. The road to recovery, and indeed the World Cup, started right there on his back.

According to de Villiers, the rehabilitation process is a mental battle from the very first day. Having a solid support base in the form of close friends and family is crucial as they are the ones that build the mind while the physiotherapists, surgeons and coaches rebuild the body.

Doctor Charlie Weingroff is someone who knows how to rebuild both. Weingroff, a certified Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Specialist holds a doctorate degree in Physical Therapy. His work with elite athletes going through rehabilitation has brought him international renown and his time with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2005/06 season saw the East Coast franchise ranked first in the NBA for the least amount of players missing games through injury.

For Weingroff, the mental side of rehabilitation is just as important as the physical process but stresses that because everyone is different, there are no set rules when understanding the mental side of recovery. Unlike a ruptured hamstring or a broken arm, every mind is comprised of different experiences and emotions. Some players may need constant reassurance that their rehabilitation is on track; others may need as little social interaction as possible. According to Weingroff, some players are like “little mad scientists” and scrutinise over every scrap of data while others simply need to be told what to do. Some injured athletes blame coaches and trainers for their ailments and others push too hard in their pursuit of fitness. As a result of the variety of mental states, Weingroff instead chooses to solve the mental battle with a physical approach.

“The psychological side of rehabilitation is still scientifically observable,” explains Weingroff. “Spiked levels of dopamine and certain neurotransmissions can be monitored. Maintaining hormonal and neurotransmitter levels associated with positive mind-sets and positive rehabilitation is what we strive for.”

This is achieved in a number of ways. First, the mind needs to be tricked into thinking that the body is healthy. As de Villiers and Weingroff both point out, one of the major inhibitors for rehabilitation is the athlete’s frustration that high levels of performance are no longer possible while injured. Weingroff circumnavigates this negativity by focussing on another area of the body. If an athlete has injured his foot or knee, there is no reason why the upper body cannot be trained. If this happens, there is a reduced risk of central sensitisation, a condition of the nervous system that is associated with chronic pain. “The athlete does not dwell on the injured body part and the area does not occupy a larger space in the cognitive brain,” Weingroff says. “Pain is in the mind, not in the body.”

 

Continue reading this article by clicking HERE.

 

See Charlie Weingroff and other leaders in the field of sports medicine and performance training at the 2015 BMPG Summer Seminar.  Seats are still available - but hurry, they will be gone!

 

Register for the BSMPG  2015 Summer Seminar Today!  

 

Topics: Charlie Weingroff

Recovery Techniques for Athletes

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Thu, Feb 26, 2015 @ 09:02 AM

BSMPG

 

 

Article orginally published on Aspetar.com

 

High performance sport and the importance of successful performances have led athletes and coaches to continually seek any advantage or edge that may improve performance. It follows that the rate and quality of recovery is extremely important for the high performance athlete and that optimal recovery may provide numerous benefits during repetitive high-level training and competition. Therefore, investigating different recovery interventions and their effect on fatigue, muscle injury, recovery and performance is important.

 

Recovery aims to restore physiological and psychological processes, so that the athlete can compete or train again at an appropriate level. Recovery from training and competition is complex and involves numerous factors. It is also typically dependent on the nature of the exercise performed and any other outside stressors that the athlete may be exposed to. Athletic performance is affected by numerous factors and therefore, adequate recovery should also consider such factors (Table 1).

 

METHODS TO ENHANCE RECOVERY

There are a number of popular methods used by athletes to enhance recovery. Their use will depend on the type of activity performed, the time until the next training session or event, and equipment and/or personnel available. Some of the most popular recovery techniques for athletes include:

  • hydrotherapy,
  • active recovery,
  • stretching,
  • compression garments,
  • massage,
  • sleep and
  • nutrition.

 

SLEEP

Background

Although the function of sleep is not fully understood, it is generally accepted that it serves to recover from previous wakefulness and/or prepare for functioning in the subsequent wake period.  An individual’s recent sleep history therefore has a marked impact on their daytime functioning. Restricting sleep to less than 6 hours per night for four or more consecutive nights has been shown to impair cognitive performance and mood, disturb glucose metabolism, appetite regulation and immune function.  This type of evidence has led to the recommendation that adults should obtain 8 hours of sleep per night.

 

While there are considerable data available related to the amount of sleep obtained by adults in the general population, there are few published data related to the amount of sleep obtained by elite athletes. 

 

Sleep deprivation

There are a limited number of studies which have examined the effects of sleep deprivation on athletic performance.  From the available data it appears that several phenomena exist.  Firstly, the sleep deprivation must be greater than 30 hours (one complete night of no sleep and remaining awake into the afternoon) to have an impact on anaerobic performance (Skein et al., 2011). Secondly, aerobic performance may be decreased after only 24 hours (Oliver et al, 2009) and thirdly, sustained or repeated bouts of exercise are affected to a greater degree than one-off maximal efforts.

 

The mechanism behind the reduced performance following prolonged sustained sleep deprivation is not clear, however it has been suggested that an increased perception of effort is one potential cause. While the above studies provide some insight into the relationship between sleep deprivation and performance, most athletes are more likely to experience acute bouts of partial sleep deprivation where sleep is reduced for several hours on consecutive nights.

 

Partial sleep deprivation

Only a small number of studies have examined the effect of partial sleep deprivation on athletic performance.  From the available research it appears that sub-maximal prolonged tasks may be more affected than maximal efforts particularly after the first two nights of partial sleep deprivation (Reilly et al, 1994).

 

Effects of sleep extension and napping

Another means of examining the effect of sleep on performance is to extend the amount of sleep an athlete receives and determine the effects on subsequent performance. Information from the small number of studies suggests that increasing the amount of sleep an athlete receives may significantly enhance performance.

 

Athletes suffering from some degree of sleep loss may benefit from a brief nap, particularly if a training session is to be completed in the afternoon or evening.  Naps can markedly reduce sleepiness and can be beneficial when learning skills, strategy or tactics in sleep deprived individuals. Napping may be beneficial for athletes who have to routinely wake early for training or competition and for athletes who are experiencing sleep deprivation.

 

Habitual sleep duration

According to a 2005 Gallup Poll in the USA, the average self-reported sleep duration of healthy individuals is 6.8 hours on weekdays and 7.4 hours on weekends (National Sleep Foundation, 2006). However, the sleep habits of elite athletes have only recently been investigated. Leeder et al (2012) compared the sleep habits of 47 elite athletes from Olympic sports using actigraphy over a 4-day period to that of age and gender-matched non-sporting controls. The athlete group had a total time in bed of 8:36 hour:minutes, compared to 8:07 in the control group. Despite the longer time in bed, the athlete group had a longer sleep latency (time to fall asleep) (18.2 minutes vs 5.0 minutes), a lower sleep efficiency (estimate of sleep quality) than controls (80.6 vs 88.7%), resulting in a similar time asleep (6:55 vs 7:11 hour:minutes). The results demonstrated that while athletes had a comparable quantity of sleep to controls, significant differences were observed in the quality of sleep between the two groups (Leeder et al, 2012).

 

While the above data was obtained during a period of normal training without competition, athletes may experience disturbed sleep prior to important competition or games. Erlacher et al. (2011) administered a questionnaire to 632 German athletes to assess possible sleep disturbances prior to competition. Of these athletes, 66% (416) reported that they slept worse than normal at least once prior to an important competition. Of these 416 athletes, 80% reported problems falling asleep, 43% reported waking up early in the morning and 32% reported waking up at night. Factors such as thoughts about competition (77%), nervousness about competition (60%), unusual surroundings (29%) and noise in the room (17%) were identified as reasons for poor sleep (Erlacher et al, 2011).

 

Register TODAY for the 2015 BSMPG Summer Seminar before seats fill up.

 

 

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Topics: Charlie Weingroff, Eric Oetter, BSMPG Summer Seminar, Derek Hansen, Al Smith, Erik Helland

BSMPG 2015 - Agenda Announced!

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Feb 9, 2015 @ 07:02 AM

Attention all BSMPGer's - Only three weeks remain until our early bird pricing runs out for our 2015 Summer Seminar!

This year's event features Dr. Stress himself, Robert Sapolsky as well as Al Smith and Vincent Walsh from the UK.  Join the leaders in Sports Medicine and Performance training for this two day event.  Sign up today to avoid disappointment - this event is sure to sell out!

 

BSMPG day 1

 

agendaday2!

 

Register TODAY for the 2015 BSMPG Summer Seminar before seats fill up.

 

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Topics: Charlie Weingroff, BSMPG Summer Seminar, Al Smith, Andy O'Brien

BSMPG Summer Seminar - Save The Date

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Tue, Nov 4, 2014 @ 08:11 AM

Registration Opens Jan 1, 2015

Additional speakers to be announced shortly - Trust us when we tell you that this year will blow your socks off!

 

Check out our Performance Directors Meeting following our annual seminar - Sunday May 17th at FENWAY PARK!

 

Topics: Charlie Weingroff, Robert Sapolsky, BSMPG Summer Seminar, Al Smith

Charlie Weingroff is BACK - DVD on sale until end of May

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Sun, May 25, 2014 @ 07:05 AM

 

 
         charlie weingroff  weingroff

 

 

Charlie Weingroff's new DVD Training = Rehab 2:  Lateralizations and Regressions is on sale now, and at a special price through the end of the month.  

Lateralizations and Regressions is a 7 Disc 13+ Hour DVD set that brings updated content as well as fresh views from Charlie, including training methodologies that incorporate the 4 pillars of Human Performance:  1) Movement, 2) Output, 3) Readiness and 4) the Sensory Systems.
Other topics include:
  • The 3 Perspectives of Movement (Biomechanical, Neuromuscular, and Neurodevelopmental)
  • Updated views on the Joint By Joint Approach based on each Perspective
  • Review of methodology claims and personal methodology
  • Mobility Lab
  • Hands-On and Neurodevelopmental Progressions of Breathing, Rolling, Crawling, Hinging, and Upper Body Diagonal Patterns

 

 

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Topics: Charlie Weingroff

BSMPG 2013 Summer Seminar Highlights - Joel Jamieson

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Nov 18, 2013 @ 08:11 AM

Click below to see highlights from our 2013 BSMPG Summer Seminar featuring Joel Jamieson.

More highlights are set to come in the next few weeks so stay tuned!

A special thanks again to our SPONSORS! 

Remember to save the date for our 2014 Summer Seminar! May 16-18th.

Book your Hotel NOW! (you can always cancel, but you can't always find a hotel room in May!)

Dartfish

 

 

Save the Date: May 16-18, 2014

BSMPG: Where Leaders Learn

Registration Opens January 1, 2014

 

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Topics: Charlie Weingroff, BSMPG Summer Seminar, Bill Knowles, Joel Jamieson, Bobby Alejo

Your Anatomy Teacher Was Wrong - Again!

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Wed, Oct 23, 2013 @ 07:10 AM

Still Stretching the IT Band?

 

vasti.lat

 

"Our anatomical findings confirmed that the ITB is in fact a thickening of the facia lata, which completely envelopes the leg. In all cases it was connected to the femur along the linea aspera from the greater tronchanter (by the intermuscular septum) to, and including, the lateral epicondyle of the femur by coarse fibrous bands. We failed to demonstrate a bursa interposed between the ITB and distal lateral femur on a single cadaver. The TFL muscle was completely enveloped in fascia, its origin formed by fascia lata arising from the iliac crest. TFL inserted directly into ITB, the latter structure behaving as an elongated tendon insertion of TFL. A substantial portion of Gluteus Maximus inserted directly into ITB, independently of the portion of muscle that inserts into the greater trochanter."

p. 583

 

“Many of the traditional treatments for ITBS are based on the presence of a bursa between the ITB and the LFC, an ability to stretch the ITB, and the development of friction between the ITB and the LFC due to transverse motion. Our findings challenge these anatomical and pathological principles. Two of the common treatments of ITBS focus on treating local inflammation of the distal ITB and putative ‘‘bursa’’ and stretching the ITB (Noble, 1980; Barber & Sutker, 1992; Fredericson & Weir, 2006). The effectiveness of these two modalities should be questioned given the lack of support for the presence of a lateral bursa and the low magnitude and disparate strain occurring during stretching and MVC found in this study. In regard to treatment of the ‘‘bursa’’ this routinely utilizes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroid injection in the belief that a bursitis or local inflammation is the basis of the condition (Barber & Sutker, 1992). Our gross anatomical studies failed to demonstrate a bursa interposed between the ITB and distal lateral femur on a single cadaver. These findings correlate closely with the works of Fairclough et al. (2006, 2007), who have suggested that a richly innervated and vascularised loose connective tissue (containing pressure-sensing pacinian corpuscles), represents the pain generating structure in the area. This is also suggested by the surgical specimens and imaging findings previously discussed (Orava et al., 1991; Nishimura et al., 1997). Local inflammation in the area may be related to compression of this connective tissue (Fairclough et al., 2006).”

p. 585

 

“Our anatomical studies also highlighted some important structural characteristics central to understanding the difficulties in stretching the ITB. The longitudinal and firm attachment (0.3mm average thickness) of the ITB to the full length of the femur means that the potential for physiological lengthening is limited. This would appear at odds with a number of authors, which have stretched (Yinen, 1997; Fredericson et al., 2002), and even quantified, the lengthening of the ITB (Fredericson et al., 2002). This is likely to represent an apparent, rather than true lengthening, related to the lengthening of TFL rather than the ITB itself.”

p. 585

 

Falvey EC, et al. Iliotibial band syndrome: an examination of the evidence behind a number of treatment options. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2010:20:580-587.

 

 

 

Registration for the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar opens January 1, 2014

BSMPG: Where Leaders Learn

 

 

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Topics: Charlie Weingroff, BSMPG Summer Seminar, Ben Prentiss, Boo Schexnayder, Cal Dietz

BSMPG Future Course Offerings

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Thu, Oct 3, 2013 @ 07:10 AM

BSMPG is proud to announce the following courses: BSMPG - Where Leaders Learn

 


Charlie Weingroff 

Charlie Weingoff - Training Still Equals Rehab

Boston - Oct 25-27th, 2013

Register HERE

 

 

 

 

 

Spina 

Functional Anatomy Seminars - Spine

Boston - May 2-4, 2014

Register HERE

 

 

 

 

BSMPG Summer Seminar 

Boston - May 16-18, 2014

Find Details HERE

 

 

DNS 

DNS - "A" Course

Boston - June 27-29th, 2014

Register HERE

DNS Boston 

 

BSMPG: Where Leaders Learn

 

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Topics: Charlie Weingroff, BSMPG Summer Seminar, Clare Frank, DNS course

Your Body is NOT a Machine, and I am NOT a Mechanic

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Wed, Sep 25, 2013 @ 07:09 AM

 

BSMPG

Your Body is Not a Machine, and I am Not a Mechanic.

(And we clinicians do not “fix” you.)

 

And if I could make the title longer: I do not treat with a “toolbox.” In fact, I’m nearly incompetent with anything more complex than a screwdriver and an Ikea desk, never mind the human body.

 

This idea came to me after a recent exchange with a patient. I had been treating her for about a month and she was frustrated with her continued struggle dealing with her back pain. Feeling debilitated she lamented that she didn’t think she would ever get better, and that she was completely crippled by her symptoms. She told me she couldn’t sleep, sit, or exercise without thinking about her back, and she didn’t understand why she wasn’t fixed and why no one knew “what’s wrong with her” (my quotations). In an email to her, I wrote the following:

 

“Your back will get better if you let it.  Which means listening to it. Not pushing into pain, or getting yourself worked up, but finding things that are calming, and nourishing for your back. Like gentle swimming, variable movements, deep breathing. When it hurts, its a call to action to change whatever you're doing. When what you're doing feels good, its a call to action to do it more. You are in charge of yourself...not me, not an MRI machine, not an MD. Commit to this and see it through!”

 

She seemed to respond positively to this sense of empowerment I was trying to instill, and although it took a month for me to get there, I realized that I needed to start incorporating this language Day 1 of my patient interaction. Too often I get a sense of dependence from my patients. Dependence upon myself, their doctor, their surgeon, their radiograph, etc.  instead of an ownership of their wellbeing. And looking back, I realize that I am probably guilty of fostering this exact dependence that I am trying to get rid of! How many times have I told someone “you need x, and you need to come here 2-3 times a week”. Patients come to us with expectations, and we feel obligated to meet them. Just like when I bring my car to the mechanic, I want to know the problem (diagnosis), solution (treatment), and cost (prognosis), and so do my patients. So we create different assessments and objective measures to figure out the problem and then manual interventions and exercises to “fix it.” But it perpetuates a belief that their body is made up of parts, instead of a whole complex system. And that if we can fix the part, we can fix the system.  But shouldn’t it be the other way around?

 

As my own brain continues change, I have begun focusing my efforts on changing other’s. Movement and pain are both centrally driven, and so we must always start there. And yes, we are purported to be movement experts, so it makes sense to have a strong foundation in motor control. It does seem odd however, that we don’t strive to be known as pain experts as well, since that’s usually what brings people to us in the first place. Adriaan Louw posed a great question at the last BSMPG conference. He asked: Why do people come see us in pain, and leave as experts in biomechanics?  Shouldn’t education, reduction of threat and locus of control be given to the patient during the first evaluation? Perhaps if we placed higher value on these things, we would be less enamored with building up our own toolbox, and focus instead on building one for our patients.

 

 

Chris Joyce is a curiously skeptical physical therapist working in an outpatient clinic in Boston. He can be reached at cjoyce@sportsandpt.com 

 

Register for  Charlie Weingroff Seminar Oct 25-27, 2013

 

Register for  DNS "A" Course June 27-29, 2014

 

 

Topics: Charlie Weingroff, Chris Joyce, BSMPG Summer Seminar