Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group, LLC Blog

I was recently working with a patient who had injured her hamstring previously and was preparing for her upcoming sport season but just couldn’t seem to get over the hump in terms of running without pain.  I asked to see her squat, (which raised her eyebrows – because what does squatting have to do with running right?) but she appeased my wishes anyways only to fall backwards on her initial try, and then grab a table on her second attempt in order to gain some stability.

“How do you go to the bathroom?” I asked her jokingly to ease her embarrassment.

“I just kinda fall back on to it like everyone else does.”

Needless to say our evaluation really started then (as did a long conversation about sitting, squatting and getting her butt in gear).

As health care professionals we have to stop thinking about squatting as a strength coach’s responsibility, a weight room exercise, or something that causes tall guys knee pain and therefore shouldn’t be done.

Squatting is a movement that we all need for everyday activity and one of the purist expressions of health.  If your patients can’t squat or can’t squat without pain then this MUST be addressed, and addressed just as closely as the primary reason they first presented to you.  To no one’s surprise this particular athlete had difficulty recruiting her glutes and therefore was utilizing her poor hamstrings as the primary mover instead – a recipe for hamstring strains and continued pain.

A closer look into how your patients move might just reveal that their troubling squat pattern is the underlying cause to the problem that brought them in to see you in the first place. 

Art Horne is the Director of Sports Performance at Northeastern University, Boston MA.  He can be reached at a.horne@neu.edu.

From our family to yours - Happy Independence Day!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend with friends, family, fireworks and hopefully a little bit of fitness this long weekend.

Happy Canada Day to our readers north of the border!

So often individuals with knee pain miss out on the opportunity to resolve their troublesome and agonizing cases because the answer comes dressed in overalls, a hard hat and carries a lunch box.  Addressing knee pain means so much more than sitting back and relaxing in your local physical therapy or athletic training center with an ice bag and electrical stimulation on your knee.  Addressing knee pain takes hard work and requires that patients become an active participant in their care plan.

In a recent article published in Sports Health, Lake and Wofford reviewed current literature examining therapeutic modalities and their effectiveness for the treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) or good old fashion knee pain.  Their findings come as no surprise to those that understand that knee pain is a real pain in the butt – meaning, quite literally it's cause is coming from your butt (or a lack thereof).  Conclusions drawn from their examination was that, “none of the therapeutic modalities reviewed has sound scientific justification for the treatment of PFPS when used alone.”

So what’s the answer?

Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water quite yet.  A comprehensive treatment approach offering therapeutic modalities as needed with a focus on eccentric strength training along with an overall strengthening program for the hips and gluteus musculature in addition to providing mobility above and below the knee (hips and ankle) continues to be the best approach to getting athletes back to competition faster and putting smiles on knee pain sufferers  time and time again.

See additional knee pain articles below: 

Treating Anterior Knee Pain - Part I and Part II

Lake D., and Wofford N. Effect of Therapeutic Modalities on Patients With Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: A Systematic Review. 2011. Sports Health, Vol. 3(2)p.182-189.

We fight an endless battle with gravity, the comforts of modern living and the pollutants in the air.

We are always in need of corrective exercise and performance training simply to maintain the delicate balance between suffering and just getting by for another day. 

A friend asked me why so much “Corrective” work in my programming.

“If you are always doing corrective work, then how come it never gets corrected?” He asked.  “And what’s the opposite of corrective work anyways,…. Destructive work?”

Good question.

You must admit that there are forces that you will never ever win against. You may delay them, but you will never win. Like death and taxes, aging and gravity always win.  Other “destructive” forces include poor posture, sitting and typing at the comfort of our computer terminal, poor exercise choices and poor exercise technique just to name a few.

These are all destructive in nature and if left unmanaged or not corrected, cause havic on our system.

Now, I am of the opinion that a great strength program in and of itself can be constructive and corrective  without specific “corrective exercises” but a great strength program may not always be able to address the regular “trauma” incurred while playing division one athletics or the previous wear and tear accumulated prior to beginning said strength program.  Sometimes, the cumulative destructive insult from all causative factors is even too much for a well planned strength program, and a comprehensive “performance plan” is at times necessary, which includes a corrective or rehabilitative flavor to address some of these cob webs.

Regardless of professional affiliation – PT, ATC or Strength coach, at least part of our job is to provide our patients and athletes with services that prepare them for this battle against nature.  And although you’ll never ever win this particular fight, it’s one that is surely worth fighting.

Growing old is tough. No sissies allowed.

Congrats to Northeastern University alum, JJ Barea and the Dallas Mavericks for winning the 2011 NBA Championship!

We asked what the Giants in Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation, Basketball and Hockey performance training have read or are currently reading and we brought their list to you.  

Click HERE to view our recommended library with an ongoing list from these speakers who presented at the BSMPG "Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants" 2011 summer seminar.

Charlie Weingroff:

Thanks to everyone for attending this year's BSMPG summer seminar, Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants.  We welcomed over 170 of the top Performance Coaches, Athletic Trainers and Physical Therapists from across the country and the world to Boston for this two day event.  Attendees ventured from countries including England, Ireland, Wales, Holland, and Canada in order to attend what has truly become the nation's leading conference in advanced training and care for the athlete.

Stay tuned for more photos, updated speaker presentations and much more this coming week!

Clare Frank demonstrates during her Intensive Track Breakout session.

Mike Curtis, Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Virginia and Ray Eady, Strength and Conditioning Coach at University of Wisconsin enjoy lunch during day one.

Keynote Speakers from day two, Pete Viteritti and Shirley Sahrmann.

Dr. John DiMuro and Mark Toomey

Every once in a while you'll meet an individual that completely changes the way you look at the world - that person for me was Mark Toomey.  A self proclaimed "knuckle-dragger," Toomey is one of the few people that truly understands the importance and integration of health, strength, and function.

Click HERE to view Toomey's/DiMuro's presentation outline for their June 3rd presentation.

See Mark Toomey, Dr. DiMuro and other national experts in the fields of Sports Medicine, Hockey and Basketball along with keynote speakers which include Tom Myers, Shirley Sahrmann, Clare Frank, Charlie Weingroff and Pete Viteritti at this weeks BSMPG summer conference, "Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants" - June 3rd and 4th.