Corrective Exercises - What they are and how to implement them in your training. Triathlon post 3

Chicago this "spring" is relentless! 80 degrees on Saturday, 30 degrees and snow on Monday!

Any way, this week I spent time on Corrective Exercises and some treatment!

Decreased activity from sedentary lifestyle creates muscle imbalances that may lead to muscular dysfunction and ultimately an injury. These muscle imbalances drive poor posture and improper movement patterns. These improper movement patterns drive inefficiency which will reduce endurance and create chronic injuries. By training the proper movements with corrective exercises, you can  prevent injury, retrain proper motor patterns, and improve your posture.

These types of exercises are the only things (next to training aerobically - See my previous post - Training for a triathlon) that has increased the strength and endurance of my stabilization muscles, has prevented injury, and prepared me for 'the moment' better than anything else I have done in my 16 years of dancing, 8 years of gymnastics, and 5 years of personal training and coaching.

Corrective Exercise Benefits:

• ·      Improve Muscle Imbalances
• ·      Improve Posture
• ·      Train your muscles to work synergistically and efficiently
• ·      Regain your balance
• ·      Strengthen your core
• ·      Improve whole body range of motion and function
• ·      Increase muscular strength, stability, and endurance
• ·      Prevent injury
• ·      Increase the ability to overcome whatever life throws at you (heavy boxes, shoveling snow, a slippery ground, company baseball game, training for your first triathlon ;), etc.)

“We train in all planes of motion to integrate all movement patterns so muscles work synergistically, effectively, and efficiently.” – Dr. Konrad Grzeszkowiak

You can find a demonstration of some corrective exercises on my You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/konraduic

or on the free work out application for your mobile phone or iPad - Cyber Fit http://cyberwalkabout.com/2014/01/cyberfit.html

Dr. Konrad's Corrective Exercises

I am a certified Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES) by NASM and teach a correct exercise class on Tuesday and Thursday morning at Be Optimal Holistic Health Center in Glenview, IL. Check out www.beoptimal.com for details and call to RSVP for a class!

"Motion is Life!" - Konrad Grzeszkowiak, D.C.

Female Gymnast Elbow Case

Left triceps taped using MVT© with decompression strips over painful areas.

This is a sweet case I want to share with everyone. (I had the permission to share the case and this picture.)

15 year old female gymnast that trains 5-6 days a week roughly 3-4 hours a day (one heck of an athlete). Mentions left elbow pain upon movement (primarily full extension) and on pressure over outside of elbow.

Primary evaluation of the elbow displayed posterior radial head on palpation, some muscle weakness (supinator, wrist extensor group, and long head of triceps). No bruising or swelling noted. Cause of injury not stated therefore thought to be over use from the dynamic skills used in gymnastics.

Check out the a video displaying what skill I believe she injured it on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb8VenVjMgI

Some soft tissue treatment was given. Stretches and exercises provided. Only one treatment was administered.

Long story short: Two weeks go by and patient is getting worse. Bruising starting to show, range of motion is now limited and is not able to extend at the elbow (AT ALL!) - stuck in 10 degrees of flexion.

Was referred for X-rays. Unfortunately referral was not administered for about another 2 weeks. Once imaging was taken, X-rays were found to be negative for fracture. Only 2 views were taken though, when elbow series was requested. (Patient had no treatment except for kinesiology taping for pain and reduction of swelling, which was helpful).

Due to some miscommunication MRI was delayed for about another 3-4 weeks. At this point patient is stuck at 90 flexion at the elbow. (Patient had no treatment except for kinesiology taping for pain and reduction of swelling, which was still helpful but not gaining any other results).

MRI taken and was found to be negative except for some swelling. Finally elbow series was taken. VERY RARE Radial head fracture was seen - needed special view.

Patient was assigned physical therapy where physical therapist used manual distraction, soft tissue techniques, and exercises to lengthen biceps and strengthen triceps.

Here the patient is finally at full extension with no pain except on palpation. No cast was used. Soft tissue techniques, exercises, and kinesiological tape using Muscle Vector Taping© technique.

Lesson learned:  All original manual diagnostic testing revealed no fracture presentation. Further evaluation called for a referral. DO NOT DELAY IN REFERRING or GETTING IMAGES. This patient had a difficult time getting the proper imaging done in time.  That being said, with proper diagnosis and confidence is applying the proper treatment the patient is on the way to full recovery. Kinesiology tape used correctly was able to reduce the pain of even a fracture, assist in recovery, and promoted better functional use of the patients elbow!

To learn more about Muscle Vector Taping© visit: https://www.facebook.com/musclevectortaping

"Motion is Life!" - Konrad Grzeszkowiak, DC

Lymphatic Drainage Taping on a Sprained Ankle

"Motion is LIFE!" Lymphatic Drainage Taping on a Sprained Ankle - Using MVT©

One of my gymnasts sprained his ankle while running. I do not have a good picture of all the damage but the whole outside of his left foot is black, blue, and different shades of green. The ankle is about one and a half the size of the other ankle due to swelling. Good news, the gymnast has almost full range of motion, just pain and difficulty propelling forward.

Lymphatic drainage using MVT© technique

Other side of lymphatic drainage 

This style of taping allows blood flow to move more freely by "lifting" the skin away from the fascia (muscle connective tissue covering). By applying the MVT© technique, the tape is applied during a specific movement to help facilitate a deficient movement seen, using manual muscle testing as a diagnostic guide. Sounds more complicated than it is!

Close up of lymphatic drainage using MVT© 

Soon after some treatment and applying the tape, the gymnast regained full range of motion of the left ankle, said the pain was drastically reduced, and was able to push off the foot with much more force. 

For more info about Muscle Vector Taping (MVT)© check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/musclevectortaping

"Motion is Life!" - Konrad Grzeszkowiak, DC

Chicago Triathlon Post 2

"Motion is LIFE!" - August 2014 Chicago Triathlon Post 2

On Saturday April 12th I had my fourth run in preparation for my triathlon. It was a gorgeous sunny 79 degree day in Chicago (has not been this warm since last summer!) and my favorite time to run is in this weather. I ran on a gravel trail in my New Balance Minimus trail shoes.


There are some disadvantages to running in this weather:

HEAT -

• heat increases heart rate - because your body tries to cool the blood faster by moving to the skin where you are sweating
• will run slower - due to your heart having to work harder, you will feel more fatigued and will most likely have to run slower
• dehydration is a greater possibility - due to the heat you will probably sweat more and naturally lose more fluid, so if you plan on running longer distances or for longer periods of time, you need to make sure to either have water with you or hydrate really well before the work out and replenish after the workout

WATER - I had about .75 liters of water over 3 hours prior to the run (it is important not to fill up on water right before the run because you feel heavy and potentially queasy if your stomach is full of water) and about 8 ounces immediately prior to running (your kidneys can only use about 6-8 ounces of water at one time depending on your size so there is no point to drink more than this in one sitting - greater chance of going to the bathroom immediately). 

TAPE -  I still had on my kinesiology tape on from my run on Friday (Pic 1, 2, 3) and tape lasted through out the run without peeling and still provided support to my muscles that have been fatiguing and straining through out my training, including supporting my back. I truly believe it is also one of the things that prevented me from being sore before my run on Saturday. My left calf (that was taped) was not nearly as sore as my right one (not taped) - Pic 3 bellow.

     

RESULTS - I had an awesome run on this beautiful day despite the heat! I ran 3.95 miles in 45 minutes and 3 seconds, at a pace of 11:21 minutes per mile. I had some issues with my Timex HR monitor so my average HR was 162bpm (out of my Maffetone HRR 143-153 bpm) but it could also have been higher due to the heat and increased pace that I had. I should have ran slower, but as most runners can attest to, running slow can be boring. BUT, I will be doing a better job at staying in my HRR in future workouts.

PREVENTION - Besides the tape that I still had on my body I am supplementing my Paleo-Athlete Diet (future blog to come soon) with Ligaplex II a whole food supplement from a great company called Standard Process. I have used this supplement with a lot of my athletes, in particular gymnasts, primarily for recovery from exercise/injury, reducing inflammation, and joint/ligament support. I am using it myself for all of those properties. To learn more about this great product and company visit - https://www.standardprocess.com/Standard-Process-Document-Library/Product-Detail-Sheets/ligaplex25275.pdf

Stay Tuned! - More tips on getting back into a healthy and fit lifestyle and my progress training for my first triathlon coming soon!

"Motion is Life!" - Konrad Grzeszkowiak, DC

Training for my First Triathlon - Post 1

This is the first post of a series of posts for the summer of 2014. After turning 27 years old at the end of March and desperately wanting to get back outside running, I decided to hire a triathlon coach. My goal for August 2014, PLACE IN THE TOP 30 IN MY AGE GROUP at the Chicago Sprint Triathlon!

Her name is Abby Kramer, and she is a kick ass coach. Her background as a collegiate swimmer, personal trainer, and has her self ran triathlons give her the tools to take a non-edurance athlete like me and set me up for what will hopefully be the first of many triathlons. On a side note, I did help her train for her first half marathon a year ago around this time so I guess this is pay back!

www.linkedin.com/in/abbykramer

To start she sent me an email about all the swim gear I will need. Tinted goggles to protect from sunlight while swimming in Lake Michigan, a bungee to help keep the goggles on, and jammers (speedo shorts) so I don't look weird - thanks Abby.

I already had a heart rate monitor, but my two year old Timex has pretty much reached the end of its use. I decided to upgrade to the Garmin Forerunner with GPS capabilities, wall charger, pace monitor, and exercise tracker. Abby also suggested I get a Camel Back (water bottle back pack basically) so I can hydrate during my longer runs and bike rides.

I will update the blog with my workouts, paces, times and preventative measures taken during the extent of my "training season" all getting ready for the big race! I will be training using the Maffetone Method - basically aerobic heart training developed by Dr. Maffetone who has trained many triathlon, Iron Man, and endurance champions throughout his career.

The training consists of running, biking, and swimming to the best of my ability while maintain a heart rate range (HRR) of 143-153 beats per minute. This is from the Maffetone equation for heart aerobic training that I have used to train my sister in her first marathon, and various other patients in their half marathon attempts. The equation is 180 - AGE (Top Range Number) - 10 (Bottom Range Number).

The equation for me looks like this: 180 - 27 = 153 - 10 = 143. My Training HRR is 143-153 beats per minute. The goal is to stay in this range as best as possible and have an average heart rate through the training to be in this range.

I have already ran twice in April with my old Timex Heart Rate monitor for both runs to be a total of 30 minutes. The distance is unknown, with an average HRR of 154 and 152 respectively.

Today I just got done with my first run with my Garmin Heart Rate monitor. Todays stats: 3.87 miles, 47 minutes, average pace of 12:14 minutes per mile, at an average HR of 141 beats per min (bpm)! Temperature was 63F sunny and I ran on a gravel trail in my Vibram Five Finger shoes (barefoot training).

Prior to my run I received a Chiropractic Treatment from my buddy Intern Christian Carroll, who adjusted me and balanced out my muscles. I then had my coach Abby Kramer (who is certified in Fascial Movement Taping - FMT, Performance Movement Taping - PMT, and Muscle Vector Taping - MVT) tape up my right Tibialis Anterior (Pic 1), my left gastrocnemius (Pic 2) and my back for support and pain (Pic 3) all using the MVT technique.





Not bad for my first real training run for my first ever Triathlon! Keep checking in to keep up with my progress! I plan on a great race in August!

"Motion is Life!" - Konrad Grzeszkowiak, DC

Different Uses of Kinesiology Tape

I cut my hand de-pitting an avocado. Sharp knife, slippery fruit, silly mistake.

The incision was rather deep in the palm of my left hand, between my second and third digits.

Upon removing the blade, blood seeped out in a rather stream like fashion, therefore I used gauze and tape as a way to bandage my hand. Finding this to be cumbersome and inefficient, as soon as the bleeding stopped and the cut started to seal up (about 24 hours), I decided to see what my skills with kinesiology tape could do. (I also couldn't get to any tape sooner).

I started with the lymphatic drainage tape strips on the back of my arm using the Muscle Vector Taping© technique (Pic 1 and 2). This would help the swelling that occurred from the injury and help support my wrist muscles as I still had to work. (Swelling reduced 80% in one day).

I then cut a small slit for my finger and placed the kinesiology tape OVER a bandage that was over the wound (never put kinesiology tape over an open would - not good). 

This tape job was water proof and allowed me to work with my hands. The lymphatic drainage actually supported my wrist a lot more and allowed me to grab things with my fingers more freely. It also allowed me to start doing some rehab to retrain the muscles that were damaged.

Highly recommend this durable waterproof tape even in silly mistakes that cause deep incisions. ;)

Konrad Grzeszkowiak, DC

 Different techniques using kinesiology tape.