T-Nation | Injuries and Rehab http://www.t-nation.com/category.jsp?categoryID=216 T-Nation: Injuries and Rehab en-us Fri, 24 May 2013 06:51:21 GMT Fri, 24 May 2013 06:51:21 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss T-Nation via P-APP-14 webmaster@biotest.net webmaster@biotest.net 216 60 Get Rid of Anterior Pelv... http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5648821
I am a very, very happy guy right now. I am 21 years old right now. I have been experiencing a whole BUNCH of continually worsening HEALTH PROBLEMS since I was 13, which have had doctors scratching their heads. I have definitely lacked the proper guidance from health professionals, and having been a guy in my teens, I did not know what to do!

I will not go into all of the details but trust me it is BAD and it ruined many aspects of my life, no exaggerations there. I would like to just skip over the details for now; if you are interested you can message me. My health problems reached a climax last month when I had so much pain in my right shoulder that I could barely crawl into bed.

I just figured out my diagnosis last week. It is simple: I have an extreme case of an anterior pelvic tilt and short/tight pelvic floor muscles. There was period of time when I thought that opening up my tight hips would fix me. What I have realized now is that I can not really get at my hips if my pelvis is not healthy and aligned properly.

I have known for years that I have an anterior pelvic tilt, but I just saw it as one of the many health problems I was experiencing. I did not realize how devastating an anterior pelvic tilt could be to my health and I had NO idea how to fix it.

I have been practicing yoga for a long time, but I have only seen a little bit of an improvement in my healthy. The only poses I learned which dealt directly with this problem were bridge pose and wheel pose, and because they were too advanced for me, I did not get any benefit: just a strain in the lower back. I have also been doing tons of stretching, mobility drills, and myofascial release. Again, everything has helped, but not by that much.

I have been doing research on the internet for a long time now, because I really want to get healthy. Given some helpful vids as well as my experience from working with my body I believe I now know how to fix my anterior pelvic tilt. (It is going to be a lot of work, but at least I now know what direction I need to head towards...)

1)A regular yoga practice WITH my tailbone tucked and pelvis thrusted forward. This actually makes a huge difference.


2)Cheers to Ben Bruno! Split-Stance RDLs to activate my glutes:


3)Cheers to KStar! Hip-flossing:


4)Highly modified glute bridges, for highly tight muscles (I put a yoga block on the medium height side under each of my hands, could even use the tall side, to get a good juicy opening feeling) I may try this will a plate at some point:

If the above doesn't work I'll see a physical therapist...

Cheers to Naudi Aguilar! I did not find the exercises in the following video helpful but it was instrumental to my realization that my anterior pelvic tilt was ruining my life:

Really thankful for tnation too...it helped me get to this point of realization. I think a huge roadblock to my realization here was that I had a yoga teacher for a few months who was always super cautious that we would not thrust our hips forward TOO much so as to create ugly disalignment. I realize now that I probably do not even have the ability to create a posterior pelvic tilt condition, so I have decided to worry less about it. Another thing that she always told us was that it is not good to squeeze the glutes....

I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS!!!!
1) Is it a GOOD thing or a BAD thing to squeeze my glutes when I thrust forward in glute bridges and in RDLS?

2) Should I worried about overthrusting--is that a thing, and if it is, what does it look like? My guess is that given my anterior pelvic tilt, I do not even have the capacity to overthrust, but I would still like to ask this question just to be sure...


By the way, if someone replies to the post suggesting I use a foam roller I will throw up. THAT SHIT DONT WORK YO (at least for me)...if you are tight like me then you might want to consider replacing your foam roller with an abs pipe and lacrosse ball. I have used a wine bottle before as well... ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 03:10:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5648821 AC Joint Dislocation http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5529730
I am from Spain and I am very glad to be a new member in this forum (sorry if my english is not good enough).

24 days ago I fell on my shoulder while I was skiing and the result was an AC dislocation grade 3 (I tore all the ligaments attached to the clavicle). I wore a sling for 10 days and began my rehab. The thing is that my passion, my life, and one of the reasons because I am happy when I wake up is bodybuilding.
I have investigated this injury in the Internet and have talked to several traumatologist and have come to the conclusion that is more than probable that my shoulder won´t be ever the same. Well sorry but I can´t accept this (I am just 25 years old). One of the best shoulder surgeons in my city recommended me to have surgery (modified Weaver-Dunn) but some others recommend conservative treatment as they say that functionally one way or the other may have the same end...

I´ve seen some cases in this forum that have had this injury and would like to know what you recommend me. My objective: waste as less time as possible. I don´t care what to do as long as I recover my strenght in that shoulder.

I really would appreciate your help as I think there are many experienced guys in this forum. I am taking antidepressants and starting with psychologist next monday as i am desperated. My objective was to have my first contest in October and now everything is a fucking shit. I didn´t know that I was so dependant on the gym.

Thank you guys ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 22:42:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5529730 Mystery Shoulder Injury http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5662612
The Issue

I've had pain in both shoulders for around 2 years when doing any chest exercise and pull ups. It is inside the shoulder and gets progressively worse with each set, fatiguing if you will, before the targeted muscles. I also get this clicking in my rotator cuff area in both shoulders when lifting my arm above my head, when just above parallel. You can actually hear the clicking on the right side when doing overhead presses, and there is some pain and tightness during these, but not like pull ups and chest exercises.

The only exercises I can do with no pain is horizontal pulling exercises such as bent over rows, lower body and core. I could do tricep pulldowns at the end of last year but the shoulder issue caught up with that muscle group aswell, obviously I cant do overhead tricep extensions or any exercises lieing on the bench and so I am limited here to. I also get pain doing bicep curls. When lieing flat on my back I can actually let both arms hang parallel to side of me and cause pain as I let the humerus move 'fall' in the joint.

Action Taken So Far

I've been checked over by a General Practioner Doctor and multiple physical therapists testing for shoulder impingement and range of motion etc. and nothing is wrong there. I've been to multiple physical therapists for this issue, during this time period, I laid of weight lifting for my upper body all together for around a year to let my shoulder rest, this made no difference. I am now with a private physio who works with my countries' football team (Wales, UK) and charges £44 an hour and seems like he is good at what he does.

Firstly, he found my rotator cuffs were weak during external rotation and so prescribed me with a strong resistance band to do external rotations every night. I used my bodybuilding knowledge and progressively overloaded by wrapping my hand round the band more times to increase resistance. I had also incorporated push up plusses into my daily routine to increase my serratus anterior strength as i've read a lot about this muscle in regards to scapula instability and shoulder injuries. I had done this for a couple of months and found even with tape around my shoulder and scapula to increase stability, still had the pain in both shoulders when doing all of the mentioned exercises.

So, I went back to him, and he concluded that my rotator cuff strength is now good and so I suggested maybe it could be thoracic immobility causing this issue as I have had a tight neck and lower back for years. He done a few tests for thoracic mobility and found I was actually quite mobile and would categorise me as being a flexible person around my joints, and that this couldn't be the issue, this made sense as I have hypermobility in my ankles.

He then made me do press ups and recorded my back with my phone, and showed to me how much my shoulder blades were moving. This suggested to him that I have scapula instability and so told me to practice doing bodyweight exercises with as little shoulder blade movement as possible (of course there must be some movement). He also prescribed me one hand medicine ball push ups to target the muscles that stabilise the shoulder blades directly. So I've been doing these medicine ball push ups daily for around 8 weeks, and progressed to 2 medicine ball push ups after the first week.

I focus on keeping the medicine balls and shoulder blades as still as possible. I can now do sets of 15+ repetitions where the medicine balls barely move, my shoulder pain is what actually stops me from completing more repetitions. I can see how much my SA have actually grown from doing all this too. I also decided a few weeks ago to incorporate some direct lower trapezius work to see if this will give me any pain relief and increased scapula stability.

Now, I have tested the pain, and it is still pretty much the same during all of the exercises. So after a year's rest and all this work, if it is NOT the following shoulder issues, what could it be?

Shoulder Impingement
Rotator cuff weakness
Thoracic Immobility
Scapula Instability

Should I go back to the physiotherapist? If I go to a doctor again, the same range of motion and shoulder impingement tests will be done and can imagine i'll just be referred back to a physiotherapist again.

Can anyone help me please, all I want to do is bodybuild again and am starting to lose hope. Please reply and help if you have any advice or any idea on my issue, thanks.
]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 20:53:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5662612 Inguinal Hernia http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5643108
had an inguinal hernia operation on 25th April. Had it done by laprascopy (keyhole)and a mesh inserted.
Involves three incisions and rather bizarrely one of those is basically a pump inserted into your stomach, it is expanded in the same way a balloon is, this creates the space for the Surgeon to insert the mesh. Not ideal but after years of lifting and martial arts it needed to be done.

I'm 42 in good general health. I exercise at least 7 times a week - sometimes twice a day. Weights, Muay thai, BJJ, Boxing and running.

I thought I'd do this post and update weekly so if anyone else has a similiar operation you have a gauge. Everyone is obviously different so do as your Doctor tells you iro recovery, this is just what I was told I could do and how it feels:

Thursday 25th April - Operation day - went well - came round after the operation feeling okay - stomach obviously sore,didnt do much other than walk for the next week

1 week later - saw Doctor all okay (Testicles still Black and Blue!! - interesting side effect is swollen love spuds- this is where the blood pools !!) All looked good was told I can start jogging. Started again on the following Monday 3k, Tuesday 4k, Today 5k (also done 50 facepulls with 7.5kg on the stack) and 50 lateral raises with 4kg DB's) - 6 tomorrow day off Friday. all feeling good, still a nagging pain/soreness at the operation site but thats to be expected. Feel as though I could start weights again but not going there as Doctor says not for at least a month.
Cheers people
]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 13:09:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5643108 Hanging Leg Raises and APT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5660451
However, I can't imagine how this would work, because don't they overwork the hip flexors, causing them to become even tighter, and put you even further into anterior pelvic tilt? Why wouldn't hanging leg raises make anterior pelvic tilt even worse?

Is there any way to do the hanging leg raise without utilizing the hip flexors? Have hanging leg raises helped anyone in anterior pelvic tilt, or has it made it worse? ]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 23:40:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5660451 Upper Back/Trap/Shoulder/Rotator Cuff Injury? http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5660944
I have a weird issue with my back trap and shoulder on the right handside of my body it feels like my bone structure is rotating my right shoulder downwards or muscle or something is forcing it to do so, when i deadlift it feels like my right arm is shorter than the other i pull the bar at a slight angle, my bench press has gone all out of allignment my right arm press's further forward than the left one and on various other exercises aswell but for the life of me i cant control it...ive been lifting for 4 years now so its certainly not a form issue 2-3 months ago all my pressing and pulling was fine.

Ive tried dumbell and uni lateral work on all pressing and pulling exercises it has just made things worse along with general lifting aswell im not blaming dumbells.
I cant think of anything to try fix this ive looked online and from what ive read i think my scapula is starting wing on my right handside maybe?

After reading about causes ect and i realised theres a possibility i may have injured something but im unsure what, im a pipe layer by trade and had to move a pipe which weighed a hell of alot so i put a bar underneath it but couldnt budge it when tried to push it so i put my right shoulder underneath the bar and pretty much squatted, this was 5 month ago and the day after my collar bone area was badly bruised and painful for about 2 weeks but it went away and i didnt think nothing of it.

But from what ive read it states that compression of the collar bone can cause the serratus anterior to get badly injured and no longer work which in turn the scapula pulls away from its original place but my shoulder blade is not stuck out further than the other so could this have happened to me?
I haven't been to the gym for for 3 weeks now, ive been doing scapula press ups on my hands and elbows and generslly trying to stand the same on both sides but im not getting any better i constantly feel twisted with 1 side of my body in correct posture then the other side my right trap is kinda pulling up but the shoulder is pulling/rounding downwards, has anyone ever had anything like this happen to them? If so what did you do to correct it :s?

Id just like to say that my training was well balanced between pressing, pulling and posterior chain work i always warmed up, my posture was perfectly good previous to this.
What ever ive done hasn't happened over night its just got/getting progressively worse i dont think ive injured my self lifting but i cant guarantee it :/.
Sorry if theres spelling mistakes or whatever i typed this up on my phone lol
Thanks to anyone who reads all that and replies.
]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 23:08:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5660944 Would You Have Taken the Risk? http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5660536 I did lift the 3/5 and 5/5 because i was literally climbing the walls here but im afraid that i only made it worse by doing that since i got the blisters 2 days after the last workout (7/5).

I have been at the doc and did a streptest, blood test and another test i don't know the name of and they are 100% sure of that it's a virus so they can't do anything about it...
So, as the title says, would you have trained if you where in my shoes despite the increased risk of a myocarditis with a virus infection in the body?

And have any of you guys ever heard of a virus infection lasting this long with only a sore throat, blisters and green mucus as symptoms?
The pain in the throat is very vague and has been the whole period, sometimes i can barely feel it.

Im going nuts over here, im slowly loosing what i've work so hard for over the years, just because of a shitty virus in the throat...
And another question to you (clean induviduals)who have had to be away from the gym 1+ month, how long did it take for you to get back the strength/muscle you lost? ]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 19:30:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5660536 Knee Pain (Pics) http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5654631
I messed up and went too heavy on front squats a few days ago, and my right knee has been swelling up a bit. The pain is mostly between my knee and shin. Wondering if this might be something serious or if it'll heal on its own. Seeing an ortho would be expensive and a huge PITA, don't really want to go unless absolutely necessary.

http://i.imgur.com/vkCnUZs.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Ifyye3P.jpg ]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 15:18:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5654631 Tailbone Pain, Unable to Diagnos http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5654167 Tue, 21 May 2013 18:00:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5654167 Shoulder Impingement, Bicep Tendonitis/osis http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5659429
Chiro cleared me to weightlift again but I knew the pain wasn't right. I had/ have full range of motion but I knew the pain was not something I should push through. Waited about a month and pain still not gone so I went to the orthepedic doc again and now he's says if its not head then I need surgury. And I knew this wasn't right I mean I have full range of motion with pain but not agonizing pain. So I went back to the chiro and he reccomended physical therapy.

So I've been doing this for almost a month now. And though there has been some improvement there is not much. And worse off I have a different therapist each week so I have to re-explain my issue and they read my chart and then make me do whatever they want and then go home which pisses me off that I don't even get the same guy each week. And also they are telling me there is no difference between tendonitis and tendonosis.

But I've read plenty to differ as they are supposivly treated differently. The pain is in the front of the shoulder and hurt when I lift my arm in front of me and across my chest. Side laterial raises also do feel great. My arm hurt when I first raise it to about 35% up then stops hurting once the delt takes over..So here's my questions.

1: what is the difference between tendonitis and tendonosis?

2: anyone her experience impingement and or bicep tendonitis/ tendonosis of the shoulder and what helped you?

3: any exercises I can do tohelp the imbalances in my back?

4: and is there a light at the end of the tunnel?? After 8 months I feel I'm screwed forever
Any advice is helpful I'm to the end of my rope. I would really appriciate the advice of the veterans of this site. Even if you can point me in the right direction I would be so greatfull please, I'm desperate. Thank you for taking the time to read tis guys ]]> Tue, 21 May 2013 16:35:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5659429 Nagging Knee Pain http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5659149
Not the way I wanted to start off my fist post. I am looking to get some insight as to what I can do to shake this shoulder / back pain and get back in the gym. I injured myself in the fall of last year unracking a relatively light barbell on an incline bench.

I took a few months off doing the usual RICE, but it did not help. My symptoms are strange. I have full ROM in my left shoulder, but it feels weak. I also have pain in my upper back to the right of my left shoulder blade that only really happens when I drop my shoulders and put my arms out in front of me in a pressing motion of sorts.

2 weeks ago I went to see a orthopedic surgeon that has a sports medicine background. He did the basic physical examination and I had little or no pain from it. He requested I get an MRI Arthogram. The MRI came back with mild bicep tendinosis and nothing else according to him. The doctor didn't have any idea what the back pain could be from saying the shoulder is not the culprit. He shrugged and recommended PT. I am 50% confident it may still be my shoulder and want to get a second opinion. I am also considering seeing a neurologist to see if maybe it is a nerve issue. I am out of ideas and like anyone that can't do what they love am absolutely devastated by this. I can already tell it is going to be a real bitch figuring this out and getting it fixed.

Has anyone every had anything similar? If so, what did you do to fix it? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

As for the bicep tendiosis I have some mild clicking and pain in certain positions especially when pressing overhead. What are my options? Is this something can be fixed without surgery? I am a very big believer in holistic medicine such as PRP and Prolo. Does anyone have any experiences with these methods for bicep tendinosis / tendonitis in the shoulder?

MRI Scans:
http://imgur.com/a/GyBSe

Back Pain Diagram:
http://i.imgur.com/fexT13s.gif
]]> Tue, 21 May 2013 16:28:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5659149 Lower Back Injury and Pain http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5657193 Mon, 20 May 2013 18:13:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5657193 Supraspinatus Impingement http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5587277
According to my mri results, im suffering type 1 impingement on supraspinatus tendon. The doctor told me its not a serious case but i should rest my shoulder. Ok, im resting my shoulder for a month and a half but i have lost a lot of gains. I still have constant pain on my shoulder and forcing it a little makes it worse. Should i endure the pain and do some light stuff? external and internal rotations makes ease but what else can i do? I have no access to physio here, im on some charity work, so any help will be appreciated. Thank you ]]> Mon, 20 May 2013 11:01:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5587277 How to Find Help w/Knees http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5657653
I've been through at least a dozen bouts of PT, seen as many doctors, had several MRI's, more x-rays, EMG's.

No one can seem to make any sense of it. I'll go through a round of PT, and the therapist will essentially say I'm all better, when my legs feel no better whatsoever, and if I actually try to squat, or anything like that, it will feel terrible, and if I keep up with it, I get pain.

It honestly seems like the whole PT industry is a fraud. One big joke. Keep cycling through paitients, and unless they have a simple easy to fix problem, just get them through the month or two cycle of PT, deem them better, and shove them out the door with no interest in actually persisting and figuring out how to actually help them.

I'm incredibly frustrated, and I don't know where to turn and no one has any good advice.

It seems like I should be able to find a coach, or something like this, a person who can take some actual committed interest in seeing things through, organizing treatments, until I can say, squat 315 comfortably, or something like that. ]]> Mon, 20 May 2013 01:53:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5657653 Shooting Pain Lower Back http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5657211
Several years ago I would get a dull ache in my left lower back which sometimes radiates to the edge of my hip bone. Sometimes it was very close to the spine. I went to a doctor and he sent me for an MRI and the result was that I had a bulging L5 S1, so it was not herniated. I live in Bulgaria and I don't speak Bulgarian so it's been a real challenge to get treatment.

I went to a physiotherapist who would tie me in knots. He pointed out my right hip was slightly elevated. After he tied me in knots I would be level for a while but there was no real long term benefit. I did reading and I did side planks, yoga positions like downward dog, I bought a book by Escogue and practiced many of the stretches he recommended. Nothing seemed to help much. If anything the stretching may have aggravated the ache. Anyway, it didn't get much worse.

Finally I started going to a good trainer who showed me how to do deadlifts, squats etc properly, although he didn't let me do those initially because he was worried about my back. Eventually I really tired of the alternative exercises (side planks and superman) and I begged him to let me squat and deadlift. For a year this has gone fine, but in the last few weeks it went wrong. 3 weeks ago I was learning how to jump at the track and I jarred my spine on landing. I felt sore immediately in the lower left lumbar area and recognized it as the old L5 S1 pain. I took it easy for 2 weeks and trained with lower weights. However last Monday my first exercise was a deadlift with my usual weight. On the third rep I felt a shooting pain in the lower left lumbar area and dropped the bar. I went home immediately and spent 24 hours performing RICE. I am sure I had herniated my disk as there is no pain as immediately recognizable as an impinged nerve. Anyway it seems the disk only temporarily touched the nerve as I had no leg weakness, nor tingling, though I still would get shooting pain for 2 days when I twisted my back. 6 days later I feel ok. I even went running this evening without any pain.

Anyway something is clearly wrong. I have instability in the area and I am hoping some experts here can help me identify exactly what it might be so I can address it. Here are some other symptoms you may recognize:

- When I perform a one arm overhead press with the left arm I feel like my left side is collapsing. It feels weak, like muscles are not being activated around the hip area. I have been unable to progress to higher weight with overhead press because of this.

- Performing renegade rows, my left hip is always drifting skyward no matter how much my trainer reminds me to pull my pelvis in. This happens when I am rowing with the left arm.

- sometimes I just feel something is not stable in my lower spine and when I tighten my core, I feel a click and it lines up again

- When I am bending over to do a task like cleaning my dog's paws, during straightening up I will hear a click coming from the left lower back area (to the left of the pine) and feel some discomfort. It feels unstable. The click is not from the spine in this case.

- sometimes I feel soreness at the front of the hip

- I also get upper back soreness from the computer

- If I stand around or walk slowly I develop a nasty ache in the lower left lumbar area which is relieved by bending forward (touching my toes)

Apologies this is such a long post. It';s just I have no chance to find a good specialist here, so I am hoping if I give enough details someone will recognize my problem. ]]> Sun, 19 May 2013 19:29:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5657211 Lower Body Morning Stiffness http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5655730
Im 30, i didnt think i was in bad shape, always need to lose a little fat (thats my major problem) i have actually stopped the weights 90% and been concentrating on bodyweight exercises because of this problem. I wantto be lean, light and fast,agile and strong, mainly for football and for health.

An example of my problem was this morning. I planned to get up early and go for a run and encorporate sprints. I did a yoga class last night which was great for stretching. I woke this morning and was soo stiff!!! I tried to loosen as quick as i could cos i wanted to get going, doing various different stretches which i do everyday. Went out and just couldnt run as good as normal, tried a sprint and pulled my right quad and my lower back started aching.

This isnt because of yoga, but i get this everyday. I need to get quick and lean for football and this seems to be getting worse.

Im waiting for a nhs physio appointment but they generally arent very good and i cant afford a private one.

I have Pavels Tsatsoulines books and have recently discovered mobilitywod.

Does anyone have any suggestions as i dont seem to be improving? ]]> Sun, 19 May 2013 18:39:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5655730 Trapezius Strain http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5642925
Today while I was military pressing I strained my left trapezius muscle. I have done this previously, although not for about 18 months. Should be recovered in 3-4 days going on past experiences. The muscle feels tight and is limiting the movement of my head to the left.

Just wondering if there was something I could do in my warm-up to prevent this from happening again??? Im guessing the muscle is tight from working on the computer at work for too long.



*tweet* ]]> Sun, 19 May 2013 17:49:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5642925 Nerves in my Shoulder Causing Pain http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5622061
I didn't have pain then. About 4 hours later me and my brother were driving home to see our family 3.5 hours away and the pain just hit me. It felt like some one was stabbing me with a knife in the joint of my shoulder for the entire drive, it felt dislocated but I know it wasn't. Once we got there the pain stopped. After the next couple of weeks the muscle seemed to just vanish from my left bicep.

My arms were pretty even in strength before that. Now I can curl 45ibs with my right arm, and only 10-15ibs with my left. Ive been working on it for six months and Ive made no gains what so ever. Ive Seen the Physical Therapist, Ive had an X-ray, I've had a Dye MRI, cortisone shot, and everything showed up normal.

There isnt any specific exercises that irritate it more than others, it usually hurts after a workout no matter what, usually dull pain. Most of the time it feels like it needs to be stretched and or popped but nothing i do makes it feel better. My next test is going to be the nerves.

Does have the same injury, and/or advice? And what my next plan of action should be?

Thanks,

Cory ]]> Sun, 19 May 2013 14:16:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5622061 Pectoral Pain http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5637330
Even though my pecs have improved im anxious to do some higher volume strength program but my pecs never seem to get well enough and my bench is suffering from this. Is there any tjps i can get to speed up this recovery? Thanks ]]> Sun, 19 May 2013 14:14:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5637330 Calf Cramps/Pain http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5641728
Has anyone experienced calf crampinp? How have you fixed it?

My calves are tight every day especially my right one. It's to the point where I'll go to run sprints and I'll have to suddenly stop or hop of the treadmill cause my right calf cramps up. Just jogging will cause it to cramp up and in some cases it will hurt for a day or so.

Any ideas? ]]> Sun, 19 May 2013 14:06:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5641728 Sharp Left Trap Pain During Deadlift http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5649155
Against better judgment, I went up to 125 kg and did one rep before the pain was so excruciating that I couldn't continue. I'm completely baffled as to what could cause this, especially since a 100 kg deadlift is around 50% of my 1 RM. I don't feel any discomfort now, and the pain went away instantly after I stopped deadlifting.

I don't see any discoloration at the site of the pain either and I have no shoulder discomfort or neck pain associated with this, it is just localized to one spot on my left trap, plus when I press on the area with my hand, I don't feel any of the pain. Any input would be greatly appreciated, thanks. ]]> Sun, 19 May 2013 14:05:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5649155 My Left Shoulder http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5649439 Sun, 19 May 2013 13:54:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5649439 Odd Shoulder Pain http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5655277 Sun, 19 May 2013 13:51:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5655277 Fell on Shoulder During MMA Training http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5656895
I've been doing powertraining for 10+ years and recently started doing some thaibox and MMA (only training no competition). I'm 6f and now around 232lbs.

During training last monday I fell hard on my right shoulder. I instantly felt pain and loss of strength, a numb feeling that went away. I stopped training, got home, iced it, rubbed some Voltaren Gel on it and took some anti inflammation pills. The day after I could barely lift my arm without pain.

Now 6 days later it's getting better, but I can still feel pain with certain movements.

I have experienced rotator cuff injuries in the past, and while these cause a pain "inside" the shoulder, the pain I feel now is at the front, kinda on top and were the shoulder "tear" meets the bicep.

Yesterday I went for a light workout and noticed:

Flet bench goes without too much pain (incline not)
Overhead movements are simply out of question
Back training went normal (pullups but not with full extension, seated row etc)
Bicep/tricep work is very painful, when holding a dumbell I can feel a lot of pain at the front of the delt when I lift it. Same with e.g. tricep pulldown at the cable machine.

I feel very bad about this. I was in the best form ever (always had issues get lean, but it was going well) and now this shit.

After a week of almost no training I feel weak, soft and smaller (all in the head I know).

Questions:

1) Any ideas about the injury? Is it shoulder, or bicep tendon?
2) should I start doing very light overhead movements with girly weights or is this a bad idea? I can't imagine complete rest for months...
3) how long until I really start losing muscle? I've read some about atrophy, but i'd like to hear your opinions.

Thx
]]> Sun, 19 May 2013 11:08:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5656895 Lower Back Strain http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5548847 My concerns are:

1) getting back into 5/3/1 with too high a 1RM and stalling
2) getting back into 5/3/1 too far below my 1RM and losing a lot of the progress I made

ANybody who has come off an injury and returned to 5/3/1 or anyone who is experienced in this area I would extremely appreciate your help.

Oh my press is in the same situation but I figure if the deadlift question is answered I can translate that to my press. ]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 20:23:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5548847 Snapping Elbow Tendon http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5654658
When I lower or raise a weight in a pushing exercise such as bench press, what I get to a point I feel what I think is the tendon in my left elbow snapping over a bone. It is uncomfortable but not painful to the point where I cannot lift .It does get increasingly uncomfortable as the weight increases. It will be sore the next day or so after lifting.

I currently take lots of fish oil and a joint supplement. I was thinking of one of those bands that you wrap around it during your workout, what are those called? Anybody had any luck with those or another technique? ]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 11:43:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5654658 Bruised Tail Bone http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5653432
Anyways I did some research and found the best thing I can do is let it rest, but it has been over 3 months and little has changed. I haven't been squatting or deadlifting since or really any lower body movement (I have tried to do adaptations of squats and deadlifts ie front squats, zercher squats, sumo deadlift, Romanian deadlift, 1 legged deadlifts, lungest, etc).

So I am just wondering is there any thing I should do to help my recovery, and is there any lower body movement I can do at the moment to at least allow me to retain the strength I have now and muscle mass. Thank you! ]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 06:46:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5653432 Bowed Legs http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5651471
That kind of clicked, because it would seem to explain everything about the way my legs feel and look.

Could that be the reason my legs always feel out of alignment, like the muscles aren't working right, and I always feel off balance? And that the muscles look different - twisted, and thus unable to fire normally, if that makes any sense? ]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 02:36:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5651471 Spine Curve, Neck Curve, Uneven Workouts http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5650386
For the past 2-3 months, I've been feeling really uneven and tilted to one side. This has been accompanied by slight trouble breathing and just overall discomfort. Because of this, I can't seem to get proper workout because either my rear right delt or my right trap will play into any exercise I do and tighten up really fast to the point that it makes it impossible to do anymore reps.

I have a slipped disc in my left lower back from 4-5 years ago; not sure if the right one is herniated as well. I have limited shoulder mobility in my right arm, my neck feels closer to my right arm and there is a lot of cracking when I sort of push my spine in or contract my right trap muscle all the way (but it brings some relief). I also have a reverse curve in my neck, my C1 is not facing the right way and my spine is curved slightly to the right (x-rays attached).

I also feel a slight pelvic tilt. My arms don't go back evenly, they're not evenly flexible, my neck has limited flexibility when turning to the left (causes cracks in my upper back). Oh, I also have TMJ if that makes a difference.

I currently have an exercise ball and two foam rollers + an inversion table I've been using for therapy. I have an appointment with another chiro in a few days but I thought I'd post to see if anyone had any insight on my problem. I have attached one of the x-ray pics but I don't know how to attach more than one pic so links are below:

http://postimg.org/...mage/b19znw22l/
http://postimg.org/...mage/u14wa8k1p/
http://postimg.org/...mage/y40in23jx/
http://postimg.org/...mage/ga0f80v3x/
http://postimg.org/...mage/61cjfxwfx/
http://postimg.org/...mage/j2tms1vgd/
http://postimg.org/...mage/5ag4ywfaz/ ]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 01:06:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5650386 Spiral Fracture in Upper Arm http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5650427 I am a new guy, having lurked on the site for a while and thought I might give it a shot, posting about this problem i've been having. So please go easy on me!


I attended a Jiu-Jitsu tournament three years ago, where I fought a very good wrestler. I was so nervous fighting him that the adrenaline blocked my sense of pain, and suddenly I was laying on the floor with ears ringing.

I had suffered a spiral fracture. It's when the bone breaks in arch around the bone, almost like a spiral. It was in my upper left arm. I was trying to push the wrestler away, as he got himself to a scarfhold position and then sat on my arm, controlling me. As he tried to control the arm, his body weight put to much pressure on the bone and it made a massive snap that ringed on the mats.


I had surgery. a 9-10 inch area in my triceps was opened, and a metal plate was inserted. Then then allowed me to go home on antibiotics. Almost three years later though.. I still havent gotten the strength back.


Or that's not true. I have full mobility. I can use the arm, but as soon as I try to do any rehabilitation for a longer amount of time, or do something that involves like.. opening a door with my left arm, it will go into positions where it hurts.


I've asked doctors. I got an MRI scan and it said my bone is fully healed. removing the metal plate apparantly has no bearing. Apparently they cut through nerves when they opened me up and that is what is causing me pain.

But a physio therapist I talked to, said some of the pain might also be in my head. A sort of over sensitivity making it be more uncomfortable than I thought.


I just don't know how to train it. 2,5-3 years is a long time to go around with a half-bad arm. It's working but it's holding me back. I can use it for chip ups. pulling works fine. I can pull people towards in martial arts.. But every time I try to push, it hurts.


Does anyone have suggestion? Do you think that rubber bands might help? I feel i've tried many things.

To be fair though, if I rest my arm for 2-3 weeks it feels strong. but then it quickly looses it's puff and becomes over sensitive and starts to hurt when I use it. not super much, but uncomfortable much. enough to that it hurts a bit if I punch the air with it(shadow boxing) or try to hold a jacket with a straightened arm.

]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 12:35:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5650427 Spinal Erector Asymmetry Solution http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5635273
I think my problem should be called "contra lateral asymmetry of the anterior and posterior chain".

I wakeboarded for years. I did so in an imbalanced manner. I rode regular and never rode switch. Then after developing a bunch of muscle imbalances wakeboarding I went and lifted weights through high school and played sports making the imbalances worse.

I've seen chiropractors, physical therapists and doctors. NONE OF THEM WOULD HELP ME CORRECT THIS. The sad thing is that if I was a personal trainer I doubt I could help people correct their asymmetries and muscle imbalances because it blurs the line between personal training and physical therapy. It's a stupid system.

All that aside I believe I've found the solution to muscle imbalances around the hips. I thought inversion was the silver bullet to correcting my imbalances, but after a few month of inverting a few minutes every day things stopped improving. Inversion helps, but it requires corrective exercises and stretching also.

There's a rather busy diagram from the top view of my muscle imbalances and the relation between my shoulders and hips before I started doing the corrective exercises.

Here's my problem:
1) left glute larger than right glute
2) right hip flexors larger than left
3) left spinal erector larger than right
4) right rectus abdominis larger then left
5) right oblique larger than left
6) right hip farther forward than left
7) left shoulder farther forward than right.

So here's what I think the solution is to my muscle imbalances:
1) wakeboard in the direction that activates the smaller spinal erector and not the larger one
2) stand on a total gym like I am in the pic of me standing on a total gym for sets of 30 seconds
3) use inversion to get the hips level
4) stretch the larger hip flexor for sets of 2-4 minutes throughout the day
5) stretch the larger hamstring for sets of 2-4 minutes throughout the day
6) stretch the larger spinal erector for sets of 2-4 minutes throughout the day with knees to chest with the legs twisted to the side of the larger spinal erector

I saw Nick Tumanello say in men's health that twisting the torso and hips in opposite directions is a bad idea, but if twisting in one direction more than the other is what fucked you up in the first place then twisting the opposite direction is my only option.

I saw an almost immediate improvement in glute function and posture once I started doing these corrective exercises my lower back pain also improved. The trick is I have to do them every day or everything regresses.

I just want to say the physical therapist I saw after my back started hurting can go to fucking hell for dismissing my spinal erector imbalance saying "It's normal".

My solution will only work if the skeletal system is balanced within reason.
]]> Mon, 13 May 2013 03:50:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5635273 Quad Pain While Running http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5607030 205-210 lbs
5'-10"
47 y.o.

In the gym:

Lifted since I was 15 y.o. and was to dumb to stop.
One body part a week, 3x a week
Always squatted, 670 lbs when I was 35 y.o. 600 lbs 2 months ago.
Typically layoff every 4 months for a week.

On the road:

Started running 3 miles 3x a week about 3 years ago.
Up my mileage to 4 miles 3x a week 2 years ago.
Ran three 5k's. best time 24:32
6 months ago started training for a 10k and worked up 5-7 miles
Ran the 10k last week at 50:39

Now my issue is some pain in my left quad when I start to run. It started to bother me about 4 weeks prior to my 10k so I cut out all leg training; I could have cried doing this but the 10k was the priority. The pain subsides after about 1/2 mile but my first 1/4 is very gimpy. It feels deep but hard to pinpoint; running from my outer hip to the inside of my knee.

No pain when I walk down steps but I can feel it when going up. It seems any stride with a straight leg does not bother it but when I bend my knee it hurts. It does not feel like a rip but more like an inflammation. The only stretch that bothers it the I.T. band stretch; left leg behind the right and lean left; some hip popping is present.

My typical response form weight lifts is stop running so damn much; and from runners it is that's too much weight. I have learned it is hard to serve two masters but not impossible. I welcome all suggestions or ideas to what this may be.
]]> Sun, 12 May 2013 02:54:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5607030 Appetite While Injured http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5647216
Have you guys noticed that when you are injured your appetite increases?

Im out with a trapezius strain that should be recovered in a few days time, but meanwhile as I rest Im noticing Im hungrier than normal. A few years ago when I had ankle surgery I had also noticed I just wanted to eat ice-cream all day as I sat at home and recovered.

Is it because my body is craving food to help it repair or is it because I have more spare time on my hand??

Go.


*tweet*
]]> Sat, 11 May 2013 20:11:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5647216 Way too Thin http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5647864
I need some advice on what kind of exersizes are best for building stronger knees and shoulders. Last thing I want is to try a lift/exersize that I simply shouldn't be doing yet.

I am 6'3 and weigh 12 and a half stone, a healthy weight for someone who is 22 and 6' but I certainly don't have the muscle/broadness I should have.

Any advice would be greately appreciated. ]]> Sat, 11 May 2013 19:31:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5647864 Observations of Article Inconsistencies http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5646045

May 2nd:
Bryan Krahn: "Do Those Face Pulls. You Should be Doing Face Pulls."
http://www.T-Nation.com/...oing_face_pulls



May 3rd:
Dean Somerset: "Stop Doing Corrective Exercises!"
http://www.T-Nation.com/...ctive_exercises


I could be wrong, but I thought face pulls are a type of corrective exercise? Getting mixed messages here. Who to trust? ]]> Sat, 11 May 2013 13:51:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5646045 Tight All Over? http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5639803
But, for some reason, I have poor hip extension as well as hip flexion, and poor hip internal rotation as well as poor hip external rotation. I am stiff across the board. A while ago I saw a physio who said I had tight hip flexors as well as tight hamstrings. I asked if my hamstrings only appeared tight because I was in anterior pelvic tilt, thus they would always be 'pre-stretched' in my normal posture - bu, no, apparently my hamstrings are tight even taking into consideration my anterior pelvic tilt.

So anyway - how does someone who is stiff in ALL planes of movement gain mobility?

I have done long hold static stretches (4 minutes at a time), agile 8 mobility drills 3x per day and foam rolling every day now for years, but never have seen any increase in mobility...

Thanks in advance for your suggestions... ]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 07:48:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5639803 Pain in Left Tailbone/Glute? http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5644475
I now have a dull pain in my left tailbone or glute. Or maybe it's the very lower back - I can't tell. It hurts least when sitting or standing and most when lying flat on my back (as in sleeping). I can bring about the pain more by bending over forwards and to the right (i.e. away from the painful left side). Bending over forwards on its own will not hurt it, and bending to the right on its own will not hurt it - it needs to be bending forwards and to the right.

Also the dull ache makes me feel queasy at times, similar to the sensation you'd get if you were hit in the nuts, but on a less intense scale.

Is there anyone who might know what this is, and what I can do (rehab exercises) to make it go away?

Thanks in advance!! ]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 02:37:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5644475 Inflammatory Bloodwork http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5645180
]]> Thu, 09 May 2013 20:21:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5645180 Becoming a Supple Leopard http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5632079 Thu, 09 May 2013 18:52:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5632079 Are Pull ups Good for the Kyphosis Part of APT? http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5632813
Hoping it will help shift my weight more onto my glutes rather than my dominant quads which i hope helps my knees ? If i pull my neck and shoulders back my waistline seems to straighten.

Interested in any exercises for this but bodyweight and light weights would be ideal if possible.

At the moment i'm doing external rotation shoulder exercises and rear delt work but not sure if its enough and dont want to strengthen anything that makes my apt worse so looking for the best workout for this whilst keeping me in shape.

I'm only 43 but starting to think that these type of exercises are good as we get alot older and sit around more. I'm regretting doing all those push ups.

Thanks for any help. ]]> Thu, 09 May 2013 18:26:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5632813