Currently viewing the category: "Beverly Hills sports chiropractic"
Shin splints is a very common malady limping into my Beverly Hills sports chiropractic office. Yes, runners are at a high risk for developing shin splints, but other athletes can become afflicted too. Shin splints is a pain in the lower leg, or shin area. It can be on the front of the leg or sometimes even felt in the calf area.

Shin splints have a number of musculoskeletal structures involved, and I encourage you to read the article I have written on fixing shin splints, but what I would like to show you here is how to stretch one muscle often involved in shin splints: tibialis anterior.

The tibialis anterior runs on the front part of the shin, or the anterior compartment, and it dorsiflexes the foot, which is bringing the foot closer toward the chest. It is involved in stabilizing the ankle during the gait cycle, particularly on heel strike, when the foot hits the ground. It then contracts to firm up the foot in the full weight bearing stage when the other leg swings past. In sports that rely on kicking objects like soccer or martial arts, the tibialis anterior locks the foot and ankle in place for a toe kick.

When the tibialis anterior gets tight it can cause pain in front of the shin or ankle area. Shin splints is an extreme version of pain that can be felt to a lesser degree by just about anybody that is active, or even in those that have recently walked a longer distance than they’re used to. In the video below, I demonstrate a simple, yet effective, way to stretch the dorsiflexors of the foot, including the tibialis anterior. Depending on your level of tightness, you may need the help of a yoga block or rolled-up towel, but watch the video for the instruction. Enjoy.

Posterior Capsule

Shoulder pain is probably the condition I see most in my Beverly Hills chiropractic practice. Because of the mobility of the shoulder joint, it is prone to all kinds of pain conditions. In an attempt to stabilize an often non-stable shoulder joint, the body will create certain circumstances that can lead to pain and discomfort of the shoulder.

One such situation occurs with a tight posterior capsule, which is a connective tissue at the back of the glenohumeral (GH) joint. When this tissue gets tight, it can cause a narrowing of the subacromial space, increasing the probability of pinching off and thus causing inflammation to the elements that sit in the space, or causing a shoulder impingement syndrome.

To stretch a tight posterior capsule at home you can do this following stretch (demonstrated in video below). This excellent shoulder stretch loosens the tight posterior capsule, allowing the subacromial space to open and thus preventing shoulder impingement.

Try the stretches in the video below to relieve shoulder pain and prevent shoulder injuries. But don’t forget to visit your friendly neighborhood Beverly Hills sports chiropractor for shoulder pain relief.

Shoulder injuries are some of the most common conditions people walk into my Beverly Hills sports chiropractic office with, and treating them can be tricky.  I find that shoulder impingement, along with rotator cuff syndrome, has become increasingly problematic for people, especially as people pick up exercise as a lifestyle habit.  Now everyone knows that I think doing so is of mega-importance to achieving and maintaining great health, but it’s not without its challenges.

First, without proper form, most people lifting weights can cause injury to themselves.  So form is foremost, period.  This is true whether we’re talking about lifting weights, doing yoga, Pilates, or whatever.

Poor form during shoulder exercises can lead to impingement syndrome.  I find that in stubborn cases of impingement syndrome, the offending agent is an inflamed biceps tendon.  Please don’t take this to mean that the biceps is the primary problem in shoulder impingement syndrome–it’s one of three structures that can get inflamed–but it is the most often missed and neglected during the treatment process.

What you can do on your own to speed up the healing process for shoulder impingement syndrome is to ice and stretch.  Watch the video below to see the best home stretch for a biceps tendonitis.

When dealing with a stubborn shoulder injury (that means chronic, not one you’ve just hurt), go see a sports chiropractor right away.  But you can help your own case by icing and stretching your shoulder, particularly the biceps.  Enjoy.

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