Currently viewing the tag: "sports injury"


From Couch Potato To Fitness Dynamo In 7 Expertly Guided StepsEvery January I write out my goals for the year (I told you all about it here). One of my missions for 2014 was to find a way to get my wealth of knowledge on exercise physiology and technique out to more people. I have been deeply involved in the sports injury world for the last fifteen years, exposed to and trained in the most cutting-edge sports rehab practices available today. I have worked with professional athletes and dancers for over a decade. And for the last five years I have been able to share this knowledge with a select few thousand professionals—mostly in the chiropractic reeducation arena.

But one thing I was able to do rather effectively within my practice was to create simplified programs that I could teach to anybody; athletes, yes, but also everyday people—stressed out entrepreneurs, professionals with little time for the gym, stay-at-home moms, people who had never exercised a day in their life, elderly folk who thought it was a laugh that I would even suggest exercise to them—would be amazed at how simple and effective my programs were. And because these programs were progressive, the farther my client would want to go, I would have another graduating level for them, and their strength, endurance and flexibility would expand.

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So as I do every year, I read and reread my goals, and lo-and-behold come summer I was approached by the UK based company, mer-ka-bah, whose mission it is to provide hi-quality, self-empowering, life-changing online courses taught by a group of international instructors for a world-wide audience. After discussing the company’s purpose and direction, I knew my exercise programs were perfect for the mer-ka-bah mission: To provide tools to support people in implementing and sustaining life-long, positive behavior change…“Tiny Habits” coaching in how to build new, sustainable habits leading to life-long behavioral changes…As they told me, “Small Steps – Big change.”

From Couch Potato To Fitness Dynamo In 7 Expertly Guided StepsIndeed! And that matched perfectly with what I have to offer in the form of exercise programs. I envisioned taking people from the ground up, from the level of the smallest, most fundamental stabilizer muscles to the complex muscle movements we call compound movements, with the idea that anybody taking the program could be assured gains in strength, endurance and flexibility with the lowest risk of injury. It was a simple thought to me: One of my most common client-type is the injured amateur athlete, and those injuries are usually a result of three things:

  • Poor form
  • Deconditioned stabilizer muscles
  • Hyper-contracted and tight muscles

My mer-ka-bah course, From Couch Potato To Fitness Dynamo In 7 Expertly Guided Steps, addresses and corrects these issues while teaching the viewer fundamentals of stretches, strengthening contractions and cardiovascular activity. Watch the video below to understand exactly why you should take this course, and then sign up for the most cutting-edge, scientifically proven exercise technique program you will find on the web.



Knee pain happens. Athletes and weekend warriors might find themselves with swollen, painful knees due to sports injury or simple overuse. Knee pain and swelling often needs to be checked by a sports chiropractor, but you can do some things at home that can help the healing process and prevent the painful knee from becoming a chronic injury.

Icing the knee at the painful injury site (see video) for 15 minutes at a time is crucial. Ice will decrease knee swelling and prevent the rapid formation of scar tissue. Ice saves–don’t forget this principle. Wrapping the pained knee in an ACE bandage will provide stability and prevent further knee injury. Then staying off the knee–NO SPORTS!–is essential.

Swelling can signify a torn knee ligament–like the ACL (anteriorcruciate ligament), PCL (posteriorcruciate ligament), MCL (medial cruciate ligament) or LCL (lateral cruciate ligament). Ligament tears can be rehabilitated conservatively, thereby avoiding knee surgery. A torn meniscus can also be conservatively treated. Meniscal tears can go through knee therapy and rehab successfully, but what is necessary is a proper knee diagnosis. If what you have is a simple knee sprain, then ice, therapy and rehab will get you back into your sport quickly.

If you have a painful knee injury get in to see a sports chiropractor right away. If you live or work in my neighborhood, come visit my Los Angeles, West Hollywood or Beverly Hills sports chiropractic office for knee pain relief today.

Good news for weekend warriors: Rehab is shown to prevent knee surgery.*  This may seem like a no brainer to some, but common orthopedic wisdom is that ACL tears–a common type of knee injury in athletes–almost always require surgery. New research shows, however, that rehab-first may be a better option.

A study of Swedish amateur athletes–mostly soccer players–found that those who got anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery right away plus physical therapy fared no better than those that got the knee rehab first; and although 50% of the rehab-first subjects eventually required surgery, they were not any worse off than had they gotten the surgery early on.

The implications of this study are that people suffering from ACL tears can and should try rehab before going under the knife.  If it isn’t obvious, all surgery has inherent risk due to the invasive nature of the procedure.  Also, at $10K+ per pop (no pun intended), these results are economically encouraging.  If you end up needing surgery later, you can still get it with little fear of turning out worse for waiting.

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligament of the knee.  Its function is to prevent forward, or anterior, movement of the tibia (shin bone) on the femur (thigh bone).  It is the most commonly injured ligament in the knee.  Football, soccer and basketball players are particularly prone to ACL tears, as are skiers, as a result of the pivot and twist motions required in these sports.

Approximately 200,000 Americans go through ACL reconstruction each year, although many people can get by with a knee brace and rehab.  But, of course, getting the surgery depends on how the injury affects one’s lifestyle.

The study’s results showed that both the surgery-first and rehab-first groups fared about the same when it came to things like pain, performance in sports and how much their knee interfered with their lives.  Of those that received rehab first, about 40% needed to get the surgery later, and this group fared no better or worse than those that didn’t get the surgery at all.

One problem with the study is that the results were only measured after two years, so there could be some changes later.  The researchers will be doing a follow up at five years to study outcomes at that time.  Also, it appears that the rehabilitation group showed some signs of trouble with the meniscus, a cushioning disk in the knee joint, which some doctors think could increase the risks of degenerative arthritis in the future.

I find this study interesting and the results encouraging, because I was also under the impression that ACL tears pretty much required surgery.  Being a Los Angeles sports chiropractor, I see my fair share of knee injuries, and torn ACLs definitely limp into my office from time to time.  But now I’ll be a little less quick to refer the client out to an orthopedist.  Six months of rehab might be just fine in some of those cases.  Thank you, Swedes, for the great work!

*A Randomized Trial of Treatment for Acute Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears

Richard B. Frobell, Ph.D., Ewa M. Roos, P.T., Ph.D., Harald P. Roos, M.D., Ph.D., Jonas Ranstam, Ph.D., and L. Stefan Lohmander, M.D., Ph.D.
N Engl J Med 2010; 363:331-342July 22, 2010



Are you ready for some football? Well, the NFL is ready for some hits–chiropractically speaking. According to a recent report by the Professional Football Chiropractic Society (PFCS), every NFL team currently uses chiropractic as a a form of treatment, game-day prep, and an overall health regimen. Booyah!!!

That’s right, the NFL is SMART! Professional football players know how much chiropractic can help them recover from injury, but more important they know that chiropractic helps on-field performance as well as extends careers. Think about it: Which body will handle more hits over the long run–the subluxated, beat-up, bashed in one, or the body that’s tuned up, turned on and subluxation free? Don’t worry, NFL players have already answered the question.

No doubt the NFL is leading the charge in this arena with every team carrying a chiropractor on their roster. “The robust need for chiropractic care in the NFL has been deeply driven by the players’ desire for peak physical conditioning and not simply for injuries,” states Spencer H. Baron, DC, DACBSP, immediate past president of the PFCS and Miami Dolphins team chiropractor for the past 14 years. “From the earliest years of full contact football, their bodies are subject to structural stress that doctors of chiropractic … are specially trained to care for.

Chiropractic has had a hand in the careers of many NFL legends. Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Emmit Smith to name a few that have been outspoken chiropractic proponents. But some of today’s star players also have been singing the praises of chiropractic–Tom Brady and Maurice Jones-Drew (see video below) are just two the many. It’s the use of chiropractic by players like these that was important in the inception of chiropractic league-wide.

Again from Baron, “War stories whispered throughout our profession indicated that in the past, players who wanted chiropractic adjustments had to meet with a chiropractor in hotel bathrooms, parking lots, or back alleys.” But players get what players demand–and the players LOVE chiropractic. Who can blame them?

To see a list of NFL team chiropractors click here.

Bravo NFL!–no surprise the National Football League is the premier sports institution in the world. It takes forward thinking to be the best, and nothing beats chiropractic in aligning athletics with optimal health!


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