Last Friday and Saturday the 20th and 21st of August, I attended a course entitled: Latest research in treatment and evaluation of the shoulder. I attended this course for 2 reasons. 1. Being a baseball player (and tennis when I was younger) as well as physio, I have an active interest in the shoulder, particularly in regards to over head athlete's. 2. The course was run by Kevin Wilk. Kevin is a physio renowned across the world for his work with the shoulder. He is associate clinical director of Champion Sports Medicine in Alabama, and works closley with Dr James Andrews of the American Sports Medicine Institute. These men are THE go to people for shoulder injuries ...

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Many studies have confirmed the importance of the meniscus to the function of the knee, especially during sport. The literature is littered with studies citing the important biomechanical roles that the menisci play in shock absorption, force transmission, and load distribution across the knee in addition to contributing to stability, joint congruence, nutrition of the articular cartilage, joint lubrication, and proprioception. Loss of meniscal tissue due to injury leads to decreased clinical function and reduced activity levels. Help however, is at hand. Research from the United States has been trialling a collagen meniscal implant. The implant was created using tissue engineering techniques and derived from U.S origin bovine Achilles tendons. It has been tested extensively in ...

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Effects of a Whole Body Compression Garment on Markers of Recovery After a Heavy Resistance Workout in Men and Women   Kraemer, William J; Flanagan, Shawn D; Comstock, Brett A; Fragala, Maren S; Earp, Jacob E; Dunn-Lewis, Courtenay; Ho, Jen-Yu; Thomas, Gwendolyn A; Solomon-Hill, Glenn; Penwell, Zachary R; Powell, Matthew D; Wolf, Megan R; Volek, Jeff S; Denegar, Craig R; Maresh, Carl M   Abstract: The primary purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the influence of a whole body compression garment on recovery from a typical heavy resistance training workout in resistance-trained men and women. Eleven men (mean ± SD: age, 23.0 ± 2.9 years) and 9 women (mean ± SD: age 23.1 ± 2.2 years) who were highly ...

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What does it take to be great? There are many qualities to consider. But what are the distinguishing qualities that separate a good skier from a great skier? In this article we will list qualities of greatness! 5-Site Integrity Excellent Movement Qualities Explosive and Reactive Great Work Capacity (sort of) Deliberateness 5 Site Integrity – To move correctly requires our whole body to work correctly. We can’t look at one joint, when we are developing an entire system. It takes mobility, control, and stability of 5 key areas during all our movements to develop a) movement efficient, b) power, and to c) prevent injuries. These 5 areas from head to toe are: cranio-cervico, scapula thoracic, lumbopelvis, knee and ankle and foot. Whether ...

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At FITS we’ve developed a movement classification system we use to test, assess and to develop our athletes. The approach breaks down movements into a) modes and b) types – see Figure 1: Movement Classification System.  Each individual movement is uniquely assessed, but all ideal movements must possess 5-Site Integrity – if you’re not familiar with the principles of 5 Site Integrity I strongly urge you to click the link. It is the model we use to guide our training, injury management (how we treat injured patients and athletes), and injury prevention interventions. What is the importance of classifying movements? By classifying movements and assessing the unique qualities of those movements we can: a)      Identify common movement dysfunctions. ...

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The Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies recently published an article by Eyal Lederman: The Myth of Core Stability. Mark Young made mention of it late last year so I figured I’d check it out myself. The following information is a summary of Lederman’s conclusions. But first and foremost… DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER! ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT STABILITY AND THE ROLE OF CORE MUSCULATURE Despite the role of the core musculature in creating spinal stability… Alterations and damage to the abdominal musculature (i.e. pregnancy, post-partum, post-surgery, etc) does not seem to directly influence low back stability and/or pain. Despite the exponential number research studies conducted in the last decade… Low back pain has yet to be directly related to spinal instability.   TIMING While the control ...

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  All people should be able read, write and perform simple mathematics. I don’t think anyone would despite these basic skills, as they are necessary to function in our day to day lives. If you ever lost these abilities, such as after a stroke, your life would change. These abilities need to last forever. But have you ever considered that a single leg parallel squat is necessary for life?  You should! If you love to ski and enjoy participating in activities, such as running, and team sports (basketball, soccer, baseball, etc) then you need to be able to perform a single leg parallel squat. Scientific research indicates that possessing this ability aids in injury prevention of knee injuries ...

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When evaluating movement using the 5-SITE integrity approach we commonly look for these movement  dysfunctions. Have a look through the various dyfunctions. I'll update this post shortly with pictures of each dysfunction. I will also discribe how we scale these dysfunctions. Foot and Ankle Pes Planus During the movement screen, we examine your foot to determine if the movement in your foot is optimal.  Specifically, the most common type of dysfunction in the foot that can lead to energy leaks is a pes planus.  Pes planus, or flat feet, is a very common finding among the general population.  When dynamically tested, individuals with pes planus will exhibit turning out of their feet and a collapse of the main ...

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What if testing athleticism and fitness was useless? In this article we will explore how traditional testing misses key elements that can help protect against injury and dramatically improve performance. I should start by saying that testing is the first step of any program and of course it’s not useless. I just wanted to spark some interest and to show how we must rethink the way we evaluate our athletes. Common testing protocols in the NFL, NHL, NBA and many amateur sport organizations do an excellent job at selecting tests to measure key athletic / fitness attributes - see Table 1: ACA Standard Fitness Testing Protocol Target Levels. Table 1: ACA Standard Fitness Testing Protocol Target Levels The purpose ...

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How you move determines your injury risk and your performance. The single leg squat is part of all our movement assessments. The single leg squat is a movement assessment that helps to screen for risk factors that lead to knee injuries, such as tendopathies, patellofemoral pain, and even non-contact ACL injuries. A good standard we use with our athletes at FITS is to achieve a parallel single leg squat with perfect form. The single leg squat has been chosen, because it is vital movement for running, cutting, changing directions, agility and many more athletic qualities. The assessment protocol we used examined: A)     Depth B)     Presences of dynamic valgus C)     Presence of thoracic collapse.  Depth Depth was graded as Q for quarter squat and ...

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