What are safe versus dangerous exercises?

The concept of ‘safe or dangerous exercises’ is a common topic of discussion among industry experts and, in many cases, there are plenty of grey areas. It is important to realise that an exercise that is considered safe for one participant may be potentially dangerous for another, but that said, there are a number of relatively simple indicators that can help identify movements that may be considered ‘potentially dangerous’ or ‘ineffective’ in the majority of health and fitness programs. And, of course, any personal trainer should be able to help further with this identification process.

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The Markland Clinic providing first class specialist Physiotherapy in Cirencester and Swindon

If we can help you in anyway please contact Erica

at Cotswold Leisure Centre, Tetbury Road, Cirencester, Glos, GL7 1WG 01285 654059

at David Lloyd, Latham Road, Swindon, Wilts SN25 4DL 01793 469309

April 30, 2012 | Category: Ageing, Back Pain, Knees, Shoulder, Sports Injury, Team — Tags: cycling, running, self help, sports injury, stretches — Kate Markland
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The Acromio-Clavicular Joint – a Common Cause of Shoulder Pain

Pain on the point of the shoulder is often caused by an injury to the Acromio-Clavicular joint – here is some handy information on this common problem.

Pain originating from the AC joint (the joint at the end of the collarbone – on top of the shoulder) is usually well localized and the client will often place one finger directly over the AC joint when asked to indicate the most painful area.

There is usually discomfort with humerus and scapula movement, particularly movements where the arm is brought across the body into a horizontally flexed position. Uncomfortable exercises in the gym may include bench press (particularly wide grip bench), dips and push ups. The person often has difficulty sleeping on the effected side.

Some suggestion to reduce stress on the AC joint include:

1)      Keep the elbows closer to the side with a shoulder width hand position during push-up and bench press.
2)      If bench pressing or doing push ups - decrease the depth of the repetitions to keep the elbows above the horizontal.
3)      Perform pull downs with a closer or even underhand grip.
4)      Reduce the amount of overhead exercise in the program.
5)      Avoid sleeping on the effected side until the pain improves.

If you have problems with your shoulders make sure you book an appointment with The Markland Clinic today call 01285 654059.

The Markland Clinic providing first class specialist Physiotherapy in Cirencester and Swindon

If we can help you in anyway please contact Erica

at Cotswold Leisure Centre, Tetbury Road, Cirencester, Glos, GL7 1WG 01285 654059

at David Lloyd, Latham Road, Swindon, Wilts SN25 4DL 01793 469309

February 13, 2012 | Category: Shoulder, Sports Injury — Tags: pain, shoulder — Kate Markland
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Bench Press and Shoulder Pain

I am interested in your thoughts on bench pressing and shoulder health? Should we be sticking to single arm standing cable pressing for maximum scapula movement to keep our shoulders ‘safe’ or do we just continue on with the big bench presses that are common in todays gyms?

Bench has long been a favourite exercise of body builders, sports people and gym goers for development of hypertrophy and strength in the pecs, triceps and anterior deltoid. This is because bench press tends to get great results due to the ability to maximally load the muscles i.e. weight lifted/intensity.

In short I agree with what you have been taught, there is a lack of scapula (shoulder blade) retraction during the bench press which results in increased movement at the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint). The anterior shear of the humeral head (ball of shoulder) will stress the anterior glenohumeral joint and potentially cause problems. It is my opinion that this stress on the anterior capsule only becomes problematic in cases where significant laxity is already present, for example in people with previous capsular injury such as dislocation and subluxation or with multi-dirctional instability.

If you bench press heavy enough and frequently enough – areas will be overloaded and then injured.

Ensuring correct technique will help to minimise the inevitable overload.

Tips for avoiding bench press related injuries.

1) Periodisation: schedule breaks from bench pressing every 6 weeks or so and substitute exercises that allow more scapula movement such as cable press and push ups. Even bench or dumb bell pressing on a swiss ball allows more scapula movement than a bench does. Also be careful to make gradual increases in intensity and volume only.

2) Roller/Towel: place a rolled up towel or 1/2 foam roller longways along the bench. This may also allow more scapula retraction.

3) Technique: always be careful of technique ie controlled movement without any bouncing.

4) Range: Reduce the range so that the bar is only lowered to 10cm above the chest.

5) Grip Width: vary your grip width regularly. Generally a narrower grip width reduces loading on the above mentioned structures.

The Markland Clinic providing first class specialist Physiotherapy in Cirencester and Swindon

If we can help you in anyway please contact Erica

at Cotswold Leisure Centre, Tetbury Road, Cirencester, Glos, GL7 1WG 01285 654059

at David Lloyd, Latham Road, Swindon, Wilts SN25 4DL 01793 469309

December 5, 2011 | Category: Shoulder, Sports Injury, Training Tips — Tags: elbow, shoulder, sports injury, tendonitis, tennis — Kate Markland
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5 Tips To Save Your Shoulders

Shoulder pain is one of the most common problems treated by physiotherapists and sports physicians, and is particularly common in those who participate in health and fitness-related activities. In previous posts I have talked about some of the most common conditions that we see related to the shoulder, including referred pain, acromioclavicular joint and rotator cuff injuries. In this article I will give a more general overview of the recommendations we make to our physiotherapy clients to assist in the prevention of shoulder related injuries.

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The Markland Clinic providing first class specialist Physiotherapy in Cirencester and Swindon

If we can help you in anyway please contact Erica

at Cotswold Leisure Centre, Tetbury Road, Cirencester, Glos, GL7 1WG 01285 654059

at David Lloyd, Latham Road, Swindon, Wilts SN25 4DL 01793 469309

October 31, 2011 | Category: Shoulder, Sports Injury — Tags: shoulder, sports injury — Kate Markland
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Polo injuries

Many sports such as rugby, football and ice hockey have much higher injury rates than polo. However the severity of the injuries occurring in polo is high, with 64% of polo injuries classiﬁed as major. For example, fractures following falls are common.

Polo is a demanding athletic activity which combines coordination between the riders, horses, and swinging mallets. Signiﬁcant forces are at play on the ﬁeld as the horses may weigh up to 500 kg and gallop at speeds approaching 65 km/h. This energy is transmitted via the rider through the mallet into the ball.

Injury can be caused by

falls
equipment failures (saddles, stirrups)
collisions
impacts from mallets and balls

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The Markland Clinic providing first class specialist Physiotherapy in Cirencester and Swindon

If we can help you in anyway please contact Erica

at Cotswold Leisure Centre, Tetbury Road, Cirencester, Glos, GL7 1WG 01285 654059

at David Lloyd, Latham Road, Swindon, Wilts SN25 4DL 01793 469309

June 7, 2011 | Category: Elbow, Wrist and Hand, Foot and Ankle, Knees, Shoulder, Sports Injury — Tags: back, knee, polo, shoulder, sports injury — Kate Markland
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Acromioclavicular joint separations

AC or acromio-clavicular joint separations are common injuries in a number of sports including football and rugby. Separation of the AC joint is not the same as a shoulder dislocation. Shoulder dislocation involves the glenohumeral (ball and socket) joint.

The acromio-clavicular joint connects the collarbone (clavicle) to the acromium, which is a bony extension on the top of the scapula (shoulder blade).

This injury is typically a result of impact on the shoulder or falling on an outstretched arm (for example, a goalie stretching to make a save).

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The Markland Clinic providing first class specialist Physiotherapy in Cirencester and Swindon

If we can help you in anyway please contact Erica

at Cotswold Leisure Centre, Tetbury Road, Cirencester, Glos, GL7 1WG 01285 654059

at David Lloyd, Latham Road, Swindon, Wilts SN25 4DL 01793 469309

May 9, 2011 | Category: Shoulder, Sports Injury — Tags: football, shoulder, sports injury — Kate Markland
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Defrost your frozen shoulder

‘Frozen shoulder’ or adhesive capsulitis is used to describe a problem we commonly see. It accounts for about 1/5 of shoulder problems.

It usually comes on for no particular reason in the over-40s. Sometimes it follows an injury or fall onto the shoulder.

It is said to go through 3 phases:

Freezing (painful)
Frozen (stiff)
Thawing (recovery)

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The Markland Clinic providing first class specialist Physiotherapy in Cirencester and Swindon

If we can help you in anyway please contact Erica

at Cotswold Leisure Centre, Tetbury Road, Cirencester, Glos, GL7 1WG 01285 654059

at David Lloyd, Latham Road, Swindon, Wilts SN25 4DL 01793 469309

February 6, 2011 | Category: Shoulder — Tags: frozen shoulder, shoulder — Kate Markland
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Shoulder or arm pain? Check your neck

It is very common for neck problems to refer pain into the shoulder and arm, ust in the same way that the lower back can refer pain into the leg.

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The Markland Clinic providing first class specialist Physiotherapy in Cirencester and Swindon

If we can help you in anyway please contact Erica

at Cotswold Leisure Centre, Tetbury Road, Cirencester, Glos, GL7 1WG 01285 654059

at David Lloyd, Latham Road, Swindon, Wilts SN25 4DL 01793 469309

Category: Elbow, Wrist and Hand, Neck Pain and Headaches, Shoulder — Tags: elbow, hand, headache, neck, shoulder, wrist — Kate Markland
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Rotator cuff problems?

The rotator cuff is the group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilise the shoulder. The four muscles that form the the rotator cuff all start on the shoulder blade and their tendons blend together together to attach to the head of the humerus (top of the upper arm).

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The Markland Clinic providing first class specialist Physiotherapy in Cirencester and Swindon

If we can help you in anyway please contact Erica

at Cotswold Leisure Centre, Tetbury Road, Cirencester, Glos, GL7 1WG 01285 654059

at David Lloyd, Latham Road, Swindon, Wilts SN25 4DL 01793 469309

January 31, 2011 | Category: Shoulder — Tags: shoulder — Kate Markland
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Shoulder anatomy

Let’s begin our series of posts on the shoulder by looking at its anatomy. (more…)

The Markland Clinic providing first class specialist Physiotherapy in Cirencester and Swindon

If we can help you in anyway please contact Erica

at Cotswold Leisure Centre, Tetbury Road, Cirencester, Glos, GL7 1WG 01285 654059

at David Lloyd, Latham Road, Swindon, Wilts SN25 4DL 01793 469309

January 30, 2011 | Category: Shoulder — Tags: shoulder — Kate Markland
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