Pain and Dysfunction, the tip of the iceberg

Have you ever poked around the outside of your hip or the top of your shoulder and say to your self, “something is tight in there”? Usually preceded by an explicative. Then you feel that tight muscle and try to stretch the living day light out of it? In some cases that “tight” muscle is what is clinically called a “hypertoned” muscle. It is an “abnormally increased or excessive muscle tone often with increased resistance to stretch, but possible with a normal resting length.” (Lavoilette, T.) And can involve a shortening of connective tissue (contracture) or over active nervous tissue (spasm). Tight muscles can cause pain and tenderness,(anyone ever feel that?) from knots and muscle spasm. I’m pretty sure there is a good chunk of us out there with a painfully tight muscle.

So, lets dial in on the pain and tenderness because some/most of us workout with some degree of pain. Pain is completely relative. But how your body responds to a stimulus resulting in pain is the same. What does that mean to us as Crossfiters? It all depends on the cause of the pain and in our particular case pain is associated with repetitive stress. Which, if not kept in check, results in injury. According to David Magee a professor in the Department of physical therapy at U of A, there are 7 levels to the “Severity of repetitive stress Injuries”:

Level 1: Pain after specific Activity

Level 2: Pain at the start of activity usually residing with warm-up

Level 3: Pain during and after activity, not affecting performance

Level 4: Pain during and after activity, that DOES affect performance

Level 5: Pain with activities of daily living (ie. walking to the store, reaching for object, walking up stairs)

Level 6: Constant dull aching pain present at rest and does not disturb sleep

Level 7: Constant dull aching pain present at rest that DOES disturb sleep

The tightness of a muscle(s) and the repetitive strain that we put on our selves can be caused by many things such as abnormalities in posture, positioning, and movement patterns. Chronically tight muscles can cause a decrease in range of motion affecting the joints that the specific muscle(s) crosses. While causing an increase or excessive amount of range in other joints. Best example, a lack in shoulder mobility can be caused by tight chest, lats, deltoid – the big movers, and will potentially cause an increase or excessive range of motion in the spine, or upper back.  Tight hips (hip flexors, groin muscles and butt muscles) can cause an increase in range within the low back (lumbar spine).

We can all present with varying levels at various body parts. What’s your worst?

We all know what this is right? But, Not all of us are using it. Those not using it, may not need it. But I am talking to those who do. Trigger point therapy allows us to perform what they call a “Myofascial Compression Technique” where, you find a tight/tender spot and you let the roller affect that muscle. What it does is, as it compresses in to the muscle it sends an inhibitory response to the muscle’s nervous component and tells it to relax or stop firing. The roller can also address the connective tissue component of a tight muscle by mechanically breaking down the tissue increasing tissue fluidity and elasticity. This can also decrease pain. This addresses what was mentioned earlier, hypertoned muscles and repetitive stress. This is a compression technique, meaning you slowly find a spot and you literally let the roller press in to the tissue and let it do its thing. After sitting on it for  awhile, slowly start to move the part of your limb that is farthest from the roller while keeping the roller in its spot. This can induce a lot of pain. This usually is an indication for more work. If there is a lot of pain, pull back and work areas above and below that spot or try and adjust the pressure. Too much pain can make the muscle go in to a painful spasm or rebound harder than before getting on it, any pain that you are grimacing through is a pretty good indication that its too much. There is A LOT of value in painless or less painful therapy. So, go slow and breathe deep. Follow this rolling session with a nice stretch to the muscle(s) that you just rolled out. For more fun, do some contract relax/hold relax stretch to the same muscle, the contraction is performed at a 10-15% strength. Here is a link on more PNF stretching http://www.stretching-exercises-guide.com/pnf-stretching.html

Warm Up:

Fast Hips
3 Rounds with a Partner of:

8 Double Wallballs
8 Sprawl Balls

Tech: Hang Power Clean (2,2,2,2,2)

WOD:

Elizabeth
21-15-9
Power Clean
Ring Dip

Big love, ROLL OUT

Team TBear