The Rehab Guy: Q&A
Q: My chiropractor, a former amateur bodybuilder (so no stranger to the weightroom), told me recently that I shouldn't train my 14-year-old soon-to-be brother-in-law with anything more than bodyweight resistance. He argues that, for someone who's still growing, their bones/joints/etc., are still shifting and can be permanently set out-of-whack by too much external resistance. Granted, I was planning on having him mainly do negative push-ups, planks, chin-ups, and goblet squats with a dumbbell for the first few months, but it's hard to imagine leaving out those goblet squats because of those kinds of fears. Sounds an awful lot like that "lifting weights stunts your growth" old wives' tale to me. Is there any actual sound basis to this in any research you've ever heard of? Do you have any smarter ideas on how to train a 14-year-old athlete that wouldn't cause problems down the line? Thanks in advance!
A: Man you guys are really trying to piss me off today!
Ask him what kind of forces are imposed on your child's joints every time they run, cut, land, etc.
Then, ask him how much stress is placed on them in the weight room using light-to-moderate loads (they shouldn't be doing 3 RM's at this point!)
The bottom line is, normal sporting movement places far more stress and strain on the body than smart weight training.
Unfortunately, this is one of those old wives' tales that just won't die. I appreciate the fact that he's looking out for your child, but quite honestly, there's no literature to support his stance.
–Mike
Q: I have a bone growth in the back of my right heel. I believe it's called a heel cup. I've been struggling with it for over a year and after anytime I jog or run or heaven-forbid sprint on it, it hurts for about a week. I've tried icing and stretching it so far. But, no matter what, it always gets inflamed the day after any sort of run. Will this always be the case? Will I never be able to sprint again? How do you get rid of this nagging pain? Sometimes it hurts even to walk.
A: I actually bruised me heel in high school during baseball/volleyball season. Yes, I realize my man card just got revoked.
Regardless, that and turf toe were the two WORST injuries I ever had with regards to debilitation.
Have you spoke with your doc about this? I'd imagine they'd want to cut it out, but who knows?
Regardless, I feel your pain man - hope you can figure something out!
–Mike
Q: I've been walking like a duck my whole life and just realized how much damage I've done. I have almost no internal rotation in my hips. What are some stretches or things I can do to fix this?
A: LOL - duck walk, powerlifter walk, it's all the same!
Start by foam rolling your glutes religiously.
Next, you can static stretch them at numerous times throughout the day.
I would also work to drive internal rotation in your warm-up - we use exercises we call windshield wipers in both a prone and supine position.
Basically, hammer the sh*t out of that mobility until it loosens up. Chances are your hips AND your lower back will thank you!
–Mike