“Mom, I feel so much better after I workout with you!” I have a 14 year old soccer player. He has been struggling with Osgood Schlatter’s (which they call a disease, which I would both agree and disagree. It’s about biomechancal imbalances which create “dis-ease”) which is pain and pulling of the tibial tuberosity, resulting in inflammation, excess bone growth in response to the tension, and pain with running and after.
My findings in these cases almost always include:
-kids who have huge growth spurts and bouts of growing pain, my hypothesis is their bones grow more rapidly than their soft tissues and in some cases their neural tissue, creating strain and tension
–super tight front of the pelvis-this is different from just tight hip flexors, which they have as well, but stretching them alone or even worse, strengthening them is not addressing the full picture, is ineffective, and in the case of hip flexor strengthening, can be harmful as severe muscle imbalances and inefficient movement patterns are further strengthened and engrained in the system. This is most often from sitting, all day long, rolled back on the pelvis, AND falls to the pelvis. I have also see digestive issues play a role in the mobility of the pelvis.
–tight upper backs, again from sitting flexed and rounded-this creates a loss of mobility in the upper and mid back, which concentrates compensatory motion above and below AND makes it difficult to recruit the pelvis in walking and running.
–inflammation-sugar is the worst,.
–nutritional deficiencies-we are working on improving his Omega 3 and Vitamin D intake along with a good multivitamin. I have run a 3×4 Genetics profile which identifies the need to keep inflammation low (which we ALL should!) and that his body will need extra help in certain metabolic and physiologic processes
–inability and lack of awareness of how to align the body to keep joints healthy during movement
–lack of automatic core recruitment and inner stability of the joints, especially the feet, pelvis, shoulder blades and neck.
His high school team is having summer conditioning and weight lifting. He had done some lifting with the team in the spring and the coach noticed he was “tight” in his hips, however the kid kept trying to lift.
I decided to invite him to come work out with me instead…and thank God, he was open to it! I needed to watch him move through basic strengthening maneuvers, teach him his self care mobility and stability routine, and modify exercises to support his current inefficiencies while he is improving the health of his structure.
It’s been so fun! He is nailing his foam roll routine, working on his feet engagement and bridging, and he is MUCH more aware of his sitting (which I do need to give him a gentle reminder, here and there!)
And I realize how critical this work is for our kids, and for everyone.
Our kids are sitting all day in school, getting tight and stiff, then being asked to train for sport. They are getting stronger in these tight positions
— resulting in growing biomechanical inefficiencies and compensations
–resulting in back pain, knee pain, shin splints, shoulder pain, elbow pain, stress fractures, and tight hamstrings and calves from lumbar spine/disc/nerve root irritation and vulnerability.
These kids are headed towards a life of pain, degeneration, surgeries, toxic pain meds, and joint replacements. We can do lots better.
Looking at the body as a whole is NOT being taught in our Physical Therapy Schools or in Personal Training programs.
Help me spread the awareness and the need for whole body programs to teach our kids how to take care of their bodies and to teach the coaches and athletic trainers these skills as well.
This is why I have created the Engage Method which teaches this awareness and skills needed to optimize movement and strength and stay biomechanically flexible, strong, and healthy in ALL activities, but especially if they are in weight rooms and in sports. The program builds each week, culminating in a quick, effective prehab workout that EVERYONE needs, but again, especially immediately before they train for sport to prepare the body for the upcoming demands. It is 5-6 basic moves to improve and maintain a healthy body inside and out.
Learn more through the Foundations for Functional Health from my website. www.tscfih.com