Tracy McGrady's Back Pain

I just read an article about Tracy McGrady's Back Pain and how he is sidelined now indefinitely. I know that around 80 - 90% of the population end up with back pain sometime in their life, but it amazes me that no one has been able to help Tracy McGrady out. I specialize primarily in reducing or eliminating back pain, and I rarely find it hard to figure out the cause of the problem. If doctors can't find anything from the X-Rays or MRIs, then often it's simply some posture deviations that are causing the nerves to be pinched. Once the posture deviations are eliminated, 99% of the time the pain is either eliminated or greatly reduced. You then just have to find the right things to do to get the posture lined back up. Some people go to chiropractors who will adjust the spine and get the alignment straight again. Physical therapist will work on the muscles and stretch and strengthen individual muscles until the pelvis and back are in alignment. Sometimes people need both types of treatment. Honestly, both treatments have advantages and disadvantages, and they aren't both guaranteed to work. Personal trainers have a very simple posture assesment analysis that they are able to do that works pretty well as well. It's based off physical therapy principles and posture alignment, and I have seen it really change some people's lives.

I wish I had a chance to evaluate Tracy McGrady and see if something as simple as a posture deviation is causing his aches and pains. I'm sure he's recieving top care though, and hopefully whatever the problem is, they will find it and get him back on the court soon.

Mirror Muscles

A recent article entitled Back to the Future: Get Cracking on Improving Your Vertebrae is so random it is hard to follow, but it made enough important points that I had to post it. They use one of my favorite phrases of all time, "Mirror Muscles". Mirror Muscles are those muscles that you can see when you look in the mirror. Everyone is obsessed with their chest, abs, sometimes shoulders, biceps, and quadriceps (front of the leg). They usually neglect their back, glutes (butt), triceps, and hamstrings (back of the leg). So you have someone that is very well developed in the front and the back of them is way behind. Why do people do this?

Well vanity is the number one reason I would say people do it. They want to look good, so they work on what they see. The danger in this is that it creates some serious problems long term. You eventually get to the point where you are slumping forward because of an improper balance of muscle strength throughout the body. The picture to the left isn't the best picture, but it shows what happens over time when you do have bad posture. Forward heard, rounded back, and anterior pelvic tilt. The more you sit and stand incorrectly, the more you begin looking like the picture. Once you start slumping you may experience lower back pain, upper back pain, neck pain, and/or headaches. Dealing with this condition has become a huge part of my personal training. It seems that almost everyone has a problem with this, and the more we sit in cars, or work in front of the computer with bad posture, the worse it gets. So it's not just the gym that causes it, it's also our lifestyle.

One great resource I found was an article done by the APTA (American Physical Therapy Association). They made a informational pdf resource on proper posture. Chiropractic Care can also be beneficial for posture correction. I don't have an information sheet like I had for the APTA, but Dr. Barnwell, in Katy, TX has some information on his website about posture.

To revisit the article I first mentioned, in the article they mentioned doing 'Supermans'. I'm going to improve on that a little bit and instead mention Floor Cobras. It's a much better exercise and is easier to do correctly. (It also mentions some plyometric movements, but I don't even want to start on that topic right now.) Let me include some information on the floor cobra to help you out.

Floor Cobra (Info from ptonthenet.com)

Difficulty Level : Beginner
Muscle Group(s) : Core Back and Neck
Modality : Stability
Benefits : Core, Glutes, Middle and lower traps.
Pre-Requisites :

1. Clients should have education in core and glute activation.



2. Clients should be able to activate glutes, erectors and hamstrings in correct sequence.

Preparation :

1. Laying face down on the floor-in prone position, have arms beside your hips.



2. Activate core by drawing in navel towards spine and squeezing glutes.
   
   

Movement :

1. With core and glutes activated, lift chest off the floor, lift arms up and back towards the hips rotating thumbs towards the ceiling.



2. Pause momentarily at the top of the lift then return to starting position; at all times keeping the chin tucked into the chest.



3. Upon completion of the movement, repeat.



4. Don't over emphasize arching of the back to lift the chest off the floor. Only lift to where the client is comfortable-no lower back pain should be felt. If so check sequencing of glute, erectors and hamstrings.