The Aging Powerlifter

Powerlifting Articles

The Aging Powerlifter:

Age has gotten the best of me these last few years. Two partially arthritic hips and a rotator cuff injury in my shoulder have left me in pain and had begun limiting my progress and my way of life. The 2004 Arnold Classic was the boiling point as I partially tore the IT band in my right leg and partially tore my quad. I pondered retirement and thought maybe treatment would heal me quickly and save my pain.

I researched a method called “ART” and thought it sounded like it might work. I was educated to know that it was painful but worthwhile. And for me, if it meant results, then the pain would be worth it.

How little I knew then! The pain can sometimes be quite intense and at other times a quick reliever. But with each session I began to see improvement-most noticeably in my range of motion, decreased pain and improved strength.

I hooked up with Dr. Chris Wellwood who has treated sports professionals before and he began with an initial assessment of my condition. He was blown away at how little of range of motion I had in my shoulder. My hip was the lowest concern on the list. What I found out is that I also had some muscle unevenness in my erectors in my back. Now I know why my left knee had begun having problems and my right hip had problems. My unevenness was twisting the bar in the squat and causing it to throw the weight forward on my left side and pull back on my right. So, the load was being transferred to my left knee and right hip.

The first few sessions we spent entirely on my shoulder and correcting my spinal erectors. In two weeks I felt new again. But without treatment, my hip still lagged behind. The next few sessions were spent entirely on the hip as it was needed to be strong for the upcoming GNC Show of Strength and the WPC World’s in Fresno, California.

What I have found, that as I age, my body is at the strongest stage it has ever been in, with decreased pain. I believe in this treatment and wish to share with you what some of the treatments were that were performed on me. Dr. Chris Wellwood’s info is posted below:

“Sports Injuries in the Professional Athlete;
a Discussion of Common Treatments”
By: Dr. Christopher Wellwood

Being a Chiropractor specializing in soft tissue and sports injuries presents some interesting problems. Anything from a torn rotator cuff from bench pressing to knee injuries during squats can come in and they all want the same thing: to get better the quickest way possible. During my career, I have had the unique honor of treating a wide variety of professional sports athletes: football players, pro golfers, marathon runners, cyclists and world-class weightlifters.

What therapies are available for quick and complete recovery: All your worries of a prolonged injury recovery and recurring problems in professional sports can be helped through certain therapies such as: ART/MRT, Janda KMP, Cross Friction Massage and PNF. These therapies decrease overall chronic back pain, allow the body to adapt quickly, increase strength, symmetry, performance and decrease scar tissue formation.

ART/MRT

The Basics: What used to be called Myofascial Release Technique is now a trademarked technique called Active Release Technique. In order for a doctor to advertise that they perform ART, one must be certified in the technique by taking several hundred hours of post-graduate study. However, most recent Chiropractic graduates learn this technique within their education where it is called Myofascial Release Technique. This technique is a specialized form of scar tissue/muscle contraction release most often used for sports injuries. It is also effective with low back pain or chronic headaches.
How it Works: ART/MRT works on the principle that scar tissue is laid down on a criss-cross pattern. The technique is used to break up the scar tissue that is not running with the muscle belly or tendon matrix. It is particularly effective on shoulder injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, knee surgeries or hamstring tears. The tissue is broken up by slowly flexing, extending, rotating, or laterally bending the body part injured while the practitioner places his/her thumb or hand in front of the scar tissue. As the athlete moves the body part, the scar tissue moves under the practitioners thumb, thereby breaking up the tissue and allowing the muscle / ligament / tendon to move freely and often reports a feeling of “rice crispies” when the scar tissue is being broken up. There are stages of therapy for this technique and it is important that you find a person knowledgeable in anatomy and nerve function because of the specific movements required during treatments.
The Pros: This is a quick fix for the problem, which helps the athlete “almost overnight”. The sessions can last anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes in duration depending on how many sites need to be addressed and the severity of the tear. The actual therapy itself is used with some sort of lotion, which is most beneficial if it is an analgesic cream to help dull the pain.
The Cons: Finding a practitioner who is knowledgeable of MRT or certified in ART can be daunting, as this is almost an exclusively Chiropractic therapy. The sessions may also be prohibitive for athletes in the inflammatory stages of healing because it may actually cause more inflammation to the area if not performed correctly. Repeated treatments may also be necessary and it is virtually impossible to perform the treatments on your own, so it is best to find someone either certified in ART, a Chiropractor who has the initials CCSP, or a therapist knowledgeable in MRT. ART courses can be taught to any professional who deals with muscle work.
Costs and Other Factors: Costs for individual sessions of ART/MRT can range from $25 per session for non-certified practitioners to well over $50 per session for certified ART practitioners. The good part is that most of the bill can go directly to your insurance carrier depending on what health insurance coverage you have. However, the doctor may want you to pay out of pocket for the extra time they put into the treatments. It has been my experience that a typical treatment duration is anywhere from 3-8 treatments. Treatments are best performed with one day in between visits to allow the body time to heal and deal with the inflammation.

Muscular Imbalance Treatment,
Janda Key Movement Patterns

The Basics: Janda (prn. Yanda), or otherwise known as Janda Key Movement Patterns is named after Dr. Vladmir Janda, M.D. The technique arose with the discovery that muscles fire in specific sequences during the contracting and relaxing stages. If the muscle doesn’t fire correctly, the body compensates by allowing different muscle groups to bulk up while others get smaller. This can easily be seen when a body builder performs a back pose and it looks as though one side is larger than the other, especially in the lower back/QL area. Altered movement patterns are responsible for recurrent hamstring pulls, chronic neck pain, lateral knee pain, and rotator cuff pain syndromes. Typical Janda practitioners refer to over- developments in the “upper cross and lower cross syndromes”.
How it Works: The technique forms the basis of many neuro-muscular re-education programs for people with chronic back pain or headaches and especially people with very poor posture.. Basically, the practitioner is trying to make the body move in the correct patterns by stretching, performing light tissue work, and muscle building exercises on the weak or smaller side to balance out the two sides of the body. Janda work can be performed on the low back/hip, neck, trunk flexors, trunk extensors, abductors and adductors.
The Pros: Janda work is a relatively complex low-tech therapy that can be performed with minimal supervision in the office. The therapist can give the patient exercises to perform and supervise them as little as once per week during the treatments to make sure the firing patterns are correcting and that the athlete is performing the exercises in the correct sequence. With proper movement patterns, a more symmetrical look can be obtained for competition class body builders. Proper movement patterns have been shown to decrease chronic low back pain and headaches in individuals.
The Cons: Once again finding a practitioner who knows what Janda is can be tenuous at best. It has been my experience that most Physical Therapists and Chiropractors know little if anything about Janda work. Also, a detailed examination is necessary to begin the treatment, which is performed by having the athlete move in specified patterns. The examination is time consuming and often very detailed. The total duration of the treatment varies from patient to patient and may last as long as 12 weeks to obtain optimal levels for a poorly trained individual, this is also due to the body having to relearn various movements. I have personally found that heavy lifters have extremely poor movement patterns from years of lifting incorrectly, which often leads to recurrent injuries.
Costs and Other Factors: The knowledge of anatomy and the nervous system is paramount for the practitioner as they are trying to alter the way the brain controls the body. Costs for therapies range from $25 to $50 per session lasting anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. The initial consultation can range from $65 to $120 and last 30 minutes to 45 minutes. Proper Key Movement Patterns can be accomplished in as little as 3 weeks, or 4 visits. However, more difficult cases can take months with only minimal supervision. Most insurance companies do pay for this service but the practitioner may also need to charge you directly for the work To find a qualified practitioner, I would suggest talking to a newer Chiropractic graduate or Physical Therapist.

Cross Friction Massage

The Basics: Cross Friction Massage has been around in Physical Medicine for decades. It is a proven technique for dealing with scar tissue formation. It is a therapy which is similar in principle and theory as ART.
How it Works: Where ART is used with some lotion, Cross Friction Massage is used on an already formed scar tissue without the use of any analgesic cream or lotion. The entire process is meant to cause friction between the practitioners thumb and the muscle/scar tissue in order to break up the cross- pattern matrix. Instead of the patient flexing and extending their body part, it is placed in its most elongated position with the patient resting carefully. The practitioner then applied light forces at first going across the scar tissue. As the treatment progresses, more and more pressure is applied with the patients tolerance over a period of 5 to 20 minutes, with an average of 12 minutes for maximum benefit. The patient usually goes through phases of pain, such as dullness, sharp, and numbness.
The Pros: This technique is excellent for long forgotten sports injuries, especially biceps tendonitis, Achilles tears, and chronic ankle sprains/strains. It can last as long as some ART procedures and can be performed in conjunction with ice massage for an analgesic effect. Most Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, and Physical Therapists learn this technique, so it is readily available. The patient also does not exert much force or use any energy during this treatment because they are in a relaxed state and all the work is performed by the therapist.
The Cons: Cross Friction Massage is not very useful in recent injuries, as it causes increased inflammation and is almost used exclusively on old scar tissue. Also, if the practitioner is not trained well, they will apply too much force during the initial treatments causing increased pain. If this happens, let the practitioner know they are pushing too hard and you cannot relax.
Cost and Other Factors: Typically these procedures are quick and may be included in treatments by your Chiropractor, Massage Therapist or Physical Therapist. However, if you wish to have Cross Friction Massage performed on your without any other therapies, I would suggest a minimum of $20 per session. Since Cross Friction Massage is used for Chronic injuries, sessions tend to be longer in duration, often lasting as long as 3 weeks with 2-3 times per week. Cross Friction Massage is a great technique and may work best in conjunction with other therapies after the initial injury time has elapsed, or 2 weeks after injury when scar tissue is forming.

PNF, Proprioceptive Neuro-Facilitation

The Basics: PNF, or Proprioceptive Neuro-Facilitation is one of the first named stretching techniques developed to rehabilitate the muscle-nerve junction. It was developed in the 1950’s by a Physical Therapist and expanded by other therapists and doctors into differing techniques. Common forms of PNF are post-isometric relaxation, contract/relax, and Post-facilitation stretching.
How it Works: PNF is used for various injuries by moving a body part in an arch or circular motion in specific sequences like Janda Key Movement Patterns. Each pattern has a specific name associated with it. The therapy involves actively talking to the patient to tell them which move to do, to help the patient with arm positioning, to contract against the patient, and to give verbal and non-verbal cues. Each part of the technique is important as PNF is utilized to help the brain control the body part better and it is thought that with the mix of verbal and non-verbal cues, the body responds quickly and properly. PNF is especially useful in shoulder or hip/knee injuries.
The Pros: This technique is very useful in shoulder and hip/knee injuries and should be used in any rehab regimen. It is quick, safe, and effective. The effort required to perform the specific patterns is minimal and the patient needs only to concentrate on the specific task. It is not as important to perform several repetitions, as it is to perform them correctly. This cannot be stressed enough during a therapy session. Pain is also minimalized, but may be felt at the end ranges of motion.
The Cons: Due to the fact that this technique uses passive, active, verbal and non-verbal cues, it can be confusing at first and frustrating to the patient when the therapist is constantly correcting them. Do NOT take this as a put-down, but as how the technique works. Since PNF works on the muscles and nerves, it takes time which may be another factor for the professional athlete. It is also difficult to perform the therapy at home without assistance because of the cues needed.
Costs and Other Factors: Most Physical Therapists and Chiropractors were taught PNF at one time. It is often melded into a host of other stretching techniques such as PIR, Contract/Relax, PFS, and a myriad of others. So, it may be difficult to find someone who actually knows what PNF actually means, although they may indeed practice it everyday. It is best to find a Chiropractor specializing in soft tissue techniques/rehabilitation or a Physical Therapist to perform the technique. Costs range from $25 to $50 per session depending on the time and number of areas to be treated. Again, this is a therapy which is covered by most insurances. The sessions will run anywhere from 3 weeks to 12 weeks depending on the case and 2-3 times per week.

Conclusion: The most important aspect of any sports injury recovery is not delaying treatments. As soon as you are injured, seek immediate help from a qualified professional. Why? Studies have shown that if a person has had more than 4 episodes of pain, or waits more than 7 days from the initial injury to the treatment they risk increasing their recovery time by 2 times the normal amount! An important part of any injury is complete rehabilitation. With a lack of scar tissue, an athlete is able to obtain full range of motion to allow for greater muscle bulk, increased strength, increased endurance, decreased pain while lifting and a less chance of re-injury. With proper movement patterns an athlete can decrease chronic pain, increase their symmetry, increase ranges of motion, have better endurance, and less fatigue. Obviously, with proper movements you have a less chance of re-injury. Balancing pain reduction and increased function should be a part of any quick low-tech high-yield rehab regimen. For a complete rehabilitation program, it is essential that the practitioner utilize therapies with increase function, decrease pain, and decrease the possibility of re- occurrence. Utilizing those therapies here properly will ensure that the professional athlete has that chance to continue on in a competitive nature.

About Dr. Wellwood: Dr. Wellwood currently practices Chiropractic Rehabilitation in Medical Lake, WA (a suburb of Spokane, WA) with a specialty in soft tissue injuries and sports medicine. He is a former Clinical Research Specialist at the Center for Health Research in Portland, OR. He obtained his Bachelors in Biology from Central Washington University and his Doctorate from Western States Chiropractic College. For more information on these or other therapies, he can be reached at chirocw@yahoo.com