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Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

Functional Training // Injury Rehabilitation // Running Analysis

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Browsing Category Tennis Conditioning

Mobility Monday # 7: Self-Assessing and Improving Overhead Shoulder Motion

March 14, 2016 · by Garrett McLaughlin
| Article written on March 10th, 2016 at 10:21am | Follow Garrett on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |

Didn’t get a chance to get out my previous #MobilityMonday posts? Here is a list of what you missed:

  1. Great Toe
  2. Ankle
  3. Hip (Adductors)
  4. Hip (Hip Flexor & Posterior Capsule)
  5. Hip (Hamstring Flexibility & Pelvic Positioning)
  6. Thoracic Spine

The shoulder joint has a large range of motion that often becomes restricted from lack of movement through it’s full range. This is especially true as we go overhead. In particular, the latissimus dorsi, teres major, and long head of the tricep can limit shoulder flexion. I often find this scenario in cyclists and those who sit at disk for extended periods of time.

In the following video, I will provide a simple self-assessment to determine tightness in shoulder flexion and ways to improve any limitations you may have. The previous thoracic spine post will also be valuable to check out since it has a strong impact on shoulder function.

 

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

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Mobility Monday #3: Addressing Adductor Length to Improve Hip Mobility

February 15, 2016 · by Garrett McLaughlin
| Article written on February 15th, 2016 at 05:00am | Follow Garrett on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |

Welcome to a new series I created, called Mobility Monday. In this weekly series (always happening on Monday, duh), I will provide a video on anything mobility related that has an impact on movement. Initially, we will start from the ground up to provide insight on how to self-assess, stretch, mobilize, and improve function at various joints and soft-tissue structures. Don’t just watch the videos and go on your way, but try the self-assessment to see how you match up. Be on the look out for several guests to spread the mobility word from their perspective. I hope you enjoy it!


Didn’t get a chance to check out last weeks post on the ankle, which got a ton of views? Click here to watch that video before going any further.

We could spend months discussing the hip in terms of mobility. That’s why I wanted to break it up into several different videos to explore various structures within and surrounding the joint.

First, the often neglected adductors deserve our attention. This group of muscles located at the inner thigh are often missed from a flexibility and mobility standpoint.There’s a good chance you have never felt the need to target them because most people only function in the sagittal plane (all motions forward and backward, no lateral or rotational). This can cause restriction in the adductors with limitation moving the leg away from midline. Watch the video below to learn more…

 

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

Mobility Monday #2: Self-Assessing and Enhancing Ankle Motion

February 8, 2016 · by Garrett McLaughlin
| Article written on February 8th, 2016 at 12:01am | Follow Garrett on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |

Welcome to a new series I created, called Mobility Monday. In this weekly series (always happening on Monday, duh), I will provide a video on anything mobility related that has an impact on movement. Initially, we will start from the ground up to provide insight on how to self-assess, stretch, mobilize, and improve function at various joints and soft-tissue structures. Don’t just watch the videos and go on your way, but try the self-assessment to see how you match up. Be on the look out for several guests to spread the mobility word from their perspective. I hope you enjoy it!


Didn’t get a chance to check out last weeks post on the great toe? Click here to watch that video before going any further.

This week we will be focusing on the ankle… The ankle is an important joint that provides value to tasks such as balance, single leg stability, propulsion in running and jumping, and absorption upon landing. In our modern society, wearing heel-elevated footwear has been linked to limitations in ankle dorsiflexion. Dorsiflexion is an important range of motion that allows for a proper gait/running cycle and lower extremity biomechanics. Knee pain and gluteal inhibition have also been linked to poor ankle dorsiflexion. Watch the video below to learn more…

 

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

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[NEW SERIES] Mobility Monday: The Great Toe

February 1, 2016 · by Garrett McLaughlin
| Article written on February 1st, 2016 at 6:00am | Follow Garrett on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |

Welcome to a new series I created, called Mobility Monday. In this weekly series (always happening on Monday, duh), I will provide a video on anything mobility related that has an impact on movement. Initially, we will start from the ground up to provide insight on how to self-assess, stretch, mobilize, and improve function at various joints and soft-tissue structures. Don’t just watch the videos and go on your way, but try the self-assessment part and see how you match up. I hope you enjoy it!


First up, let’s check out the great toe. The great toe is ridiculously important when it comes to gait and running mechanics in the lower extremity. When the great toe is limited in extension, it doesn’t allow for proper loading and propulsion through the joint. What happens as a result? We compensate. Our body is very efficient in finding the path of least resistance and that’s what it does.

Watch the video below to learn more…

 

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

 

Exercise of the Month: Suitcase Carry

December 3, 2015 · by Garrett McLaughlin
| Article written on December 3rd, 2015 at 10:23am | Follow Garrett on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |

The suitcase carry is an invaluable exercise that is easily executed. When looking at everyday movements that challenge the core, carrying objects in one arm is common. During these tasks the opposite side core has to remain rigid to prevent the downward force of the object. This requires active contraction in muscles such as: the internal/external oblique, quadratus lumborum, intertransversarii, rectus abdominis, erector spinae, and transverse abdominis. Active tension and monitoring from the nervous system is what creates a stable spine.

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How to properly execute this exercise:

  1. Find a heavy weight that causes the body to tilt laterally while holding it
  2. Hold weight in one hand and hang by the side of the body
  3. Adjust alignment so the body is tall and the shoulders are level (a mirror is valuable here)
  4. Walk for the desired distance while maintaining proper positioning
  5. Repeat with the weight in the other hand

Note: The heavier weight will cause proper activation of the core. If the weight isn’t heavy enough this exercise will be ineffective. Don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone! But, as the weight increases, the tendency to laterally tilt does too. Use a mirror and ensure the shoulders remain level through the walk.

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

Mobility Matters Foam Rolling Clinic: A Review

October 9, 2015 · by Garrett McLaughlin
| Article written on October 9th, 2015 at 10:15am | Follow Garrett on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |

Mobility Matters JPEG

Last night, Leah Sawyer and myself held a foam rolling, learn by doing, clinic at Nashville Running Company in East Nashville. We were pleased that this event sold out a week ahead of time and was filled with people eager to learn how to better utilize the foam roller and take self-myofascial release to the next level.

I wanted to use this post as a follow-up, to answer several questions people had throughout the night. After every seminar I attend/instruct, I feels it’s valuable to review my notes and reflect on what I learned. This helps tie everything together in a way that can then be applied in the future. Here we go…

tensor-fasciae-latae1. Don’t Roll the IT Band without the TFL. Leah had a good point when addressing tightness in the IT Band. We always glorify the IT Band as a must roll because it’s role in hip tightness, hip pain, and lateral knee pain. But, how often are you getting in the Tensor Fascia Latae (TFL)? The TFL is the muscular portion that starts at the pelvis and turns into the IT Band as it courses down the lateral leg. Click the picture to better understand it’s location in the hip.

2. Tightness in one area may be caused from another. I tried to make this point as we began the clinic while using the lacrosse ball to the plantar foot. While performing the toe touch (doing a forward bend and reaching for the toes), people often can’t touch the toes and complain, “my hamstrings are tight!” While this motion is notoriously known as a “hamstring” stretch, it causes complete lengthening of the superficial back line (SBL). The SBL is a fascial line that runs from the toes, along the backside of the body, all the way to the head. Rolling a lacrosse ball on the bottom of the foot can often unwind some of the restricted tissue within this line and allow for more depth within the toe touch. If this is the case, is it only the hamstrings that are tight? This situation can be true in other areas throughout the body. Try working into the areas above, below, and along the fascial lines when you have restriction. Below is a video of Leah and myself demonstrated a release of the foot with a lacrosse ball.

3. When should I foam roll? Great question! It all depends. What are the goals you want to achieve with foam rolling? If we are looking for increasing muscle length and decreasing tone within a muscle, foam rolling done before static stretching will provide the best results. I typically emphasize this prior to a work out when we aren’t warm and the muscles overly elastic. But, foam rolling can also be done following a workout or on off-days to help improve recovery. Several studies show that foam rolling after bouts of exercise caused a decrease in perceived muscle soreness. Super sore from a workout or training run? Try foam rolling after to get your body ready to take on the next one!

4. The suboccipitals are a great area to use a lacrosse ball when suffering from headaches or upper cervical, muscular tightness. These 4 muscles (rectus capitus posterior major, rectus capitus posterior minor, superior oblique, and inferior oblique) are very active with cervical movement, monitoring head/neck positioning, and actually responding to eye movements (even when the eyes are closed). When tight and fibrotic, they can be a cause of unrelenting headaches. Therefore, they need to be addressed in your self-myofascial release routine. Watch a video on how to release the suboccipitals below.

For those of you who attended our Mobility Matters clinic, Leah and I thank you! If you were unable to attend and are interested in learning more, join us for the next one on December 3rd at 7pm, at Nashville Running Company in East Nashville.

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

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