Crossfit Winnipeg 0

This weekend I volunteered my services as a Chiropractor, Athletic Therapist and Active Release Techniques provider at the Frostfit Games at the new Crossfit Winnipeg.  For those of you who have not heard of Crossfit this is what it is.

I had the opportunity to meet some great coaches/athletes such as Wendy Novotny, Rich Thomas, Brad Sarna, Lindsay Ingram and others from Crossfit Winnipeg and Crossfit 204.

Crossfit requires both a physical and technical component to perform the exercise programs provided by the coaches. As fatigue sets in technique is of utmost importance.  Since I take technique seriously when it comes to lifting weights my eyes were focused on how the competitors were performing each exercise.  Some performed technique beautifully, while others, well, lets just say, not so beautifully.

The Overhead Squat

The most common problem I treated for the athletes was shoulder pain. This is likely due to the fact that a number of the exercises required the shoulders to be over head, for an extended period of time, and under a significant load.  An example of this is the overhead squat.  The most common position to have the shoulder dislocated is when the shoulder is abducted away from the body and externally rotated.  This places a considerable amount of strain on the front of shoulder joint.

When I look at an athlete with shoulder pain I look at mobility and strength of the shoulder joint, the mobility of the shoulder blade as well as the mobility of the thoracic spine.  All have to be moving optimally and with adequate strength. If an athlete can't extend their thoracic spine far enough their shoulders have to rotate further back therefore adding more strain on the front of the shoulder.

If the athlete's pain was in either the front or the back of the shoulder one of the most common muscles that I found to be hypertonic was the subscapularis muscle.  This is one of the rotator cuff muscles that helps to protect the front of the shoulder.  I also found many of these same athletes had restricted thoracic rotation/extension to the same side as the shoulder.

Active Release Techniques worked fabulously to help release the hypertonicity of the subscapularis muscle.  In addition to treating this muscle, I also provided those who had problems with thoracic mobility with exercises such as ones I mentioned before in a previous blog.

Treating Crossfit athletes, and other athletes,  requires an understanding of the movements they perform, the common errors that occur in their training/competition and understanding that the source of their pain is not always the cause of their pain.  All aspects of movement (mobility, strength, motor control, core activation etc) need to be addressed to tease out the athlete's problem.

I would like to thank Tania at Crossfit Winnipeg for inviting me to take care of the competitors. I would also like to congratulate her on a successful Crossfit Games in a superb facility.

Dr Notley
Treating athletes as a Chiropractor/Athletic Therapist since 2000

P.S. Make sure you read the disclaimer at the bottom of this post.