The back bones connected to the hip bone, the hip bones connected to the thigh bone….do you remember this song? Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Bones!
Our bodies are this wonderfully organic and adaptable machine, almost too adaptable. Everyone I talk to lately is suffering from an injury – some are debilitating and some are just nagging. This got me thinking about how magical and wonderful the human body really is.
Unfortunately and fortunately the human body adapts when we are injured. Unfortunately because this causes other anatomical problems and fortunately because we can still function and be productive. Pain medications are almost detrimental for some – we go to the orthopedic specialist and they give us a shot of cortisone and magically that sore shoulder is “100 percent”; we pop 800 mg of ibuprofen and magically that nuisance in our wrist is gone! But then all the sudden your neck and jaw bone start to ache, or your elbow starts to ache and feels like it is on fire…but I didn’t even injury my elbow! What is going on?
Dem bones, dem bones, dem bones, dem bones!
Anatomy has always…and I mean ALWAYS…made my head hurt. WHAT ASSHOLE CAME UP WITH THESE NAMES!? Why can’t the tetanic contraction just be called a painful spasm? Or a plexus be called knitted? Oh that’s right….we can’t have a cult without fancy jargon. A short…very short…lesson on muscle connections. Our bodies have 250,000,000 muscle cells and 420,000 motor neurons. A motor neuron pairs up with a bunch of muscle cells to make a muscle fiber. The motor neuron is the messenger that runs back and forth between the Central Nervous System and the muscle fiber relaying messages…like contract – or for laymen like me…SQUEEZE. Or relax. One single muscle can be a number of motor units – and they all work together, when the muscle needs to do work the Central Nervous System sends out stimulating electric messages saying DO WORK! If your neck needs to do work it is going to rely on some of the muscle fibers from your shoulder. One central area….all dem muscles.
Nerves – they are everywhere!! Your Lumbosacral Plexus is a nerve plexus (knit) where your spinal nerves intersect. They work the muscles in the lower body, such as calves, knees, groins, thigh, abdomen and lower back. This is where an anesthesiologist would perform a nerve block for the lower body. So one central area….all dem nerves.
Bones – they support and protect organs and produce white and red blood cells and store minerals. They come in all shapes and sizes and a complex structure. Your bones have all sorts of tissues inside them: marrow, endosteum, periosteum, nerves, blood vessels and cartilage. Bones are amazing….a matchbox size of bone can support nine tons! That is four times the amount that concrete can. Dem bones, dem bones, dem bones.
I broke my foot last May and I found ways to keep training. I did one legged burpees and other exercises bilaterally. This was amazing that I adapted to this pain – I have done this with every single injury to date, I hurt my shoulder – I test out different exercises to see what I can do and then I just do them. Hyperextended my elbow…test out different exercises to see what I can do. Again I find this amazing because I have given birth twice and both times I cried, screamed and even threatened to cut people if they didn’t give me drugs. You would think that the idea of having a whole new human being to love, care for and call my own would have been enough to keep me focused – but threaten my mental health with an injury and the possibility that I can’t train and I am the terminator.
It’s all connected…just like the song we learned in pre-school taught us. So what can we do about it? Stretch, strengthen, massage and manage your pain….all appropriately.
Stretch…if you are over 30 and not stretching I don’t know how you are a productive human. Seriously, stretching for me was no longer a should-do and a must-do once I pushed 30. If you are young get in the habit of stretching – it is a very hard habit to develop and it fucking sucks developing it just because you are injured. Nothing sucks worse than working out and getting your muscles warm, the blood and adrenaline flowing and then saying fuck you stretches, then cooling off and trying to scrape your sorry ass off the floor/bench/couch and then hobbling around for three days all cause of your lazy inability to create a new habit (and when I say you…I mean me).
Strengthen…but do it the right way – if you have an injury and you still want to train, but if you are unsure of how to train the right way with an injury go to a physical therapist……..I SAID A PHYSICAL THERAPIST….not a personal trainer…sorry but they are not trained to deal with injuries. A Physical Therapist attends school for about 6 years and is required by LAW to be licensed. If your personal trainer who has their Level I (or Level II) Certification with XF or there online certificate from AFAA is telling you they know injuries they are full of shit and you should run away. The lines should not be blurred between medical treatment and personal trainers. A personal trainer or coach is there to design you a safe workout program and teach you proper form. Nothing more.
Massage…….I can’t tell you enough how much massage saved my fitness career – I get one at least once a month and more if I am hammering away on a goal. Massages have been hands down the best muscle therapy for me personally. I don’t believe in chiropractors – sorry. I think it is pseudoscience.
Manage your pain – if you get a cortisone shot and your orthopedic told you to rehab for 6 weeks. Rehab for six weeks. Just because the fire was put out by the medicine doesn’t mean the smoke is cleared. Pain is your bodies way of saying “hey asshole, don’t do that” – your body really does know best. Our bodies talk to us all the time, we just have to listen. If you are tired that means rest, or sleep not pound coffee, NSAIDS and hit it hard. I can’t explain enough how stressful lifting is on the Central Nervous System. Add in lack of rest, injuries, pain meds, caffeine and mismanagement of stress and you are asking for cumulative injuries.
Dem bones, Dem bone, Dem bones….be good to them, you only get one set.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-motor-unit.htm
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-lumbar-plexus.htm
