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DouglasHunter
Jan 14, 2013, 5:40 PM
Post #26 of 30
(1989 views)
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Registered: Oct 2, 2010
Posts: 106
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In reply to: You sound like a medical doctor ? Pilates seemed to contribute to my osteoarthritis of the hips. I was told there was no cure and that I'd need a hip replacement. However, my wife and I developed a therapy based on very hard massage around the lower spine. I'm now pain free (6+ years post diagnosis). From what you have described, this sounds as though I have a problem with my Psoas ? I was also diagnosed with a prolapsed disc in my lower spine in my twenties. This may also have been connected ? What is the best way to exercise/look after the Psoas ?
No I'm not a doctor, just a climbing coach with a lot of years spent studying Kinesiology. Your story is really interesting, and its fantastic that you found a way to avoid a hip replacement. But I can't comment on how the Psoas may contribute to your specific case as it may or may not be a factor. The only way to know that is to get a diagnosis from a good PT.
Sorry that the link I included in my post didn't come through, here it is again. It does have a couple of suggestions for stretching. I will say that stretching the Psoas is not easy. The link below shows the best exercise for stretching the Psoas but how effective this stretch is depends on factors such as how tight the rest of your hip flexors are. If the other hip flexors are really tight its difficult to get the range of motion necessary in order to actually stretch the Psoas.
http://www.somatics.com/psoas.htm
In reply to: Are you essentially saying to make sure you find an "all around" trunk routine that does not focus on just the abs or back (or hip flexes or whatever). And is it correct to say you indicate that focusing on one aspect of "core" can result in painful imbalance? If so (or even if not...), what could you recommend in practical terms?
Yea, that it pretty much it. Culturally there is a huge over emphasis on the Abs, probably based on wanting to look good at the beach. Looking good is fine, but what climbers should be interested in is functional conditioning. From the functional point of view we want to look at the actions of the trunk found in climbing and then condition the muscles that contribute to those actions. So in climbing we see extension, lateral flexion, some rotation, and stabilization. Trunk flexion is not really a factor in climbing.
In terms of recommendations it means using exercises that involve all these actions. I place specific emphasis on trunk extension. I also place emphasis on activities that coordinate the trunk and hip joints. This is particularly in regard to body tension. Most climbers think that body tension is a function of trunk strength. While trunk strength matters, in my opinion body tension is more a matter of coordination than it is of strength; the most important element being the hip joint. The trunk is important but its only part of the story.
I don't have specific exercises to give you, because how to safely train the trunk is a pretty big topic. For example, the renowned Kinesiologist Blandine Calais-Germain has a book called "No-Risk Abs" the first part of the book contains a critique of common trunk exercises and their potential dangers. The second part of the book covers the exercises that are safe and effective. Sounds good right? The problem is that her exercises are so nuanced most people find it extremely difficult to know if they are doing the exercises correctly. I have difficulty with them, and I lent the book to a friend who is a PT who also agreed that most people would not want to put the effort into learning these things. That said I have created a seres of climbing specific plank exercises but I haven't created any documentation for them yet.
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DouglasHunter
Jan 14, 2013, 6:16 PM
Post #27 of 30
(1980 views)
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Registered: Oct 2, 2010
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cracklover wrote: Very believable. I have some back problems, and Pilates is intolerable. So, you suggest activities that engage the muscles of the trunk directly - can you give any examples of either such exercises (I imagine this would be things like crunches?) or of exercise programs you're aware of (some type of yoga maybe? Or P90x? Or...?) that is pretty good at hitting these muscles? GO
Hey man good to see you again. Here is the problem, as I have researched the issue its rather difficult to find trunk exercises that are really safe. Specifically for those of us who already have back problems.
When you say crunches you might mean a few different things, but in general crunches are made safer if your feet are not planted, you don't come up very high, and you don't have your hands behind your head. Some people feel that engaging the Transverse Abs when doing crunches or Pilates style roll ups makes them safer because it supports the lumbar spine. Experts disagree on this point. The best information I have seen suggests that the Transverse Abs don't actually support the lower back, and someone like Calais-Germain thinks that engaging the Transverse Abs can potentially be harmful to the Perineum.
Anyway, I am at a point in my research where I am aware of many of the problems of "core" training but I don't know many of the answers. I'll have to look around and see if I can find good activities that are easy to perform and safer than the usual suspects.
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viciado
Jan 15, 2013, 2:55 PM
Post #29 of 30
(1915 views)
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Registered: May 9, 2003
Posts: 429
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cracklover wrote: Honest answer, I appreciate that. Cheers, GO
+1
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camhead
Jan 15, 2013, 6:00 PM
Post #30 of 30
(1898 views)
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Registered: Sep 10, 2001
Posts: 20939
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DouglasHunter wrote: ...Here is the problem, as I have researched the issue its rather difficult to find trunk exercises that are really safe. Specifically for those of us who already have back problems.
I can definitely relate. I have fairly chronic rheumatoid arthritis in my lower back, and a lot of the core exercises that I've tried like front levers and leg lifts from a pullup bar just hurt the joints too much, even before I start getting the "burn" in my muscles.
Curiously enough, I found a pretty good core exercise just this last month, as I've been trying to train around a fractured foot. I lift myself up on my crutches, with my back against a wall, and then do leg lifts (usually sets of 25 until failure). They actually feel way better on my lower back than leg lifts from a pullup bar or even from a Roman Chair. I may have to keep my crutches even after I recover, hehe.
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