[quote]Robert A wrote:
[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
I agree with Robert’s hypothesis about the cause of your neck and shoulder pain (a Kyphotic posture, likely being exacerbated by all of the boxing and sparring you’ve been doing), but Inwould give you slightly different advice about how to remedy the problem.
[/quote]
Actually, I was trying to go out of my way not to state any kind of differential diagnosis/hypothesis without more info. I picked exercises that are general and I have never seen be significantly, provably damaging even if they don’t help.
I have seen people who were so jacked up that “strengthening” exercises were damaging, at least the more conventional ones, granted those folks were failed surgical patients.
The foam roller seems to work because the only real negative I have seen is soreness from excessive use. Most people start rolling and figure out if it is actual spinal motion that is more therapeutic, or using it as self massage, or just sort of “stretching” their “chest”(int GH rotators), etc. I wasn’t trying to venture into d/dx to working dx to tx territory. This could be because I am less confident in my ability, or less able, than you to dx over the internet, or that I am just a little tiny girl bitch when it comes to med-mal liabilities.
I have seen cases where both “stabilize takes care of ROM” and “mobilize, then facilitate” paradigms worked, or didn’t.
I don’t know what patient base you have compared to what I get though, so I may also be a product of that.
Regards,
Robert A
EDTA: I have tried doing the stretch/mobility later deal in the past. I think it worked fantastic, but my compliance with it sucked. So, being my own worst enemy I tend to stretch immediately after working a muscle in the gym (a la DC) or after the workout is finished, because at least then I do it. I should really give the 2 hour window thing a dedicated run though.[/quote]
I hear you. I am fairly confident in giving general advise (and I would consider everything I gave to be general) due to having worked with quite a few clients who have had injuries or movement pattern compensations/postural dysfunctions and having great success helping them to relieve their pain (several had already tried other forms of treatment with little to no success and I even have a physical therapist and bodywork expert in the area that send people my way to help them further rehab once they do their thing with them).
Also I think the fact that I do combative arts and train under experts in the field and train and help train up and coming fighters, LEO’s, and regular Joes/Janes so I have a pretty good understanding of the common movement patterns and associated muscular imbalances that can result from them and eventually potentially lead to injury gives me a solid knowledge foundation to base my advice on. Had the subject be say pole vaulting, I probably would refrain from giving much advice.
Regarding stretching immediately post workout…
That’s ok, I’ve done it in the past, that’s what I was taught when I did my degree and what the major certifying bodies teach as well. If it is the only way you are going to do any type of stretching, then it’s better than nothing IME. But, new reasearch is mounting to suggest that this may not be the best way of doing things and could even potentially be detrimental to recovery and add to inflammation in the body.
One reason is because immediately post workout your tissues are more pliable than usual, your sensitivity to neuromuscular reflexes (specifically the Myotatic Reflex/Stretch Reflex) is dulled (due to fatigue), and as a result it is possible to “comfortably stretch” (or uncomfortably stretch if you are stretching DC style, which btw is fine, but not useful for recovery and generation) further than what your connective tissues are truly capable of doing without causing further micro damage. Any further micro trauma you cause to a muscle will result in an inflammatory response and this actually demand more recovery instead of helping one to recover. Micro trauma can also lead to an accumulation of scar tissue which can lead to pain and/or injury further down the line if not dealt with.
By allowing the body to fully cool down (the 2 hour post workout guideline is not set in stone, but is a good general time frame) and return to it’s “true/natural” state one is more accurately able to gauge the intensity of their stretches and avoid over stretching the tissues/causing further micro trauma. My preferred time for stretching is actually at the end of my day as I am winding down to go to bed as it fully relaxes my body and muscles, places my body in an more PNS state, and actually allows for deeper and more restful sleep; at least in theory, sometimes my son has other plans 
Try it if you can.