Well, I’m back from vacation, rested and ready for some questions.
Hello Doc, I have a question. Will exercises such as the one handed barbell snatch or the dumbbell clean help my vertical leap? How about jump squats, would those work better.
Thanks, I already know the one hand moves are good for athletic performance, I just need help on whether or not they’ll help me jump higher.
40" inch vert or bust, baby!
Hi Doc
About 4 months ago I dislocated my knee and chipped bone from the inside of the patella. Im having key hole surgery in 2 weeks time to remove a floating body from my right knee and am told I will be going under a general aesthetic, I have heard that this type of procedure can be done under a local ?which I think I would prefer? Any idea if one is better than the other in terms of recovery time?
Thanks
What can I eat or take to help my veins dilate more? This is supposedly a way of more efficiently distributing nutrients to your muscles by making the veins larger, so I gather.
Anyway, I want bigger veins!!! Like yesterday… Himodulators??? If so which one actually works. I’ve tried Anavol for a month, I’ve been on NO2 for about a month and a half.
Ahem…, I read a particular article stating that NO2 is a hoax. It states that your body needs 40 grams of Arginine to get any kind of results.
So my second-part questions is this:
Is there any way I can make my veins bigger without suffocating myself or restricting blood flow? And what is your take on Himodulators?
OD
WhiteFlight,
Power Cleans and Hang Cleans have a good reputation for helping with vertical jump.
Jump squats are usually a component of vert jump programs as well.
You definitely want to build the posterior chain.
Try searching this site for vertical jump info, I seem to recall an article or two related to that specific topic.
Take care,
Ryan
RobNZ,
General vs. Local anesthetic won’t make a difference on the recovery time in relation to the knee tissue itself.
The decision is more related to the risk/benefit of the general anesthetic. Most people are concerned with the potential adverse reaction of the general anes.
I would talk to your surgeon and ask him any questions you may have. Either he or the anesthesiologist should be able to give you all the info you need to make a more informed decision.
Take care,
Ryan
It was suggested that I may have a pronounced anterior pelvic tilt, I also suspect my shoulders are rounded forward. (actually you could check my posture yourself at http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=664962 if it’s not too much to ask)
I’d like to address any issues now before they become problems - what is the best way to go about this? Thank you!
Thanks Doc
one more question is i may regarding recovery and swelling.
any suggestions on what i can do / take to reduce the swelling after the operation apart from the usual ice, evelvation and anti imflams
have heard arnica is good? anti oxidants like A,C,E etc?
thanks
[quote]Dr. Ryan wrote:
RobNZ,
General vs. Local anesthetic won’t make a difference on the recovery time in relation to the knee tissue itself.
The decision is more related to the risk/benefit of the general anesthetic. Most people are concerned with the potential adverse reaction of the general anes.
I would talk to your surgeon and ask him any questions you may have. Either he or the anesthesiologist should be able to give you all the info you need to make a more informed decision.
Take care,
Ryan[/quote]
Dr Ryan,
I am 5 yrs post op on a SLAP/thermal shrinkage repair (2 years before that rotator repair) and have just started to sublux (sp?) again. What kinds of exercises can I do to help prevent a full-out dislocation? I hear that after electro shrinkage there isnt much left they can do to help stabilize the joint except for a bankart? Are there any exercises I should avoid? What can I do?
I also had the misfortune of being hit by a car and dislocating my A/C joint on the same shoulder. I cannot bench press and barely can do BW push ups. How long will this take to heal? (the Dr here just laughed at my deformity, gave me a cortisone shot, and sent me home)
Thanks so much,
e
Hey doc, I just heard of a technic called trigenic, which seems to be the new Eldorado of athletic rehab. Also heard that it could potentially help and stimulate performances. What are your thoughts on that?
OD,
I am not really convinced of the whole “hemodilation” theory.
The body has several different mechanisms to help regulate circulation and any factor that alters one aspect will affect the other regulatory mechanisms.
I think the jury is still out on Arginine significantly increasing NO2 production in humans. Dave’s article discusses this in depth. Anecdotely, I tried one of the products when it first came out, and I noticed increased vascularity in my forearms, but I didn’t notice any strength increase. Pumps during workouts may have been mildly improved, but there was definitely no “Perpetual Pump” as many products claim.
The other issue to consider is, even if the product did result in a chronically elevated NO2 level, is that a good thing? Consider insulin, a short term spike at the appropriate times can have a marked anabolic response, but chronically elevated insulin will result in diabetes.
I am guessing that what you want is the ‘vascular’ look. That is usually achieved by losing bodyfat and avoiding subcutaneous water retention.
You indicated that you have tried a couple different NO2 products, but you didn’t say whether or not you noticed any difference while using them. I would weigh the cost/benefit of the supp to determine if you want to continue using it.
Ginkgo Biloba helps improve circ., and nicotinic acid can result in a cutaneous vasodilation.
Appropriate use of CHO’s will increae vascularity as well.
Maintaining fluid balance during training will help to sustain plasma volume, which would play a role in vascularity etc.
Let me know if you have any follow-up questions.
Ryan
Jillybop,
Congratulations on your progress.
Often women who have recently been pregnant, will have some anterior tilt to the pelvis.
Lower abdominal muscle strength/motor control can be disrupted due to the amount of stretch places on them. Some motor control exercises like posterior pelvic tilts, abdominal hollowing and bracing can help to restore normal function. Bridging and Bird-Dog exercises would help as well.
Also, make sure to stretch the hip flexors and hamstrings. You also want to perform plenty of ab work/glute and hamstring exercises.
I would suggest that you check out Eric and Mike’s Neanderthal No More article series for an in depth discussion of postural issues and corrective action. They did an excellent job on those and there is no sense reinventing the wheel.
If you have any questions after reading those articles, please let me know.
Take care,
Ryan
Thank you! I’ll check out that article asap.
PS - Your advice from a while ago regarding blood tests to ask for was great. My checkup went very well.
AbunaiE,
When was the accident that injured your AC joint? Did they tell you what degree the separation was graded?
Regarding the other problem, before telling you what exercises to perform, it would be helpful to know what rotator cuff exercises you have been doing.
Take care,
Ryan
Zen,
I have not heard of that technique. I’ll look into it and see what I can find out.
Take care,
Ryan
Doc Ryan,
About a month ago, you helped me out with my Osgood Schlatter problem by way of article links and general adivce. I just wanted to let you know your words did not fall on deaf ears, and my knees are doing well.
I’m on a prescription of Naproxen currently, taking it twice a day. I also focused more on hamstring work to fix my imbalance between my hams/quads.
I’ve been deadlifting, and SL deadlifting like crazy.
I’ve been heating before, and icing afterwards.
All in all, I’m doing great and couldn’t be happier. Thanks again!
-Nate
Jillybop,
I’m glad to hear that the check-up went well. Did you get a copy of the blood work? I always advise my patients to ask for a copy.
Unfortunately, some docs just scan the report and see if any values show up in the high/low columns and don’t look more closely to see where all the values fall in the range. By looking closely and comparing subsequent or prior blood work, you can sometimes spot a trend and take corrective action before there is a more serious problem.
Take care,
Ryan
Nate,
Glad to hear you are doing better.
How long does your doc have you on naproxen?
I’ve been on it for about 3 weeks, and he advised me to let my prescription just run out (I’d say I have another 2 weeks or so on it).
-Nate
[quote]Dr. Ryan wrote:
AbunaiE,
When was the accident that injured your AC joint? Did they tell you what degree the separation was graded?
Regarding the other problem, before telling you what exercises to perform, it would be helpful to know what rotator cuff exercises you have been doing.
Take care,
Ryan[/quote]
Dr. Ryan,
I injured myself about a 1 1/2 months ago. They didnt tell me anything about my dislocation because they were too busy laughing at the stupid foreigner in the ER and rushing through non-emergency patients. X-rays confirm that the bone is still not set, but they say there is nothing more to be done.
As far as rotator cuff exercises, I have done them all with thera-bands for years. They shaved off much of the muscles and I cannot even do an empty-can. I try to avoid anything that causes great discomfort. I know anything I do is going to hurt and to shut up, deal with it, and continue on.
All your help is very much appreciated as I feel like I have no where to go out here…
Cheers,
e