questions from a new shugger!

[Natasha]

Hi all! I have started shugging this week. So far, so good. But I do have some questions that have been plaguing my mind. I am desperately trying to firm up my flabby skin after had my daughter 2 years ago. I'm reasonably thin, but I have loose skin on my abdomen and back, resulting in having clothes that don't quite fit me. Should I shovel glove AND weight lift, since I've heard that weight lifting is supposed to be good for building women's bone density? Or would shugging take care of that?

I also have a dislocated knee I've been trying to "fix". I had been seeing an orthopedic doc who recommended physical therapy and then recommended surgery for putting a screw in place to keep my patella from slipping. I have always been hesitant to do the surgery because of not having any possible way to have a considerable amount of help with my daughter while I recover...but now my husband lost his job (he made more than me) and there is just no way I can even think of doing the surgery now at all, so I have spent the last few weeks doing pt again and then I took up shugging. Does anyone know if shugging has helped your injuries heal? It doesn't hurt for me to shug at all, so I know that I am doing ok by that. I would appreciate any comments on this. Thanks!

[reinhard]

Welcome Natasha!

I'm afraid I'm utterly unqualified to comment on your injury, except to say PLEASE BE CAREFUL.

As for weightlifting vs. shugging, shugging is a form of weightlifting, so I think you should be fine. I don't do anything else (except walk and pushups) and I'm pretty strong.

In the meantime, I'm happy you're enjoying it. The fun is best thing about shovelglove.

Reinhard

[Natasha]

Thanks! By the way, I noticed you're from MA. I was born in Boston but grew up mainly in NH and now live in IN (have been here for the past 15 years). I miss the NE!!!!!!

[JWL]

Hi Natasha... I personally don't bother with the gym. I can get more than enough weight training with shovelglove, and for "cardio" I can urban ranger, do squats, bodyweight exercises, yoga, and all kinds of other stuff.

I've been doing this instead of the gym for over a year now, and I feel better now than I ever have....

[jasoncscs]

Hi Natasha,

I saw your post and couldn't help but get curious...I am a fitness pro and it sounds like you might have PFTD Patella Femoral Tracking Dysfunction.

Obviously it is a stab in the dark without seeing your knee in action, however if it wasn't traumatized and nothing else is ruptured (like ACL or MCL) and the orth. recomended a screw then you might simply need to release the IT (ilio tibial) band. I'm sure the physical therapists have you rolling on a foam roller...but just in case they don't you should know: IT release on a foam roller fixes kness pain 80-90% of the time.

[Natasha]

Hi Natasha,

I saw your post and couldn't help but get curious...I am a fitness pro and it sounds like you might have PFTD Patella Femoral Tracking Dysfunction.

Obviously it is a stab in the dark without seeing your knee in action, however if it wasn't traumatized and nothing else is ruptured (like ACL or MCL) and the orth. recomended a screw then you might simply need to release the IT (ilio tibial) band. I'm sure the physical therapists have you rolling on a foam roller...but just in case they don't you should know: IT release on a foam roller fixes kness pain 80-90% of the time.

Actually, the pt didn't have me do that! What is that supposed to be and how do you use one? I was doing a series of stretching exercises that required no props or anything. I can give you more info on what the dr. told me about the specifics on my knee if you want.

[jasoncscs]

Yes, please tell me more about what the doc said, when it started hurting etc.. I am surprised that PT didn't have you roll.

This basic exercise is extremely painful, but works almost all of the time and since foam rollers are easy to come by it is worth checking out, even if all it does is help you determine that you do not have PFTD and need further investigation. I posted a video explaining PFTD and the exact proocol to follow on youtube. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t32xJspx50o

PS forgive the poor quality it was the 3rd compression

[Orvette]

Hi Jason,

Wow, I've been wondering if I had the same problem! I have a friend who just had surgery to loosen the T-band by cutting just a few strands. I don't think they even tried the roller first! The surgery worked, but she had to wear an ice cuff for several days, crutches for a couple of days, etc. Even when you recover quickly, there is still recovery time to consider.

I will be looking for this foam roll to see if I can get my knee caps on better track. I have 60 pounds of excess weight which exacerbates the problem, but I hear the nastiest crunching sounds when I go up or down stairs and can feel it any time I bend either of my knees. It seems like if I put my weight on them at just the right angle, I get this terrible pain - just about puts me on my rear. I can walk for 5 miles and be fine, but then bend just the right way and be yowling in pain.

Sorry to jump in -- just wanted you to know you've been very helpful!! Loved your website and the Youtube demo!

[jasoncscs]

Orvette,

Thanks for the kudos. Yup I had a client years ago that had the same surgery. It worked but it seems like an extreme solution to what can sometimes be a correctable problem.

I joked with another client recently that if an international oil consortium asked a pedorthist how they could get more oil out of the ground his solution would be to make orthotics for everyone.

As a trainer I look for solutions that are within my scope of practice so I want to be very clear here...I am not a doctor or a surgeon, just someone who has seen knee pain addressed in a simple and effective way.

However this way is not always right for everyone in every situation, just one thing to try in an effort to be healthy and functional.

You can get foam rollers at online stores like perform better or power systems

here's a link to foam rollers at perform better

http://www.performbetter.com/SearchResu ... ryID_E_235

If you follow my youtube protocol AND you have PFTD it should help. But it is always wise to consult with Therapists and Doctors for pain that lingers.

PS The first time you use a foam roller can be quite painful so take it easy!

[phayze]

interesting . . . . I've had trouble with my left knee for years and always thought that it was due to my ACL surgery, but this PTFD thing sounds an awful lot like what I've been experiencing lately. Is this ever associated with "snapping hips"? I get some weird popping in my IT band when I do certain leg motions (particularly knee lifts), and I'm starting to wonder if that's related to the horrid grinding I feel when I do squats (which only started a few months ago).

I can't watch youtube vids from work (stupid net filter . . . ), but I'll definitely check that out tonight when I get home! What are those roller things made of? Would a padded pieces of plastic pipe or rolled up yoga mat work, or would those be too hard/soft respectively?

Thanks for sharing all of this great info, Jason!

[jasoncscs]

Phayze,

Aain, it is really hard to be sure about anything without hands on experience. But I can tell you this. Almost 100% of people that I work with who have had surgery and Physical Therapy AND they discontinue their physical therapy regime RE-injure themselves or slip back into pain.

In other words the exercises prescribed by and learned from a PT should be treated as gospel and included in a fitness discipline. Forever.

In general "Horrid Grinding" should be avoided at all costs! You get no bonus points for working through THAT kind of pain, only for working through the mental pain of being disciplined.

SO brutha...First try getting some of those old PT exercises going again, avoid grinding pain, check with a competent PT or Doc AND then try rolling.

The link I posted above lists a 'plastic covered' foam roller that will last 10 x as long as the regular foam, but for the 10-20 bucks it costs to get one...

PS is that an actual Claymore?

[phayze]

Heh . . . I'm sort of "doctor averse", but maybe I will have this looked into. I'm totally with you on avoiding the grind when possible, so I haven't done squats ever since it started, except for occasionally doing a set of five to see how everything feels in there (the answer has consistently been "not good").

Now I'll have to see if I can even remember those PT exercises.


Actually, it's a quarterstaff, but it's hard to tell with such a tiny pic. Here's the full version.

[jasoncscs]

You mean because it's a LIGHTSABER! Geeez I didn't think they made those things any more.

Ironically I just took in a lecture with a Knee surgeon today. One of the gyms I am at occasionally brings in docs and other allied health pro's to discuss best practices. Here is the net-net:

Docs are extremely well educated and very smart about the human body. However they still do not know everything for sure and this Doc explained that his course of treatment is ALWAYS conservative first. In other words if he can do it with therapy, or a cortizone shot, or otherwise non invasively then it is preferrable to cutting or scoping.

The trick is when addressing the function and health of your own body to BE Selective about who you deal with and seek out several opinions going with the doc who ultimately agrees with you. ex. "You're right phayze you should go back and do some of your old PT. Let's see how that works and talk to me after"

Oops just got on a box a little bit. Ok enough. TEll me where I can get a light saber for my avatar.

[phayze]

I know what you mean about the docs, but it seems like most of my local ones are pretty scalpel-happy - even the veterinarians! Gives me the creeps, so I like to looks into stuff on my own and try out the simplest treatment options before resorting to saw-bones.

haha! Yeah, I guess the lightsaber does obscure the stick a bit, doesn't it? I'll tell you what, email a pic of yourself (or anybody you want for that matter) holding something at least vaguely weapon-like to [my username] at gmail dot com and I'll be happy to play with it for you. It's been a while since I've done it, so I could use the practice. Probably won't have time until later next week, though.