For Real This Time!

This has been a long time coming! Sorry for the wait. Since the last post in July obviously life happened. I had mentioned stsrting a wellness clinic with a chiropractor. That did not happen. Seems that they did not or could not get their ideas and focus together so it never happened. While it was quite annoying there is always a silver cloud behind every storm. Following a few months of hell called unemployment I was blessed with not one but two opportunities. I began work at a physical therapy clinic and of course my Irish luck kicked in, so another opportunity arose. While that awkward time came to leave the clinic, I knew it was destined that the military would come calling. How this occurred was pure chance, as I happened to see a listing on craigslist, of all places. The reason for this was to widen the net for candidates. I absolutely still believe that my mom made this happen; sure she was looking down and put this opportunity directly in my lap. It has been almost 8 months now and it has humbled me to realize that there is so much to learn still. While we think of training as what we do, there are many more aspects that must be equally addressed, from maintenance to computer to monetary. I am thoroughly enjoying learning how each contributes to the overall success of the gym, soldiers and officers, plus dependants. Anyway, the clinic did not work out. Moving on, I had mentioned the value of chiropractic. While it may not be for everyone, we have to realize that there is nothing that suits everyone. Except water, food and air. Then it's a crapshoot. I firmly believe that the muscles react to what the skeleton is doing, or presents. An example is my right hip; after playing soccer for many years, my right hip is tighter in the iliopsoas and results in some discomfort. While the explosive repetitive muscular contractions led to the imbalance, I still think the pelvis in it's inability to return to a balanced position is causing the muscles to remain tightened. Is it the chicken or the egg; both definetly contribute. The trick is if you get regular chiropractic to then immediately stretch. I firmly believe this maximizes the benefits of the chiro work. And since it ain't cheap you might as well do it right. The foam roller is a huge too these days that seemingly everyone uses. I use mine, though not as much as needed. If you have access to one, just experiment with it. It doesn't take some sort of certification or degree to use, just roll around on the damn thing and enjoy the discomfort! I also find using a lacrosse ball or soft-core baseball useful to really dig in those hard-to-reach spots. I call this 'pin and pull'. My main trigger points are the aforementioned iliopsoas, the scapula and the feet. Yes, the bottom of the feet are an underrated area. With ankle issues, it's imperative that my arches are not loose or dropped. By that I mean that what I refer to as the 'buckles' ( the inferior extensor retinaculum) are doing their job by basically preventing your arches from falling. As a returning sprinter (more on that later) I am finding that my feet, along with the Achilles, really feel the effects of sprinting and require constant stretching and rolling. The standard procedure for rolling is about 10 passes per bodypart. The most uncomfortable area? Undoubtedly, the iliotibial band. But, is it necessary to roll this area? I will follow up...