Dooley Noted: 4/17/2014
As a chiropractor specializing in movement rehab, every single day I’m asked these two questions:
“What’s a good exercise for that?”
And…
“What exercises should I avoid?”
I give the same frustrating answer:
“I don’t know yet.”
There are no bad exercises. This includes jogging, dips, and CrossFit. (Yes, you read those three correctly.)
Good exercises also don’t exist. Even the Turkish get-up. (That was difficult to write.)
Here’s the truth: I need to watch the strategy of exercise execution, relative to the clinical picture.
That’s the only way of knowing if an exercise is helping you or hindering you.
If people tell you otherwise, question how closely they are observing your clinical picture.
Some examples:
1. A person who has back pain upon flexion may not directly benefit from spinning class.
Strategy still must be analyzed.
2. A person who has shoulder pain when reaching overhead may not directly benefit from snatching.
Strategy still must be analyzed.
3. A person with hip pain on walking may not directly benefit from walking.
Strategy still must be analyzed.
If you have pain, your trainer is not enough – especially if you are your own trainer.
Get assessed and corrected.
Demand the doctor converse with the trainer and you about exercise programming.
Send videos of your exercises to your doctor and trainer.
We only get to see you an hour or so a week, if we are lucky. There’s no telling what exercises are good or bad for you, until we watch your movement strategies.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley