Anterior oblique system

Last week, we discussed the posterior oblique muscle system. This week, let's move on to the anterior oblique system. When your external obliques and opposite side adductor work together, you can create power. This is especially beneficial in throwing sports.

After you've activated any under-active muscles or reach the final stages of your rehab program, here are some conditioning exercises you may wish to consider to build the strength of your anterior oblique system:

Posterior Oblique Muscles and Exercises

Have you ever rehabbed a back, hip, knee, or ankle injury? If you rehabbed with a Physical Therapist at OSR, you likely incorporated some exercises for your glutes. Numerous Physical Therapy and Athletic Training research articles guide us in ensuring that we assess and treat hip weaknesses with any lower body injury.

At some point you will be ready to move beyond basic exercises. At this point, you might wonder, what comes after the basics like clams and bridges? Transitioning from the basics of Physical Therapy back into fitness and total body training in a logical progression is advised to achieve optimal performance.

Muscles not only work in isolation, but also in groups. These groups are referred to as muscle systems (aka subsystems or slings). This article will focus on the posterior oblique system. This refers to how your lats and gluteus maximus work together during every day motion and sports motion.

Here are three exercises that can be used to target how these muscle groups work together:

Squat to row: This can be done with a TRX, cable, or band. It can be progressed to standing on one foot instead of two.

Bridge lat pull: This is traditionally a Pilates exercise, but can be done with a band anchored to a fixed object.

Single leg RDL: This can be performed without weight, and then progressed to using dumbbells or kettlebells.

This article was written by Meredith Butulis, DPT, ACSM HFS, NASM CPT. Meredith is a Physical Therapist at our Eden Prairie location. OSR Physical Therapy does run an Aftercare program to transition from Physical Therapy back to sport. 

Physical Therapy Month

October is Physical Therapy month. Have you ever wondered what kind of educational background Physical Therapists have? Check out this article on the basics of Physical Therapists.

Have a question about becoming a Physical Therapist, or about the background or specialties of your specific Physical Therapist? Leave us a post!

Introducing Minnetonka Athletic Trainer Kristin Kutch

I’m new to the Twin Cities and am very glad to have found a home with OSR Physical Therapy. I moved to Twin Cities in July from Kansas City due to a work move for my husband. 

Back in Kansas City I worked two years as the Head Athletic Trainer for a high school in Independence, Missouri. I was solely responsible for care of all athletes involved with the school’s 13 different sports. In addition to working at the high school I also worked as an Athletic Trainer with a youth hockey league, summer soccer league, and was part of the medical staff for the 2013 NAIA Division I Basketball Tournament. I was also fortunate enough to work as part of the stretcher crew for several professional soccer games at Sporting Kansas City Stadium.

I look forward to learning a lot in my new position at OSR as well as offering my knowledge and experience of sport performance enhancement. It is very rewarding as a clinician to see your patients return to their sport or activity at their full capacity, something I look forward to working towards every day at OSR. 

Kristin is located at our Minnetonka office and works as a team with Physical Therapist, Matt Gannott.

Introducing Eden Prairie Physical Therapist Meaghan Cox

Meet one of OSR's new providers: Meaghan Cox!




"I am very excited to be a new member of OSR working at the Eden Prairie clinic. I am originally from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada where I grew up very involved in sports such as swimming, track and field, figure skating, Ukrainian dancing and watching a lot of hockey. However, artistic gymnastics was always my passion and I was grateful to be able to travel all over the country to compete at the Elite and National level. When I was 18, I moved to Illinois to attend college on a full gymnastics scholarship at Illinois State University. I also spent 1 year involved in my school’s acrobatic circus. After graduating with my Bachelor’s degree, I moved to Kentucky where I graduated with my Doctorate in Physical Therapy from The University of Kentucky.

While spending many hours in the gym, I sustained multiple injuries and spent my fair share of time in physical therapy. It was through this personal experience that I fell in love with the profession of physical therapy and knew that I wanted to spend my career helping athletes and active individuals get back to their respected sports and activities just as someone had done for me for so many years.

I plan to be active in the gymnastics population as well as high school and community events as I become settled into the Eden Prairie clinic. I also have a great interest in all sport and orthopedic injuries and look forward to working with all people to help them achieve their PT goals."

Focus on Women's Health: ACL and knee injury prevention exercises

Interested in understanding why females are more susceptible to knee injury? Would you like some exercises to include in your workouts that can help as part of your injury prevention plan?

See this National Academy of Sports Medicine article, written by Meredith Butulis, DPT. Meredith works out of our Eden Prairie office. Here is one of the sets of exercises you will find in the article:

Physical Therapy for Prehab before ACL reconstruction?

“Should I really go to physical therapy for ‘prehab’ before I have my ACL reconstruction?” 

 

This is a very common question asked by athletes who have recently suffered an ACL tear, and the answer is YES.  The single largest mistake people make is neglecting the importance of regaining functional knee range of motion, maximizing strength/coordination, and reducing swelling as much as possible BEFORE going in for surgery.  The pain and swelling caused by inflammation after an ACL tear can produce reflex weakening of the muscles surrounding the injured area. Neuromuscular control needs to be restored prior to surgery in order to facilitate normal muscle recovery post-operatively. The stronger the muscles are going in, the faster they will recover afterwards.  Doing nothing for even the couple weeks leading up to surgery can make your post-operative recovery much more difficult.  

In addition to the physical benefits of pre-operative therapy, establishing a relationship with your Physical Therapist beforehand will provide a huge mental boost and allow you to become prepared for surgery and what is to be expected afterwards.  An ACL tear is a HUGE deal to an athlete and is a very difficult injury to come back from mentally.  Going into surgery with a strong sense of mental preparedness enables the athlete to be both confident and realistic about the rehab process and goal setting.  Athletes are often nervous about surgery and will likely forget to ask the surgeon the right questions.  Working with your physical therapist before allows the procedure to be explained thoroughly and gives the athlete/therapist opportunity to discuss their rehabilitation program in detail, so that they fully understand what is expected of them.  

At OSR Physical Therapy, we specialize in the treatment of athletic injuries and have had the opportunity to return many local athletes to their sport in PRIME CONDITION following ACL Reconstruction.  We are proud to be the choice provider for many of our local high school athletes and are confident in our staff and state-of-the art equipment.  Please do not hesitate to contact us to answer any questions you may have about ACL Reconstruction and rehabilitation.  

Here are some related links of interest:

http://www.osrpt.com/physical-therapy/acl-prevention/

http://www.osrpt.com/fitness-services/alter-g/

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001074.htm

This article was created by Josh Rolfes, DPT. Josh works out of our Eden Prairie office.