One of the most common issues I treat in the clinic is persistent pain. Many of my clients arrive at the clinic after years of suffering. This is often a residual pain that started as a result of a traumatic injury... a muscle strain, or a broken bone. However, years after the injury has healed there is no reduction in pain - despite all the injured tissues healing and normal activities are resumed.
It's been a hot topic for many years: does foam rolling improve sporting performance? Foam rolling has been a staple component of training programmes and warm-up and cool-down down routines for some time now. Each person who has ever used a foam roller will be able to say whether it worked for them. Anecdotally, we all know someone who swears by foam rolling to get through a work out. And equally, another person who hates foam rolling - they just don't see the point... or perhaps they feel it diminishes their performance when training or competing...
We all experience pain in our training. For some of us it is what keeps us returning to the gym. For others it keeps us away. But how much pain is good for us? And how can we tell when the pain is an indicator to take a step back?
Since arriving at Pinnacle Climbing Centre in mid-July I have been learning a lot about climbing injuries. It goes without saying that fingers, forearms and shoulders appear to represent the overwhelming majority of niggles, injuries and mobility issues among these issues. Although I can't be too specific, I would say that around half of those who I have spoken with have told me that they are either currently injured and of these, the majority of these individuals described at least one form of upper extremity injury (fingers, forearms, shoulders, elbows) - with a few neck and upper back issues thrown in for good measure. In fact, most of the folks with lower extremity injuries and pain seem to attribute them to other activities such as running - not climbing. Now, as science is my specialty let's delve into the research...
Let's set the scene... You've been struggling with shoulder issues for years... you can bearly remember when it started to bother you. Initially, it was just a niggle - maybe the odd twinge here and there, or a dull ache. It didn't used to get in the way of your favourite activities. But over the months or years since it first started it's slowly come to become such a nuisance that you started to avoid certain activities. In fact, at some points it's even stopped you from doing simple day to day tasks, like household chores or completing tasks at work.
