Struggling with deep, nagging pain in your lower glute that flares up when you sit or run? Upper hamstring tendinopathy can be stubborn, but a combination of shockwave therapy and progressive exercise rehab is the key to lasting relief and tendon resilience—learn why this approach works best!
Struggling with deep, nagging pain in your lower glute that flares up when you sit or run? Upper hamstring tendinopathy can be stubborn, but a combination of shockwave therapy and progressive exercise rehab is the key to lasting relief and tendon resilience—learn why this approach works best!
Strengthening Bones with High Velocity Resistance Training (HVRT): A Guide for Those with Osteopenia and Osteoporosis
For anyone managing osteopenia or osteoporosis, finding safe, effective ways to protect and strengthen bone health is critical. A recent systematic review, focused on high velocity resistance training (HVRT), provides valuable insights on how this type of training can benefit bone mineral density (BMD) in older adults—particularly at the lumbar spine, hip, and femoral neck, which are key areas prone to fractures.
High velocity resistance training (HVRT) is a form of exercise that combines speed with strength, emphasizing powerful, controlled movements that target muscle and bone. Unlike traditional resistance training, HVRT often involves quicker concentric (lifting) movements paired with slower eccentric (lowering) movements, which engage the muscles attached to bones in ways that promote bone health.
This review included 25 studies, totaling over 1,200 participants. Here’s what it found:
For many, the idea of high velocity training can sound intimidating, especially if you’re managing a condition like osteoporosis. However, HVRT can be modified with machines or lighter weights to accommodate different ability levels safely. Additionally, explosive movements can be adjusted to fit your fitness level—there’s no need to engage in highly intense or Olympic-style lifting to benefit from HVRT.
Alongside improving BMD, HVRT may also help prevent sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) and powerpenia (decline in muscle power). Sarcopenia and powerpenia are serious issues for older adults, leading to reduced mobility, higher fall risk, and overall decreased quality of life. HVRT, with its focus on explosive movements, can help retain both muscle mass and power, essential for everyday tasks and fall prevention.
For more on powerpenia read our full article here.
For those diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis, HVRT offers a promising, science-backed way to take control of bone health. Start by consulting with your healthcare provider and a qualified trainer who can help design a safe, effective HVRT program tailored to your needs. With commitment and the right guidance, you can build a sustainable exercise routine that strengthens your bones and supports long-term health.
Let’s build stronger bones—starting today!
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REFERENCE: Haque, I., Schlacht, T. Z., & Skelton, D. A. (2024). The effects of high velocity resistance training on bone mineral density in older adults: A systematic review. Bone, 179, 116986. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2023.116986
Running and Your Spine: A New Look at Intervertebral Disc Health
There’s a common myth that running is bad for your back. But a new systematic review published in Sports Health tells a different story. This review combined 13 studies with 632 participants to investigate how running affects the health of intervertebral discs—the cushions between the vertebrae in your spine.
The review looked at two types of studies: some measured how running affected spinal height, while others used MRI to observe changes in disc composition. Here’s what the research found:
This study is great news for runners and those hesitant to start due to back pain concerns. Here’s what you should know:
Incorporating regular runs into your routine can be a powerful way to maintain a healthy back. So, lace up those running shoes and start reaping the benefits for your spine!
Reference: Shu D, Dai S, Wang J, Meng F, Zhang C, Zhao Z. Impact of Running Exercise on Intervertebral Disc: A Systematic Review. Sports Health. 2024;0(0). doi:10.1177/19417381231221125
Triathlon season is in full swing here in San Diego. With local races nearly every weekend, many triathletes have trouble balancing time between training, family, jobs, and racing competitively. Many triathletes begin to notice nagging triathlon injuries that are consistently getting worse as the season continues. Should they take a break to heal? Maybe. It depends on the athlete, their goals, and how they take care of their bodies during the season. Below are the top 5 triathlon injury management techniques we recommend to our athletes.
Those are the top 5 tips to help manage triathlon injuries and avoid new injuries moving forward. We recommend getting a physical assessment by one of our sports chiropractors located in Mission Valley, San Diego. We are located near the neighborhoods of Hillcrest, Serra Mesa, Clairemont Mesa, La Mesa, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, and Point Loma. Our Sports Chiropractors are trained in musculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment, running gait analysis, bike fitting, and can order the proper diagnostic tests if necessary (MRI, X-ray, etc.).
Dr. Travis Rose, DC CCSP and Dr. Kevin Rose DC DACBSP are both avid triathletes and are passionate about helping triathletes manage triathlon injuries. Knowing first hand how frustrating a nagging injury can be, both Dr. Travis and Kevin utilize Active Release Treatments and chiropractic treatments to keep them healthy and performing at their best!
Outer hip pain is a very common complaint we see with out runners at our Mission Valley office. The outer hip musculature is designed to provide hip, and lower back stabilization during running. When there is pain or tightness at the outer hip, the stability at the hip and lower back is compromised. This in turn can create abnormal stress into the hip, outer hip muscles, lower back, the knee, and even the lower leg/foot. The following conditions cause outer hip pain and dysfunction:
As mentioned above, the out hip plays a role in lower back and hip stability. If the outer hip is painful or dysfunctional the following conditions may also be present:
It is important to be evaluated by a running doctor and sports chiropractor. We will help diagnose your outer hip pain and any potential compensatory injuries that may be occurring simultaneously. A combination of range of motion, orthopedic, functional movements, and strength/endurance tests will be used to pinpoint the exact cause of your pain.
We currently offer at home gait analysis for current patients. After being evaluated in our office, if it is deemed necessary, we have our patients video tape themselves running on a treadmill and send it back to us for evaluation. For outer hip pain, many runners with outer hip pain run with what is known as a cross over gait. Check out our previous blog posts here on what a cross-over gait consists of.
Potential sites for injury with cross over gait
Active Release Technique is an excellent tool for helping runners with outer hip pain get out of pain quickly. A targeted home rehab approach is then prescribed b our running doctor as a way to prevent the injury from coming back again. Schedule with us today at our Mission Valley, San Diego running injury clinic today!
Pain in front of the knee is a common complaint that runners seek advice for from a running doctor. There are many conditions that can cause anterior knee pain including:
It is important to seek treatment from a sports physician and running doctor to get a correct diagnosis, and begin correct treatment immediately.
At our Mission Valley office, our running doctor will take a thorough history of the running injury. After the history is completed an exam will occur which will include some or all of the following: range of motion, orthopedic, neurologic, functional movement, and strength/endurance tests.
Gait analysis is another important aspect for certain running conditions. We currently offer remote gait analysis where current patients can take a treadmill video of themselves running, then email it to our running doctor for evaluation. General recommendations for running technique can be found on our blog here: Increase your Cadence, and Improve Running Posture
A combination of Active Release Technique, Graston Technique, and a home exercise program resolves many cases of anterior knee pain. We see significant results within 4-8 visits. Our goal is to our runners back to running pain free as soon as possible and have exercises to do to prevent the injury from reoccurring.
If you have been dealing with anterior knee pain during your training, please call our Mission valley office to schedule today. Our running doctors are certified to treat running injuries and get you back to running pain free fast!
Dr. Travis Rose DC is a certified health professional through The Running Clinic. Both Dr. Kevin Rose DC DACBSP and Dr. Travis Rose DC CCSP have treated hundreds of runners including Boston marathon qualifiers, and Olympic trial marathon runners.
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The best way to work on cross–over gait is to perform running drills! Many runners are simply unaware that they run with a cross-over gait. Specific running drills to address a this type of gait will significantly improve running efficiency and decrease risk for injury. At our Mission Valley sports injury clinic, we stress the importance of running drills to all of our running patients.
There are three main drills that significantly reduce cross-over gait: increasing cadence, running wider, and activating the hip stabilizers while moving through gait.
Core and gluteal strengthening drills alone will not magically get rid of a cross-over gait; again working on correcting the gait will do that. That being said, working on the core and gluteal muscles in conjunction with gait retraining, will support proper running gait. The stronger the supporting muscles are, the more capable they are to resist fatigue during workouts and races. Some runners have no issues with their gait for runs between 3 and 10 miles. Once long runs increase to the 12, 14, 16 mile range, gait issues begin to occur. In this scenario, strengthening workouts to the core and gluteal muscles are paramount to avoid running form breakdown during longer runs. Here are a few of our favorite core and gluteal strengthening exercises:
Gluteal bridge
Lay flat on your back, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor just wider than hip width apart. Brace your abdomen to engage the core. Press through your heels to lift the pelvis upward until it is in line with the knees and shoulders. Avoid arching through the back. Add a band around the knees for more gluteal activation. Sets: 3 Reps: 10-20
Monster walking
Place a medium resistance mini-loop band
Crab walking
Place a medium resistance mini-loop band
Dead bug
Lay on your back, with your knees and hips bent to 90 degrees and arms held straight in front of shoulder. Brace your core by squeezing back and abdominal muscles. Slowly lower one leg towards the ground, resisting the back from arching up off the ground. Alternate legs keeping a slow pace the entire time. If this version of the dead bug is too difficult, keep the knee bent when moving the leg and perform heel taps. Sets: 3 Reps: 10 per leg
Side plank
Begin by laying on your side with the elbow tucked underneath the shoulder and feel sacked. Keep the body as straight as possible and lift the pelvis off the ground. Focus on contracting the muscles on the side closest to the floor. Perform the side plank on both sides. Sets: 3 Reps: 1 Hold: 30-60 seconds
Self Myofascial Release to the Gluteal muscles
Take a look at the video below. By using a lacrosse/massage ball
These strategies help with correcting a cross-over gait. If you are experiencing shin, knee, hip, back, or foot pain from running, I highly recommend getting the injury evaluated. A targeted approach to your specific injury can prevent time lost to injury. At our Mission Valley office, we perform Active Release Technique, Graston technique, and rehabilitative exercise to keep our endurance athletes competing pain free!
