November 2018 123ROCK THE JOINTTYPE OF JOINT:Ball-and-Socket
Shoulders have an exceptional 360° range of
motion but a shallow socket and relatively loose
ligaments. “What you gain in mobility you
lose in stability,” says orthopedic surgeon and
sports medicine specialist Dr Brian Sennett. In
other words, you need to know how to look after
them so they never let you down.Put down that dumbbell and listen up: muscles aren’t everything.
“It’s your joints that make the whole body tick,” says sports
medicine specialist Dr Douglas Comeau. But like any mechanical
system, they’re prone to wear and tear. And without well-
functioning joints, it’s challenging to add muscle, shed fat or get
anythingdonearoundthehouse.Tomaintainthem,you need to
understand how they work and the threats they face. Here’s how
to keep your six major joints jumpin’.
SHOULDER
TOP THREAT:
LABRAL TEARWhat it is:
Damage to the shoulder
labrum, a rim of fibrous
cartilage that gives the
shoulder socket its cup-like
shape. A labral tear makes it
harder for the ball to stay
seated in the socket, so
dislocation often follows.Cause:
Usually trauma-breaking a
fall with an outstretched arm
or dislocating a shoulder in
an accident – but overuse
from throwing or lifting can
fray the labrum, too.Treatment:
Rehab can strengthen
muscles and shore up
supporting tendons to
stabilise the shoulder. If it
doesn’t or there’s danger of
dislocation, surgery is usually
needed to trim frayed or
loose labral tissue or reattach
the labrum to the socket.Defence:
Do this simple exercise:Stand to the right of a
resistance band fastened at
waist height. Holding the end
in your right hand, lock your
right elbow to your side and
slowly rotate your arm
outward, pausing in the fully
rotated position. Do 15 reps,
then stand to the left of the
band and rotate inward
against resistance. Repeat
with your left arm.Future-Proof
Your Shoulders:
Overdoing overhead motions
like swimming, throwing a
cricket ball, swinging a racket
or even painting walls can
result in impingement on
your rotator cuff, a group of
muscles and tendons that
cover the head of the upper
arm bone and hold the joint
in place. This can cause the
cuff to tear, especially as
tendons become weaker and
stiffer with age. To prevent it,
do this exercise: While
standing, lift a 1-kg dumbbell
to the side and about 30°
forward with arm straight
and thumb pointed down,
like you’re pouring a beer. Do15 reps per side. According
to orthopedic surgeon
Nicholas DiNubile, this
isolates and strengthens
the supraspinatus muscles
to support the tendon most
often damaged.Watch Out!
A popular impingement
surgery called subacromial
decompression, which
smooths bone spurs on the
acromion, may not
accomplish much, according
to a recent study in The
Lancet. Patients in 32
hospitals who got the
arthroscopic procedure
didn’t do any better than a
control group that had a
sham surgery in which
doctors scoped the shoulder
but didn’t fix anything.
Both groups did only slightly
better than people who
received no treatment,
leading researchers to
suggest that other
treatments, such as rehab,
painkillers and steroid
injections, may be more
beneficial. Think twice before
going under the knife.NRL CHAMP BILLY SLATER
HAD TWO SHOULDER
RECONSTRUCTIONS IN
201516 BEFORE RETURNING
TO FINISH HIS CAREER IN
GRAND STYLE.