{"id":39715,"date":"2015-05-05T07:15:55","date_gmt":"2015-05-05T11:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=39715"},"modified":"2021-09-18T08:23:26","modified_gmt":"2021-09-18T12:23:26","slug":"physical-therapist-exercises-safety-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/physical-therapist-exercises-safety-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Exercises that Could Land You in Rehab, According to Physical Therapists"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Seated
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Week after week studies<\/a> come out about the benefits of exercise. And while online resources can inspire you in countless ways to get moving, you likely won\u2019t learn the correct way to squat or deadlift via YouTube. The \u2018monkey see, monkey do\u2019 mentality could in fact be a recipe for disaster. \u201cIf you don’t have enough mobility at each joint to perform an exercise safely, then really any part of the body is at risk for injury,\u201d says Alison McGinnis, DPT, FAFS, physical therapist at Finish Line Physical Therapy<\/a> in New York City.<\/p>\n

But that isn\u2019t stopping people from pumping iron. Even with an onlooking trainer<\/a> or coach, gym go-ers, racers and athletes<\/a> alike still get injured. Yes, this is the exact business that keeps PTs busy and employed, but the rehab bills and time can really start to add up if you\u2019re the victim of improper training.<\/p>\n

Wondering which types of exercises might make you the most vulnerable? While any<\/em> exercise performed with poor technique could put you in harm\u2019s way, some moves are more commonly botched than others.<\/em> We called on six leading physical therapists to share which exercises could land you in rehab if done incorrectly. Don\u2019t say you weren\u2019t warned.<\/p>\n

10 Exercises Physical Therapists Agree Deserve Extra Care<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Bicycle
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1.\u00a0<\/i>Bicycle Crunches
\n<\/strong>Pump \u2018em out as fast as you can, right? Wrong! \u201cAs exercisers drop in and out of abdominal flexion, losing their muscle tension in the midsection, the low back gets wrenched in and out of extension with little support,\u201d says Alycea Ungaro, PT, owner of Real Pilates<\/a> in New York City. She explains that plus twisting at high speeds is a recipe for herniated discs and muscle spasms. \u201cIn addition, many people clutch the back of their heads and crane their necks back and forth subjecting their cervical spine to injuries as well.\u201d Your better bet: slow the crunch<\/a> down drastically if you feel you have to perform it.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Hate Crunches? 6 Better Core Exercises for Beginners<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Lat
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2.\u00a0<\/i>Lat Pull-Downs (Behind the Head)
\n<\/strong>If you don\u2019t realize vulnerable positions you\u2019re placing your body in, you won\u2019t be able to help prevent injury. \u201cThe lat pull-down places a lot of stress on the anterior joint capsule of the shoulder, and can eventually lead to\u00a0impingement or even rotator cuff tears,\u201d says Jessica Malpelli, DPT, therapist at the Florida Orthopedic Institute<\/a>. If something in your shoulder doesn\u2019t feel right, stop and find another exercise. Even doing the lat pull-down in front of your head can be a safer approach.<\/p>\n

\"Kettlebell
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3. The Kettlebell Swing
\n<\/strong>Yes, it\u2019s one of the best strengthening exercises around. The catch: It requires impeccable technique. While many people think this movement is all arms, it\u2019s actually powered from your lower body, specifically the posterior chain including the glutes and hamstrings. It\u2019s important to learn the correct way to move the weight before you start swinging it. \u201cBecause of the speed and the force of the swinging motion of the kettlebell,<\/a> the shoulder is at significant risk for injury,\u201d says John Gallucci Jr., MS, ATC, PT, DPT, president of JAG Physical Therapy<\/a>. \u201cIf performed incorrectly the repetitive swinging motion could result in rotator cuff injury and\/or inflammation of other structures in the shoulder.\u201d To avoid landing on the examination table, make sure the power is generated from glutes and hamstrings.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>5 Kettlebell Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Bent
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4. Bent Over Rows
\n<\/strong>\u201cRows can be\u00a0great for shoulder and upper back,\u201d says Malpelli,\u00a0\u201cbut\u00a0often patients\u00a0perform them bent over at the waist. Being in that much lumbar spine flexion<\/a> can cause a disc to displace posteriorly, potentially hitting a nerve.\u201d Hinging from the waist also causes your shoulders to roll forward, which can contribute to poor posture (and is counterproductive to the row exercise in general). If you\u2019re going to do row, try performing them lying face down on a Swiss ball or bench.<\/p>\n

\"Deadlift\"
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5. The Romanian Deadlift
\n<\/strong>If performed correctly, it\u2019s a great exercise for both the back and hips. However, deadlifts<\/a> are one of the easiest ways to hurt your back if you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing. Why? \u201cMost commonly a person will fall into hyperextension through the low back while lowering and lifting weight, which could result in lumbar disc injury or muscular spasm,\u201d says Gallucci. Translation: Many lifters will round their back when picking up or putting down the bar \u2014 and often they may not even realize it. \u201cAlso, if the weight isn’t distributed through the feet properly and is shifted too far forward, then the glutes and hamstrings won’t fire and the lumbar extensors are overworking, which again could result in a low back spasm,\u201d explains Gallucci. If you\u2019re a newbie to this lift, we recommend asking a trainer for help.<\/p>\n

\"overhead
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6. The Overhead Squat
\n<\/strong>Lifting anything overhead is challenging to your body, and even more so to the nervous system. Add a squat<\/a> to that and form can quickly go out the window. \u201cAn overhead squat is a full-body exercise, so for example, a person who doesn’t have enough mobility in their hips, knees and ankles will have trouble getting into a deep squat even without the overhead press,\u201d says McGinnis. \u201cThe actual overhead motion adds strain to shoulder, cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions.\u201d If you insist on attempting this move, make sure you cease going down as soon as your form is compromised. \u201cStop when your low back starts to arch excessively, your knees drive forward past your toes or your arms move forward,\u201d says McGinnis. \u201cWhatever depth that is, that is the bottom of your squat.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>7 Ways to Improve Your Squat<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Medicine
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7. Backward Medicine Ball Rotation Tosses (Against a Wall)
\n<\/strong>It may look<\/em> functional \u2014 maybe even fun \u2014 but it\u2019s never a good idea to forcefully rotate your spine backwards. There are so many small and delicate discs in the back that can herniate with the slightest wrong movement, so anything bending you backward should be done slowly and with serious caution, says Jason D\u2019Amelio MS, ATC-L, ART-C, owner of Total Athletic Performance Training<\/a> in New York City. \u201cThe reason that I dislike this exercise is because there is no movement in sports that requires you to aggressively rotate backwards,\u201d he says. In most athletic rotation and swinging movements (think: swinging a baseball bat or golf club) the most powerful part of the movement is when the body rotates forward, not backwards. The backward rotation does nothing for the client from an athletic standpoint, D\u2019Amelio says. He recommends opting for medicine ball throws for rotary power, but only laterally and throwing the ball forward.<\/p>\n

\"Leg
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8. Seated Leg Extension
\n<\/strong>Maybe it\u2019s time to rethink using this piece of equipment<\/a> just because everyone else is. It may actually be doing more harm than good. \u201cUsing a leg extension machine isn\u2019t functional \u2014 there is no natural\u00a0movement in life were you sit and straighten your knee with a 100-pound\u00a0load against it,\u201d says Joe Tatta<\/a>, DPT, physical therapist at Premier Physical Therapy & Wellness<\/a> in New York City. When you isolate any muscle and put an intense amount of weight on it, you run the gamut of creating muscle imbalances. Plus, many people flex their toes when performing this exercise, overworking already tight muscles like the hip flexors. \u201cIt also place undue stress across your knee joint affecting the delicate cartilage under the patella,\u201d says Tatta. Need another option? Try squats instead.<\/p>\n

\"Pull-Up\"
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9. The Pull-Up
\n<\/strong>Can\u2019t pump out 20 straight? That may not be such a bad thing, especially if your alignment isn\u2019t quite there yet. This exercise targets the lats, which is one of the most underused muscles in the body, especially for women<\/a>. To get the benefits of a pull-up<\/a>, the lats must be activated. \u201cYou need to have your chest up with your abs engaged, and lead the pull with your elbows,\u201d says Sulyn Silbar, orthopedic massage therapist and owner of Body + Mind NYC<\/a>. \u201cMost people cannot do them properly, as their lats aren’t working or aren’t strong enough, and therefore the body compensates by using the upper traps and chest to do the movement.\u201d This can lead to short, tight pecs, or worse, shoulder issues<\/a>. Learn the pull up<\/a> using a band and checking your form in the mirror or with a certified trainer before you start knocking them out.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>How to Do a Pull-Up (Or Add More Reps)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Preacher
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

10. The Preacher Curl
\n<\/strong>It\u2019s time for a separation of church and exercise. While the setup for a preacher curl is to, in fact, activate the bicep muscle, the position makes the rest of your body vulnerable. \u201cIt puts the muscle in an active insufficiency, which means the muscle is already shortened, and puts your shoulders in an anterior tilted position and in abduction, which means they are farther apart,\u201d says David Reavy, PT, OCT, therapist at React Physical Therapy<\/a> in Chicago, Illinois. \u201cThere is no stabilization of your core or lats because your shoulder blades are out of place and you are in a forward posture. You are strengthening in a bad position.\u201d Instead, Reavy recommends bicep curls<\/a> be done in a half-kneeling<\/a> position.<\/p>\n

While there may not be any \u201cbad\u201d exercises, there can<\/em> be poor executions of those movements. When in doubt, seek out expert advice to make sure your programming \u2014 and exercise technique \u2014 are both sound.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re not saying don\u2019t do them, but even physical therapists warn these exercises could mean trouble if performed incorrectly. Read on to learn which moves to do with extra care. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":39753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6,14],"tags":[144,281,341,353,99],"class_list":["post-39715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-injury","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2weight-training","tag-weightlifting"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}