Your Holiday Survival Strategy

There's no denying that the holidays have arrived. 

Lights have been strung, gifts are being wrapped and holiday treats are everywhere.

It's no secret that most people gain 5 to 10 pounds over the next month. With all the parties, special meals and edible gifts, weight gain is pretty much inevitable...right?

Not so fast. 

I've come up with a survival strategy to keep holiday pounds from making a permanent home on your hips.

This strategy is very simple. I'm not expecting you to have the time to log all your calories or eat every meal at home. We are going to be realistic...

Golden Tip to Avoid Holiday Pounds: Spend the next 4 weeks eating like a caveman, with 2 daily exceptions.

Here's why: Holiday pounds are caused by eating too many foods that are high in carbohydrates and simple sugars.

You can avoid all that by sticking with an eating plan created by our pre-historic ancestors, while still keeping things fun by allowing for 2 small daily exceptions.

This is what you would eat... 

As many fresh and fiber-filled vegetables as you want.

• Load up on salads.
• Enjoy vegetable side dishes.
• Just no starchy vegetables like potato or corn.

Lots of lean, protein-filled meats and eggs.

• Stick with meat that has been roasted, barbequed, or baked.
• Avoid fried meats and eggs.

Fruits, nuts and seeds in moderation

• Fresh fruit for a delicious dessert.
• A handful of nuts or seeds for a snack.
• Don't eat sugar-added fruits, nuts or seeds.
• Then enjoy 2 small exceptions...

Bread or grain product: No larger than the size of your hand.

• Starchy vegetables: Half of a cup.
• Baked goods: Should fit into the palm of your hand.
• Candies or confections: The smaller the better.
• Holiday drinks: 8 ounces.

This plan works because it allows you to indulge in 2 exceptions each day. This encourages you to pick and choose the holiday cheat food that you really love, as opposed to feeling obligated to eat everything in sight.

When you navigate the buffet line at your next holiday party, feel confident knowing that you have a game plan. Stick with salad, vegetables and meats first, then pick out your 2 small exceptions and savor those.

Remember, I'm here to help you meet your fitness and weight loss goals. 

Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will turn your holiday weight gain into a holiday slim down.
You didn't think I was going to forget to mention the importance of exercise in avoiding holiday pounds, did you?

I know this month is extra busy. You will be tempted to skip out on workouts. 

Decide right here and now that you will stick with your exercise schedule throughout the entire month of December. Write it into your calendar.

Exercise is your secret weapon against holiday pounds.

--
Hyunsuk Oh, DC, CCEP, CKTP, ART®, GT®

If you need more tips about holiday survival strategies, contact us at 301-953-0256 or sign-up at www.LaurelRegionalChiropractic.com for a free consultation!

Laurel Regional Chiropractic maintains an active presence on many popular search and social media websites. Select your favorite website below to stay connected or review us. 

Laurel Regional Chiropractic

9811 Mallard Drive Suite 218 

Laurel, MD 20708

301-953-0256

www.laurelregionalchiropractic.com

.

       

The Highly Sought After UFC Competition

RecoveryDoc athlete Mike Easton and his contender Raphael Assuncao
The competition will be held, Saturday, December 8th. Dr. Rick Rosa of Accessible Beltway Clinics has worked with professional fighter Mike Easton over the years.


All of the details about the fight and the players can be viewed on the UFC's website ---> http://bit.ly/TFNym5.
Dr. Rosa, a revolutionary leader in the field of sports chiropractic therapy,  has utilized his famed 6 Pillars of Recovery Program, with professional athlete Mike Easton over the years.

Watch Video of MMA Pro Mike Easton

Mike Easton lifts weight and talks about his recovery which was shortened by 50% of the estimated time after treatment by RecoveryDoc.

httpv://youtu.be/NpGWILn-80s

Dr. Rosa, a graduate of New York Chiropractic College, has devoted countless years to the study and integration of chiropractic medicine for recovery and sports. He consistently demonstrates his passion for the advancement of chiropractic medicine through continuous efforts in the education and training of both the chiropractic and athletic community on the essentials of chiropractic therapy and recovery.Video of MMA Pro Mike Easton as he lifts weight and talks about his recovery which was shortened by 50% of the estimated time after treatment by RecoveryDoc.

Dr. Rosa, the founder of RecoveryDoc, works with professional athletes— enabling them to train harder and recovery faster. He ensures athletes not only recover, but are able to perform better and train harder in preparation for the field.

RecoveryDoc’s Six Pillars of Recovery cover all aspects of recovery for injuries and training. The Six Pillars include; awareness of state, rest, play, nutrition, physical and psychological – ensuring professional athletes, recover faster and train harder.

The role of sports chiropractic care has greatly evolved over the past 20 years and Dr. Rosa plays an active role in the continual advancement.

Watch RecoveryDoc Athlete Mike Easton, Saturday, December 8th on Fox!

This is an event you don’t want to miss!

--> http://www.ufc.com/event/FOX5#/fight/Raphael-Assuncao-Mike-Easton

Dr. Besser’s 3 Tips to Ride Hurricane Sandy out Safely

For those in the path of Hurricane Sandy, the wind, rain, floods and potential blackouts are on the way.

If you are sheltered in place with adequate food, water, batteries and other supplies, you are likely to be well-prepared for the approaching weather threat. However, there are some simple mistakes that many people make that can potentially put their family’s health in danger.

As former head of emergency response and preparedness for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser is familiar with many of these preparedness missteps. Below he offers three simple tips to keep you, your family — and even your pets — safe.

Tip #1: In an Outage, Approach Perishable Food With Caution

When the power goes out, that food in the fridge will last only so long. You should throw away any perishable food in there if your power has been off for four hours or more.

Your freezer, if full and left unopened, will keep frozen food safe for 48 hours. You must cut this safe window in half to 24 hours, however, if your freezer is only half full. But keep in mind that this is only if you keep that freezer door shut. Every time you open it, some of the cold air escapes — effectively speeding up the clock for when your food might spoil.

Beyond these guidelines, exercise common sense. Does your food have an unusual texture, odor or color? Throw it away. This is when the old rule, “When in doubt, throw it out,” should be in full effect.

To learn more, check out these tips from the CDC.

Tip #2: Use Generators Carefully

In a blackout, many view generators as a lifesaver. But use them improperly, and they can actually put your life in danger.

The reason for this is that generators, as they run, emit a gas known as carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is both colorless and odorless — in other words, it is impossible for us to detect it on our own. Yet, each year carbon monoxide poisoning sends approximately 15,000 Americans to the emergency department and kills nearly 500, according to CDC statistics.

To keep you and those who live with you safe, never use a generator inside your home or garage. This rule applies even if the windows and doors are open. Nor should your generator be located right outside your residence; make sure that it is located 20 or more feet away from your home’s doors and windows. Additionally, make sure that you have carbon monoxide monitors — battery-powered or with a battery backup — near every sleeping area in your home.

For more, check out this CDC fact sheet.

Tip #3: Protect Those Less Able to Protect Themselves

In times of disaster, communities usually come together to make sure that everyone makes it through safe. This is a helpful ethic to promote in your own community, and it often saves the lives of those most vulnerable.

If you know or live close to someone who is elderly, has special needs or is home bound  check in on them. Make sure that they, too, have what they need in terms of shelter, food, water and warmth. This is also a good time to check in with institutions where elderly family members or others may be staying. Make sure that you are aware of any emergency measures that are being put into place and understand what is needed of you.

Last but not least, make sure that your pets are safe and secure. Many shelters will not take pets in the event of an emergency, so it is up to you to protect them by checking with your local authorities to find what pet shelters are available.

Laurel Regional Chiropractic maintains an active presence on many popular search and social media websites. Select your favorite website below to stay connected or review us.

       

Corrective Exercise: Why Stiffness Can Be a Good Thing

by Eric Cressey

With reference to strength and conditioning programs, the adjective “stiff” is generally perceived to be a bad thing, as folks mean it in a general sense. In other words, you seem “locked up” and don’t move well.

Taken more literally and applied to specific joints, stiffness can be a very good thing. A problem only exists if someone is excessively stiff – especially in relation to adjacent joints. If someone has the right amount of stiffness to prevent movement at a segment when desired, then you would simply say that it’s “stable.” That doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

This is generally a very confusing topic, so I’ll use some examples to illustrate the concept.

Example #1: Reducing kyphosis.

Take your buddy – we’ll call him Lurch – who sits at a desk all day long. He’s got a horrible Quasimodo posture, and he comes to your for help with improving it. You know that his thoracic spine is stuck in flexion and needs to be unlocked, so you’re obviously going to give him some thoracic spine mobility drills. That’s a no brainer.However, would you say that Lurch would make better progress correcting bad posture with those drills alone, or if he combines those drills with some deadlifting, horizontal pulling strength exercises, and a more extended thoracic spine posture during the day? Of course Lurch would do much better with those additions – but why?

All those additions increased stiffness.

With the thoracic erectors adequately stiff relative to the cervical erectors (which create forward head posture when too stiff) and lumbar erectors (create lordosis when too stiff), there is something to “hold” these changes in place. If you’re just doing the thoracic spine mobilizations, you’re just transiently modifying stiffness (increasing tolerance to stretch) – NOT increasing range of motion!

You know what else is funny? In 99% of cases like this, you’ll also see an improvement in

glenohumeral range of motion (both transiently and chronically). Mobilize a thoracic spine

and it’s easier to create stiffness in the appropriate scapular stabilizers. When the peri-scapular muscles are adequately stiff, the glenohumeral joint can move more freely. It’s all about understanding the joint-by-joint theory; mobility and stability alternate.

Example #2: The guy who can squat deep with crazy stiff hip flexors.

A few years ago, one of our interns demonstrated the single-worst Thomas Test I’ve ever seen. In this assessment, which looks at hip flexor length, a “good” test would have the bottom leg flat on the table with no deviation to the side. In the image below (recreated by another intern), the position observed would be indicative of shortness or stiffness in the rectus femoris and/or psoas (depending on modifying tests):

In the case to which I’m referring, though, our intern was about twice as bad as what you just saw. He might very well have had barnacles growing on his rectus femoris, from what I could tell. But you know what? He stood up right after that test and showed me one of the “crispest” barefoot overhead squats I’ve ever seen.

About an hour later, I watched him front squat 405 to depth with a perfectly neutral spine. So what gives? I mean, there’s no way a guy with hip flexors that stiff (or short) should be able to squat without pitching forward, right?

Wrong. He made up for it with crazy stiffness in his posterior hip musculature and outstanding core stability (adequate stiffness). This stiffness enables him to tap in to hip mobility that you wouldn’t think is there.

Is this a guy that’d still need to focus on tissue length and quality of the hip flexers? Absolutely – because I’d expect him to rip a hole in one of them the second he went to sprint, or he might wind up with anterior knee pain eventually.

Does that mean that squatting isn’t the best thing for him at the time, even if he can’t do it? Not necessarily, as it is a pattern that you don’t want to lose, it’s a key part of him maintaining a training effect, and because you want him to feel what it’s like to squat with less anterior hip stiffness as he works to improve his hip mobility (rather than just throw him into the fire with “new hips” down the road).

These are just two examples; you can actually find examples of “good stiffness” all over the body. So, as you can imagine, this isn’t just limited to corrective exercise programs; it’s also applicable to strength and conditioning programs for healthy individuals. Effective programs implement mobility exercises and self myofascial release to transiently reduce stiffness where it’s excessive, and strength exercises to stiffen segments that are unstable. Effectively, you teach the body how to move correctly – and then load it up to work to make that education permanent.

Strengthening Control Foot Dynamics?

By Dr. Emily Splichal August 20, 2012 Category: Fitness & Your Feet

I often get asked if this training technique truly is effective at
correcting foot function.  Conceptually it makes sense that if I
strengthen my hip external rotators, I should be able to resist the
internal rotation force caused by my everting rearfoot.  Of course as
a podiatrist, we need to see the research to support such belief.

Consider this. In a foot that has excess rearfoot eversion, there is
an associated increase in tibial internal rotation.  Depending on the
hip strength, this tibial internal rotation will be countered with an
external rotation force from the posterior fibers of the glueus
medius.  However, in cases where the client has weak hip external
rotators, the internal force of the tibia will cause femoral internal
rotation and an associated anterior tilt of the pelvis.

If we were to strengthen the posterior fibers of the gluteus medius,
therefore increasing the external rotator strength, can we resist this
internal rotation force initiated from the foot?

A 2007 study by Snyder et al. evaluated the effectiveness of 6 weeks
hip external rotator strengthening on rearfoot kinematics during
running.   In the study 15 women with moderate pronation (average
calcaneal eversion 5 degrees) participated in single leg stance, hip
external rotator exercises three days a week for 6 weeks.  After the 6
weeks, women showed significant increase in hip external rotator
strength, decreased knee abduction and decreased rearfoot range of
motion and velocity at heel strike.

Although the women did not have excessively over-pronated foot type,
this study suggests the effectiveness of proximal hip strengthening on
distal foot function.   One finding of particular interest was the
decrease in rearfoot  eversion  velocity after the 6 weeks of hip
strengthening.  We know that the posterior tibialis muscle plays an
important role is decelerating midstance pronation, and has been shown
in previous studies that weakness and fatigue of this muscle is
associated with increased rearfoot pronation and associated internal
rotation of the tibia.

This study suggests gluteus medius strengthening  is an effective
technique for controlling dynamic rearfoot kinematics.  I promote
barefoot balance training, as it integrates  (1) single leg stance hip
strengthening (which has been shown to have the highest muscle
activation) and (2) you will feel the trochanters movebarefoot
training (which has been shown to
increase foot intrinsic muscle strength and plantar cutaneous
mechanoreceptor activation).  For athletes and runners who experience
posterior tibialis fatigue and associated knee pain after prolonged
exertion, you may want to consider incorporating barefoot balance
training to improve rearfoot kinematics.

References:

O’Connor, K. et al. The role of selected extrinsic foot muscles during
running. Clin Biomech, 2004. 19: 71-77.

Snyder, K. et al. Resistance training is accompanied by increases in
hip strength and change in lower extremity biomechanics during
running.  Clin Biomech, 2007. 24- 26-34.

Your Body will Work as a Whole

The body always works as a whole. An example of this relationship is
the hip has to pronation and supination of ankle. Place your finger
tips on both great hips while you are standing. Now pronate
both ankles and you will feel the trochanters move backward into
external rotation. If you really want to play this, pronate one ankle
and supinate the other ankle. You should now notice that the hip on
the side of pronation lowered, and the hip on the side of
supination raised.

This is how foot and ankle problems can mimic short or long legs when
they are in a patho-mechnical relation. Of course it also works vice versa.


Hyunsuk Oh, DC, CCEP, CKTP, ART®, GT®

--
Hyunsuk Oh, DC, CCEP, CKTP, ART®, GT®

----------------------------------------------

Laurel Regional Chiropractic
9811 Mallard Drive, Suite 218
Laurel, MD, 20708

Tel)  301-953-0256
Fax) 301-604-2097

www.laurelregionalchiropractic.com

Delaying Physical Therapy Can be Costly

Gunnar Mossberg

Tuesday, August 14, 2012


Up to 80 percent of people will at some point experience acute low
back pain, and in most cases it will resolve on its own within four to
six weeks, but with a high recurrence rate. However, recent large
studies have shown that early start of physical therapy treatment may
lead to less need for additional health-care treatment down the road.

A new study led by physical therapist Julie M. Fritz, published in the
medical journal Spine, used a national database of employer-sponsored
health plans, where 32,070 patients had newly consulted a primary care
physician for low back pain. Those who were referred to a physical
therapist within 14 days of consultation were compared to patients who
had their physical therapy referral delayed until 15 to 90 days after
initial consultation with a physician.

During an 18-month follow-up, the researchers found that early
physical therapy treatment was associated with reduced likelihood of
subsequent surgery, injections, physician visits, opioid use, advanced
imaging, along with a corresponding reduction in related medical costs
relative to delayed treatment by a physical therapist. The total
health-care cost was $2,736 lower in the early treatment group.

Another recently published study, taken from data from the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services, looked at 439,195 patients who
received treatment for acute low back pain, and who received physical
therapy in the acute phase (less than 4 weeks) versus in the chronic
phase (more than 3 months). This study also showed less subsequent
medical services among patients who received physical therapy early
after an episode of acute low back pain, versus later on. Fritz
suggested that early physical therapy may promote a greater sense of
self-reliance in managing low back pain and confidence in a positive
outcome. It may also prevent patients’ dependency on additional health
care services and medications.

Although the literature has shown evidence of moderate benefit of
exercise therapy for chronic and sub acute low back pain, a systematic
review has shown strong evidence that exercise can reduce the future
occurrence of back problems in adults.

Gunnar Mossberg, PT, MOMT, DPT, has practiced physical therapy in San
Diego since 1982


Early proper treatment can be crucial to be preventive of chronic
illness behaviors.

--
Hyunsuk Oh, DC, CCEP, CKTP, ART®, GT®

Dr. Hyunsuk Oh graduated from Life University in Marietta, Georgia. Dr. Oh currently holds licenses to practice chiropractic in Maryland and Virginia. He is a member of the Maryland Chiropractic Association, American Chiropractic Association and International Chiropractic Association. Dr. Oh has undergone extensive training and has earned the designate of Certified Chiropractic Extremity Practitioner (CCEP) from the Council on Extremity Adjusting. He has also obtained  certification as a Golf Rehabilitation Specialist through Blanchard Institution. Dr. oh has achieved Advanced Certification in the Graston Instrument Assisted Soft-Tissue Mobilization (GISTM) technique (or Graston Technique), a highly advanced and efficient technique developed for treating soft tissue pathology.  He also has achieved Advanced Certification in the SASTM (Sound Assisted Soft-Tissue Mobilization).   Dr. Oh is also a full body licensed provider of Active Release Techniques (ART).  This technique is highly effective for treating a whole host of soft tissue and nerve entrapment issues.   ART is a favorite technique of triathlon participants, volleyball players, marathon runners, and athletes of all sports. Dr. Oh is also a Certified Kinesio® Taping Practitioner (CKTP®). The Kinesio® Taping Method is one of the most sophisticated taping techniques in the world.  It allows for facilitation, inhibition, and functional corrections of the musculoskeletal system.

Laurel Regional Chiropractic maintains an active presence on many popular search and social media websites. Select your favorite website below to stay connected or review us.

       

Neuropathy and Spondylosis

Chiropractic Care Can Help Patients with Neuropathy and Spondylosis

We all see patients with chronic pain that may not be related to a
direct inflammatory process, and the examination reveals no hard
neurological signs (diminished reflexes, etc.). Gunn states that there
are functional and/or structural alterations within the central or
peripheral nervous systems, i.e., neuropathy. Neuropathic pain is
associated with abnormal nerve function and/or hyperactivity at some
level in the pain sensory system.

Neuropathic Pain Begins in the Spine and Has a Gradual Origin

The most common cause of neuropathy is spondylosis. He states that
"the spinal origin of neuropathic pain is not always obvious because
spondylotic degeneration follows a gradual, relapsing and remitting
course that is silent. Pain can arise with no history of trauma, and
laboratory, radiological and other tests are unhelpful." Spondylosis,
which refers to the structural disintegration and morphologic
alterations in the intervertebral disc and pathoanotomic changes in
surrounding structures, can eventually cause simultaneous damage to
the nerve roots (radiculopathy) and cord (myelopathy). Gunn speaks of
a prespondylosis which may be symptomless until trauma occurs. A
neuropathy may appear. With an acute injury to a healthy nerve there
is no prolonged discharge of pain signals, whereas, the same injury to
a neuropathic nerve affected by a prespondylosis can cause a sustained
discharge. This may explain why people with spondylosis and no
symptoms can have minor injury and the pain can exist beyond a
reasonable period.

Spondylosis Increases with Age and is More Common among Middle Aged People

Because spondylosis increases with age, spondylotic pain is more
common in middle-aged individuals. They have accumulated an "injury
pool" or an accumulation of repeated major and minor injuries to a
segment leading to unresolved clinical residuals, which may or may not
produce pain. The most important manifestation of neuropathy, besides
sensory and autonomic findings, is the motor sign of muscle shortening
from spasm resulting in ropey bands in muscle, which may eventually
become fibrotic or focal areas of tenderness called trigger points.
Gunn states that in radiculopathy, these tender spastic muscles can be
found throughout the myotome, contralaterally, and in paraspinal
muscles. Gunn feels that shortened muscles can mechanically stress
muscle attachments leading to tendinitis, epicondylitis, and in
muscles crossing a joint which can increase joint pressure, upset
alignment, cause facet joint pressure, and precipitate pain in the
joint, eventually causing degenerative changes. He even believes that
shortening in paraspinal muscles acting across a disc space can
compress a bulged disc irritating the nerve root. Pressure on the
nerve root will cause more spasm and result in further nerve root
compression.

In radiculopathic pain, tender muscle bands will appear in myotomal
muscles supplied by both the anterior and posterior primary rami. For
pain in the knee, Gunn would seek the tender bands not only in the
quadriceps femoris muscles but also in the paraspinal muscles at the
same segmental levels (L2-L4). He states that while back pain is most
common at L5-S1 levels, more often than not, higher segmental levels
are involved, frequently reaching dorsal and cervical levels.

By Warren Hammer, MS, DC, DABCO

As we can see this article soft tissue treatment can help relieve the
pressure from nerve root which could cause ridiculer pain.
The treatment of this condition should be emphasized on not only
chiropractic manipulation for joints also soft tissue treatment for
surrounding structures including soft tissue and fascia.

For more information and health tips, visit the Laurel Chiropracticwebsite and “like” us on Facebook.  

Dr. Hyunsuk Oh graduated from Life University in Marietta, Georgia. Dr. Oh currently holds licenses to practice chiropractic in Maryland and Virginia. He is a member of the Maryland Chiropractic Association, American Chiropractic Association and International Chiropractic Association. Dr. Oh has undergone extensive training and has earned the designate of Certified Chiropractic Extremity Practitioner (CCEP) from the Council on Extremity Adjusting. He has also obtained  certification as a Golf Rehabilitation Specialist through Blanchard Institution. Dr. oh has achieved Advanced Certification in the Graston Instrument Assisted Soft-Tissue Mobilization (GISTM) technique (or Graston Technique), a highly advanced and efficient technique developed for treating soft tissue pathology.  He also has achieved Advanced Certification in the SASTM (Sound Assisted Soft-Tissue Mobilization).   Dr. Oh is also a full body licensed provider of Active Release Techniques (ART).  This technique is highly effective for treating a whole host of soft tissue and nerve entrapment issues.   ART is a favorite technique of triathlon participants, volleyball players, marathon runners, and athletes of all sports. Dr. Oh is also a Certified Kinesio® Taping Practitioner (CKTP®). The Kinesio® Taping Method is one of the most sophisticated taping techniques in the world.  It allows for facilitation, inhibition, and functional corrections of the musculoskeletal system.

Graston Treatment for Olympian Micheal Philps!

Graston Technique Helps to Normalize Your Body from Damage Due to Overuse

When the body does not get appropriate recovery time, damaged tissue
is not able to rebuild stronger than it was before. The body remains
in a state of breakdown, and the accumulation of micro tears in
tissues will eventually result in an overuse injury. Graston technique
helps to normalize your body through breaking scars from micro
tears in tissues for your perfect recovery.

Graston Technique is part of an integrated whole body recovery treatment program; we use in conjunction with other methods of chiropractic care to ensure athletic patients can train harder and recover faster.

U.S.A. Olympic Champion Uses Graston Technique for Sports Recovery

By: Selene Yeager, August 12, 2012

MICHAEL PHELPS: THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO

AFTER THE SCANDALS AND THE SETBACKS, THE GREATEST SWIMMER EVER IS RECHARGED, RELAXED, AND READY TO TAKE HIS FINAL SHOT IN LONDON. THE INSIDE STORY OF HOW A SKINNY KID FROM BALTIMORE ASSEMBLED THE BEST BODY OF WORK—AND BODY—IN U.S. OLYMPIC HISTORY.

BY SELENE YEAGER,

AUGUST 2012 ISSUE

Age: 27 Height: 6'4" Weight: 195 lb Hometown: Baltimore Most athletes follow a regimen that builds endurance, strength, and power over the course of a year. Under coach Bob Bowman, the mastermind of the long-term view, Michael Phelps mapped out a 16-year plan for world domination—the entire duration of his career. In the years before the 2004 Athens Games, Phelps focused on building a massive aerobic capacity, logging 50 miles a week in the pool. Leading up to his record-smashing performance in Beijing in 2008, he added four days a week of weight-intense dry-land training—Keenan Robinson, Phelps' trainer, rotates through a bottomless bag of routines to keep Phelps at the top of his game—and 10 pounds of water-slicing muscle. Fourteen gold (and two bronze) Olympic medals later, he's all about power as he prepares to storm London. In addition to knocking out four sets of five pull-ups while wearing a 40-pound vest, "I'm doing more Olympic-style lifts, like power cleans and snatches and plyometric push presses and box jumps, to get explosive power for jumping off the block and pushing out of turns," Phelps says. "At this point in my career, everybody has caught up. So I'm fine-tuning the little things that add up to make a huge difference."

DETAILS: So what do you do for recovery? Michael Phelps: My trainer, Keenan [Robinson], uses Graston tools, these little metal crowbars. He carves them into my shoulder blades, my back, my knee, my hamstrings—wherever I'm really tight—to loosen things up. It's pretty intense. Obscenities fly out of my mouth the whole time, and I'm usually bruised for two days after it. I also use ice tubs. And when I'm back home, I sleep in an altitude chamber set to about 8,000 feet. All these things help me to be close to my best every time I jump in the water.

Michael Phelps' Workout Tips

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF RECOVERY "Compared to Beijing, I think the biggest thing is just trying to find ways to recover faster. Going into the weight room three times a week, it can be harder to swim, it can be harder to get up and to feel fresh and do this. So it's like you have to find different exercises or different routines that you go through." Here are some of Phelps' activities.

Graston Technique® A modern yet medieval-looking form of soft-tissue manipulation in which the practitioner, in this case Phelps' strength trainer, Keenan Robinson, uses a series of stainless-steel instruments to comb over muscles, find adhesions, and break down scar tissue and stretch connective tissue and muscle fibers. "He takes those little crowbars and carves them into my shoulder blades and I go crazy, letting obscenities fly the whole time," Phelps says. "I bruise for two days. It's pretty intense." But it works. "We used it before a mid-season meet in Missouri in 2007," Robinson recalls. "He was locked up through his rhomboids and lats and external rotators. We went in there and worked it out and he broke the world record in the 200 butterfly. It's amazing."

Note to patients: While Phelps treatment results in some discomfort and bruising, this is not a typical response for GT

For more information and health tips, visit the Laurel Chiropractic website and “like” us on Facebook.  

Dr. Hyunsuk Oh graduated from Life University in Marietta, Georgia. Dr. Oh currently holds licenses to practice chiropractic in Maryland and Virginia. He is a member of the Maryland Chiropractic Association, American Chiropractic Association and International Chiropractic Association. Dr. Oh has undergone extensive training and has earned the designate of Certified Chiropractic Extremity Practitioner (CCEP) from the Council on Extremity Adjusting. He has also obtained certification as a Golf Rehabilitation Specialist through Blanchard Institution. Dr. oh has achieved Advanced Certification in the Graston Instrument Assisted Soft-Tissue Mobilization (GISTM) technique (or Graston Technique), a highly advanced and efficient technique developed for treating soft tissue pathology.  He also has achieved Advanced Certification in the SASTM (Sound Assisted Soft-Tissue Mobilization).   Dr. Oh is also a full body licensed provider of Active Release Techniques (ART).  This technique is highly effective for treating a whole host of soft tissue and nerve entrapment issues.   ART is a favorite technique of triathlon participants, volleyball players, marathon runners, and athletes of all sports. Dr. Oh is also a Certified Kinesio® Taping Practitioner (CKTP®). The Kinesio® Taping Method is one of the most sophisticated taping techniques in the world.  It allows for facilitation, inhibition, and functional corrections of the musculoskeletal system.