tendonitis, hip alignment, upper back pain and boxing linked?

[Sharla]

Hi

I've been told i have scoliosis in my upper back inherited genetically but I didn't get pain or notice any symptoms until about a year ago. Before noticing any pain I lost power in my right cross which would usually be my favourite punch. Since then I have also developed tendinitis in my left knee. I've been told that would be from over training. However I have been told i have a slight hip displacement.

I am wondering whether or not anyone knows if the hip displacement may actually have aggravated my scoliosis and caused the tendinitis? I have seen several different chiropractors and physiotherapists but they all seem determined to look at my symptoms in isolation one at a time and I'm concerned they may be linked. They all come up with different conclusions aswell.

I've noticed some of my training partners are also prone to back pain and have their left shoulder sitting higher than their right (as I do). Could this be a common injury due development of a muscular imbalance from training as an orthodox without proper stretching or recovery from workouts or correct weight training etc?

Has anyone out there else had a similar problem or have any idea of what might be going on?

[Scrap]

All or nothing , Ill get back to you got to go out

[md]

Hey Sharla,

A bit more specifics could help. Which side right or left does your spine deviate to? Which tendon in your knee is injured (patella? if so which side)? Which hip and which way is it displaced up, down, front or back.

I'm really surprised the professionals you've went to see are looking at the injuries in isolation - especially the physios - because all these areas are important links of the kinetic chain. If one area breaks down there's a knock on effect.

Scrap's the man to give you help on training and specific stretches. If you can provide as much info as possible all the better. Like areas of chronic tension and dull pain.

[Scrap]

Who told you, you had scoliosis through genetics have you had tests.

[Sharla]

I was told by my 2nd chiropractor I have scoliosis in my back. He did not do any DNA tests though. He didn't get any x-rays either. No one has ever taken x-rays of my back. My mother has been told the same thing by a different chiropractor but she feels no pain and hasn't had genetic tests or x-rays either. She swims but does not do any weight training.

My upper back has constant tension. I think as long as I have had back pain i have been able to relieve it temporarily by pulling my shoulders up and back and pushing my chest foreward making it 'click'. I used to do this straight back but now I often lean a little to the left while I do it.

My knee pain is directly under the knee where the tibia is and doesn't seem to be more on either side. I felt it in boxing before running dispite running 100 plus km a week (not anymore!). It seemed agitated by sideways movement in either direction and any fast movement foreward or lunging foreward onto my left as i'm an orthodox boxer. Now it is agitated by any running or boxing and sometimes walking. I cut right back to swimming only for a while and thought it improved a little but it has flared up again since i've tried to ease back into easy jogging. Sometimes when i swim i feel it a little if i'm wearing fins but not without them.

I have a tight muscle or maybe tendon which travels from my right shoulder to my spine. This is not loosened despite many massages (from a runningcoach slash masseur who gets right in with his elbow) and suction cup massage therapy (from a different traditional Japanese massuer).

I have a depressed vertebrae in my middle back just below where i feel the tension.

I think my spine curves out to the right although i haven't been told which way. My left shoulder sits a little higher than my right.

The physio would push down on the left side of my upper vertebrae to put them in which would help temporarily. One chiropractor would crack my neck assuming I had some boxing related whip lash but he never gave me any pain relief and seemed a bit dismissive.

My second chiro would give me some temporary relief by pushing my upper back in while I lied on my front. He would also get me to lie on my right side and twist my hips in. He even massaged some points somewhere inside my mouth with his fingers which did allow my hand to move back in the dumbell chest press position further since I had noticed a reduction in ROM while doing weights. I can't rememer which hand it was and I have not had this problm since. He said is was something to do with my nervous system.

Sometimes more than others my left leg seems to be higher off the ground than my right - especially if I've been training hard. However, I've had my leg length checked and apparently there's no discrepancy. Perhaps that's where the hip displacement comes in but I am not sure which way it tilts. I think the physio said it was in the opposite direction to my scoliosis but he thought it was too small to be significant.

Recently my neck has started to click very occaisionally when I tilt my head so my ear is closer to the top of my shoulder (not sure which direction, maybe both).

If this is not related to normal boxing training there are two things which might be responsible although i can't nut out how. Both things occurred a few months before I felt pain but i can not pinpoint anything which might have caused it immediately.

One is me getting orthotics. I was told by running partners that my right foot tended to flick out when i run. The podiatrist told me i have excess laxity in the tendons of my right foot. He made me orthotics using plaster moulds claiming they would support my for more for a firmer, more stable and efficient push off. My right arch collapses in more than my left when i am not using the orthotics but i can not see any difference between the right and left orthotic.

I was also knocked off my bicycle by a car and landed heavily on my shoulder (can't remember which). I did not feel any pain except from a few bruises on my legs so i went to work and didn't get it checked out.

So the order things occured in would be as follows:
- orthotics and getting knocked off my bike
- months later noticed back pain
- months later noticed knee pain
- months later noticed continuing knee pain, shortening of left leg and neck clicks sometimes.

I really miss being able to train consistently and all this treatment is getting pretty expensive since I'm living on a PhD scholarship so any help you can give me would be fantastic! Thanks!

[md]

Without being too specific you're almost certainly straining your left side to find your own personal horizon between your ears. I won't say anymore on that - Scrap's a pioneer on the subject.

One thing you could work on is proprioception which involves balancing on wobbly surfaces i.e. a fit ball or doing simple tasks like standing on the balls of your feet/standing on one leg with both eyes closed. Also, really stretch the quads properly and for long enough to influence the muscle fascia.

[Scrap]

Shala. I dont think your problem is genetic, I think a lot is down to history and bad maintainance.Weve discussed this on the stretch thread. Its not just in Boxing where the problems lie, the problem is widespread in my opinion through eyesight. If you can go and watch a blind sportsperson move they do it by feel always there posture is good and biomechanics excellent. Boxing Probably is the sport where the visual line changes more than any other as regards distance depth and angles its that warning system the body reacts to and the bad practice that cause the underlying problems.Start wrong finish worse, in all sports the greats all have good posture and oral awareness Those stretches will do you a power of good.

[Sharla]

I will do the stretches you have there - how much time should I commit to those. Should I do them once a day, or every time i train?

Should I still b stretching my quads and calves a lot? - I have read that tight quads and calves are often associated with patella tendinitis.

So do you think this is all related to my deteriorating eyesight? I am a bit short sighted but I feel like i cope without glasses easily enough.

Otherwise are you saying it is a bad habit i have developed which is now part of my pschycotic memory?

So if i am overworking my left side i have a tight muscle in the back of my right shoulder to my spine as a reaction to what? - weakening on the left?

So does this mean my knee and back problems are definitely related to each other? Which muscles would be weakened / strained / tight that connect the two?

I've found info on the net explaining how weak hamstrings or a tight ITB can cause tendinitis and lower back pain but since i have no lower back pain I'm not sure how it all works.

I'll feel better and more able to prevent another injury if i know exactly what went wrong so any more info or references for papers/texts/web sites which can explain this particular string of muscular mishaps would be fantastic!

[Scrap]

I dont know you Ive never seen you, Im guessing. the stretches will do you no harm only good. I only can relate to what you tell me. whevever the week spot is for a time the body will try and compensate. Thats when the problems occur the body works all or nothing, weak link as in a car a flat tyre affects suspension steering petrol consumpsion it goes on if you get the idea. As Ive said before your body is the most expensive thing youll ever own treat it as such. Ive had a dozen peple with the same problem two were like question marks two sessions of stretch and an elbow in the right place sorted, Go and see a good charterd Osteopath to me theyre the dogs bollocks, they know there stuff.

[Sharla]

Right - thanks for all your help - even if I don't know exactly what went wrong at least I have something to go on now. I'm happy to hear you've been able to rectify similar problems other people have been experiencing - it gives me hope yet of working this out!

[md]

There's a book called anatomy trains by Tom Myers which could help you understand your problem.

[Sharla]

Thanks heaps I'll look for it - I'm always looking to expand my training library