WODdoc Episode 132 Project 365: SLAP Tear Rehab: Part 1

November 11, 2014 11:53 pm

Lets start out today with talking about Amy Mandelbaum. I became an instant fan about 4 secs after meeting her. Amy is a mother of 2, business owner, coach, 3x Games competitor and GRID athlete. Now, I don’t have kids but I am sure those of you that do can attest to the amount of work that goes into raising one. The fact that Amy can somehow raise two, manage a business and compete at an elite level should be an inspiration to us all. That, combined with her awesome, down-to-earth, jovial personality… how could you not be a fan.

The Buisness:

We are talking today about SLAP tears. SLAP tears stands for “superior labral anterior to posterior” tear. The labrum is a cartilaginous rim that attaches around the margins of the glenoid (shoulder joint). It cushions the joint and increases the contact area between the humeral head and glenoid thus increasing stability between the two parts. In certain activities (such and overhead movements) excessive force can cause the labrum to tear away from the bone. This is a SLAP tear. See below:

With tearing we often times get associated anterior instability in the shoulder. This means the humeral head wants to migrate towards the front of your body (anteriorly). Our body isn’t stupid… it knows this isn’t good so the the posterior cuff activates and attempts to hold the humeral head in position. Now we get this overactive (hypertonic) posterior cuff. After awhile it gets irritated and it’s only a matter of time before it’s sore and painful. Painful muscles turn off (think about flexing your leg after your buddy gave you a dead leg back in the day… they call it a dead leg for a reason. You want to run after him and beat him but you can’t walk)… same mechanism … different degree.

To restore function attempt the follow steps in the video.