A former client of mine is hypermobile; meaning, range of motion in his joints far exceeds that of the average person. Once an avid Olympic-style lifter, and therefore, a staunch advocate for moving heavy weight, a multiple-time subluxed (dislocated) shoulder and torn Achilles, are what dragged him before me. An explosive movement known as the “clean and press” was his preferred lift of choice. No matter the degree of difficulty during a training session, such a formidable movement routinely exposed itself as the cause of his subluxation.
Tearing his Achilles arose from performing explosive “ass to grass” squats, whereby, with a loaded barbell, he would squat down beyond 90 degrees, and shoot up as fast as possible. The excessive depth of his movement, coupled with hypermobility, bore down on the tendon more than it could bear.
A friend of mine occasionally aggravates her sciatic nerve when there’s too much compression from a lower body workout, and as of late, disturbs the nerve when overstretching. You may ask, what’s the commonality between a hypermobile Olympic-style lifter with no sciatica, and a petite, nimble female, who despite efforts of control when using external weight—or none at all, can’t seem to stop igniting her sciatic nerve into an uncomfortable burning sensation?
First and foremost, had my former client honed in on his calves and forearms (grip strength), then in the split second of flinging up and bracing the weight over his head, reverberation from the load would absorb through grip first. In turn, the initial shock to his shoulders from the weight over his head reduces. The same concept holds true in the case of his Achilles rupture and my friend’s sciatic outburst. Had their calves been primed and ready, then compressive movements would travel through desired muscle groups, not tendons or nerves.
When someone is hypermobile—or, is prone to overstretching, some additional threads I’ve found between the two exist in lack of contractive control in the neighboring muscle groups, or the actual muscle itself that’s being stretched. Regarding the case of the never-ending dropped shoulder, absent forearm development lead to reduced awareness of the said group, which lead to reduced synergistic assistance (neighboring help) for his susceptible rotator cuff.
I believe when someone is stretching, they should remain in control during the process; i.e., maintain a minor state of muscular contraction so overextension doesn’t occur.
Try this: sit upright at the edge of your seat. Extend a leg out with your heel on the floor while dorsiflexing (pulling your foot/toes back). Drive your heel into the ground and pull it towards you. The less your foot drags back, the more you will identify with the contraction of your hamstring(s).
Experimenting, I had my friend perform what is referred to in yoga, as a triangle pose. It’s a marvelous movement that addresses all three hamstrings. Once the stretch engaged, I had her shift all awareness to driving her heels into the floor so additional extension ceased. Fortunately, we succeeded in creating a simultaneous stretch and contraction without overdoing it and setting her back. Such a practice can be implemented into other movements as well.
When sciatica occurs, the idea is to keep muscles that innervate the nerve equally loose and strong, without trying to advance them until the nerve settles. Atrophy and tightening around the inflamed nerve, or the opposite, will set it off again. Find your middle.
My favorite golden link between hypermobility and sciatica comes in the form of isometric holds. Not only did my client heal himself up by eliminating range of motion in favor of holding contracted positions, he managed to create additional muscle prior to implementing full-scale movement back into his program. The same benefit helped my friend avoid atrophy while she healed up.
If you have a persistent injury that won’t cease, reach out and we’ll formulate a routine to heal you up!
Works Cited
Ann Rehabil Med. 2013, Dec 23.
Published online 2013, Dec 23.
Sciatic Nerve Injury Caused by a Stretching exercise in a Trained Dancer.