So how do we get SLAP tears? One mechanism is falling onto our shoulders, another is traction that we talked about earlier and another is repetitive stress. People will complain of clicking in that shoulder that they do not have in the other shoulder. Others will feel like something is moving around in their shoulder. They will typically point to the front and top of their shoulder right at the AC joint or sometimes even the back upper half of...

We discussed what happened to the end of the biceps tendon if it completely tears off from the cup or the glenoid. Now what happens if you get a tear at the end of the biceps where it attaches to the glenoid via the labrum? Let’s look at the anatomy for a second and then we will discuss SLAP (Superior Labrum Anterior Posterior) tears. The end of the biceps attaches to the labrum which attaches to the glenoid as seen here. It serves as the...

The biceps is a great muscle with some intricacies that has provided decades of confusion for orthopedic surgeons. We finally think we have figured it out, but then again that’s what they said about VHS videotapes. First the anatomy of the biceps muscle. It is made up of two tendons that attach to the scapula in two different places. The short head of the biceps starts at the part of the scapula called the coracoid. This is a pressure point and...

Meniscus is another word for the cartilage in the knee that acts as a shock absorber. You have two of them medial and lateral or inner and outer.  They are both C-shaped structures that are made of fibrocartilage. The meniscus is located between the femur and the tibia or thigh and leg bone. It actually serves many functions in the knee other than shock absorber. It acts as a stabilizer preventing the lower leg from sliding forward on the...

Put your head on my shoulder…ow.  Sound familiar? I want to take you on a journey of the shoulder and see what is inside and what can go wrong. First we will have to look at the anatomy to better understand what is happening with the bones, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage. First we can see the scapula or wing blade is a wide broad bone with a lot of space for muscle attachments. The ball and socket itself is a shallow cup that is not...

Many of you have heard the word, but what is it really and how does it ruin so many weekends and workouts for people. So the name itself is inflammation of the tendon from a failed healing response. OK what’s a tendon. If you remember from grammar school it is the area that attaches the muscle to the bone. So common places for this are basically any part of your body that moves. I volunteer at a runner’s clinic after the Boston Marathon where...

Low Back Pain. Over 90% of humans will have it some day. We may eat Paleo but have not gotten away from the curse of walking upright. The pain can either be a minor soreness or the sign of something worse to come. Crossfitters often have some kind of tweak or soreness and the back is a very common site for a lot of things to go wrong if we are not careful. What can cause Low Back Pain. DT. Kidding but it can be an issue. The workout DT has dead...