Know Anyone Who Can't Reach Their Airpack?
Admit it...someone in particular just popped into your head, right?
They laugh and joke, because their “shoulders are tight”, or their “arms just don’t move that way.” For the record, this problem is not strictly due to obesity, nor is it a side effect of injecting testosterone.
Today's Tuesday Training Tip is for our Fire Peeps and hits on a serious subject: Shoulder Injuries.
But before we unpack this thing, sit up right quick and travel along for a sec, would ‘ya? I've got two questions for you.
QUESTION #1: Which of the following firefighting activities involve and require strength from the muscles in your upper body?
A. Carrying a pump can
B. Pulling ceiling
C. Forcible entry
D. Venting a roof
E. Dragging a hose line
F. All of the above
ANSWER: F (duh!)
QUESTION #2: Which of those activities can set you up for an OFF-DUTY SHOULDER INJURY?
ANSWER: F
Now I know what you're thinking: WHAT IN THE COMPLETE HELL DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH SOMEONE WHO CAN'T REACH THEIR AIRPACK?
Press on, young soldier...you agreed to travel along for a sec, so weapons on the table, and let's refocus.
Thank You.
Undoubtedly, you perform these activities on a regular basis-whether it’s during training or on an actual fire ground, right?
From a muscular development perspective, each of these activities causes you to reach and curl your entire upper body forward; shaping the horizontal plane of your chest cavity, shoulder capsules and back to look like the letter “C”.
Here's What You Need To Know: Repetitive motions performed over time, cause your muscles and connective tissues to assume that “C” shape, (with shortened muscles in the front and lengthened muscles in the back) and stay that way.
Unless you take active measures to counter that "C" shape, you lose range of motion, and guess what?
You become the one who can’t reach their air pack!
Worse yet, you wind up injured from some stupid little thing that happens OFF-DUTY because you're unable to reach backwards. (And by "stupid little thing," I mean reaching into the backseat to grab your baseball hat, and KAPOW! You snap one of the tendons in your shoulder. No workman’s comp...no heroic story...nothin’ but light duty for a few months, during which your shift sees more fire than you have in your entire career-and you’re stuck on the sidelines.)
Now that I've scared the bejesus out of you, be advised: This does not have to be your fate. There are things you can do to stop this tragedy from happening.
I suggest we stay in line with what you know and love : PREPLANNING!! lol
Now c'mon, no grumbling; not all preplans are painful.
HERE'S A FEW RECOMMENDATIONS TO HELP YOU OPEN UP YOUR CHEST AND SHOULDER AREA; KEEPING YOU FIT, DURABLE AND FIRE READY:
1) Stretch daily and incorporate mobility work. BE ADVISED: Ensure you are controlling the movement within whatever your current range of motion allows for, and not allowing momentum or your ego to "power you through" a movement. I put "The Game Changer" flexibility and mobility demo in the Fitness section of Food, Fitness, Fashion and Firefighters. Access it for FREE by clicking here (Be Advised, I am granting you access to my Training Academy-fill in the required fields as prompted).
2) Deep tissue massage and myofascial release therapies to bust up scar tissue, release adhesions and allow that "C-shape" to open.
3) Isolate and train the rear delts, lower traps, obliques and glutes (yes, glute training is IMPERATIVE) with weights to "tighten up" and provide counter traction to your overworked and shortened pecs and front delts.
4) Increase your daily water intake. Muscles, bursa and connective tissue love water. It keeps them full, flexible and mobile. Dehydration causes them to dry out and get tight, causing loss of flexibility and mobility. (If you're a visual person, it's kind of like the difference between grapes and raisins.)
5) Hire a specialist. There's a time to DIY, and there's a time to recognize when you'd be best suited to hire someone who actually knows what's up.
