Quote:
Originally Posted by Ladybugsmom
 Hello everyone!
I don't really have a "resolution" to lose weight, but I am starting Zumba this week. I'm hoping my knees and shoulders can handle it... I have some genetically messed up joints.
For our local kinesiologist, I have a question: My knees have shallow patellar grooves, which can lead to instability; and in my shoulders, the acromion is curved, which has already led to rotator cuff surgery on one side. So - given these orthopedic issues, any advice on adjusting my movements to avoid problems??? |
Sorry I couldn't get to your question until now Ladybug. Zumba is one hell of a workout, and can be a great way to get in your cardiovascular work. As you know, it does involve a lot of lateral movement, as well as anything and everything in between. So, knee stability is crutial here, as is proper placement of your body during each movement. Since you said you have genetically more unstable joints than someone that doesn not have an shallow grooves, it's of the utmost importance to build strength the greatest degree of the muscles that surround the knee. Some of the things I explained in terms of knee stability and strength training when I responded to Ruby applies to this as well. To gain more knee stability, the stronget your muscles/tendons are around the knee joint, the less unwanted movement will be available at the joint. This alone creates more stability. Definitely continue your strength training for the quadriceps, hamstrings, gastrocnemius (calves), and anterior tibialis (muscle in the front part of the shin or tibia largely responsible for dorsiflexion of the foot which is simply pointing the foot/toes up toward the shin or tibia. It's the opposite movement of a calve raise which is called plantar flexion). Since Zumba involves planting the foot and rotating directions while turning, this can be a large problem. Many people are VERY aware of the words ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) and MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) injury because they are two of the largest injuries, especially the ACL in the media with sports. The reason for this is simple. A lot of these sports require twisting of the knee and directrion changes. When the foot and tibia (front bone from the ankle to the knee) are planted, and the femur (bone from the knee the the hip) is rotating, the ACL is being stretched. If it's stretched to far, it will eventually break, and the knee lossing stability. many times you will hear a popping sound, pain and "giving out" of the knee. When you are performing the movements in Zumba absolutely make sure both the foot/tibia and femur are rotating with eachother. Dr. love already mentioned to make sure you don't wear shoes with too much traction, as they should be able to glide. When the shoes have the proper tractions for the movements being performed, your joints will be much safer. Pay extra attention while performing the movements, and you'll have a much safer, more fun time.
As for the shoulder, it does depend where you feel pain (if you feel pain), and if it inhibits you from doing any shoulder movements. Since this orthopedic issue has already led to shoulder rotator cuff muscle injury on one side, I would highly recommend training your shoulder rotator cuff muscles before delving too deep into other more superficial shoulder muscles like the deltoids (even though you can do these as well). Rotator cuff exersises with resistance bands can be fantastic. There are two primary movements for the 4 shoulder cuff muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis), which are internal and external rotation. I've noticed people tend to have much more dominant internal rotators (which is normal but they are TOO dominant) of the shoulder in comparison to external rotators. Many people don't train there rotator cuff muscles as routinely as they should, and they should be treated like the other muscles trained in terms of how often you exercise them, and high volume is not needed at all. The goal of the shoulder cuff muscles is to stabilize the shoulder the best it can, as well as elevatign the arm and rotating it. As we talked about earlier, the more stable a joint is, the less chance you have of injuring it. Healthy and strong rotator cuff muscles will help the head of the humerus sit more securely in the glenoid fossa (cavity in the shoulder where the head of the humurus meets). So, if you do any weights at all in Zumba which some instructors favor more than others, make sure you keep your shoulder depressed and on the body. Don't elevate them, so the shoulder end up near the ears, as this provides no stability. Also, when you reach your arms out in front of you for anything, make sure you don't outreach so far that the humerus comes out of the cavity (it's hard to imagine, but just think of somebody trying to pull your arm in front of you while you resist and pull back. This isn't good at all, but a lot of people even do chest presses like this and dumbbell front raises). Another aspect is to watch the speed and range of motion of the movements the instructor has you perform. Use a safe speed and movement for what's comfortable for you. If pain occurs, something is wrong, and discontinue the movement before a more major injury occurs. Speak with the instructor, and tell them to keep an eye on you, and tell them about your orthopedic issues so he/she is able to substitute an exercise or alter the intensity to make it more comfortable for you to perform well. I hope this helps!