Shaquille O'Neal's Hip Injury and How You Can Avoid the Same Thing
by Dr. Kareem Samhouri author of Double Edged Fat Loss

Shaquille O'Neal is currently suffering through an injury to his left hip and quadriceps, after causing further aggravation to it during the Miami Heat's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite the fact that Shaquille O'Neal had been diagnosed with inflammation to his left hip and quadriceps tendon previously, competition got the best of him as he attempted to withstand the pain and continue to play.

After only a few minutes of play, it was obvious that Shaquille O'Neal had hurt himself. MRI reports from the following day's examination confirmed his diagnosis of acute inflammation to the left hip. Doctors are suggesting that Shaq rest for the next 6 games, or 2 weeks, until the inflammation has had a chance to subside. Doctors, teammates, and head coach, Pat Riley all suggest that Shaq has tried many rehabilitative means of strengthening his hip to offer him the best chance for return to play. Unfortunately, only passive rest is being suggested at this point.

Hip flexor and quadriceps tendon inflammation are not uncommon diagnoses. Unfortunately, as a product of intense play and improper training techniques, we are all at risk for this type of injury. Many people simply decide to 'self-treat' through 'cutting back' while never giving their bodies a true chance to heal. Did you know that your body desires to heal in a particular order?

Before strengthening an injured joint, it is more important to displace all stressors to another area of the body through strengthening surrounding, uninvolved structures. There is a high probability that Shaquille O'Neal lacks flexibility in his hip internal and external rotators, the muscles that allow you to turn your toes in and out. As a result, extra stress will be placed into other areas, including the quadriceps, hip, and lower spine. With a lack of flexibility in the hip, the majority of stress placed on the body during normal activities, like walking, goes through the lower spine. Naturally, you can imagine the number of times your spine would be withstanding injury throughout the day, let alone during an intense bout of basketball. Mr. O'Neal may not know it, but forced rest may be the savior to his back, which could be a much larger problem.

In order to avoid this type of injury and restore your body's natural movement patterns, it is wise to engage in a full body exercise program, with particular emphasis on low back strengthening and lower body flexibility. Most people, especially men, have very tight internal and external rotators of the hips. It is imperative that we strengthen the muscles of the low back while improving hip flexibility to improve force attenuation through our spines. Through a proper strengthening and stretching program, most of these injuries can be avoided before they occur.

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