That Exercise Is Killing You!

2) Practice the “S-M-F” principle.  Simply stated the SMF principle, which this author coined,  are the 3 keys to preventing injury while improving fitness.  S stands for Stability.  Stability of the torso means you have the ability to rapidly “brace” the abdominal wall and “stiffen” the spine when performing any task.  From picking up the monitor to an obese patient on the cot if you can brace on command your back has over a 42% chance of not being injured. M stands for Mobility of your tissue.  Poor posture, injury, repetitive motion trauma and sports, to name a few, cause adhesions to form in the muscles.  Commonly called trigger points these little knots of scar tissue change how a muscle fires which changes the overall firing pattern of the muscle group.  While you cannot stretch a trigger point we can mobilize it.  A tennis ball is an EMT’s savior.  Simply hold pressure over these painful spots to release the tissue and restore motion.  As I teach in my injury prevention classes, healthy tissue does not hurt to touch, unhealthy tissue does.  Trigger point mobilization is self diagnostic; go find the spots that hurt until the sharpness lessens.  This is a good way to pass the time while watching TV, who knew you could get a massage while on duty.  F stands for Flexibility, in this case on duty stretching specifically designed to counteract the postural patterns inherent to public safety.  Hip flexors, hamstrings, glutes, lats, chest and traps.  These 6 stretches will help your body be able to handle the loads, lifts and movements needed to perform our job.  All stretches need to be help for a full 60 seconds but the stretch should never be painful.

3) Healing foods.  Tissue can also fail from chronic dehydration, poor diet, smoking and chronic stress hormones.   Without writing a book on this topic there are some very simple ways to get healing foods into your body while on duty.  As a society we consume far too many carbohydrates and protein and a pitiful amount of vegetables and fruits.  Eat something green with every meal, darker veggies and leafy veggies are always a good choice.  Substitute a carb. For a veggie any chance you get.  Superfood drinks are a great way to sneak in some powerful nutrients while on duty.  It always amazes me that when called to an altered medical status patient one of the primary thinks we do is start a line and give fluids, why? Because they are probably dehydrated, but so are you!  Whole foods, water, and good meal choices will give your body the building blocks it needs to heal and deal with all those chronic stress hormones that are part of our job.  I checked the Public Safety rule book and there is no law that states you must order a burger and fries.  Make smart substitutions a grilled chicken sandwich and a salad, a turkey sub on whole wheat (no mayo or bacon), a smoothie for breakfast instead of an egg and bacon sandwich.  There is a better way.

During your next shift ask yourself why you do things a certain way, why do you land with your knees locked as jumping a fence? why do you arrest a subject with your abdominal wall relaxed? Why do you always take the same knee in a shooters stance?  All these patterns can lead to injury and many of the patterns are symptoms of a bigger problem within your body.  There is a better way.

Web Links:

• Fit Responder
• Fit Responder Blogs
• Public Safety Injury Prevention and Wellness Programs

Bryan Fass is the author of “Fit Responder”, a comprehensive wellness plan for the first responder, and the Fit Responder Blog. Bryan has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Medicine and is certified as a licensed athletic trainer and a strength and conditioning specialist. He was a paramedic for over 8 years. Bryan has authored four books regarding fitness, wellness and human performance. Bryan is available for Consulting and Speaking on Public Safety Fitness Testing along with Fitness, Wellness and Injury Prevention Programs. Contact him via email to bryan@firepoliceemsfitness.net.