SYMMETRY SAVES SALARY

By: Holly Horning

We knew it would happen.

All of the experts warned us that injuries would be up significantly this year.  After a year that saw shortened, stop-and-start multiple spring training sessions that messed with athletes’ conditioning.

And so far this season, soft tissue injuries alone are up a whopping 160%.  Seventeen players sat out the All-Star game, most of them due to injuries.

So I was all-ears when I listened to an interview over the weekend with Gary McCoy who is a sports performance expert, specializing in understanding and evaluating athletes’ movements.

He is the consultant to literally hundreds of sports teams.  But only to a handful of MLB organizations.

Maybe MLB should have him on speed-dial?

McCoy did mention that 3 of the 4 major professional sports in the US are more advanced in how they address injury prevention.

The one that’s outdated?

One guess.

He said that MLB has hardly advanced in decades in how they analyze players who may be injury-prone, address those who are injured and return them to the playing field more quickly.

And his explanation resonated with me.  I’ll tell you why in a second.

First of all, injuries are created by a lack of symmetry in the body.  Think of the body as being similar to a car that is out of alignment.

On its own, your body will tell you what’s going on if you listen.  Tightness, aches or injuries on one side of the body, difficulty in walking or moving, stiffness, decreasing range of motion.

But when you go to the gym and load on the weights, that’s when things get ugly.  The increased weight puts more pressure on the body parts out of alignment and that leads to injury, especially soft tissue injuries.

The only way to prevent these increasing injuries is to analyze players for their body symmetry.  Things as simple as different foot sizes, load-bearing more on one hip than the other, legs and/or arms that are different lengths and differing mobility ranges in joints.

Once done, then any imbalances should be addressed with a symmetrical offset program and to also address any rotational imbalances.  Essentially, making sure that the body is perfectly balanced not only on either side but also when comparing 1 body part with its mate.

Very simply, symmetry prevents injury.

Something I know very well.

The priority of creating symmetry isn’t just for professional athletes. It’s for everyone.  It keeps you healthier and mobile.  It can help you avoid things such as back pain, increased inflammation that can result in conditions such as arthritis and keep you feeling spry even as you age.

For  me, the lightbulb discovery came after a bad fall.  Actually, the fall came after I became airborne, flew 6 feet and then fell, messing up my entire left side.

Recovery sent me to a physical terrorist, er, therapist, who was charged with restoring all the soft tissue in my leg, torso and shoulder.  Essentially, making it once again match what was on the other side of my body.  It was then also suggested that I perform daily exercises to keep the left side of my body symmetrical to the right side.  This prevents further injury.

Acupuncture, in which I am also a devotee, does the same thing.  It gets rid of inflammation, and combined with acupressure, allows for the re-alignment of soft tissue so that it reestablishes body symmetry.

All I know is that when I feel that something is out of place, these are the specialists I have on speed dial.  And I’ve never felt better.

This story simply serves as a testimonial to the importance and understanding of how body symmetry prevents injury.  And McCoy states that 80% of soft tissue injuries can be prevented.  The other 20% are injuries that are created by trauma such as running into walls or players.

McCoy does his evaluations via wearable technology strapped to players that measure human movement.  Through this process, he is able to accurately assess individual athletes for their injury risk, their ability to play and whether they are ready to return from the IL.

So what is the problem?

The vast majority of MLB teams don’t address this at all.  McCoy stated that most MLB teams haven’t changed their strategies at all when it comes to injuries.  Injuries that are only getting worse and more frequent.

And he is puzzled as to why they don’t.  It’s costing teams millions of dollars.

Why aren’t owners more concerned about their investments?  It’s like buying an expensive car and not taking care of it to ensure it always runs smoothly and doesn’t break down.

As an example, let’s take a look at the Tigers.  Here are their players who experienced soft tissue injuries this year:

Matthew Boyd (2x)

Miguel Cabrera (2x)

Willi Castro

Michael Fulmer (2x)

Rony Garcia (2x)

Niko Goodrum

Grayson Greiner

Derek Holland (2x)

Alex Lange

Nomar Mazara

Isaac Paredes

Erasmo Ramirez

Wilson Ramos (2x)

Victor Reyes (2x)

Jake Rogers

Spencer Turnbull

Julio Teheran (2x)

Jose Urena (2x)

Eighteen players.  Nine of them more than once.  Seven of them out for an extended time.  Two of them out for the year.  Another one who may not be seen for the rest of the year.

How many millions have the Tigers lost in player salaries?  I don’t have time to calculate it.  It’s just too much to do.  It is millions.  Eight figures.

But Chris Ilitch should be aware.  He doesn’t seem to be the type of owner who likes to waste money.

Really, how much would it cost in comparison to hire Gary McCoy to come in and assess the players for their symmetry, injury risk and to prescribe a program for each that will keep them injury free for the most part?

It’s a no-brainer.

Hire this trainer.

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