Girlfriend went to the Doctor today about some stomach problems she has been having.
The doctor mentioned 'no bent over movements in the gym' because his claim was that it put extra stress on her stomach. She got him to talk a bit more and he more or less said, anything like Bent over rows, rdls, deads where the torso leans forward. Yet, 'ab' work was fine he said or squats in an upright position.
Anyone have any ideas on why this would be the case? All seems odd to me.
If it matters, her stomach problems seem to be more of an acid control problem of some sort.
Well if she is having problems with an increase of stomach acid then any act of her bending over could send that stomach acid back up into the esophagus giving her some more intense heartburn which during a training session would certainly not be good if it is to the point to where the doc has expressed concern. It would also make sense why should could do raising motions from a lying position or squatting down upright as this would not allow the acid to move back up.
No medical background here whatsoever, but I'd speculate, especially since the problem seems to be "acid control" in nature, that the increase in inter-thoracic pressure created by the combination of exertion with bending over (tipping the bottle on its side and squeezing it so to speak), exacerbates any sort of acid reflux type problems. While squats and ab exercises would increase pressure too, they would probably be much less likely to force stomach acid up through the esophageal sphincter, since squats are done upright and many ab exercises can be also, so the "bottle" is not being tipped over while being squeezed. That's my guess, FWIW.
This advice is new.... never ever heard anything like this before during my training. I suppose if acid reflux was the problem, then bending forward or lying backwards COULD make it worse.
Knowing what problem she has exactly might help a little more in finding out why the advice was given
So standing upright and bending forward is a no-no, but lying back and contracting the core is okay? I'd think both movements would apply similar pressure if we're talking about acid control...
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What Leigh and Spankdat said seems plausible. But I doubt any of us have much knowledge in this area. It might be fluff. But still, she should stick to moves that don't require being bent over until she finds out what's up. Better safe than sorry.
I would ask Dr. Giarnella on the Supertraining forum. This would be right up his alley.
Girlfriend went to the Doctor today about some stomach problems she has been having.
The doctor mentioned 'no bent over movements in the gym' because his claim was that it put extra stress on her stomach. She got him to talk a bit more and he more or less said, anything like Bent over rows, rdls, deads where the torso leans forward. Yet, 'ab' work was fine he said or squats in an upright position.
Anyone have any ideas on why this would be the case? All seems odd to me.
If it matters, her stomach problems seem to be more of an acid control problem of some sort.
As long as the doc didn't ban your girlfriend from bent-over movements at home, then you should be happy
Sorry man, couldn't help that.
Anyway, that advice from the doc sounds wacky. It's not like she's doing prolonged upside-down static hangs after she eats.
Sounds like it could be a number of things. For example Hiatal hernia- with the sliding type the herniated part will move up above the diaphragm, but standing it goes back into the abdominal cavity. So I would strongly advise not doing any bent over movements with weights as you could aggravate the problem or cut blood flow off to the herniated portion (very bad).
With GERD the pressure in the abdomen will cause the reflux to be aggravated again. IT has more to do with the increased pressure on the stomach side of the esophageal sphincter.
Its hard to say without knowing what her symptoms are to guess what the problem is, or why the doc would restrict these movements. Those are the first two things that come to mind. I would say if either are the problem I would tend to watch doing any supine movements with a higher amount of weight as well. It could be they want to see if it helps her problem. Like I said its all wild guesswork as I have no idea what her symptoms are. I would listen to the doc in any cause though, if its a hiatal hernia you would be asking for big trouble if you don't. Ab work would be ok though because it will strengthen the ab walls, helping the condition. Just my two cents.
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Sounds like it could be a number of things. For example Hiatal hernia- with the sliding type the herniated part will move up above the diaphragm, but standing it goes back into the abdominal cavity. So I would strongly advise not doing any bent over movements with weights as you could aggravate the problem or cut blood flow off to the herniated portion (very bad).
With GERD the pressure in the abdomen will cause the reflux to be aggravated again. IT has more to do with the increased pressure on the stomach side of the esophageal sphincter.
Its hard to say without knowing what her symptoms are to guess what the problem is, or why the doc would restrict these movements. Those are the first two things that come to mind. I would say if either are the problem I would tend to watch doing any supine movements with a higher amount of weight as well. It could be they want to see if it helps her problem. Like I said its all wild guesswork as I have no idea what her symptoms are. I would listen to the doc in any cause though, if its a hiatal hernia you would be asking for big trouble if you don't. Ab work would be ok though because it will strengthen the ab walls, helping the condition. Just my two cents.
Wow jenn, thanks for this.
Very interesting. Its very unlikely that its a hernia as she was tested for this a few months ago and came back clear, its kind of a chronic problem shes been having with her stomach.
In light of this though, I dont think there would be any hard in eleminating bent over stuff from her workouts. RDLS could easily become ghr's and BO rows could be done seated etc.
I would do what the doc says, at least until after the testing is done. It may make no difference, but the response (or lack of) to the workout changes may help with the diagnosis. He could be pulling this advice out of his ass, but he may also be trying to rule out some things that are easy to rule out.
Frank it sounds like it may be GERDs or maybe some type of ulcer. Until they figure out what it is then I agree with the doc. I would lean more toward Gerds just form what you've said and the types of tests they are doing. If they get her on a good plan of attack she should be able to resume all forms of exercise. The problem with GI stuff is that it can do a lot of damage if it isn't taken care of. That and diagnoising is a long process sometimes, its a lot of ruling out each thing it could be as some of the symptoms are present in a bunch of different disorders. I wish her the best of luck in finding out quickly what is going on and getting on a treatment program. How is her nutrition? A lot of progress can be made very quickly that way. Surprisingly there are certain veggies and fruits that make certain conditions worse.
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"My darling," she said at last, "are you sure you don't mind being a mouse for the rest of your life?"
"I don't mind at all," I said. "It doesn't matter who you are or what you look like so long as somebody loves you."
Frank it sounds like it may be GERDs or maybe some type of ulcer. Until they figure out what it is then I agree with the doc. I would lean more toward Gerds just form what you've said and the types of tests they are doing. If they get her on a good plan of attack she should be able to resume all forms of exercise. The problem with GI stuff is that it can do a lot of damage if it isn't taken care of. That and diagnoising is a long process sometimes, its a lot of ruling out each thing it could be as some of the symptoms are present in a bunch of different disorders. I wish her the best of luck in finding out quickly what is going on and getting on a treatment program. How is her nutrition? A lot of progress can be made very quickly that way. Surprisingly there are certain veggies and fruits that make certain conditions worse.
I would say her nutrition is quite good. More or less follows adams diet style eating, with a few extra carb meals per week (so lean protien, veggies, a little fruit, not much sugar etc). Im interested in hearing what veggies could cause damnage, I know she primarily eats only a few (carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach come to mind).
I would say her nutrition is quite good. More or less follows adams diet style eating, with a few extra carb meals per week (so lean protien, veggies, a little fruit, not much sugar etc). Im interested in hearing what veggies could cause damnage, I know she primarily eats only a few (carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach come to mind).
This is all very interesting.
Have her omit the carrots and tomatoes for at least one week. Cauliflower and broccoli are another few to omit as well. I will write up a list for you tomorrow at work and pm you with it tomorrow late afternoon. There are a few things she can do to help reduce the symptoms.
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"My darling," she said at last, "are you sure you don't mind being a mouse for the rest of your life?"
"I don't mind at all," I said. "It doesn't matter who you are or what you look like so long as somebody loves you."
No bent over movements?
All seems odd to me. 
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