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Other/Mixed ELDOA and CARs. Joint health

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)

King kaul

Level 2 Valued Member
What is ELDOA and CARs.
How will it help joint mobility. I googled it but couldn’t fully understand how it benefits.
How can one improve resiliency to joint injuries.
Whenever I start swinging a Kettlebell my right shoulder, right upper traps and right side of the neck starts paining and gets stiff in a few hours.
I’m currently doing a shoulder and neck Prehab program to strengthen the Shoulder and Neck muscles.
Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.
 
King kaul said:
What is ELDOA and CARs.
How will it help joint mobility. I googled it but couldn’t fully understand how it benefits.
How can one improve resiliency to joint injuries.
Whenever I start swinging a Kettlebell my right shoulder, right upper traps and right side of the neck starts paining and gets stiff in a few hours.
I’m currently doing a shoulder and neck Prehab program to strengthen the Shoulder and Neck muscles.
Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Never heard of ELDOA or CARs. I would suggest getting coaching or filming yourself and posting on the forum to get form feedback.
 
CARs stands for Controlled Articular Rotations. They're a part of Functional Range Systems. Essentially it's taking a joint through its full, safe, and pain-free range of motion. I'm not fully clear on the science, but moving a joint this way sends information directly from the capsule to the brain, bypassing any intermediary and "shining a light" on what space a joint has available. Your brain otherwise has no idea how and where you can move...unless you move! So it's kind of updating and reassuring your brain every time you perform them. As far as joint health goes, they are just one part of the picture.

I'm not sure of ELDOA..
 
King kaul said:
What is ELDOA and CARs.
How will it help joint mobility. I googled it but couldn’t fully understand how it benefits.
How can one improve resiliency to joint injuries.
Whenever I start swinging a Kettlebell my right shoulder, right upper traps and right side of the neck starts paining and gets stiff in a few hours.
I’m currently doing a shoulder and neck Prehab program to strengthen the Shoulder and Neck muscles.
Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Just as many of the other mobility routines that you can read about on the forum, the two strategies you have mentioned will help range of motion by making it better………..that’s all I got for you on that subject.

……will it help your swing technique is an entirely different question. Will ELDOA and CARs improve your swing technique? I would say NO to that question. Only video recording your swing then posting it here for feedback,OR get live in-person coaching from a certified individual will improve your ability to perform swings pain free.
 
ELDOA is an acronym that is French. It’s short for Étirements Longitudinaux avec Decoaptation Ostéo Articulaire.

In short, they were developed by a French osteopath. The positions are designed to create space in specific areas, namely vertebral joints such as L5-S1, or L4-L5.

Do they work? I’m sure, but they really have to be executed with intention and incredible focus. I have done a few and they served the purpose. I’m sure they are great if anyone has a compressed disc at that level. They are effective to create space, one of the 3S’s from Flexible Steel.

CAR’s as others have stated are Controlled Articular Rotations from Functional Range Conditioning. Think end range conditioning after creating that space. Jon Engum and Pavel had a great demo of a CAR’s like movement in their Quicksilver product with the Egyptian, and the standing series from Flexible Steel is very similar.

I’m biased towards anything Flexible Steel related as it blends all of the best stretching (strength) solutions out there.
 
I have tried some CARS things, granted just trying to follow a video but they didn't improve anything for me.

-S-
 
Steve Freides said:
Me, too!

-S-
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Steve,

Reading your journey from over the years helped to inspire me to take Flexible Steel level 1. Still working towards the splits.

There’s such great content in Flexible Steel, but experiencing it through a cert is a whole additional level.

Flexible Steel level 2 coming sometime in the (hopefully near) future!
 
Steve Freides said:
I have tried some CARS things, granted just trying to follow a video but they didn't improve anything for me.
Click to expand...

Respectfully, imagine someone new to the forum posting and insert "swings" or something for "CARs", and from our SF perspective, you can see the problem. There's a bit more to it.

And they certainly can't fix King Kaul's problem without an assessment. Neither will FS.
 
John DeStefano said:
Respectfully, imagine someone new to the forum posting and insert "swings" or something for "CARs", and from our SF perspective, you can see the problem. There's a bit more to it.

And they certainly can't fix King Kaul's problem without an assessment. Neither will FS.
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@John DeStefano, very wise. There’s always nuance.

As you hinted at, I knew my gaps and had a plan to attack them for what my goals are. Having an assessment helped open my eyes to what those gaps were.

CAR’s weren’t effective for me, but doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be for someone else.
 
K2S5R said:
CAR’s weren’t effective for me
Click to expand...
Without knowing more, I question whether this is true. They probably have a small training effect, but it isn't really obvious. Their purpose is really to maintain ROM and good feedback between joints and the brain. There are more parts to the system to create changes in tissues.

King kaul said:
Whenever I start swinging a Kettlebell my right shoulder, right upper traps and right side of the neck starts paining and gets stiff in a few hours.
I’m currently doing a shoulder and neck Prehab program to strengthen the Shoulder and Neck muscles.
Click to expand...
How is the prehab program going? How long have you been using it? Does it seem to be working? Did you get an assessment from someone? I would consider getting an assessment somewhere if you haven't already. As far as CARs are concerned, if you can find someone who is FRA (Functional Range Assessment) certified, that might help shed some light on your needs.

King kaul said:
How can one improve resiliency to joint injuries
Click to expand...
It goes without saying, but you will never be free from the risk. But joint space/ROM is a prerequisite. Then strong and healthy tissues. How do you create these things? With the proper inputs (volume, intensity, velocity, etc). This is all from the FRS perspective.
 
John DeStefano said:
Respectfully, imagine someone new to the forum posting and insert "swings" or something for "CARs", and from our SF perspective, you can see the problem. There's a bit more to it.

And they certainly can't fix King Kaul's problem without an assessment. Neither will FS.
Click to expand...
I was working online with a coach who recommended I look at the videos and try these. I did.

-S-
 
King kaul said:
Whenever I start swinging a Kettlebell my right shoulder, right upper traps and right side of the neck starts paining and gets stiff in a few hours.
I’m currently doing a shoulder and neck Prehab program to strengthen the Shoulder and Neck muscles.
Any advice is appreciated.
Click to expand...

Hi @King kaul ,

Sorry to hear your shoulder is bugging you!

I highly recommend trying the kettlebell arm bar in your warmups. It's part of the Flexible Steel system, and it's also taught at the StrongFirst Level 1 and Level 2 kettlebell instructor certifications.

This video walks you through how to do it:




Start light — a 12kg is generally plenty heavy enough for most guys.

It's an effective exercise for shoulder joint health because it activates the entire shoulder girdle. Think of it as prehab and rehab for your shoulder. It improves shoulder mobility and stability, as well as thoracic spine mobility. (A tight T-spine often goes hand-in-hand with tight or restricted shoulders).

I like shoulder CARs too! But I think because the arm bar is a loaded mobility drill, it can provide more "feedback" to your shoulder muscles than an unloaded mobility drill like CARs.

Hope this helps!
 
+1 to posting a video of swings for a form check. If you are comfortable doing so, try and get a couple shots: one from the side and one from the back, so viewers are better able to see what is going on.

As far as CARs, joint mobility, etc.... I fail to see the connection betwen shoulder range of motion and issues caused there during swings. One side of the neck/traps lighting up speaks about a postural twist to me. If the ribs are not evenly "stacked" above the pelvis (i.e. they are flared, or one side is flared compared to the other), this is going to put your shoulders in an asymmetrical position relative to your ribcage. I hope that makes it easier to see how one side of the shoulder girdle would be experiencing some extra load/pull.

A form examination and potential correction would be my first step. Another issue might be pulling with the shoulder(s) during the swing.

If the traps are working hard during a swing, that seems like it might be indicative of pulling with them during the motion. Short of posting a video for a form check, I suggest revisiting the SF literature regarding swings. A common cue is to act like you are trying to throw the bell forward, away from you (obviously without letting go). Pulling with the upper body is the opposite of this.

Hope it helps.
 
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