I was inspired to ask about groove briefs from another thread, which I did not want to hijack. I have always lifted “raw”, mostly out of a lack of interest/laziness with respect to learning how to use gear, but I have also had a chronic pain in my ass (it has been diagnosed as bursitis, right where my ass meets my hamstring), and right now I can not really squat or dead lift without bad pain and often heavily havoring my healthy leg. I am wondering if briefs would be likely to help this injury and to what extent briefs are tolerated in raw and non-raw lifting federations (I am thinking I would like to complete someday).
That diagnosis sounds like bullshit to me. No bursitis should ever be a serious ongoing problem unless it is job-induced. I bet you saw an orthopedist or general practitioner and he told you to rest and maybe ice. What is causing the bursitis is the question you really should be asking. Most MD’s wont touch this shit with a ten foot pole because of potential serious liability issues if they screw up. A good sports medicine or sports chiropractor should be able to help you.
I did see an orhopedist,in fact two different ones, several times over a period of 5 years (this started when I was 17). It varies in intensity from time to time, so often I go up to 6 months straight lifting heavy, before major problems start (although I can always feel the problem there). I tried a chiropractor once, I do not know if he was a good one, but he claimed I has scoliosis, and then cracked my back once a week for a few months, before I decided it was a big waste of my time/money. How would I go about finding a “good” sports medicine guy. And does anyone know if briefs will help?
floob- if you aspiriations of competing someday let me give you a idea of what is going to happen because i have seen this a million times…you will begin to get stronger and training will be much much more hard on the body than it is now…and even if your not that PRO gear you will find that single ply gear does more for your health than it does for your performance…get your self some breifs if you plan to do any serious box squating get them…and if your more interested in raw lifting check out the USAPL wich is only single ply poly gear…do a google search on inzer advanced designs there you can find some cheap briefs to get you started…but i bet in a year or so gear will become your bestfreind…bm
ART for the aches, and yes the briefs will offer protection.
thanks for the responses. I just ordered a pair of briefs from inzer.
Irondoc: how can I find an ART practitioner–I live in state college pennsylvania, and there does not seem to be much of anything around here.
oh lord. you need to do a search for Tom Deebel. He is in your area and will help you with ART.
When I first started doing box squats I was having chronic hip and ass pain. I started using denim briefs after about a week or two and I haven’t had any pain since. They literally have saved my ass.
Finding a good doctor/chiropractor is difficult. Both professions have people that will do nothing for you but lighten your wallet. For chiropractors the active release site is a good place to look. If it says something like “Sports Chiropractic” and the guy/gal has a ton of event and professional references that’s another good sign. Finding a good MD is more difficult. MD’s are generally more cautious and because of the rivalries between the two professions they are unlikely to refer you to a manual therapist/chiropractor. To find a good one calling up a professional sports team in your area is a good bet. Check to see who your college uses. I usually wouldn’t recommend going to an MD except for serious problems. If you come in with stuff like tendonitis and generally aches and pains they will do nothing for you. Either way… the best of MD’s and chiropractors know how to get you back to 100% and know that they alone don’t have the tools to do it. Find someone who has knowledge of stuff like acupuncture, EMS, and manual therapy and knows good people who do it. Shitty chiropractors and MD’s are the guys that recommend what they are specialists in regardless of the problem (e.g spinal adjustments and surgery respectively). Just like training there is no magic cure, only the cure for your unique situation.
in case you didnt catch what i said, Irondoc is very close to you.
Listen numbnuts, (I’m kidding), I’m a PSU alum and a level three ART provider. I’m located app 120 miles from you in Shenandoah , Pa.