Dr. Adam Bennett (NorthShore)
The main issue is to determine the cause of the low back and groin pain. If the cause is muscle soreness, then more rest between runs may help. Additionally, some strength training via yoga, pilates, or basic weight lifting may diminish your soreness after running. If your pain persists you may need to seek medical care and get xrays of your lower back and hips. Good luck!

Dr. Adam Bennett (NorthShore)
First order of business is to make sure that your shin splints are in fact, shin splints. Other causes of shin pain include muscle strains, stress fractures, and tendinitis. "Shin splints" is a painful condition which occurs when the muscle attachments pull on the periosteum of the tibia which leads to inflammation and pain. If you really do have shin splints, then anti-inflammatories, intense stretching, deep tissue massage, gait analysis, shoe wear modification and including rest days in your training program all may help diminish your symptoms. Formal physical therapy is an effective way to implement all of these strategies.

Dr. Adam Bennett (NorthShore)
The decision between allograft and autograft for ACL reconstruction depends on a few variables. These include age, preexisting conditions in the affected knee, level of activity, and surgeon preference. That said, research has shown a slightly higher incidence of re-tear using allograft. After surgery, most people are walking without a brace at 1 month, starting to jog at 3 months, and then are released to full activity after 6-8 months. The reason to wait for surgery is to ensure the knee has full range of motion, no swelling, and adequate muscle tone.

Dr. Adam Bennett (NorthShore)
Sports drinks are good in that they contain glucose and electrolytes, both of which need to be replenished due to loss while sweating. Sports drinks are probably not essential for exercise lasting 20 minutes or less. For exercise lasting longer than 20 minutes, research shows improved performance utilizing fluids that contain glucose and electrolytes. Research also shows that ingesting carbohydrates and protein within 10 minutes after intense workout improves recovery. My recommendations for brands is not particularly strong but I think replenishing with naturally occurring entities and avoiding things such as high fructose corn syrup is a good idea. Certainly anything with caffeine which might dehydrate the athlete and is a bad idea. Please tell your kids not to drink soda pop after exercise.

Dr. Adam Bennett (NorthShore)
This is a tough scenario but there are things you can do. Specifically putting resistance in your mid forearm and keeping your hands and wrists relaxed can allow you to work out the major muscles of your upper body without irritating the tendons in your wrists. If you’re having trouble figuring out how to pull this off try working with a personal trainer a couple of times and have them show you. Good luck!

Dr. Adam Bennett (NorthShore)
My first recommendation is to consider implementing rest days as part of your training. I often suggest athletes work longer and more intensely one day and then complete rest the next day. If that is too much rest for you, consider a 2 days on 1 day off schedule. Rest days allow for replenishment of glycogen stores in the muscle cells and fluid losses to be replaced adequately. As a result, the athlete typically feels better on work out days and can push themselves even harder which ultimately leads to better performance on race day. In terms of a daily diet, avoiding fried foods, caffeine, and alcohol is likely to bring benefit. If you sweat a lot, you may need to add salty foods to your diet. This is especially important if you cramp easily.

Dr. Adam Bennett (NorthShore)
In general, I think crossfit is a safe activity. In fact, high intensity interval training is likely the most effective way to improve overall fitness. For my patients who are frustrated with their ability to lose weight, I often suggest they incorporate high intensity interval training into their work out routine. Crossfit is one example of this and there are many other ways to do this type of training. Also, many people who teach crossfit suggest following a Paleolithic diet. For many people, following this diet has numerous health benefits.

Dr. Adam Bennett (NorthShore)
First of all, great job with your workout routine. Most people don't realize the importance of resistance training as it relates to overall health. The only concern I would have about injury is if you had arthritis in any of your upper extremity joints (shoulder, elbow, wrists). If you do have arthritis in these joints, then lighter weights would be preferred. If you continue to lift to the point your muscles become sore the next day, it is unlikely you will lose significant muscle mass. The only suggestion I might throw your way is to vary the weight, repetition, or motion of your regimen so your body won’t adapt as easily. This will ensure maximum benefit from every session. Keep up the great work.

Dr. Adam Bennett (NorthShore)
I’m not sure of any research on that but my guess is that they are about equivalent. The advantage of a drink is that you replenish fluids as well.