Montgomery County's injury-prevention guru

On the website for his Silver Spring-based office for preventative care, Capital Sports Injury Center, Horwitz shows a 71-second YouTube video of evidence. He first shows a teenage girl wearing a Bethesda Soccer Club shirt, buckling her knees on a short leap. He then presents a stat: Girls are four-to-six times as likely as boys to injure their anterior cruciate ligaments.

He has the remedy and many others, and the testimonials to prove it. Now, he wants to make them more mainstream.

"You just look at these jumps and you can tell who is at risk for serious injury; it's just a matter of time," said Horwitz, a certified chiropractic sports physician, strength and conditioning specialist. "So many serious injuries can be avoided if the kids were just taught simple things at a young age."

He has seen them all before and has the credentials to prove it: He is the Maryland State Director for the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and served as the only chiropractor for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team.

But people far less qualified can see the need for earlier injury prevention, he said.

In a 15-minute demonstration called the "Functional Movement Screen," Horwitz outlines a host of serious injuries and ways to prevent them. He currently teaches a 15-hour, state-mandated class for all Maryland public high school coaches, but insists that is not enough.

"I'd love to change the curriculum, but it's not up to me," he said. "I know I'd love to offer these programs county-wide in Montgomery County, once an hour about twice a week. That is so easy and would do so much."

Jill Rutten coaches teams in the Olney Boys and Girls Club and the Germantown-based Brit-Am Soccer Academy, and stresses Horwitz's injury prevention from personal experience. Her 16-year professional soccer career included time in Japan, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and the U.S. National Team -- and could have been much more productive if she knew then what she knows now.

After being introduced to and aided by Horwitz in the early 1990s, Rutten said she went "from being an orthopedic mess to feeling so much better by my 30s."

"I was 30 years old learning sprint techniques, how to run the right way," Rutten said. "I think especially early on, the kids have to have some testing done. How are they jumping, how are they landing? When I'm having a kid just do a basic squat, it's amazing to see how many of them have their knees bend in. When we move onto basic two-legged hops, which are great for power, I want to make sure they're doing it correctly."

One of Horwitz' most passionate testaments came from former Washington Redskin Rick "Doc" Walker, now a radio and television personality. Walker is also commissioner of the Grassroots Youth Football League (GYFL), which spans the Baltimore/Washington D.C. Metropolitan area, in part because of Horwitz's involvement.

The GYFL staff includes former NFL players Chad Scott and J.B. Brown, and various notable advisors: ESPN personalities Len Elmore, Lavar Arrington, and former U.S. Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee. But according to club president Mike Anderson: "Dr. Horwitz may be the best addition that we have made to the GYFL since our [2009] inception."

"I asked Doc to be the face of the league and the commissioner, and he said he would only consider it if we brought Dr. Steven Horwitz on board as our Sports Performance Director," Anderson said. "Doc was happy that we had NFL players involved, but he said that he would not put his name on the league until we became 'bulletproof,' as he said."

On April 3, Horwitz was introduced to players ages 7-15 at the GYFL's D.C./Fairfax/Montgomery Combine. He performed the Functional Movement Screening to, as Anderson put it, "lead a revolution."

"Injury prevention and sports performance; it's the same thing," Horwitz said.

Far too often fitness is presented as complicated and confusing.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Being fit comes from living the following simple everyday practices:

1. Throw out your big dinner plates. Using small plates at home effortlessly reduces calorie intake and promotes weight loss.
2. Make exercise a regular part of your life. Create a network of accountability with workout partners or by working with me, your local fitness expert.
3. Know what you want to accomplish. Visualize the end result of your hard work.
4. Believe in you. I know that you CAN accomplish your goals.
5. Don't be a wimp. Keep the intensity high during your workouts. Remember that you don't want to kill time; you want to burn calories and strengthen your body through intense exercise.
6. Drink water all day long.
7. Know when to ask for help.  
8. Incorporate High Intensity Interval Training into your routine by doing bursts of high intensity rather than exercising at a single steady pace.
9. Maintain your metabolism by eating a healthy snack or meal every three hours. This food should be unprocessed, low in fat and high in fiber.
10. Forget will-power; it's about WANT-power. How badly do you want it.
11. Never eat processed foods. These items are high in empty calories and contain a plethora of chemicals that are harmful to your health.
12. Fat contains twice the caloric density of carbohydrates and protein, so limit the amount of it that you eat. Fill your diet with lean protein and carbohydrates from leafy plants and whole grains.
13. It's OK to be a skeptic. Watch out for products that are labeled as ‘health food'. Always read the nutrition labels and make your own informed opinion.
14. Talk is cheap. Act now and get the job done.
15. Exercise with people that are in better shape than you. This will encourage you to push your limits.
16. Never indulge in negative self-talk.
17. Don't drink calories.
18. Pay attention to everything that you eat.
19. Keep consistent. Exercise at least three or four times each week.
20. Expect more from yourself.
21. Never eat High Fructose Corn Syrup. It spikes your blood sugar levels and encourages your body to store fat.
22. Eat plenty of whole plant foods. Vegetables, fruits and whole grains are filled with fiber and antioxidants, great for good health and weight loss.
23. Do your cardiovascular exercise after weight training to encourage more fat burn. Your stored sugars will be depleted during the weight training then your body will rely on fat stores to get you through the cardio workout.
24. Breakfast should be a balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat to get your metabolism going strong.
25. If you know that you deserve better...then go get it.
26. Challenge yourself during each workout. Try something new and exciting.
27. Set specific, measurable goals and track your progress.
28. Even if they are whole grain, eat carbohydrates sparingly. Carbohydrates are quickly stored as fat.
29. Put an end to your struggle to get and stay fit. Call or email me today to get started on a proven fitness program that will change your life and body forever.

Print this list and place it somewhere that you'll see every day.

If want to lose weight, cut the sugar out of your diet. Sugar encourages fat storage by causing your insulin levels to rise. Try natural low-calorie alternatives to sugar, such as stevia.

Green beans are low in calories and packed with vitamins and healthy fiber. This dish comes together quickly and the flavors are deliciously tangy.
Servings: 2

Here's what you need:

• 8oz fresh green beans
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons brown rice vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons diced yellow onion
• dash of salt and pepper

1. Steam the green beans until soft, yet still with a slight crunch.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add the green beans and toss together.
3. Transfer beans to serving dish and enjoy.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 94 calories, 4g fat, 9.5g carbohydrate, 3.3g fiber, and 2g protein.

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The GYFL YouTube Page