The main reason as mentioned above is because the stretch pain reported may be coming from a few overlapping body structures, some we should be aiming to target (muscles, fascial tissue, some tendinous) and some we should not be (bony joints, ligaments, capsules, labrums, etc.). Sadly, many young gymnasts are requiring hip surgery, or are retiring due to hip injuries of this nature. 2015. Physiother Res Int 2002;7:1-13. Instead, it may lead to the ligaments and joint capsules in the front or underside of the hips receiving more of the strain. If these joints are subject to ongoing stretching past their normal end ranges of motion, it can significantly increase the risk of injury. I recommend athletes start with light soft tissue prep or individual areas of focus before practice, then do a joint based preparation, followed by some light cardio to increase metabolic temperature and heart rate, and then do a full dynamic warm-up. Although these traditional training methods can yield short-term benefits and may help increase an athletes awareness of body position, problems clearly exist with this model. This will raise the body temperature, improve the movement skills which are the foundation upon which high level and cardiovascular system and increase respiratory rate. I do not feel they working as intended to address the true problem of muscular soft tissue stiffness. From all the science I have read, and conversations I have had with medical professionals on stretching or self-myofascial work, when correctly applied the positives effects of foam rolling on performance largely outweigh the negatives. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Hip Flexors, Quads, Groin, Calves, etc. Trying to aggressively push through that bony or ligamentous limitation will only lead to pain and headaches for all involved. Keep this position for a couple of seconds and do the same for the other arm. Nonoperative rehabilitation for traumatic and atraumatic glenohumeral instability. There is more support in the literature for the use of static and dynamic compression, but I think lighter recovery sessions of self-myofascial release, light stretching, or even light aerobic exercise are valuable tools alongside other methods. A few very inflexible gymnasts that I have worked with also displayed improvements in hip or shoulder range of motion over time when they used soft tissue work combined with proper stretching/strength programs. Also adding in regular soft tissue work and mobility drills would be very important. Typically not a time to increase joint motion, as the body is usually in a very high-stress state and has just taken a lot of training volume, A naturally hypermobile type genetic structure, and shallower hip joints (acetabular dysplasia), Proper spinal control, alignment and awareness that does not stress the lower back or hip joints excessively, Adequate muscle length in the hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, and groin, Adequate muscle strength in the core, glutes, deep hip stabilizers, and rotator muscles to safely support the hip joint, Adequate full range control and strength for the central nervous system to allow leg motion to occur safely, Consistent training and regular use of newly acquired motion to transfer motion to skills in the long-term, Proper mental and psychological developmental/maturity of the athlete to actively be engaged in the training, know normal versus abnormal levels of discomfort and consistently work to seeing progress, Skendzel, et al. It appears that a combination of mechanical factors (18, 25, 27-29), as well as neurological factors (18-21, 24, 25-26)), are reasons behind why regular stretching increases range of motion. They concluded, that both Hold Relax Stretching and Static Stretching can increase end range of motion, which may be because of the decreases in muscle stiffness and modified stretch tolerance during the stretch application. In addition, compared with static stretching, hold relax stretching may have a great effect on the alteration of stretch tolerance rather than decrease in muscle stiffness.. It directly relates to this conversation on the need to understand anatomy, as well as active and passive structures, and knowing where discomfort is or is not expected. Gymnastics is, therefore, a sports discipline that seeks to provide strength and flexibility to the body, through specific exercise routines. Skills like Shaposh releases for female gymnasts, Tipelts for male gymnasts, and other extreme overhead motion demands require this amount of mobility. This wraps in not only the passive range but also strength, active control, technique, and many other factors. Simultaneously, draw the foot at the back further behind you. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 25(6):36479, 1997. I think this is especially true in those with natural hyperflexiblehip joints who are not fully developed andlack hip strength. I call them 10 Minute Gymnastics Flexibility Circuits. It only takes one bad landing for the gymnast to suffer a major and possibly career ending injury. We want to make sure we are not over-stretching or overstressing passive structures like the shoulder ligaments and capsules. If you took the time to read through everything, a major kudos to you. Doing slider crawls are a great core training replacement to reduce some of the leg lifts that may be creating ongoing headaches with limited split flexibility. Splits in the Car. Hip Instability: Current Concepts and Treatment. doi:10.1007/s00167-016-4342-4, Kalisvaart MM, Safran MR. Microinstability of the hip-it does exist: etiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Routledge: New York. 2014. I will cover those in-depth below. (30-34). . A complex typically includes these steps (I will offer links to videos below), Pre Test Screen This is true both in training and in our medical clinic. Keeping this in mind, we need to seriously consider that gymnasts have open growth plates and can suffer from ischial apophysitis or growth plate stress fractures if we blindly force split motion. 2014 Jan; 46(1): 131-14. the increased range of motion could not be explained by the structural changes in the muscle-tendon unit and was likely due to increased stretch tolerance possibly due to adaptation in nociceptive nerve endings.. In a sport like gymnastics, where very high forces are going through shoulder, hip, and spine joints at extreme ranges of motion, this level of force can quickly cause already mobile passive tissues to stretch out more. Why Do So Many Gymnasts Struggle Even When They Stretch Daily? It can be accomplished through an addition by subtraction type approach of using an alternative exercise or changing the alignment of certain common gymnastics stretches. Regularly using the correct flexibility exercises, skill progressions, and strength training assignments based on an individual movement assessment is by far the best way to ensure progress. Many also claim that it helps them move in a larger range of motion with less discomfort before starting their practice. Andrews, J., Reinold, M., Wilk, K. Current Concepts in the Evaluation and Treatment of the Shoulder in Overhead Throwing Athletes Part 2: InjuryPrevention and Treatment. More research is needed, but this concept of natural boney adaptations in gymnasts is a central idea I feel will emerge in years to come. Pictures 2 and 3 are showing a dynamic chest stretch over a foam roller where the shoulder blades are held down/ in while the arms slide on the floor from overhead to hip. Flexibility Training for Gymnasts Many concerns have been expressed recently about what is acceptable practice with regards to stretching exercises and flexibility training for gymnasts. For one, proper movement assessments are rarely done before these large flexibility sessions. People assume that progress is being made, rather than having some comparative baseline for observing changes. PLOS, 2012, 7(10): 1-10, Kubo K., Kanehisa H., Fukunaga, T. Effect of stretching training on the viscoelastic properties of human tendon stiffness in vivo. Dynamic flexibility is often the focus during warm-up exercises. 389 398, Sands WA, McNeal J. Mobility Development and flexibility in youths. We must always remember that the structures that have the most opportunity for improvement, the active structures, should be the focus of flexibility training. Ive seen hundreds of them and had plenty myself during my years of gymnastics. (Image credit: Unknown) Sit on the floor with straight legs at about 90 apart. Its very important that both coaches, gymnasts, and medical providers understand this research to not see negative results from these tools, or worse cause unintended damage. I suggest these to outline the complexity of the human body, in hopes that people are more cautious in some flexibility decisions they make. 2, 3, 4). It may help improve range of motion acutely, but it will not change movement in a gymnastics skill-specific manner. J Bone Joint Surg Am, 2013 Sep 18; 95 (18): e133, Dumount GD. However, we need to understand that forcefully pushing oversplits, not being open to learning basic anatomy, or ignoring serious pain complaints from gymnasts is not tolerable. A rolled ankle or inversion sprain is definitely among the most common for gymnasts. The Relation Between Stretching Typology and Stretching Duration: The Effects on Range of Motion. If you look down at your arm (and are wearing a shirt) your actual arm within the shirt sleeve represents the first golf ball on a tee bony layer, and the shirt sleeve surrounding the arm represents the second layer made up of joint capsules and ligaments. Like in the shoulder, natural mobility of the hip allows them to move through a greater motion. Splits on line, back to wall overhead shoulder motion, crab position for a male gymnast to assess parallel bars and pommel flexibility Self-Soft Tissue Work, Soft Tissue Prep There has been conflicting research on the long-lasting changes in range of motion from various stretching methods as well as self-soft tissue work. Foam rolling as a recovery tool after an intense bout of physical activity. Long term changes that have minimal injury risk do not tend to come from short-term, high intensity and high force methods often seen in gymnastics. Alongside this, strength deficits, limited full range control, technique issues, fatigue, or adjacent areas of the body may be the reason behind an apparent lack of flexibility. One of the most effective methods that I have come up with to increase flexibility, make changes stick, and not risk injury with aggressive stretching techniques is to work in complexes rather than performing only static or dynamic stretching. This means not only for the ankle joint, but also the rest of leg chain all the way up to the hip and lower back. IJSPT Oct 2013; 8(5): 554 578. Despite our best efforts we may continue to see cast handstands that lack open shoulders, leaps that do not have larger angles, and parallel bar swings that lack a large front swing. If you don't feel any pain or discomfort, hold this stretch for about 30 seconds. Elastic band kick drills, needle kicks, PNF techniques gymnastics flexibility exercises pdf gymnastics flexibility exercises pdf. Due to this, they may not be biasing the proper muscular tissue intended and as a result may show limited effectiveness. They can also partner with healthcare providers who are versed in this information to either to teach in-services to their staff or teach the gymnasts themselves. Have your partner . Without this knowledge, it is impossible to know whether reported discomfort during stretching is a safe and expected result or an unsafe atypical response. I have also seen what was believed to be a hip flexor strain turn into a large labral tear and career-ending injury. I encourage people to dive into the research of background hip anatomy, as well as the current thoughts on hip injuries within the medical or strength fields. Another study by Konrad et al (29) took thirty healthy men ages around 21 and subjected them to 4 sets of 30 second calf stretches. Get in the low lunge position with the knee of the leg at the back touching the floor. For choreography or specific drills, this may be very appropriate when not pushed quickly to extreme ranges of motion. I do not mean to suggest that this shoulder stretch will cause injury in a gymnast and should never be used. It by no means is the perfect solution, but when based on a movement assessment and used with other strategies, self-myofascial release can be very beneficial. 2018 Feb;48(2):299-325. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0797-9. Targeted Muscular Stretching, or PNF Techniques As noted at the start of this article, gymnasts are typically our hyper in their joint capsules. Self-soft tissue work refers to using foam rollers, lacrosse balls, tennis balls, or other implements to help massage different muscular areas of the body. While I think these longer static or active flexibility circuits do have some value (and this is supported by research when used properly), the abundance of research outside of just the literature on stretching suggests a more optimal approach. Due to many gymnasts having inherent hypermobility, we do not want to place excessive stress on the ligaments and joint capsules of athletes. You can read more about hamstring apophysitis here (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6322373/) and shoulder impingement syndromes here (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945046/). Please share with your community, and I hope you find it helpful! There may be a lot of variation on exact exercises/stretches included in your athletes' warm-up, but do try to include ALL of the following components: IJSPT. The subjects were adult, the stretching methods and outcomes may have some validity errors, and the difference in natural hypermobility or anatomy were not discussed. Many gymnasts will continue to see me in the competitive season for maintenance care, as they can notice how adaptively stiff they become through high volume of training or competing. In the long term, the increased strength of the upper back and follow up technique work will solidify the flexibility gains made. Paralleled to the shoulder, the hip joint is made up of the socket (acetabulum) and the upper thigh bone (femur), with the femoral head serving as the ball. Labral tears may progress to requiring surgical repair and putting an athlete out of training for months or even career-ending. Surrounding the ball and socket of the shoulder is something called the joint capsule as well as ligaments. In this setting, we are looking to ramp down the body and assist in recovery (known as facilitating parasympathetic tone). As the 2018 systematic review outlines (25), it may make a positive effect on range of motion when properly done. My mentors have outlined that this was a crucial part of their work in professional-level sports through the competitive season, so I have adopted it into my practice with gymnasts. Huang R, Diaz C, Parvizi J. Acetabular Labral Tears: Focused Review of Anatomy, Diagnosis, and Current Management . Handstands, beginner jumps or leaps, and introductory ring or parallel bar skills demand extreme mobility to execute. For me, I think the discussion must start with the intended goal of the flexibility work. The down portion or plantar flexion is what makes up a toe point. Gymnasts practice up to 30 hours a week and have regiments full of conditioning and exercises. Nakamura M., et al. The body of research regarding foam rolling and manual therapy or massage is a bit confusing regarding the theoretical mechanisms. I am not responsible or liable for any negative consequences that come from applying the ideas below. The Layer Concept, Determining the Pain Generators, Pathology, and How Structure Determines Treatment. So here are some main take always to help. Some research has suggested it can also be helpful to reduce perceived muscle soreness, enhance blood flow, and make an impact in recovery (41-43) I encourage all athletes that I work with to do some form of light, soft tissue prep before every workout. They tend to be more biased towards strength or power and less towards inherent flexibility. This is usually why they were noticed as a good candidate for competitive gymnastics, as they naturally had full splits and bridges. (2, 5). Curr Sports Med Rep. 2018 Nov; 17(11), Macdonald GZ, et al. 132 146, Sands WA, McNeal J. Active Flexibility in New Range of Motion and Eccentrics The important point here is that we must remember that changes in flexibility come about from slow, consistent, and patient application in training. By using a variety of drills that include the basic movements (hip extension, shoulder flexion with rotation, etc.) This second layer of joint capsule and ligaments helps provide more stability to the joint, with different portions of the capsule limiting certain ranges of motion. That said, there are certainly changes in muscle stiffness, as well as the length of a muscle, again when appropriately used stretching methods are used. As a healthcare provider, I regularly perform manual therapy to help with injuries based off a full medical assessment. Half the group performed static stretches, while the other half performed Hold Relax stretching, a variety of PNF. zerofive 43 foot vertical 10 160m. Without a proper movement assessment being done first, the application of regular stretching and other flexibility exercises may fall short of revealing progress. It is a physical activity that can be developed professionally, but can also be practiced generally for recreation or as a personal exercise routine. There are screening tools that coaches can use to assess these issues, in addition to many great assessments that medical providers can use to break down problems. There are many possible reasons for why a gymnast can or cannot move their hips into a full split position or move their shoulders overhead into a full handstand position. The reality of the human body is that there are hundreds of factors related to anatomy that can influence a gymnasts level of flexibility. Gymnastics training itself may create a position where a gymnast acquired more hypermobility with jumping/lading forces but also the large emphasis on mobility. Mobility tends to refer to the amount of motion someone can actively show on their own. The Relationship Between Stretching Typology and Stretching Duration: The Effects on Range of Motion. Other methods of stretching like active flexibility, and PNF stretching, are certainly effective for increasing range of motion. For example: I do not mention this long list to make people feel uneducated. They also are usually subject to 100s of squats, squat jumps, and leg tigthening exercises per week. This is typically why these gymnasts from a young age enjoy recreational gymnastics. In my experience, excessive force, excessive duration, and the incorrect placement of a foam roller or stick massager can have opposite effects. I meet many well-intentioned gymnastics coaches and parents who are simply looking for an easy to use, but scientifically-backed flexibility program to help the gymnasts they know to increase their flexibility, reduce the risk of injury, and increase their performance. The systematic review by Chris Beardsley and Jakob Skarabot in 2015 outlines (41) that when analyzing various studies, foam roller use appears to lead to acute increases in flexibility in the majority of investigations despite a few studies not reporting acute changes in the range of motion following forms of foam roller use. These issues are commonly overlooked as culprits to why a gymnast struggles in this area of gymnastics. Acute Effects of Stretching on Passive Properties of Human Gastrocnemius Muscle-Tendon Unit: Analysis of Differences Between Hold-Relax and Static Stretching. Teaching gymnastics specific stability and whole chain coordination through single leg jumping, hopping, dynamic balance drills, and so on is usually the more beneficial route. This allows for more or less inherent flexibility, but as always many other factors contribute. The researchers proposed that the change in the range of motion may have primarily come from increased tolerance to the discomfort of nerve fibers that detect stretch pain, as the fibers were becoming more desensitized. The way someones hips or shoulders are shaped, unique rotations of bones, certain anatomical variations, or issues along the entire body chain, can all have a substantial impact on the amount of flexibility a gymnast can display during skills. Ensure you are warmed up correctly I have found that many of the traditional general stretches we use as go to methods for increasing flexibility do not have proper assessments preceding them or may not have anatomical considerations in mind. My thoughts on hip mobility and why we choose certain exercises closely echo my thoughts on shoulder mobility, and I again will not go into much depth as this was covered in an earlier chapter. In the short term, these smaller flare-ups of pain may not create huge issues. Increased flexibility provides the gymnast with a greater range of motion, reduces the chance or severity of injury, and produces a more aesthetic quality to the movements and skills. I think that daily soft tissue care is one important piece of the puzzle. So I know this has been an absolute beast of an article. I view the different goals fo flexibility in this light. Although there are conflicting viewpoints on this discussion, I have boiled my thoughts down to three main contributing factors as to why gymnasts may get stiff as they participate in gymnastics. (2 ed., pp. Drill progressions for skills, strength and conditioning, managing fears, and dealing with pain or injury are among the most discussed. 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