Some may have a combination of dysplasia, hip socket rotations, femur rotation, and different pelvic alignments. Conflicting results may have to do with the types of tools used, the pressures used, the duration of treatment, and technique or instructions were given to study participants. If the gymnast doesnt do it fast enough or lands awkwardly it can be problematic. Department of Exercise and Sport Science University of Utah Most gymnastics coaches would agree that flexibility is an essential aspect of gymnastics training and performance. This is especially true when notallowing compensation from other body parts or excessive swinging for momentum. (2 ed., pp. I strongly feel that gymnasts must earn the right to do over splits and must be mature enough to do them safely. 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. When someone pushes a knee into extension, we strain the posterior knee joint, other passive stabilizers of the knee, and tension the ACL. It can be overwhelming if you are not familiar with it. This is usually why they were noticed as a good candidate for competitive gymnastics, as they naturally had full splits and bridges. Oct 4 (15). I believe addressing this common imbalance in strength volume is a key contributing factor for seeing long-term shoulder flexibility gains and reducing overuse injuries related to the shoulder joint. 4 full hip and shoulder circuits in PDF Front splits, straddle splits, handstands and pommel horse/parallel bar flexibility Downloadable checklists to use at practice Exercise videos for every drill included It blows my mind that people actually would push on knees for better lines at the cost of potentially increasing laxity in their knee and increasing the chance of a gymnast blowingACL out during landings. In an effort to help people out, I have decided to for the first time take everything that I possibly know about gymnastics flexibility and put it into one mega-blog post here. It is worth noting that both authors have extensive experience in elite level gymnastics, spending the majority of their career researching gymnastics biomechanics, injuries, and sports performance. They often struggle quite a bit to lift their legs even against gravity alone. Speaking beyond the research on this idea, I think light soft tissue work and static stretching may have the most impact on blood flow or lymphatic drainage. Riboh JC, et al. However, I have seen these types of problems snowball into huge injuries quickly in gymnasts I treat. They also are usually subject to 100s of squats, squat jumps, and leg tigthening exercises per week. This guide will have a lot of research and science references in it, but in an effort to keep it not as hard to read, I will footnote those studies using parenthesis and include a large references section below. Take this gymnast for example, who has super wobbly ankles and does a lot of pre-hab for in an effort to minimize her risk. In conjunction with this, due to the gymnasts underlying lack of static stability from the ligaments and capsule, they will need absolutely pristine strength, physical preparation, and dynamic stability from their muscles around the joint. I feel this approach not only makes more sense from a gymnastics technique point of view, but also incorporates a lot of current scientific research on flexibility, soft tissue work, and human movement. Exercise selection, strength program balance, and athlete individuality also have a significant impact on limited progress in flexibility. I now look back to how I coached and trained as a gymnast 10 years ago, and am blown away with all the things I was doing that were not backed by scientific support. Ogura Y, Miyahara Y, Naito H, Katamoto S, Aoki J. Tissues most commonly targeted are the latissimus dorsi, teres major, and pec muscles. Nho, et al. Research in the last decade has been very insightful to learn about certain ligaments and capsule areas that aid in preventing the ball of the shoulder from moving outside the joint and subluxing. 115-122, Reinold MM, Curtis AS. Although its purely anecdotal, I have consulted with cases where x rays show a very similar phenomenon in gymnasts doing oversplits while getting hip xrays. This helps to enhance strength, power, and reduce the risk of instability- based shoulder injuries. 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. A huge issue related to local ankle problems and also up the chain issues in gymnasts is the large imbalance that develops between the toes down motion (plantar flexion) and Toes up motion (dorsiflexion). (30-34). Meyers CA., et al. I have worked with many athletes that tend to be stiffer, but because of their incredible natural power, they succeed early on in gymnastics. These studies mainly look at chronic immobilization, like when people unfortunately need limb lengthening or tendon elongation procedures. It consists of two upper-body sessions, and two legs and core sessions, hitting each muscle group twice per week. It canhelp to lower their injury risk for another ankle sprain, but it also can help their performance by increasing single leg and double leg landings/jumps etc. Gymnasts partake in stretching every day for months on end, so we cant conclude that changes in muscle tissue over time are not occurring. While some of it was helpful, I found that the majority of it was based on anecdotal evidence, and did not have a really solid grounding in the science of anatomy, physiology, medicine, or strength and conditioning. If a gymnast is known for having tight shoulders that limits their handstand and swinging skills, why are we continuing to have that athlete do a high volume of pull- ups, rope climbs, push-ups, and leg lifts? Im not saying all the stretches or flexibility approaches we use must be discontinued because they are dangerous. Please share with your community, and I hope you find it helpful! 1) improve range of motion and For choreography or specific drills this may be very appropriate. In my experience, excessive force, excessive duration, and the incorrect placement of a foam roller or stick massager can have opposite effects. This becomes more important as the athlete gets older, starts training higher-level skills, or are spending more hours per week in the gym. Being able to achieve a full over split, or even a regular full split for that matter requires many things to be going well from a movement point of view. flexibility exercises designed to enhance split flexibility. There is a lot of medical and science nerdiness in there. Wilk KE, Macrina LC, Reinold MM. Konrad A, Gad M, Tilp M1. (3), For the geeks like me reading, they more specifically are subdivided into the Superior Glenohumeral Ligament, the Middle Glenohumeral Ligament, the Inferior Glenohumeral Ligament, and the Posterior Glenohumeral Ligament. As far as specific flexibility circuits, those I feel are the best times to truly make positive increases in joint flexibility. 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. 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. Am J Sports Med 2011 39: 85S. This is unlike the hip joint, which due to having a deeper hip socket (remember hips are built for weight-bearing while shoulders are not) has more inherent stability with less mobility. Traditional forms of these stretches may contribute to the development of an injury. Huang R, Diaz C, Parvizi J. Acetabular Labral Tears: Focused Review of Anatomy, Diagnosis, and Current Management . These gymnasts typically have natural flexibility but may struggle to build strength and power during training. This is typically why these gymnasts from a young age enjoy recreational gymnastics. Alongside this, there is a lot of confusion or misunderstandings about what happens when gymnasts stretch, why it helps increase range of motion, how much stretching is suggested as beneficial to improve flexibility, and how to make changes show up in skills. Many medical assessments can be used to determine why a gymnasts hip, shoulder or spine may not have the range of motion needed to achieve a full handstand, split, or bridge. John Wiley & Sons: Oxford. This is why I now mainly approach flexibility in larger complexes. The important point here is that we must remember that changes in flexibility come about from slow, consistent, and patient application in training. Lets dive into some safer and more science-supported methods. At face value, they can all appear as someone who is tight or unflexible. Which leads me to my most important point of this section: Splits and over splits should not be viewed as an inherent thing a gymnast has or doesnt have. 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. A rolled ankle or inversion sprain is definitely among the most common for gymnasts. Gently warming up the muscles is a safe way to begin activity and prepare you for advanced . 3556). This is where the third layer comes into play, the muscular soft tissue. Glutes, Deep Hip Rotators, Core, etc. If you don't feel any pain or discomfort, hold this stretch for about 30 seconds. I typically have gymnasts perform moderate pressure that does not cause pain, for 10-30 seconds per muscle group, away from bony areas. This theory is also more in line with the motor control research I have read and interpreted related to changing human movement. For a giant to be technically sound, many sub components must be present. 10 Minute Gymnastics Flexibility Circuits, Download SHIFT's Free Gymnastics Pre-Hab Guide, I usually start any discussion that I have with coaches or gymnasts related to flexibility on some basic anatomy. In another, the gymnast may naturally have lots of hip and toe rotation in but not have any moving toes out. A full movement evaluation and something known as a Craigs test is the best way to practically assess if a gymnast may fall into one of these categories. 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. I will cover those in-depth below. The goal is to make hand contact with the wall. Manske R., et al. I will talk more specifically about oversplits below, but I feel that the lack of education around this topic is why so many people are using aggressive methods. In short, stretching the toe point more may be exaggerating this imbalance, leading to issues both in their injury risk for inversion sprains as noted above but alsoother ankle injuries. 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 Many of them tell me that they try searching online, going to clinics or camps, and asking around at gyms about how to help, only to become significantly overwhelmed. It was found that thirty minutes of supervised hamstring stretching to the point of discomfort, five days per week for six weeks improved overall range of motion but did not increase the muscle extensibility. Ensure you are warmed up correctly This will help them continue to get the strength training effect but wont continue to perpetuate their overhead mobility issue. Remember, you can download the entire chapter on flexibility, the 10-minute flexibility guides, or the pre-hab guide here. Pausing for Practical Applications in Gymnastics Training I know readers feel real overwhelmed probably. By understanding these concepts, people in the gymnastics community can save a significant amount of time while also reducing the risk of injury during flexibility training. The golf ball (ball of the upper arm bone or humerus) is inherently larger than the tee (socket of the shoulder or glenoid fossa). (36-38). The research definitely leans towards changes in the nervous system being the primary reason, especially in the short term. Flexibility: developing effective movement. The sport of gymnastics is more than just flashy routines you see on the competition stage. The main way people approach increasing the flexibility of the active structures is through regular stretching. These programs often do not have the same volume of upper back strength work such as feet elevated horizontal rows, renegade rows, band pull apart, or basic rotator cuff strengthening. In spite of a fairly Exhale as you bend forward at the hips, lowering your head toward the floor while keeping your head, neck, and. Dr. Dave Tilley DPT, SCS, CSCS The Young Injured Gymnast: A Literature Review and Discussion. Secondly, I have also found that many gymnasts have significantly increased passive range of motiondue to naturally laxity, but have a notablelack ofactive control for their fullhip ranges. Wall ankle flexibility tests were used to measure the range of motion changes, and ultrasound imaging was used to look at the changes in the muscle tissue that relate to extensibility like passive resistive torque, muscle stiffness, tendon stiffness, fascicle length, and pentation angle. I will dive into the physiological thoughts on this in the recovery chapter. This simple change in the stretch, along with follow up work, tends to make large progress in gymnasts who cannot progress in their overhead flexibility. 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. This creates a situation where the femoral head has more access to move in larger ranges of motion, creating significantly more hip mobility in all planes. 2015 Jul;7(4):34658. J Bone Joint Surg Am, 2013 Sep 18; 95 (18): e133, Dumount GD. Anyone who wants a fantastic read and more elaborate background on these concepts again I recommend you read this article: The The Hyperflexibile Hip: Managing Hip Pain In Gymnasts and Dancers. Even if a young athlete does fall into the category of being not naturally hypermobile but powerful, we still should gravitate away from putting excessive stress on the passive structures like bones, joint capsules, and ligaments. Remember we want to focus on the active muscular tissue, not the passive ligament or joint capsule tissue. 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. That same drill may cause significant pain and limited motion in another gymnast who has very retroverted or less shallow hip joints. improvements on how we have typically taught athletes/gymnasts to stretch their hip flexors, groin and lats. Keywords: gymnastics, stretching exercises, flexibility, balance 1. Her ankles are very lax and she also tends to hang out in the down and in position that may predispose it to roll. Its not always because they are not trying hard enough. Chaundry H, et al. These children are often detected through an early talent identification and are quickly put into competitive team tracks. Drill progressions for skills, strength and conditioning, managing fears, and dealing with pain or injury are among the most discussed. 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. The effects of myofascial release with foam rolling on performance. Eccentric pull up lowers or EZ Mover Sliders, Gymnastics skill technique drills to use the new range of motion Unfortunately, this leaves the gymnast feeling very defeated as if something is wrong with them, not to mention still struggling with skills and possibly at an elevated injury risk. Part of the reason it is so common in gymnastics is because the gymnast has to move from an extreme toe pointpositionto a toes up landing position within an extremely small time window. Given that gymnasts already straighten their knees andtend to show very knee dominant landings (versus proper hip dominant squat deceleration landings), we really dont want to putting them more at risk for landing lock legged and having something going seriously wrong. I will say take these research studies with a grain of salt due to their methods, smaller sizes, and sometimes using cadavers as subjects. In support of this, my experiences working with hundreds of gymnasts to improve flexibility also supports the use of regular stretching and foam rolling for the range of motion, perceived soreness, and perceived recovery, with minimal negative impacts on performance. Your legs should be at a 90 angle. And Im not off the hook here. (17) In one situation, the gymnast may have lots of hip and toe rotation out but may not have any motion of toes in.. This means the hip bone was slightly migrating out of the hip socket to reach such large ranges of motion. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Ankles are one of the most frequentlyinjuredbody parts ingymnasticswith a variety of injuries from getting crunched on short landings, chronic impingement, sprains, stress fractures, and more. 132 146, Sands WA, McNeal J. Recently many gymnasts are reporting to have hip flexor strains that they push through. Helpful or Not? Many people want to know what the best approach is, either static or dynamic, if they should be aiming to increase range of motion, what are the best drills, and so on. In Jeffreys I., Moody J. J Am Osteopath Association. flexibility changes in a gymnast. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 25(6):36479, 1997. The most popular thought process is that we are affecting resting muscle tone, possibly increasing blood flow, perhaps changing the amount of water hydration level within the muscle or are offering a competitive neurological stimulus for muscle soreness. *Readers Note This gymnastics flexibility guide is a very long and in-depth blog post. Its important to recognize that the range of motion a gymnasts hip, shoulder, or other joints display are directly related to their underlying anatomy. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2012; 26(8) 2119 2129. Hip Instability: Current Concepts and Treatment. Role of the Acetabular Labrum and the Iliofemoral Ligament in Hip Stability: An In Vitro Biplane Fluoroscopy Study. Another version of an overhead stretch, pictured below, is an example of the opposite. The main articles that support this are, With this being said, there are definitely studies that claim changes to the mechanical properties of the muscle, tendon, and junction between these structures change overtime with stretching. Dave 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. By using a variety of drills that include the basic movements (hip extension, shoulder flexion with rotation, etc.) Although this does happen in gymnastics, there are many times when this is inaccurate and dangerous. Each comprehensive PDF is a step by step guide of the exact passive and active flexibility, strength, balance, and gymnastics specific PreHab exercises used by Dr. Dave Tilley with 1000s of gymnasts across the world. The reality of the situation is that a variety of muscles around the hip or shoulder could be the culprit. BMJ 2002;325:468. A large body of research has emerged in the last decade outlining that regular stretching does increase range of motion over periods of 4-8 weeks, with both changes in the muscle tissue and changes in the nervous system as an underlying mechanism. Beardsley C, Skarabot J. 2) change tissue properties of the calf muscle. Stretching keeps the muscles in the body flexible, so that they can stay at. Atraumatic Hip Instability in Patients with Joint Hypermobility.Operative Techniques in Sports Medicine. Similar to that point, I would also be very careful about how much pressure the front knee of oversplits is taking, and if you use them try to have the gymnast move their front leg up on the mat more. So, what are some solutions to maybe moving away from aggressive stretching/ankle weights but still developing beast like leaps/jumps? Second, most times there are a lack of pre and post-tests (line splits, checking objective shoulder flexibility screen against a wall) to see if what is being used for exercises is effective. Strength Work to Opposite Side of Joint However, as noted in earlier chapters their natural hypermobility can be an area of caution. This allows for more or less inherent flexibility, but as always many other factors contribute. It has been great to see so many great surgeons, healthcare providers, and strength coaches share their thoughts and describe what still needs to be considered. 2) change the hamstring muscle extensibility. 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