J Athl Training 35(3):278285, 2000. Sands and Mcneal have a few fantastic chapters on flexibility in recent Strength and Conditioning text books (39-40). Epub 2014 Apr 10. It has all become wildly popular in the last five years, and its starting to show up much more in the gymnastics community. J Athl Train 2004;39:254-8. As a result, they have more ability to positively increase an athletes overall amount of shoulder or hip flexibility. In parallel to the points made above, it is not that this stretch is inherently bad or dangerous for a gymnast. It goes into much more depth than I will in this blog post. 387 403. Attempting to apply one general stretching exercise that a naturally mobile gymnast showed in a presentation may cause some serious problems for such a gymnast. 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. Even worse, if the underlying cause of limited flexibility is not found, we could be causing more problems to come up down the road regarding injury. Warm-ups are typically best looked at as a time when you can prepare the available joint range of motion that a gymnast has. This capsular and ligamentous hypermobility is not inherently a bad thing, as it is part of what makes a gymnast good at the sport. If the exercises above are biasing stress on joint capsules and ligaments more so than the lat, teres major, and pec muscles, we should look for an alternative solution. The strips are cut in sections approximately 5'6" in length (approximately 170cm). In the short term, these smaller flare-ups of pain may not create huge issues. 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. Also, you must remember that immediately following the warm-up genetically go to an event has very high forces. (18-26). More specifically, the inferior glenohumeral ligament and capsule, as well as possible parts of the middle glenohumeral ligament and capsule. 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. After seeing so many gymnasts I worked with struggle, and to be honest suffer overuse injuries, I knew something had to change. (41-42, 44-45). Other more naturally stiff individuals who excel in other sports may have a tighter shirt sleeve. When someone pushes a knee into extension, we strain the posterior knee joint, other passive stabilizers of the knee, and tension the ACL. In terms of stretching induced neurological changes to the muscle tissue, the majority of the articles theorize that the main reasons behind this include, All of these mechanisms may be occurring as people stretch consistently over a long period of time. 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. flexibility changes in a gymnast. 2010;90:438 449. Epub 2014 May 10. Here are 8 gymnastics exercises that will help improve your flexibility: Pike stretch The pike stretch is great for improving your upper body flexibility. They can easily perform flexibility drills, achieve tumbling or bar lines, create basic gymnastics shapes and proceed through lower-level skills. I think there are not yet studied boney adaptations to the hip joints of gymnasts when correctly performed and consistent stretching occurs in younger years. Determination and Desire are however the most important traits for successful participation in any Conflicting Research on Foam Rolling and Other Soft Tissue Care, Why Movement Assessments Are Key For Finding The Root Problem, Components of Splits and Handstand Flexibility, Not Feeding The Fire with Strength and Physical Preparation, How to Help Working In Complexes vs Just Stretching, Points for Knee/Elbow Hyper Extension and Ankle Toe Point Safety. Get in the low lunge position with the knee of the leg at the back touching the floor. Along with this, no stretching shoulder produces excessive soreness longer than the end of the day, as prolonged soreness may indicate microtissue damage. Gymnasts partake in stretching every day for months on end, so we cant conclude that changes in muscle tissue over time are not occurring. There has been a large spike in the rate of hip flexor strains, groin strains , and cranky shoulders that I feel is being very much swept under the rug in gymnastics. Stretching the hamstrings typically produces discomfort in the middle of the back of the thigh, not high up in the buttocks where the hamstring attaches to an open growth plate in pre-pubescent gymnasts. The Theraband strips should be black in color or they should be among the stiffest of the elastic material you can obtain. Its my opinion that using ankle weights under high speed (like in leaps, jumps, leg kicks, running, gymnastics skills/drills) willbe very challenging for gymnasts to control due to the long weighted lever arm. We dont want just the heel elevated with a long lever arm creating lots of posterior knee joint and ligamentous strain. Due to the outlined research effects of foam rolling, stick or other forms of self-massage, I regularly recommend it as a piece of a gymnasts flexibility training. As anatomical and biomechanical research in the shoulder outlines (1-5, 16) this end range overhead flexion and internal rotation position may create excessive pressure on certain shoulder ligaments over time. Manske R., et al. (46-48). This can be repeated with the hands in an under grip to bias the muscular soft tissue of lats/teres major, can be repeated with the hands on top of each other to mimic beam for female gymnasts, and can be repeated in eagle grip for those gymnasts who perform these skills. And lastly, passive or active flexibility exercises alone will not have a substantial impact on the nervous system to change movement, build strength, or correct technique. In this setting, we are looking to ramp down the body and assist in recovery (known as facilitating parasympathetic tone). 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. I will take a few paragraphs to explain the current body of research on stretching, outlining some important studies that have been done. Gymnastics training itself may create a position where a gymnast acquired more hypermobility with jumping/lading forces but also the large emphasis on mobility. North Am J Sports Phys Ther 1(1):1631, 2006. Proper assessments and specific stretching methods must be used so that excessive strain on passive tissue like bones, ligaments, and joint capsules is avoided. Jargon Note The medical world typically refers to Flexibility as the maximum range of motion a joint can passively reach, including the length of all structures from the joint level to the soft tissue and neural level. 2016. I feel this naturally occurs over time but is amplified when stretching methods are misguided. Although research is conflicting, self soft tissue care as is seen with foam rolling and other tools may have a role in reducing perceived soreness and increasing blood flow to muscles. Ive been fortunate that now after learning from many people and textbooks, I really have a good handle on the concepts that seem to work, and those that dont really tend to make a big difference in the long term. IJSPT Oct 2013; 8(5): 554 578. The Relationship Between Stretching Typology and Stretching Duration: The Effects on Range of Motion. Routledge: New York. That same drill may cause significant pain and limited motion in another gymnast who has very retroverted or less shallow hip joints. If gymnastics movements are performed properly, the I think that daily soft tissue care is one important piece of the puzzle. Coaches notice their flexibility or ability to perform lower-level skills well. Every young childs body has certain unique characteristics that may predispose them to success in certain sports. These are the muscles themselves, to a small degree the tendons that connect muscles to bones, and largely the nervous system. Especially in gymnasts, the changes in sensitivity of nerves that transmit pain, and also reductions in stretch reflexes likely are the main mechanisms. Similar to the study above, it was found that while ankle range of motion did improve, there were no significant changes in the muscle extensibility outcomes that would indicate tissue change. 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. They say not to worry about it, and that this is something that can be trained through. If the gymnast is already hanging out in a down and in position, they are predisposing themselves to continuously catch their over and over, leading to the re-occuring injury part mentioned above. 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. It only takes one bad landing for the gymnast to suffer a major and possibly career ending injury. There is a lot of medical and science nerdiness in there. This wraps in not only the passive range but also strength, active control, technique, and many other factors. There are cases where mobilizing these passive structures is appropriate (after surgery or some other trauma). This is a central concept to the work my mentors Mike Reinold and Lenny Macrina teach their patients about, due to how much it changes their mobility. As I mentioned above, research does support specific stretching and soft tissue work, but as one piece to a larger program. 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. Wilk KE, Macrina LC, Reinold MM. These gymnasts typically have natural flexibility but may struggle to build strength and power during training. They also outline that longer durations of stretching (say up to 2 minutes per stretch) show diminishing returns. As with the shoulder, I also feel that extreme hip stretching methods from a very high surface, or when a coach is pushing aggressively on a gymnast, have no place in our sport. 90 Minutes of Must Hear Gymnastics Coaching Expert Advice, Master the Basics: Gymnastics Drills for Kips, Fly Aways, and Giants, Nick Ruddock Shares His Best Uneven Bar Methods for Giants, Flyaways, and Cast Handstands, Understanding and Treating Back Pain in Athletes, 5 In-Season Gymnastics Tips for Maximizing Meet & Routine Performance, Gymnastics requires significant amounts of flexibility and mobility, which makes it a primary area of training, It can be very confusing and easily overwhelming, especially with the rapid increase in scientific advances and the internet, Anyone working with gymnasts should have an understanding of basic anatomy and physiology before assigning flexibility drills, Although research is conflicting, there appear to be both neurological and mechanical reasons as to why regular flexibility training increases range of motion, Its crucial that proper methods are used to reduce joint stress and bias the stretching of soft tissue structures, especially in hypermobile athletes, Static stretching has a role to play in gymnastics but must be used correctly and at the right dosage. 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. For me, I think the discussion must start with the intended goal of the flexibility work. Effects of self myofascial release: A systematic review. Some studies have correlated a higher Beightons score with increased capsular laxity, including this research study linking a Beighton score over 4 to hip capsular laxity (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5400218/) and this study that discusses the links between shoulder capsular laxity and a high Beightons score (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4295707/). 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. Forcing a split down into extreme ranges of an oversplit without a proper assessment behind it, asking a gymnast to perform over splits when they are not even close to a split on flat ground, or blindly pushing someone down just to be tough, is most definitely dangerous. For the most part, these structures cannot change too much unless surgery of some nature is performed, or through adaptation across many years as is seen when children grow or participate in overhead throwing sports from a young age. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. However, there is a very fine line between reasonable discomfort and inflicting real pain. Phys Sportsmed. Again, as presented by Beardsley and Skarbot, Self-Myofascial release does not appear to impede athletic performance acutely or in the short term. Due to this, they may not be biasing the proper muscular tissue intended and as a result may show limited effectiveness. JOSPT November 2014. This finding isnt inherently dangerous, or good as research always has its internal issues. 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. Physiother Res Int 2002;7:1-13. The glute muscles, deep hip rotators, other surrounding hip muscles, and core are essential for hip safety and performance. Champagne, IL: Human Kinetics. I find many gymnasts who have shoulder injuries or are struggling with flexibility display significant strength deficits within their upper back and scapular area. 2008;108:379390. 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. Sports Health. (36-38). The gymnast is depending on those static stability structures because they probably have issues related to their muscles and nervous system not being able to assist withdynamic stability. Its also really important to remember that the upper back, or thoracic spine, and the next play a huge role in shoulder motion. Examples of gymnastics skills that require dynamic flexibility are a walkover and a handspring. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). Long-standing hip micro instability is another concern that may be created without the proper training approach. A systematic review. Tones and strengthen muscles Improves posture Returning to the analogy of a shirt sleeve, more naturally mobile athletes (gymnasts, baseball players) usually have a baggier shirt sleeve. However, the rationale for this is in a different context. Handstands, beginner jumps or leaps, and introductory ring or parallel bar skills demand extreme mobility to execute. Konrad A, Tip M. Increased range of motion after static stretching is not due to changes in muscle and tendon structures. This theory is also more in line with the motor control research I have read and interpreted related to changing human movement. This is where we will go next. It may help reverse the hypoxic or acidic environments that occur during challenging workouts. Part of this may be inevitable for high-level gymnastics, but we should be doing anything we can to reduce risk given the scientific information and coaching expertise available. Front Splits. This can also happen withhip extendingmovements (think backleg kick or leap) as the back of the femur bone makes contact with the back and outsideof the pelvis (impingement) and then the contact acts as a fulcrum for thefemoral head toslide out the frontof the hip joint (instability). The Mechanisms of Manual Therapy in the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain: A Comprehensive Model. 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