Benefits of Foam Rolling for Swimmers
After a long session of pool intervals, swimmers can greatly benefit from reaching for the foam roller to aid in recovery. Foam rolling benefits for swimmers include relieving muscle pain caused by trigger points, increasing flexibility to overtightened muscle groups, promoting relaxation post-workout, and helping the recovery process by increasing blood flow, oxygen, and lymphatic circulation.
Prevent Pickleball Injuries
Pickleball is a great, low-impact sport for people of all ages. However, injuries can still occur in a low-impact sport. To keep you on the court and playing for many more years, let’s look at some ways to prevent injuries.
Understanding Lower Extremity Injuries in Cheerleaders and Gymnasts
Cheerleading and gymnastics are incredibly demanding sports requiring strength, flexibility, and precision. Yet, they also carry a significant risk of injury, particularly in the lower extremities.
The prevalence of lower extremity injuries in cheerleading and gymnastics worldwide has increased significantly over the last decade as both sports have evolved1,2. One study, including 6-to-17-year-old gymnasts, found that the lower extremity was the most affected site of injury (60.5%), with the ankle/foot and knee joints accounting for 49% and 27% of injuries, respectively. This study also found that 10-to-12-year-olds and 13-to-17-year-olds were at greater risk for lower extremity injury due to increased growth rates compared to 6-to-9-year-olds2.
Upper Extremity Strengthening for Gymnasts
Gymnasts require significant strength, flexibility, and stability to compete in their events, whether they’re at the amateur or Olympic level. During their events, gymnasts place 2-4 times their body weight through their upper extremities (shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand). Upper extremity injuries are common, especially in younger athletes. There is a common misconception that pain is part of the sport, but the truth is you don’t have to compete with pain. Let’s look closer at five of the most common upper extremity injuries in gymnasts and exercises that can help improve strength and reduce the potential risk of these common injuries.
Concussion Rates Across Sports
Approximately 3.8 million sport-related concussions occur every year in the United States. The CDC estimated that 5-10% of athletes will get a concussion in any given sports season. The majority of these concussions tend to take place during competition rather than practice. The risk of concussion tends to vary between genders and depends on the sport being played.
Concussions are caused by TBI’s (traumatic brain injuries), which occur when the brain is jostled inside the skull, causing trauma to the brain. Based on the definition it is unsurprising that there is a much higher risk of injury in contact sports than in non-contact sports. In fact, contact sports such as football, basketball, and soccer account for 45% of all emergency department visits for sports-related concussions among children 17 and under. According to a recent update from the CDC, the top 10 sports with the highest youth rates of concussion are:
Dancer’s Hip: How to Stop the Snapping
A feeling of popping or snapping in the hip with certain movements is a very common complaint, especially among young athletes. Consistent snapping or popping with pain is a clinical sign of snapping hip syndrome, otherwise known as “dancer’s,” hip. This condition is often seen in athletes who play high-mobility sports but is more prevalent among gymnasts, cheerleaders, and dancers, specifically ballet dancers. Three types of hip snapping that occur include external, internal, and intra-articular. Below are tips to lessen the severity of pain and strategies to prevent the occurrence altogether.
How To Stick the Landing: Landing Mechanics Training for Gymnasts
The Olympic Games have a special way of bringing increased interest, awareness, and excitement to the sport of artistic gymnastics. With Simone Biles’ recorded floor tumbling pass height at the summer 2024 Paris Olympic Games achieving over 12 feet, it is imperative that she and gymnasts of all levels land safely. There are approximately 4.57 million artistic gymnasts in the United States1. As gymnasts progress through the sport, the difficulty of the skills increases, and the skills become more dangerous. Gymnastics has one of the highest rates of injury in any girl’s adolescent sport2. One recent study reported that 91.4% of elite gymnasts sustained at least one injury per season3. Another study reported that approximately 70% of gymnastics injuries occur during landing tasks4.
Hip Impingement In Gymnasts
Gymnasts require a lot of hip mobility to perform their amazing skills. These advanced and dynamic skills can lead to pain in the hip joint that is more than just muscle soreness. Both male and female gymnasts can suffer from hip pain. One common hip condition is hip impingement, and we will discuss what that is as well as important details for gymnasts with hip pain.
