Hand and Wrist Injuries in Gymnasts
Gymnastics is a unique sport where athletes spend a large amount of time on their hands. Handstands, tumbling, rings, and bars require the athlete to place their entire body weight through the arms and into the hands. Other sports do not place these heavy demands on the upper extremity. When tumbling, the athlete puts not only their entire body weight through the hands but can have up to 16 times their body weight in force going across the wrist2. No wonder 80% of gymnasts will experience wrist pain at some point in their career!6 In a study comparing injuries in male and female collegiate gymnasts, men suffered more hand and wrist injuries than their female counterparts1. We will be taking a closer look at the types of hand and wrist injuries both male and female gymnasts may experience and how to treat or prevent these injuries.
What Does It Really Mean When You’ve Rolled Your Ankle?
Have you ever been walking, looking at the world around you, followed by a quick moment when you feel your foot catch the edge of the sidewalk and roll your ankle? It’s a pretty common injury and has the potential to cause some pain and swelling with varying degrees of injury. An inversion ankle sprain is the most common way to roll your ankle. This type of sprain involves inward movement of your foot, resulting in a sprain to the ligaments on the outside portion of your ankle.
The Basics: Sprains, Strains, and Fractures…What’s The Difference?
“I sprained my hamstring!” “I didn’t break it. I fractured it.” “He had a bad ankle strain.” Physical therapists, occupational therapists, and most medical professionals cringe when we hear this at parties, in the media, or our clinic. The tactful among us do their best to resist the urge to correct, but let’s face it, we are only human.
Top Areas to Foam Roll for Gymnasts
Warm-up and recovery are important parts of a workout routine that often get overlooked. A dynamic warm-up prepares the body prior to exercise; conversely, recovery or cooling down after exercise can help manage soreness. Active recovery is a great option to help manage normal muscle soreness symptoms after high-intensity workouts. It is normal to have muscle soreness after high- intensity exercise; this can last for several hours up to several days. Active recovery may help reduce muscle soreness and fatigue.
Exercises to Strengthen Your Golf Swing
“If I just got into the weightroom four times a week and lifted a bunch of weights, I’d be driving the ball 300 yards like the pros!” Raise your hand if you have ever had that thought run through your head. The funny thing about the best drivers and ball strikers on the PGA tour is that some of them look like they haven’t seen the inside of a weightroom in years, yet they still hit it straight and far. The reason is that brute strength is far less important than timing and control in the golf swing. Thankfully, you don’t need bumper plates and kettlebells to get another few yards.
Why Is There Swelling After an Injury?
Most of us have had an instance where we stepped funny and twisted our ankle or knee, maybe stretched our shoulder too far, or tripped and injured our wrist. These are examples of an acute injury. Acute injuries are usually the result of a single traumatic event. This is in contrast to a chronic injury that occurs with repetition and over time. Swelling is a common occurrence after injury. Swelling is a normal reaction to injury; however, the swelling reaction is excessive sometimes. Let’s look at what happens when your body has swelling after an injury.
Exercises to Improve your Golf Swing
Power or mobility? Range of motion or strength? As you begin to adapt your body for better performance on the golf course this spring, you need to figure out first what you need. This article will discuss the major stumbling blocks that I see the most with patients. These corrections are great for getting out of a chair the following day after a round of golf. They can also increase your power off the tee or on approach.
Sever’s Disease in Gymnasts
Many young kids that participate in sports can have complaints of pain in their heels. This is more common in children who are actively growing and those who are very active in running and jumping sports. Young gymnasts fall into this category, and they also practice and compete barefoot, which can lead to a higher risk of injury to the foot.
