Wrist pain is one of the most common issues gymnasts and coaches deal with within the sport. The majority of the wrist problems that athletes complain about are wrist extension based (back of the hand moving upward), and are usually localized to the dorsal aspect (back of the palm/wrist) of the wrist joint. For this week, I wanted to offer some insight into the topic and offer advice on how to manage/prevent wrist pain with yourself or your athletes. Although other forms of wrist pain come up in gymnastics, due to the majority of the problems being extension/weight loading based that is what this post will mainly focus on.
Archive for October, 2013
This week I wanted to write about a topic that I feel is by far one of the most important issues for injury prevention within gymnastics. Teaching proper jumping and landing mechanics to gymnasts is crucial to help young athletes prevent both traumatic knee injuries (caused by one event) and progressive knee injuries (develops overtime). Next to lower back injury, the prevention of knee related injuries within gymnasts come up most frequently in the gymnastics and medical community. My goal for this post is to outline why this topic is so important to recognize, offer some information from the current research in this area, and offer some strategies to help possibly reduce an athletes risk.
For this post I wanted to continue on the lower back flexibility path from last week, and discuss another scenario I’ve seen many times when working with gymnasts. Although this is specific to gymnasts, the information has carry over to anyone who is an active person. Many people who are runners, competitive athletes, or recreational exercisers also struggle with this area. Chronic tightness of the lower leg structures, like the hamstrings and calves, without proper mobilization and stretching may lead to a variety of injuries over time.
This week I wanted to discuss a topic that can possibly reduce a gymnast’s risk of lower back pain, as well as help improve their skill performance. Many people have asked me about how to address bridges that lack mobility and how to deal with lower back pain related to back bending type skills. I would think that most coaches agree with me in saying that a proper bridge is one of the most fundamentally crucial positions an athlete needs to be successful in gymnastics. I think many coaches would also agree that helping an athlete who has chronic difficulty acquiring a proper bridge is quite frustrating. Many versions of a bridge/arch are needed for hundreds of skills in both men’s and women’s gymnastics. Some skills with different bridge/arch movement requirements include,
I'm a Physical Therapist at Bay State Physical Therapy in Salem MA, a women's optional gymnastics coach for North Shore Wildcat's in Beverly MA, and was also a competitive gymnast for the majority of my life. I received my doctorate in Physical Therapy along with my minor in Psychology in 2013, and look to obtain my Certified Strength and Conditioning title in the upcoming year. I created The Hybrid Perspective to offer my opinions/thoughts on the benefits of connecting Physical Therapy and Gymnastics. I look to address common patterns of dysfunction and injury/pain for gymnasts, educate people about gymnastics based pre-hab to possibly reduce injury, help maximize gymnast's performance, and gain knowledge myself from those involved in the sport. Feel free to share, comment, and offer your experiences through the site. 
The Hybrid Perspective : Linking Gymnastics & Physical Therapy 