Stretching the Spines of Gymnasts: A Review
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REVIEW ARTICLE
Stretching the Spines of Gymnasts: A Review William A. Sands1,2 • Jeni R. McNeal3 • Gabriella Penitente4 • Steven Ross Murray5 Lawrence Nassar6 • Mone`m Jemni7 • Satoshi Mizuguchi8 • Michael H. Stone8
•
The Author(s) 2015. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
Abstract Gymnastics is noted for involving highly specialized strength, power, agility and flexibility. Flexibility is perhaps the single greatest discriminator of gymnastics from other sports. The extreme ranges of motion achieved by gymnasts require long periods of training, often occupying more than a decade. Gymnasts also start training at an early age (particularly female gymnasts), and the effect of gymnastics training on these young athletes is poorly understood. One of the concerns of many gymnastics professionals is the training of the spine in hyperextension—the ubiquitous ‘arch’ seen in many gymnastics positions and movements. Training in spine hyperextension usually begins in early childhood through performance of a skill known as a back-bend. Does practising a back-bend and other hyperextension exercises harm young gymnasts? Current information on spine stretching among gymnasts indicates that, within reason, spine stretching does not appear to be an unusual threat to gymnasts’ health. & William A. Sands [email protected]
However, the paucity of information demands that further study be undertaken.
Key Points Spinal flexibility, particularly flexibility of the lumbar spine, is an important ability in young female gymnasts and is trained intensively from very young ages. Spine stretching in gymnastics training may be an important contributor to spinal abnormalities, injury and pain, demanding careful progression and vigilant monitoring of the development of young gymnasts. Spine stretching and loading among gymnasts should be undertaken via careful, thorough and long-term progression. 1
Centre for Sport and Exercise Science, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK
2
2300 South 2100 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84109, USA
Gabriella Penitente [email protected]
3
Department of Physical Education, Health and Recreation, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA, USA
Steven Ross Murray [email protected]
4
Academy of Sport and Physical Activity, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK
Lawrence Nassar [email protected]
5
Department of Kinesiology, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO, USA
Mone`m Jemni [email protected]
6
MSU Sports Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Satoshi Mizuguchi [email protected]
7
Department of Sport Science, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
Michael H. Stone [email protected]
8
Department of Physical Education, Exercise and Sport, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, USA
Jeni R. McNeal [email protected]
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W. A. Sands et al.
1 Introduction Shawn Johnson, an American gold-medallist in the Beijing Olympics, remarked in the US media that she was not sure i
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