SportPerformanceU
  • ABOUT
    • OUR COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH
    • STAFF
    • FACILITY
    • NOTABLE ALUMNI
    • FAQ
    • ATHLETE SCHOLARSHIP FUND
  • PERFORMANCE PROGRAMS
    • ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
    • YOUTH PROGRAMS
    • TEAM PERFORMANCE
    • Adult Personal Training
    • SPEED TRAINING
    • SPORT NUTRITION
    • CORPORATE FITNESS
  • SPORT ACADEMIES
    • DRAYSON QUARTERBACK ACADEMY
  • PHYSICAL THERAPY
  • INTERACT
    • CONTACT
    • ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE BLOG
    • FOOTBALL BLOG
    • RECORD BOARD CLUBS
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • Merchandise
  • REGISTER
    • ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
    • CAMPS AND CLINICS

ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE BLOG

The Not So Unusual Cause Of Back Pain In Swimmers 

1/15/2015

0 Comments

 
Having the pleasure of training a large amount of swimmers, I have encountered a certain scenario quite often.  A swimmer will tell me they feel tightness or discomfort in their lower back. Knowing their background and their training experience I usually head over to a table to have them do a Thomas Test.

The Thomas Test is performed by having the athlete sit on the edge of a table and then gradually lean back. As they lean back they pull one knee into their chest and let the other leg hang. Nine times out of ten they will come close to donkey kicking you in the face.

As most would assume, swimmers are notorious for having flexibility problems in their quadriceps and hip flexors by the nature of their sport and the limited amount of proper dry land training programs. This is not a surprise, but if it is not properly taken care of back issues will continue to present themselves.

For the purpose of this discuss I want to keep the focus on the soft tissue and flexibility work of the hip flexors and quadriceps.

For the athlete mentioned above I would have them perform foam rolling on the hip flexor and quadriceps followed by a ½ kneeling hip flexor and quadriceps stretch.

When performing the soft tissue work it is important to cover all areas that affect the hip flexor and quadriceps group. Therefore, there should be special attention given to the front, side and inner thigh. Look for areas that are “knotted up” and spend some extra time on those spots. You will know if you feel a knot! 

Below are pictures of yours truly setting up to roll my hip flexor/quadriceps, IT band and adductors.  A safe bet is rolling each area 8-10 times, but feel free to spend as much time as needed on each one. 


Picture
Picture
Picture
As for the static stretch that is followed by the foam rolling,  below are the progressions of the ½ kneeling hip flexor/quadriceps stretch. 

Picture
Picture
Picture
It is important that the order of roll and then stretch is followed. If the stretch takes place first you might be doing yourself a disservice. This is because if you think of your muscles like little rubber bands, when you stretch them, if you have knots or adhesions build up it will make this knot tighter and more wound up.

If you train swimmers or other athletes for that matter that perform limited range of motion through the hip and knee during competition and complain about back tightness this might be something worth trying. 

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2023
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    June 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012

    Categories

    All
    ACL Injuries
    Aerobic
    Anaerobic
    Biomechanical Analysis
    Carbohydrates
    Coaching
    Core Training
    Deadlift
    Dynamic Warm Up
    Endurance Training
    Energy Systems
    Hip Hinge
    Injuries
    Injury Prevention
    Medicine Ball
    Mobility & Stability
    Mobility & Stability Development
    Motivation
    Overuse Injuries
    Personal Training
    Physical Activity
    Power Training
    Programming
    Single Leg Training
    Speed Development
    Speed Drills
    Speed Training
    Speed Training
    Sport Conditioning
    Sport Nutrition
    Sport Performance
    Sport Psychology
    Sport Specific Training
    Squatting
    Strength Training
    Swimming
    Training
    Weight Gaining
    Youth Movement

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • ABOUT
    • OUR COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH
    • STAFF
    • FACILITY
    • NOTABLE ALUMNI
    • FAQ
    • ATHLETE SCHOLARSHIP FUND
  • PERFORMANCE PROGRAMS
    • ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
    • YOUTH PROGRAMS
    • TEAM PERFORMANCE
    • Adult Personal Training
    • SPEED TRAINING
    • SPORT NUTRITION
    • CORPORATE FITNESS
  • SPORT ACADEMIES
    • DRAYSON QUARTERBACK ACADEMY
  • PHYSICAL THERAPY
  • INTERACT
    • CONTACT
    • ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE BLOG
    • FOOTBALL BLOG
    • RECORD BOARD CLUBS
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • Merchandise
  • REGISTER
    • ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
    • CAMPS AND CLINICS