The One Magical Exercise

Coaches this one's for you! I get asked all the time if I have one (or a few) exercises to help relieve the pain of a specific body part (back, knee, shins, wrists) with their group of gymnasts.

If I had that one magical exercise to take away all your gymnasts pain, trust me...I'd be a millionaire living on "Dr. Greene Island."

But I don't, because not every gymnast is the same and therefore not all injuries and pain are the same and therefore no general group of exercises will "cure" all your gymnastics specific pain because they may (and most likely) all have pain for various reasons based on their specific body's needs.

Pain is different from prevention exercises.

Exercises for pain are a part of a customized rehab program developed by their physical therapist to address a specific gymnast's needs and deficits. This is what rehab is all about!

Prevention exercises help with commonly occuring overuse injuries when a gymnast is not in pain and just wanting to prevent injuries. These exercises can be incorporated into practice or flexibility work and frankly they should be done every practice! 

So when do we refer to a medical provider?

#1. If pain lasts longer than 3 days

#2. If pain is happening with impact and skills, especially if it's the same type of body shape across different apparatuses like arching in the low back

#3. If pain is affecting their day to day life, ie, sitting in school, walking, lifting a gallon of milk etc.

#4. If pain happened after trauma meaning a fall off an apparatus, hyperextending their knee in a floor pass, rolling their ankle, their foot hitting the beam or bar and there is immediate swelling etc.

#5. There is significant visible swelling, they are icing, taping and wearing a brace at every practice >1 week

#6. Their pain is cyclical meaning it "comes and goes" is "off and on" "happens occasionally then goes away" "happens only when they grow." I hear this so much, if pain goes away and never comes back, great, if it is coming back every few months or every year-we need to get that checked out, as it is not normal.

Let me know if you have any questions or want to get your hands on my Gymnastics Prehabilitation Program! 

Email: admin@perfect10pt.org