Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2016
Description
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. However, the paucity of information demands that further study be undertaken.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Citation Information
Sands, William A.; McNeal, Jeni R.; Penitente, Gabriella; Murray, Steven Ross; Nassar, Lawrence; Jemni, Monèm; Mizuguchi, Satoshi; and Stone, Michael H.. 2016. Stretching the Spines of Gymnasts: A Review. Sports Medicine. Vol.46(3). 315-327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0424-6 ISSN: 1179-2035
Copyright Statement
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.