Flexibility%20(Testing%20and%20Training)

1
Flexibility (Testing and Training)
2
Outline

• Definitions of Flexibility
• Warm up vs Stretching
• Factors that influence Range Of Motion (ROM)
• Physiology and Biomechanics of Flexibility
• Assessment of Flexibility
• Benefits of Flexibility
• Flexibility program variables

3
Definitions of Flexibility

• ability to be bent, pliable The New Shorter
  Oxford English Dictionary (1993)
• Functional ability of a joint to move through its
  full range of motion (ROM) (ACSM 2010)
• Functional ability - movement without incurring
  pain or a limit to performance
• The ability of a joint to move through its full
  range of motion (Brooks et al. 2000).
• There is little agreement about the definition of
  normal flexibility.
• Optimum flexibility is hard to assess, and varies
  with sport.
• More ROM is not necessarily better.
• Inadequate flexibility can decrease performance
  of activities of daily living as well as some
  sports.

4
Further Definitions

• Flexibility refers to the extensibility of
  periarticular tissues to allow normal or
  physiological motion.
• Laxity refers to the stability of a joint (Saal,
  1987).
• Excessive joint laxity can be the result of
  injury or heredity condition.
• Hypermobility refers to a range of motion in
  excess of the accepted normal motion in most of
  the joints (Alter, 1996).

5
Types of Flexibility

• Static flexibility ROM about a joint with no
  emphasis on speed.
• Ballistic flexibility usually associated with
  bobbing or bouncing motion.
• Dynamic (functional) flexibility ability to use
  ROM in the performance of a physical activity.

6
Warm up

• Warm up prepares athletes for training or
  competition
• May reduce the risk of injury and improve
  performance
• Increase muscle temperature, core temperature,
  and blood flow
• Impact on performance
• Faster muscle contraction and relaxation
• Increased rate of force development
• Inc muscle strength and power
• Lowers viscosity of muscle
• Improved O2 delivery (Bohr effect - temperature)
• Increased blood flow to active muscle
• Increased rate of metabolic reactions

NSCA - Essentials of Strength Training and
Conditioning 2008
7
Components of a Warm up

• Warm up should be gradually progressive without
  causing fatigue
• General - 5 to 10 minutes low intensity
• My be sport specific (jogging / ball dribbling)
• Raise HR, ventilation, blood flow, deep muscle
  temperature and reduce viscosity
• Specific - 10 minutes
• Dynamic stretching (mobility drills) - sport
  specific movements (examples near end of lecture)
• Progressively increase intensity - sprint drills,
  jumping
• High intensity dynamic exercises may facilitate
  subsequent performance
• Static Stretching in warm up may decrease
  subsequent performance
• Decreased force, power, running speed, reaction
  and movement time, endurance

NSCA - Essentials of Strength Training and
Conditioning 2008
8
Factors that Influence ROM

• Range of Motion (ROM) is joint specific, and
  results from a combination of factors including
  adequate warm-up
• Structure of Joint - (47)
• Determines degree of freedom of movement
• Hinge vs ball and socket joint
• Rigidity of Ligaments (10)
• Help stabilize and protect joints from excessive
  motion during dynamic movements
• Restrict ROM and offer support at end of ROM
• Extensibility of periarticular tissues - muscle
  and tendon (41)
• Component that can be modified most significantly
  and influenced by flexibility training
• Length of muscle and level of neurological
  innervation in muscle being stretched

9
Other influences on Flexibility

• Nervous system activity
• Sudden stretch of a muscle stimulates muscle
  spindle and reflex contraction
• Important for proprioception and controlling
  muscle length
• Slow static stretches, spindle activity increases
  for about 10 sec then diminishes greatly
• This can also help alleviate muscle cramps
• Intracapsular structures
• articular cartilage and synovial membranes
  facilitate smoothness of movement while
  maintaining integrity of joint
• Soft tissue
• compression of soft tissue by adjacent segments
  contributes to termination of ROM
• Eg obese or very heavy musculature

10
Limits due to Muscle Structure

• Contractile Components of Muscle
• Sacromere (S) resting length 2.30mm
• Maximum extensibility 3.50mm (150)
• Hence increased extensibility occurs by an
  increase in the of sarcomeres in series
• Improper Muscle Balance
• Stretch short muscle (flexibility assessment)
• Strengthen weak muscle (strength assessment)

11
Total Length-Tension Curve
Text Fig.3-18
12
Limits due to Connective Tissue

• Connective tissue surrounds muscle fibers
  (fascia), and in a major component of tendons and
  ligaments
• Collagen - strong and flexible but resist
  stretching
• Elastin - thin with high degree of elasticity
• ability to stretch and recoil
• Stress / Strain curves
• Fig 54.1 ACSM
• Linear - elastic region - will return to original
  shape
• non linear - plastic deformation and repair by
  fibroblasts
• Sustained stretch of 30-90 seconds in necessary
  to get beyond elastic recoil properties of
  skeletal muscle and stimulate fiber
  reorganization
• Goal of flexibility training program is to induce
  gradual deformation of connective tissue -
  stimulate repair and greater ROM

13
(No Transcript)
14
Limits due to Connective Tissue

• Aging
• Joints become less stable and less mobile
• Degradation of collagen, joint surface, and
  decreased viscosity of synovial fluid
• increases collagens diameter and more collagen
  cross-links
• Stiffness and inflexibility common with aging
• Sometimes difficult to separate aging from wear
  and tear to joints
• Flexibility training can induce remarkable
  improvements in aged population if no permanent
  damage to joint structure has occurred

15
Assessment of Flexibility

• Measurement made visually or with special
  instrumentation
• Utilize active or passive movement of subject
• Precision in assessment techniques enhances both
  accuracy and reliability
• Proper identification of landmarks
• Consistency in the inclusion or exclusion of a
  warm-up is important for reliability
• Starting position and body position for
  measurements
• Visual assessment (qualitative) - inaccurate for
  both spinal and extremity evaluation
• but useful for fitness screening, group
  evaluation and field testing - we will do several
  visual assessments
• Degree of completion of assessment in standard
  position - see lab manual
• Eg - Finger tips touching (or not) with combined
  bilateral rotation of shoulders and elbow flexion

16
Quantitative Assessment of Flexibility

• Measurement Devices
• Indirect - linear - sit and reach apparatus,
  anthropometer, tape measure
• Direct - ROM in degrees - Goniometer / Leighton
  Flexometer
• Goniometer is inexpensive and portable
• Kin 142 no longer uses Flexometer
• We will perform one measurement with Flexometer
  for familiarity and one with Goniometer for
  review
• Dynamic Flexibility can be measured with stop
  motion video with reflective markers on bony
  landmarks
• Similar to motion capture for video games and
  animation

17
(No Transcript)
18
Quantitative Measurements

• Eg. Sit-reach (modified by Hoeger) - accounts for
  influence of length of body segments necessary
  when doing indirect measures
• First measure taken with back touching wall
• Second measurement with truck flexion
• Difference provides data for comparison

19
Benefits of Flexibility Training

• Increased physical performance
• Decreased risk of injury (but not due to
  inclusion as part of a warm-up)
• Increased blood supply and nutrients to joint
  structure
• Increased quality and quantity of joint synovial
  fluid
• Increased muscular coordination
• Improved muscular balance, posture and postural
  awareness
• Decreased muscle viscosity, causing contractions
  to be easier and smoother

20
Benefits of Flexibility (cont)

• Reduced muscular soreness
• Promotion of relaxation (reduced muscular tension
  and cramps)
• Decreased risk of low back pain
• Reduced stress and tension
• Increased enjoyment
• Promotes self-discipline
• Unification of body, mind and spirit (e.g. Yoga)
• Improves ease and efficiency of movement
• Increased Range of Motion
• Improves skill in sport

21
Reasons why stretching before exercise may not
prevent injury

• An increase in muscle compliance may cause
  tissues to rupture more easily.
• Stretching before exercise will have no effect
  for activities where excessive muscle length is
  not an issue.
• Stretching will not affect muscle compliance
  during eccentric activity, where most strains are
  believed to occur.
• Stretching can produce damage at the cytoskeleton
  level.
• Stretching appears to mask muscle pain in humans.

22
Who should not Stretch?

• Everyone can learn to stretch
• Caution for people who have naturally excessive
  ROM - should not stretch in extremes of ROM as
  joint stability should be maintained
• Recent push to certify Yoga instructors locally,
  reduce incidence of injury to clients
• Pregnancy - hormone relaxant - softens ligaments
  and connective tissue especially in pelvis -
  excessive stretching can lead to hypermobility of
  low back
• Table 54.2, 54.3 ACSM

23
(No Transcript)
24
(No Transcript)
25
Flexibility Training Program

• Athletes should stretch following practice or as
  a separate session (after sufficient warm up)
• Muscle is warm, collagen is elastic which allow
  greater stretch
• May decrease muscle soreness
• Training Program
• A planned, deliberate, and regular program of
  exercises that can permanently and progressively
  increase the useable range of motion of a joint
  or set of joints over a period of time (Corbin
  and Noble, 1980).
• Stretching recommended after sitting or standing
  for long periods - helps prevents discomfort (not
  enough to count as a training program)

26
Duration and Frequency

• Variable opinions
• Duration
• Beaulieu - 10-15 secs - progress to 45-60 secs
  over 4-5 weeks
• Anderson - 10-30 sec easy 10-30 sec
  developmental stretch
• ACSM 10-30 seconds - but emphasize that
  connective tissue deformation and
  neuro-inhibitory effects require 30-90 seconds to
  effect tissue change and relaxation
• Yoga - variable - 45-90 seconds
• Frequency
• Beaulieu - 2-3 times / week
• Yoga - daily for 30-45 minutes - relaxation

27
(No Transcript)
28
Controversy

• Optimum flexibility
• sport specific?
• Types of stretching
• Safety vs effectiveness
• Static vs dynamic stretching and performance
• Dangerous stretches
• Cautions in some guides, recommended in others?
• Stretching during warm-up and cool-down
• Is it enough to effect changes in flexibility?
• Does it have an impact on injury or muscle
  soreness?

29
Ballistic Stretching

• Advantages
• Development of dynamic flexibility
• Effectiveness
• Team camaraderie
• Interest

• Disadvantages
• Inadequate tissue adaptation
• Soreness and injury
• Initiation of stretch reflex
• Inadequate neurological adaptation
• Disadvantages outweigh advantages

30
Static Stretching

• Advantages
• Historical preference
• Effective and optimal
• Decrease possibility of exceeding normal ROM
• Less energy
• Less muscle soreness
• Recommended as advantages outweigh disadvantages
  - especially for general population

• Disadvantages
• Boring
• May overly dominate routine due to time needed
• Allows body to cool during warm up
• Principle of specificity - effectiveness for
  improving dynamic flexibility?
• Increase chance of injury by reducing amplitude
  of stretch reflex?

31
Dynamic Stretching(mobility drills)

• Advantages
• Focused on sport specific movement
• Development of dynamic flexibility
• Increases temperature
• Muscle is active
• Team camaraderie
• Interest
• Avoids bouncing and is more controlled than
  ballistic stretching

• Disadvantages
• Inadequate tissue adaptation (ROM)
• Soreness after first sessions
• Inadequate neurological adaptation
• advantages outweigh disadvantages

NSCA - Essentials of Strength Training and
Conditioning 2008
32
Dynamic Stretching(mobility drills)

• Preferred method of stretching during warm up
• Actively moving joint through ROM required for
  sport
• Observe sport specific movement patterns, and
  select exercises that mimic those patterns
• Build progressively through each exercise
• Speed and ROM
• Perform under control
• ROM often less than what could be achieved with
  ballistic type movements
• Do not accelerate limb to end of ROM

NSCA - Essentials of Strength Training and
Conditioning 2008
33
Dynamic Stretching

• STRAIGHT-LEG MARCH
• (for the hamstrings and gluteus muscles)
• Kick one leg straight out in front of you, with
  your toes flexed toward the sky. Reach your
  opposite arm to the upturned toes. Drop the leg
  and repeat with the opposite limbs. Continue the
  sequence for at least six or seven repetitions.

34
Dynamic Stretching

• SCORPION
• (for the lower back, hip flexors and gluteus
  muscles)
• Lie on your stomach, with your arms outstretched
  and your feet flexed so that only your toes are
  touching the ground. Kick your right foot toward
  your left arm, then kick your leftfoot toward
  your right arm. Since this is an advanced
  exercise, begin slowly, and repeat up to 12
  times.

35
Dynamic Stretching

• HANDWALKS
• (for the shoulders, core muscles, and hamstrings)
• Stand straight, with your legs together. Bend
  over until both hands are flat on the ground.
  Walk with your hands forward until your back is
  almost extended. Keeping your legs straight, inch
  your feet toward your hands, then walk your hands
  forward again. Repeat five or six times. G.R.

36
NSCA - Essentials of Strength Training and
Conditioning 2008
37
(No Transcript)
38
Additional Classifications

• Passive stretching - partner or stretching
  machine provides external force
• Active Stretching - person stretching provides
  force
• Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
• contract muscle prior to stretch- 6 sec
  contraction 10-30 sec stretch (Contract - Relax)
• Autogenic inhibition
• Golgi tendon organ and muscle spindle relaxation
• Some also coincide stretch with contraction of
  agonist (ms opposite one being stretched)
  (Contract - Relax (Agonist Contract))
• Reciprocal inhibition
• Increased range of motion over static stretching
• More motivation required - beneficial to have
  knowledgeable partner
• More time
• Increase pain and soreness and injury?

39
NSCA - Essentials of Strength Training and
Conditioning 2008