martin
Parisi,
We have to do the sit and reach test at school and I am terrible at it. This is my worst performance test. Do you see this as a limiting facter for your athletes? How can I improve here.
Pictured is the most important exercise we see for touching the toes. With a 50# med ball in your hands!
Thanks for writing in and thanks for using us as a resource. The sit and reach is a test that has been used for a long time, but I have to say that it has not been a predictor for performance in our athletes like other physical attributes like relative body strength, sprint speed, endurance, balance and coordination have.
That being said, I dont want you to think that flexibility is not important. Proper flexibility is still essential in adequate movement and injury prevention. The static sit and reach may not be the best way to assess that though. Since it is not an Olympic event (although you may need this if you are a high caliber gymnast or diver) you will not have to contest it much in the future. Read on in this section and learn more about dynamic flexibility and how we develop that here. That is important to understand.
I hope this helps.
Martin Rooney
Comments Closed
Pictured are a number of young athletes finishing another exciting session at the Parisi Speed School with some flexibility work. The hip flexor stretch is specifically shown.
Gordon,
Thanks for writing in and sorry to hear about the nagging injury. You did not say how old your son was, but I am going to assume he is beginning high school or younger.
During the beginning of any season, many athletes are at risk for injury because they are commonly detrained when the season begins. Then, the athlete starts practicing every day and starts out immediately at a high intensity of work. This can lead to only one of two things, decreased chance for sport success, or an injury.
Regardless of why it occurred (take home message is to be training, eating right, working on flexibility all year) the problem is now there and now you need to take care of it.
Immediate care should involve ice and rest until the pain is down. I would also suggest light stretching and make sure that your athlete eases back into sport. I like to think of a muscular injury just like a scab: scratch it every day before it is healed and it will not go away. Let it heal and then go back to full activity.
Wearing a wrap on the leg can also help. I recommend a neoprene one that fits correctly.
If the problem does not subside in a week, it might be best to see your doctor. Depending on where the injury is (high on the hip flexor, or the groin area) there may be more of an injury where the bone may be involved where the muscle attaches. Hopefully this is not the case but can be a possibility.
I wish you the best and hope this answer helped. Best of luck and get well soon.
Martin Rooney
Director
Parisi Speed School
Christina,
Thanks for writing in, and sorry to hear about the trouble with your son. This is a great question and one that I think all other parents out there that have young athlete’s playing sports need to know about. Although many are familiar with the concept of “growing pains”, there are certain areas of the body (knees, ankles, low back) that parents must be aware of. As a physical therapist, I have seen many cases of this and Osgood Schlatter's (the version of Sever's that affects the knee) and knowing what to do is essential to getting on the road to recovery.
Sever's disease (it is not really a disease by the way)occurs in children when the growing part of the heel is injured. This growing part is called the epiphyseal growth plate. During puberty, bones often grow faster than muscles and tendons. As a result, muscles and tendons can become tight. The heel area is less flexible. During weight-bearing activity (activities like running, jumping, etc. that occur during sport or practice), the tight heel tendons may put too much pressure at the back of the heel (where the Achilles tendon attaches). This can injure the heel. Also many of today’s youth are overweight and more sedentary and this can lead to increased chances of Sever’s disease as well.
Epidemology
A child is most at risk for this condition when he or she is in the early part of the growth spurt in early puberty. Sever's disease is most common in physically active girls 8 to 10 years old and in physically active boys 10 to 12 years old. Sever's disease rarely occurs in older teenagers because the back of the heel has finished growing by the age of 15.
Signs and Symptoms
In Sever's disease, heel pain can be in one or both heels. It usually starts after a child begins a new sports season or a new sport. Your child may walk with a limp. The pain may increase when he or she stands on tiptoe. Your child's heel may hurt if you squeeze both sides toward the very back. This is called the squeeze test. Your doctor may also find that your child's heel tendons have become tight.
First, your child should cut down or stop any activity that causes heel pain. Apply ice to the injured heel for 25 minutes 3 times a day. Or if the pain is severe and your doctor allows it, antiinflammatories may help.
Treatment
It is important that your child performs exercises to stretch the hamstring and calf muscles, and the tendons on the back of the leg. The child should do these stretches 5 times each, 2 or 3 times a day. Each stretch should be held for 20 seconds.
The goal is to reduce activity, increase flexibility and then slowly return back to activity. There are no long term problems from Sever’s Disease, it is just a real hastle for a young athlete when it occurs.
Pain can usually be gone in as little as a few weeks or it can take months if the athlete does not focus on getting better.
As for joining our program if your son is still limping because there is still pain, I would wait until it is gone to start the program. Our teaching and running technique training will be essential once he is able to return to activity. If the pain has subsided and the doctor has ok'ed him for activity, I think the program will really help him get back to better form.
I wish you the best, hope for a speedy recovery, and hope to see him training here soon.
Martin Rooney
Director
Parisi Speed School
Pictured is Robbie Arnold training athletes in the Groiner drill. This exercise is an excellent drill for improving groin flexibility.
Blaine,
Great to hear from you and thanks for using the Parisi Speed School as a resource to solve your training issues.
There are many reasons why you can be having these problems, but I will list a few and you can see if you have one or more of the below:
1. Naturally tighter individual.
2. Didnt train much and then started all out at practice.
3. Have been lifting, but not running.
4. Never work on flexibility.
5. Using poor running technique.
6. Never warmup properly.
Even if you have #1, you can improve and the great news is that all the others can be controlled by you as well.
As for drills that can help, the groin drill above is excellent as well as stretching after every training session. In addition to this, running consistently throughout the year will always decreases the chances of this type of injury.
Good Luck this year and I hope this helps.
Martin Rooney
Director
Parisi Speed School
Pictured is Elizabeth Romney, a soccer player at Middlebury College demonstrating the use of stretching ropes at the facility. Making flexibility work easier and more relaxing is an easy way to make sure athletes comply.
Phantom,
Great to hear from you even if the screen name is a bit mysterious. I am glad you are enjoying the site and agree that training is not just speed and strength, but that flexibility and nutrition play an important role as well.
As for tips, Heather is always giving out some great information in the nutrition section and I would check back there often.
For flexibility after a session, we use a few different methods to keep the athletes into the training and to make sure there is compliance. In the photo, we are performing Active-Isolated Stretching using the stretching rope. This method is a favorite of the athletes and keeps them interested in the training.
I hope this helps.
Martin Rooney
Director
Parisi Speed School