Sports Medicine: Physical Fitness

1. Define terminology related to flexibility and stretching 2. Discuss the importance of being flexible 3. Assess upper and lower body flexibility

You arrive to an all-star basketball game late because of road construction and don’t have a chance to warm up before the game starts. What might happen if you don’t warm up before you play in the game?

Flexibility – the ability to move a joint through a full range of motion Static stretch - a slow, sustained stretch through a pain-free ROM Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretch – a technique where a muscle is contracted prior to stretching so it can be stretched further Ballistic stretch – a series of quick, bouncing movements that are held for a short time

Why is flexibility important? List as many reasons as you can think of! PROPERTY OF PIMA COUNTY JTED,

Spend less energy in physical movement (more efficient) Lack of flexibility leads to improper body movements (sitting, walking, running, etc.) Improper body movements can lead to injuries

Body Composition Flexibility Cardiovascular Endurance Muscle Strength Muscle Endurance

Sedentary living Inactivity Increase in body fat

1. Bone structure of the joint 2. Amount of tissue surrounding the joint 3. Extensibility of tissues* crossing over the joint *tissues include muscles/tendons and ligaments A consistent stretching program will most influence the 3 rd factor – tissue extensibility

Stretching stimulates sensory receptors called spindles in the muscles and golgi tendon organs in the tendons If the muscle is stretched suddenly, these receptors cause the muscle to shorten rather than lengthen If the muscle is stretched slowly, the sensory receptors override the initial response and allow the muscle to relax and lengthen The more a muscle relaxes, the more it can lengthen (stretch)without injury

1. Ballistic – rapid bouncing movement causes the muscle to contract (to shorten rather than lengthen) and may lead to muscle soreness and injury as well as decreased flexibility 2. Static – slowly stretching the muscle until tension is felt (not pain) and holding for 10+ seconds resulting in increased flexibility 3. PNF – contracting the opposing muscle (antagonist) causes the muscle being stretched to relax and lengthen, and increase flexibility

Sit-And-Reach Test: Measures the flexibility of the low back and hips as well as the hamstrings and calf muscles Shoulder Lift Test: Measures the flexibility of the shoulder muscle and shoulder joint

The subject sits on the floor with the legs extended and the backs of the legs pressed against the floor The person’s heels should touch the edge of a line and be about 5 inches apart A measuring tape is taped to the floor with the 15-inch mark at the same line as the person’s heels The subject stretches forward three times and reaches forward, with one hand on top of the other, as far as possible on the measuring tape

The subject must keep the legs extended and the backs of the legs against the floor; the feet cannot cross the line The best of the 3 trials is recorded as the test score The subject’s lower body flexibility rating is determined using chart on the following slide

Flexibility ScoreFlexibility Category 11 or lessVery Poor 12 to 13Poor 14 to 16Fair 17 to 19Good 20 to 21Very Good 22 to 23Excellent 24 or moreSuperior

The subject lies prone on the floor with both arms extended beyond the head and a stick or band held in both hands The subject’s chin and forehead must stay in contact with the floor at all times The subject raises both arms as high as possible without the rest of the body losing contact with the floor The assessor uses a ruler to measure the distance between the floor and the stick or band held by the subject

The subject performs the test 3 times; the best score is recorded The subject’s upper body flexibility rating is determined using the chart on the following slide

Flexibility ScoreFlexibility Category 10 or lessVery Poor 11 to 14Poor 15 to 18Fair 19 to 21Good 22 to 24Very Good 25 to 26Excellent 27 or moreSuperior

Perform the sit-and- reach test and the shoulder lift test and record your scores PROPERTY OF PIMA COUNTY JTED,