Gymnastics Low Back Performance

This course is for both male and female gymnasts of all ages and levels to help with pain

related to muscle, disc, neural or vertebral injuries. Gymnasts are prone to low back pain or

injuries throughout their gymnastics career and taking a preventative measure can play very

crucial in preventing more serious career ending injuries. The top two most prevalent low back

injuries in gymnastics are Spondy’s and muscle strains.

Spondy is a general term in the gymnastics world for a spondylolysis (overuse/fatigue fracture

on one side of the vertebra) or a spondylolisthesis (overuse/fatigue fracture on both sides of the

vertebra that can result in forward slippage of one vertebra on top of the sacrum or the vertebra

it sits above). These are typically overuse injuries from repetitive compression/pounding and

skills that require arching backwards. These can result in spinal instability, disc injury and nerve

injury. If managed improperly, they can be a career ending gymnastics injury and result in

long-term back issues. It is best when a Spondy is caught in the early stages as pain first begins

because the recovery time is quicker and it can heal. Once the fracture occurs in the mid to later

stages, the bone does not heal on its own.

Muscle strains are also common, but are more common in motions that require bending

forwards at the waist with a lot of momentum. Usually these skills are on uneven bars, high bar,

pommel horse and parallel bars. They can also be a result of swinging improperly on rings and

bars and can take the gymnasts breath away.

For more complex problems or problems that do not improve with the program below, we

recommend an in office evaluation.

• Indication of complex problems:

  • Chronic/persistent low back pain with extension (arching backwards)

  • Chronic low back pain with tumbling, landing, leaps/jumps

  • Sudden low back pain with bending forward, swinging on bars or rings or when performing skills like clear hips, stalders and endos

  • Sudden/chronic low back pain that knocks the wind out of you

  • Pain that radiates into the legs (electrical, pins and needles) or numbness into the legs/feet

Things to look out for and avoid:

● Pain greater than 5/10 on scale of 0-10 on any given day

● Pain persistently 3/10 or greater for two or more weeks

● Pain that results in radiation of pain into the legs (electrical, pins/needles) or numbness

● Feeling of tightness that stretching does not improve

● Persistent deep clicking or popping in the low back

Signs of a Spondy!

• Persistent low back pain with extension/arching backwards of 2 or more weeks

  • Skills such as ring jumps, sheep jumps, pac transitions on bars, back and front walkovers, front aerials, front/back handsprings on floor/beam or Yurchenko entries on vault

• Persistent low back pain with tumbling, landing or performing leaps and jumps of 2 or

more weeks

• Skills such front/back handsprings on floor/beam, connection passes into front

tumbling on floor, hitting the springboard on vault, landing switch leaps or split

jumps on beam/floor

• Pain that is persistent at 3/10 with gymnastics and throughout the day

• Pain in the low back that is 5/10 or greater on any given day

• Pain in the low back with running on floor or vault

• Pain that feels sharp in the low back

Trying to prevent a Spondy!

1. Working on low back mobility as indicated below

2. Working on low back strength as indicated below

3. If symptoms/signs of a Spondy like listed above start to present, come into the office for

an evaluation

1. Low back strength needs to progressively become more dynamic and gymnastics

specific to be preventative

Basic low back range of motion improvement:

• Foam rolling/lacrosse ball into glutes, low and mid/upper back and hip flexors

• Stretching into lumbar flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation (bending forward

and at combined angles, backwards, side bending and rotating through the trunk)

• Seal stretch/McKenzie prone press ups for mobility

• Reach and rolls for thoracic rotational mobility

Basic low back strength improvement:

• Pallof presses for rotational stability with progressions

• Diagonal sits for pelvic stability with combined lumbar rotation with progressions

• Dead bug for core stability while keeping rib cage down with progressions

• Single leg romanian deadlifts for posterior chain activation

Our “IN-OFFICE” Process:

1. In-depth History of Low Back Pain and Gymnastics

2. Functional Movement Screen/Range of Motion (how well they move)

3. Functional Muscle/Strength and Endurance Testing

4. Orthopedic/Provocative Testing and Neurological Testing

5. Muscle Tissue Quality Testing

6. Discussion of Results

7. Imaging if Indicated (X-Ray, MRI)

8. Create a Treatment/Rehabilitation Program

Treatment/Rehab:

1. Muscle Tissue Quality Improvement to Improve Range of Motion and Pain

   1. Manual Muscle Work

   2. Instrument Assisted Muscle Work

   3. Dry Needling

2. Adjusting/Manipulation as Indicated to Improve Range of Motion and Pain

   1. Manual Adjusting

   2. Instrument Adjusting (lighter and indicated for Spondy)

3. Functional and Gymnastics-Specific Physical Therapy Exercises

   1. Pallof press progression

   2. Dead Bug/Jurgi Bug progression

   3. Diagonal Sits progression

   4. Rotational Core Stability progression

   5. Posterior Chain Activation progression

   6. Gymnastics-related skills progression

   7. Strength/Resistance Training progression

Maintenance:

Once these progressions are achieved and symptoms subside, maintenance is recommended

to continue improving muscle tissue quality, range of motion and functional muscle strength.

With maintenance programs, it is easier to catch injuries in the earlier stages before they

progress and to continue to prevent more serious injuries moving forward.