Swimming / Aquatic Sports with Jenni Brozena of Aqueous.co
Healthcare Education and Human Performance for the Aquatic Athlete
Concussions With Aquatic Athletes: Can It Happen?
The following educational piece was written by Dr. Shane Hamman PT, DPT, Clinic Director of Keystone Physical Therapy and Jenni Brozena, MS, CSCS, CES, President of Aqueous.
Concussions in fall sports such as football and soccer get a amount of media attention as noticed with the various updates on “concussion protocols” and independent neurology consults with high profile professional athletes. The aquatic athlete is more famously known great for having more “wear and tear” type injuries related to overuse, abnormal mechanics, and/or orthopedic deficits. What usually can go unaccounted is the role of concussions in the aquatic athlete. While there aren’t as many exposures to head injury in swimming as football or soccer it is surely something…no pun intended…to keep in mind
What is a Concussion?
A concussion is a type of brain injury following an impact directly or indirectly to the brain, such as blunt trauma to the trunk causing an impulsive force, manifesting in physical and/or cognitive presentations.
Clinical presentation differs from individual to individual; however, common symptoms include but are not limited to headaches, dizziness, fatigue, sensitivity to light and sound, difficulty handling motion especially of the eyes related to the environment, and balance dysfunction.
Following acute injury, families, coaches, and health professionals such as athletic trainers and physical therapists should monitor a decline in cognitive function or functional tests such as balance exams.
Unlike many tests, generalized imaging common after injury such as MRIs, X-rays, and CT Scans do not diagnose a concussion however they are more so used to rule out potentially serious structural injuries such as skull fracture or bleeding inside the skull.
How Can A Concussion Occur In The Aquatic Athlete?
The swimming athlete may have injury as a result of sport or may have sequlae from another incident.
Swimming athletes such as water polo players may commonly suffer a concussion during actual events from either a ball striking them or another player. A competitive swimmer may be kicked during mass warm ups. Triathletes may experience head trauma during open water starts. Young swimmers can miss-count strokes to the wall for flip turns or more likely, finishes. Novice competitive swimmers can drift to the opposite side of the lane while swimming backstroke and hit head-on with other swimmers.
Other common methods of concussion in swimming can be as straight forward as slipping on the pool deck and hitting their head or having an injury occur outside of the water.
How Do You Rehab A Concussion?
A concussion rehab program is a team approach: the combination may include the athlete, family, coaches, physical therapist, occupational therapist, physician, athletic trainer, school nurse, and teachers. The reason is in order for optimal outcomes to occur communication is the key between all those involved in an athletes care.
If a concussion is suspected, the athlete should immediately be removed from competition and follow up with a medical professional. Overall, most concussions resolve with cognitive and physical rest however approximately 10% have symptoms greater than approximately 1 week.
If rehabilitation is indicated treatment includes but is not limited to: continued cognitive and physical rest, eye movement tolerance training, balance training, cognitive training, and cardiovascular conditioning.
In regards to the swimming athlete, land based intervention is provided first then gradual return to swim specifically related to effort, yardage, and heart rate accommodation should occur. Further research is needed in the creation of aquatic concussion return to sport protocols including eye movement while swimming, balance training in the water, and cognitive training during directional changes.
Regardless of how the injury occurs, the swimming athlete has similarities and differences to those of land-based athletes. Oculomotor, vestibular, musculoskeletal, emotional, psychological systems all are the same.
One difference that currently does not have significant role that should be considered with the swimming athlete is the role of the hypoxic environment. The role of cardiovascular training in concussion rehabilitation is prominent and is near gold standard as part of rehabilitation which is guided by the athlete’s maximum permitted heart rate. A supervised return to play protocol in conjunction with interdisciplinary communication between all involved provides an optimal opportunity for the aquatic athlete to return to sport.
References:
USA Swimming Guidelines for Concussion Management: usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&itemid=6009&mid=8712
Consensus Statement on concussion in sport: the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Zurich, November 2012: atsnj.org/documents/pdf/ZurichGuidelines2013.pdf
Concussions in fall sports such as football and soccer get a amount of media attention as noticed with the various updates on “concussion protocols” and independent neurology consults with high profile professional athletes. The aquatic athlete is more famously known great for having more “wear and tear” type injuries related to overuse, abnormal mechanics, and/or orthopedic deficits. What usually can go unaccounted is the role of concussions in the aquatic athlete. While there aren’t as many exposures to head injury in swimming as football or soccer it is surely something…no pun intended…to keep in mind
What is a Concussion?
A concussion is a type of brain injury following an impact directly or indirectly to the brain, such as blunt trauma to the trunk causing an impulsive force, manifesting in physical and/or cognitive presentations.
Clinical presentation differs from individual to individual; however, common symptoms include but are not limited to headaches, dizziness, fatigue, sensitivity to light and sound, difficulty handling motion especially of the eyes related to the environment, and balance dysfunction.
Following acute injury, families, coaches, and health professionals such as athletic trainers and physical therapists should monitor a decline in cognitive function or functional tests such as balance exams.
Unlike many tests, generalized imaging common after injury such as MRIs, X-rays, and CT Scans do not diagnose a concussion however they are more so used to rule out potentially serious structural injuries such as skull fracture or bleeding inside the skull.
How Can A Concussion Occur In The Aquatic Athlete?
The swimming athlete may have injury as a result of sport or may have sequlae from another incident.
Swimming athletes such as water polo players may commonly suffer a concussion during actual events from either a ball striking them or another player. A competitive swimmer may be kicked during mass warm ups. Triathletes may experience head trauma during open water starts. Young swimmers can miss-count strokes to the wall for flip turns or more likely, finishes. Novice competitive swimmers can drift to the opposite side of the lane while swimming backstroke and hit head-on with other swimmers.
Other common methods of concussion in swimming can be as straight forward as slipping on the pool deck and hitting their head or having an injury occur outside of the water.
How Do You Rehab A Concussion?
A concussion rehab program is a team approach: the combination may include the athlete, family, coaches, physical therapist, occupational therapist, physician, athletic trainer, school nurse, and teachers. The reason is in order for optimal outcomes to occur communication is the key between all those involved in an athletes care.
If a concussion is suspected, the athlete should immediately be removed from competition and follow up with a medical professional. Overall, most concussions resolve with cognitive and physical rest however approximately 10% have symptoms greater than approximately 1 week.
If rehabilitation is indicated treatment includes but is not limited to: continued cognitive and physical rest, eye movement tolerance training, balance training, cognitive training, and cardiovascular conditioning.
In regards to the swimming athlete, land based intervention is provided first then gradual return to swim specifically related to effort, yardage, and heart rate accommodation should occur. Further research is needed in the creation of aquatic concussion return to sport protocols including eye movement while swimming, balance training in the water, and cognitive training during directional changes.
Regardless of how the injury occurs, the swimming athlete has similarities and differences to those of land-based athletes. Oculomotor, vestibular, musculoskeletal, emotional, psychological systems all are the same.
One difference that currently does not have significant role that should be considered with the swimming athlete is the role of the hypoxic environment. The role of cardiovascular training in concussion rehabilitation is prominent and is near gold standard as part of rehabilitation which is guided by the athlete’s maximum permitted heart rate. A supervised return to play protocol in conjunction with interdisciplinary communication between all involved provides an optimal opportunity for the aquatic athlete to return to sport.
References:
USA Swimming Guidelines for Concussion Management: usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&itemid=6009&mid=8712
Consensus Statement on concussion in sport: the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Zurich, November 2012: atsnj.org/documents/pdf/ZurichGuidelines2013.pdf
Podcast: Breaking the Boundary: Building a Physical Therapy Culture of Innovation Can Enhance Swimming
This podcast features Dr. Darren Rodia, PT, DPT, President and Owner of Kinetic Physical Therapy, the 2015 National Private Practice of the Year by the American Physical Therapy Association
The Angular Momentum and Applied Anatomy of Flip Turns
Flip turns: swimmers can win or lose a race because of a flip turn. Flip turns are essentially a plyometric jump squat performed horizontally against the resistance of the water. Flip turns utilize angular momentum of the body about the frontal axis to both maintain speed and change the direction of acceleration. Flip turns both decelerate and re-accelerate the body and should therefore get as much attention as other high risk sporting maneuvers such as cutting in soccer.
Like most exercises, a strong core is the base to performing a jump squat safely and efficiently. Although the jump squat is a total body exercise, it applies a lot of impact for the lower body and requires coordination of the musculature of the hip, knee, foot and ankle. Jump squats are a plyometric exercise and should minimize the amount of contact on the ground, or off the wall while in the pool. Plyometric activities should always make soft and quiet landings and quick, explosive push-offs a priority. In the pool, this can be characterized by less of a splash as the legs finish the rotation. Practicing jump squats on land is an excellent dryland exercise that mimics the neuromuscular patterning for flip turns.
An ideal jump squat starts with the toes facing forward and feet hip-width apart. The knees are straight ahead and are bent but do not go over the toes. The hips are flexed as if sitting down and squared forward. The back should be straight and the shoulders should be down and back with a slight pinch of the shoulder blades. The arms should be flexed forward to 90 degrees. The athlete will then extend the shoulders to bring the arms down at their sides while simultaneously extending the hips and knees and exploding through plantar flexion to push off the ground. The athlete should then land with soft joints and return to the original position. Landing with soft joints is a vital part of avoiding injury, and also allows the athlete to perform multiple jump squats back to back.
It is necessary for the foot to be flexible enough to roll segment by segment during the push off and also accept the force of the body as it rolls segment by segment back to the ground. The intrinsics of the foot need to be strong enough to resist the splaying of the toes and sinking of the arch as the athlete lands. The ankle joint needs to have enough available dorsiflexion to allow the athlete to perform a full squat, and strong enough plantar flexors to push off of the ground. The strongest plantar flexor is the gastrocnemius (the one everyone thinks of as the calf muscle), however, this muscle is also important eccentrically as the athlete lands.
At the knee and hip, the athlete should start in 90 degrees of knee flexion in the beginning stance and should achieve full extension during the push off. The quadriceps muscles are responsible for knee extension. The hamstrings and glute muscles are responsible for knee and hip extension and allow the athlete to explode off of the ground.
To meet the specific needs of swimmers, athletes can progress to having their arms in a streamlined position while doing the upward explosive portion of the jump squat. This should only be the progression if the athlete can maintain knee and hip alignment, activate the transverse abdominals, maintain a chin tuck, and depress the scapulas while still in th streamlined position. The athlete should exhale during the propulsion of the jump squat.
Using underwater analysis, the flip turn footage should track the landing the feet, the angle of the knee, the angle of the hip, and the core control to decelerate. As the re-acceleration occurs the rotation should occur after the triple extension of the ankle, knee, and hip so excessive torque does not stress the knee joints.
Jenni Brozena, MS, CSCS, CES
Aqueous President
@AqueousCo
@JenniBrozena
www.aqueous.co
[email protected]
Brittany DeMara
Student Athletic Trainer
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Copyright Aqueous Co 2015
Like most exercises, a strong core is the base to performing a jump squat safely and efficiently. Although the jump squat is a total body exercise, it applies a lot of impact for the lower body and requires coordination of the musculature of the hip, knee, foot and ankle. Jump squats are a plyometric exercise and should minimize the amount of contact on the ground, or off the wall while in the pool. Plyometric activities should always make soft and quiet landings and quick, explosive push-offs a priority. In the pool, this can be characterized by less of a splash as the legs finish the rotation. Practicing jump squats on land is an excellent dryland exercise that mimics the neuromuscular patterning for flip turns.
An ideal jump squat starts with the toes facing forward and feet hip-width apart. The knees are straight ahead and are bent but do not go over the toes. The hips are flexed as if sitting down and squared forward. The back should be straight and the shoulders should be down and back with a slight pinch of the shoulder blades. The arms should be flexed forward to 90 degrees. The athlete will then extend the shoulders to bring the arms down at their sides while simultaneously extending the hips and knees and exploding through plantar flexion to push off the ground. The athlete should then land with soft joints and return to the original position. Landing with soft joints is a vital part of avoiding injury, and also allows the athlete to perform multiple jump squats back to back.
It is necessary for the foot to be flexible enough to roll segment by segment during the push off and also accept the force of the body as it rolls segment by segment back to the ground. The intrinsics of the foot need to be strong enough to resist the splaying of the toes and sinking of the arch as the athlete lands. The ankle joint needs to have enough available dorsiflexion to allow the athlete to perform a full squat, and strong enough plantar flexors to push off of the ground. The strongest plantar flexor is the gastrocnemius (the one everyone thinks of as the calf muscle), however, this muscle is also important eccentrically as the athlete lands.
At the knee and hip, the athlete should start in 90 degrees of knee flexion in the beginning stance and should achieve full extension during the push off. The quadriceps muscles are responsible for knee extension. The hamstrings and glute muscles are responsible for knee and hip extension and allow the athlete to explode off of the ground.
To meet the specific needs of swimmers, athletes can progress to having their arms in a streamlined position while doing the upward explosive portion of the jump squat. This should only be the progression if the athlete can maintain knee and hip alignment, activate the transverse abdominals, maintain a chin tuck, and depress the scapulas while still in th streamlined position. The athlete should exhale during the propulsion of the jump squat.
Using underwater analysis, the flip turn footage should track the landing the feet, the angle of the knee, the angle of the hip, and the core control to decelerate. As the re-acceleration occurs the rotation should occur after the triple extension of the ankle, knee, and hip so excessive torque does not stress the knee joints.
Jenni Brozena, MS, CSCS, CES
Aqueous President
@AqueousCo
@JenniBrozena
www.aqueous.co
[email protected]
Brittany DeMara
Student Athletic Trainer
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Copyright Aqueous Co 2015
"This Is My Role On The Team!" How Showing Your Place In The "Second Circle" Can Enhance Your Profession
There are so many disciplines within the world of human performance and movement science. Are you interested in performance, rehabilitation, science, physiology, psychology, or coaching? Or are you the athlete looking to improve but are confused to whom you should listen? Is your profession attempting to advocate for a larger scope of practice? Is your professional expertise misunderstood and as such, seen as the underdog or "less than" from the larger, established disciplines. Coaches spend so much energy building team culture and expertly crafting each athlete's strengths while diminishing their weaknesses to ultimately stand on the winner's platform.
But what about the secondary network of movement science professionals? Those that are supporting the athletes' journey. This is the Second Circle and showing your worth within the circle is crucial for showing your validity as a sports professional.
Take a step back and think about being a professional in general. Your network is a major key to your personal success. You have your primary circle- those that you interact with on a regular basis. You're comfortable with these people. You've been on journeys together, you lunch, you chat, you tweet (my personal favorite), but then you have a larger circle that needs to be nurtured. This larger circle is more expansive, it's hasn't fully proven it's worth to you but you start to see the world is really very small and this Second Circle has opportunities to better your professional experience. Maybe you want a new job, maybe you want to be a part of a research project, maybe you are looking to learn something from each other. This Second Circle is incredibly powerful! So once you make the effort to grow and interact with your Second Circle you need to find a way to show your professional discipline is valuable and what EXACTLY you bring to that Second Circle.
The human performance, sport science, rehabilitation, and psychological professionals are an athlete's Second Circle (their teammates and coaches being their primary). Whether you are continuing to work with the team or trying to break into a new opportunity, you must be able to clearly identify:
1. What is your specific professional expertise and role for these athletes?
2. What is the end of your professional expertise AND your mindset for referring to other disciplines? Do you bring a larger network to the table to offer the best referrals for these athletes? (Say yes! If you can't say yes, work on building this. )
3. What is your philosophy for playing nice with the other members of the athlete's Second Circle? Does this have to be flexible to account for international differences as well? Be able to identify this and articulate it.
4. Say it confidently! Professional education, advocacy, and scopes of practice are changing. 100 years ago nobody questioned what the doctor said. Now there are so many professional disciplines born to perfect the advances in our treatment of athletes that you are the expert or novice at something. Presenting yourself AND your discipline with confidence will only better your relationships with your Second Circle.
One professional discipline is not necessarily better or worse than another. Our responsibility is to become an expert, identify our strengths, and articulate what we bring to the Second Circle. Then you will be able to say:
"Hi, my name is __________, I am an expert in_____________, and my role on this team is_________!"
Jenni Brozena, MS, BS, CSCS, CES
Aqueous President
www.aqueous.co
@AqueousCo
@JenniBrozena
[email protected]
PODCAST: Incorporating Evidence-Based Research into the Rehabilitative Plan of Care for Swimmers
This podcast originally aired on www.aqueous.co, to sign up for pre-release audio, sign up for the Aqueous newsletter
Aqueous President, Jenni Brozena and SwimmingScience.net founder, Dr. John Mullen, DPT discuss how to incorporate evidence-based research into the rehabilitative plan of care for swimming. Topics touch on manipulative therapy, instrument assisted techniques, research topics, the void between the coach and healthcare provider, and ultimately a challenge to the United States to better our research relative to aquatic athletes over the next five years.
Jenni Brozena: @AqueousCo | [email protected] | www.aqueous.co | @JenniBrozena
Dr. John Mullen: @SwimmingScience | www.swimmingscience.net | COR Physical Therapy and Human Performance |
@GaryJohnMullen
Aqueous President, Jenni Brozena and SwimmingScience.net founder, Dr. John Mullen, DPT discuss how to incorporate evidence-based research into the rehabilitative plan of care for swimming. Topics touch on manipulative therapy, instrument assisted techniques, research topics, the void between the coach and healthcare provider, and ultimately a challenge to the United States to better our research relative to aquatic athletes over the next five years.
Jenni Brozena: @AqueousCo | [email protected] | www.aqueous.co | @JenniBrozena
Dr. John Mullen: @SwimmingScience | www.swimmingscience.net | COR Physical Therapy and Human Performance |
@GaryJohnMullen
Swimmers
PODCAST - The Athlete Continuum - Including Injury in the Athlete's Experience
Aqueous President, Jenni Brozena and Sportmednews.com Founder, Nash Anderson have a clinical conversation about incorporating injury into the normal athletic experience in an effort to avoid a catastrophe mindset when injury occurs. Topics include preemptive injury plans, the creation of team structures to maintain inter-teammate connectivity while injured, and how the idea of pain can interfere with the healing process.
Nash Anderson: @Sportmednews | www.sportmednews.com
Jenni Brozena: @AqueousCo | www.aqueous.co
Nash Anderson: @Sportmednews | www.sportmednews.com
Jenni Brozena: @AqueousCo | www.aqueous.co
Linear Body Wave and Amplitude Distribution: The Science of Fast Dolphin Kicking
To view this post in it's original format, go to aqueous.co
Underwater undulation is the dorsal and ventral movement creating the dolphin kick. Dolphin kicking has proven to be incredibly powerful which is one of the reasons it is utilized during starts and turns. While often cued as "coming from the hips", a strong dolphin kick originates in the core. The transverse abdominis is the deep abdominal muscle that promotes the posterior and anterior pelvic tilt, and works in conjunction with the rectus abdominis, the outer "6-pack" abdominals that promote trunk flexion. The oblique muscles help to stabilize the body by resisting lateral rotation, and back extensor muscles including the erector spinae assist in the dorsal up kick.
A 2014 study by Hochstein and Blickman in Human Movement Science found skilled swimmers to produce more linear body wave with both the up and down kicks having similar amplitude and shorter durations. The down kick was slightly more powerful, probably from muscular strength asymmetries, but also from training philosphies that value a powerful kick and "to float" the up kick.
While biomechanical markers, EMG electrodes, and video analysis software will give us a sophisticated understanding of the strength/weaknesses of the athlete's undulation pattern, coaches and clinicians can visually screen for asymmetries with simply video technology.
When the athlete pushes off the block or wall, do they:
Experience lateral rotation rather than flat, linear body control?
Spend more time in the down kick than up kick?
Make large U-shaped motion, rather than short quick kicks?
Do they feel any muscle activation in their deep core?
Identifying asymmetries in the water is an excellent initial step prior to implementing training protocols for a swimmer's dolphin kick.
Jenni Brozena, MS, BS, CSCS, CES
Aqueous President
@AqueousCo
@JenniBrozena
Hockstein, Stefan and Reinhard Blickhan "Body movement distribution with respect to swimmer’s glide position in human underwater undulatory swimming". Human Movement Science. Vol. 38, Dec 2014, P. 305-318
Copyright Aqueous Co. 2015. All rights reserved.
Underwater undulation is the dorsal and ventral movement creating the dolphin kick. Dolphin kicking has proven to be incredibly powerful which is one of the reasons it is utilized during starts and turns. While often cued as "coming from the hips", a strong dolphin kick originates in the core. The transverse abdominis is the deep abdominal muscle that promotes the posterior and anterior pelvic tilt, and works in conjunction with the rectus abdominis, the outer "6-pack" abdominals that promote trunk flexion. The oblique muscles help to stabilize the body by resisting lateral rotation, and back extensor muscles including the erector spinae assist in the dorsal up kick.
A 2014 study by Hochstein and Blickman in Human Movement Science found skilled swimmers to produce more linear body wave with both the up and down kicks having similar amplitude and shorter durations. The down kick was slightly more powerful, probably from muscular strength asymmetries, but also from training philosphies that value a powerful kick and "to float" the up kick.
While biomechanical markers, EMG electrodes, and video analysis software will give us a sophisticated understanding of the strength/weaknesses of the athlete's undulation pattern, coaches and clinicians can visually screen for asymmetries with simply video technology.
When the athlete pushes off the block or wall, do they:
Experience lateral rotation rather than flat, linear body control?
Spend more time in the down kick than up kick?
Make large U-shaped motion, rather than short quick kicks?
Do they feel any muscle activation in their deep core?
Identifying asymmetries in the water is an excellent initial step prior to implementing training protocols for a swimmer's dolphin kick.
Jenni Brozena, MS, BS, CSCS, CES
Aqueous President
@AqueousCo
@JenniBrozena
Hockstein, Stefan and Reinhard Blickhan "Body movement distribution with respect to swimmer’s glide position in human underwater undulatory swimming". Human Movement Science. Vol. 38, Dec 2014, P. 305-318
Copyright Aqueous Co. 2015. All rights reserved.
The Secret to Sprint Swimmer's Success: Muscle Fascicle Architecture
To view this post in it's original format, go to aqueous.co
Are some people born to be sprinters while others are born for mid-distance or long distance? Research is still investigating this, but what we do know is swimmers that have more power and speed are great sprinters. A conversation that needs to become mainstream is physiological architecture, or more specifically:
How is muscle structure important to deliberately training swimmers?
Let's first review the physiology of the muscle:
A recent study from the Journal of Sport Science and Medicine investigated the relationship between muscle fascicle length and freestyle sprint swimming performance. A significant relationship between both absolute and relative muscle fascicle length and swimming performance time was found in the vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius lateralis muscles. The study discussed that fascicle-shortening velocity is important in the muscle power output because the longer fascicle length would result in greater maximal shortening velocity (remember the sliding filament theory), and the faster velocity results in greater power output. This wins races.
The fastest swimmers studied had smaller pennation angle and longer muscle fascicles. This is interconnected to the technique of the swimmer. Stroke mechanics can drastically alter the possible power output. As muscle power output is incredibly important in sub-30 second races, activated the correct muscles for power and facilitating that output with the right stabilizing muscles is necessary. Muscles such as the vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius lateralis, and transverse abdominus have a smaller pennation angle, potential for long muscle fascicles, and are involved in power output and power transfer from the lower to upper quadrant.
So how can we manipulate muscle fascicle architecture? Sprinters should train to be excellent sprinters. Gone are the days of only being great at swimming if you have the "endurance" to swim all distances of events. Practices should be structured to include plyometrics, sprints, and plenty of rest. In water plyometrics can include drills for each phase of the starts, each phase of turns, and the phases of the finish. There can be 3-5 repetitions of each drill with maximum power and a minutes rest in between each rep. Performing this multiple times a week from the beginning of the season looks very different than the commonly performed "starts/turn practice" close to meets. Dryland exercises can include eccentrics to help lengthen the muscle fascicles, specifically for those muscles involved in power output.
Muscle fascicle architecture is important in injury prevention, performance, and rehabilitation plans. Create a plan that includes the physiological and biomechanical parameters necessary for the athlete's specific performance demands.
Jenni Brozena, MS, BS, CSCS, CES
President, Aqueous
@AqueousCo
www.aqueous.co
Copyright Aqueous Co. 2015
Nasirzade, Alireza, et al. "Relationship between Sprint Performance of Front Crawl Swimming and Muscle Fascicle Length in Young Swimmers". Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2014) 13, 550-556.
Are some people born to be sprinters while others are born for mid-distance or long distance? Research is still investigating this, but what we do know is swimmers that have more power and speed are great sprinters. A conversation that needs to become mainstream is physiological architecture, or more specifically:
How is muscle structure important to deliberately training swimmers?
Let's first review the physiology of the muscle:
- The muscle fiber contains sarcomeres which is where muscular contraction occurs via the sliding filament theory.
- The muscle fascicle is a bundle of the muscle fibers that helps create the architecture of the muscle and is relevant in mechanical power outputs.
- The bundles of muscle fascicles create the belly of the muscle.
- Muscles attached to the bone via tendons
A recent study from the Journal of Sport Science and Medicine investigated the relationship between muscle fascicle length and freestyle sprint swimming performance. A significant relationship between both absolute and relative muscle fascicle length and swimming performance time was found in the vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius lateralis muscles. The study discussed that fascicle-shortening velocity is important in the muscle power output because the longer fascicle length would result in greater maximal shortening velocity (remember the sliding filament theory), and the faster velocity results in greater power output. This wins races.
The fastest swimmers studied had smaller pennation angle and longer muscle fascicles. This is interconnected to the technique of the swimmer. Stroke mechanics can drastically alter the possible power output. As muscle power output is incredibly important in sub-30 second races, activated the correct muscles for power and facilitating that output with the right stabilizing muscles is necessary. Muscles such as the vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius lateralis, and transverse abdominus have a smaller pennation angle, potential for long muscle fascicles, and are involved in power output and power transfer from the lower to upper quadrant.
So how can we manipulate muscle fascicle architecture? Sprinters should train to be excellent sprinters. Gone are the days of only being great at swimming if you have the "endurance" to swim all distances of events. Practices should be structured to include plyometrics, sprints, and plenty of rest. In water plyometrics can include drills for each phase of the starts, each phase of turns, and the phases of the finish. There can be 3-5 repetitions of each drill with maximum power and a minutes rest in between each rep. Performing this multiple times a week from the beginning of the season looks very different than the commonly performed "starts/turn practice" close to meets. Dryland exercises can include eccentrics to help lengthen the muscle fascicles, specifically for those muscles involved in power output.
Muscle fascicle architecture is important in injury prevention, performance, and rehabilitation plans. Create a plan that includes the physiological and biomechanical parameters necessary for the athlete's specific performance demands.
Jenni Brozena, MS, BS, CSCS, CES
President, Aqueous
@AqueousCo
www.aqueous.co
Copyright Aqueous Co. 2015
Nasirzade, Alireza, et al. "Relationship between Sprint Performance of Front Crawl Swimming and Muscle Fascicle Length in Young Swimmers". Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2014) 13, 550-556.
A Letter: Unity and Education Will Change Aquatic Sports. Join Us!
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< ==== Tweet this quote and join us!!
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TAKE YOUR MARK.
"When we increase our understanding of this unique population, we will increase our treatment options, be more influential, and help change the culture of aquatic sports."
Dear Athletes, Coaches, Parents, Performance Team, & Healthcare Professionals,
How often have you heard a variation of these comments throughout the aquatic sport community?
Have you heard about ACL tears plaguing soccer players lately? How about the myriad of performance programs targeting different phases of the prevention and rehabilitation for this injury?Baseball: surely players have access to pitching injury prevention protocols, have heard about Tommy-Johns surgery, or at least know where to find specific coaching research for their injuries.Concussions are the new frontier of sports injuries and they deserve the amount of research and advocacy currently surrounding them.
It’s time we start advocating for greater awareness of the specific needs of aquatic athletes.
The greatest hurdle we need to overcome is education and communication from all those who are involved in the aquatic athlete’s experience. The athlete, coach, parents, performance staff, exercise physiologist, athletic trainer, physical therapist, sports medicine doctor, sport scientist, EVERYONE needs to be on the same page. The only way to do this is through education and collaboration.
Education will give us the language to voice our expertise within our field, while enabling innovative conversation and moving the aquatic culture away from its confines of “deck science”. Collaboration will serve as the application of our education; it will create unity amongst different disciplines and scopes of practice.
Unity will guide cultural change in the aquatic community to include evidence-based treatment of our athletes and sport science supporting training methods. Unity will empower coaches to work with healthcare practitioners when athletes are injured. These powerfull collaborations will empower athletes to seek out the best performance enhancement professional to meet their specific needs. Education and unity will change the culture of aquatic sports.
To join the movement, say “Hey Aqueous” and tell us a short personal story that fuels your desire for change among aquatic athletes. Don’t forget to finish the video saying “My name is________. This is my mark, now #TAKEYOURMARK”. Post them to Instagram (Aqueous_Co), Twitter (@AqueousCo), Facebook (Aqueous Co) or send them directly to Aqueous ([email protected]) to appear on our blog.
Unity and education can change the culture of aquatic sports, now get ready to #TAKEYOURMARK.
Jenni Brozena
President/Owner, Aqueous Co
@AqueousCo
www.aqueous.co
For more information regarding cross-collaboration, Certified Aqueous Practitioners, or to get involved, go to www.aqueous.co.
"When we increase our understanding of this unique population, we will increase our treatment options, be more influential, and help change the culture of aquatic sports."
Dear Athletes, Coaches, Parents, Performance Team, & Healthcare Professionals,
How often have you heard a variation of these comments throughout the aquatic sport community?
- "You're not in pain, you're just being lazy."
- "Your injury is from training too much, you're shut down from practice."
- "My shoulders still hurt from when I swam 20 years ago."
Have you heard about ACL tears plaguing soccer players lately? How about the myriad of performance programs targeting different phases of the prevention and rehabilitation for this injury?Baseball: surely players have access to pitching injury prevention protocols, have heard about Tommy-Johns surgery, or at least know where to find specific coaching research for their injuries.Concussions are the new frontier of sports injuries and they deserve the amount of research and advocacy currently surrounding them.
It’s time we start advocating for greater awareness of the specific needs of aquatic athletes.
The greatest hurdle we need to overcome is education and communication from all those who are involved in the aquatic athlete’s experience. The athlete, coach, parents, performance staff, exercise physiologist, athletic trainer, physical therapist, sports medicine doctor, sport scientist, EVERYONE needs to be on the same page. The only way to do this is through education and collaboration.
Education will give us the language to voice our expertise within our field, while enabling innovative conversation and moving the aquatic culture away from its confines of “deck science”. Collaboration will serve as the application of our education; it will create unity amongst different disciplines and scopes of practice.
Unity will guide cultural change in the aquatic community to include evidence-based treatment of our athletes and sport science supporting training methods. Unity will empower coaches to work with healthcare practitioners when athletes are injured. These powerfull collaborations will empower athletes to seek out the best performance enhancement professional to meet their specific needs. Education and unity will change the culture of aquatic sports.
To join the movement, say “Hey Aqueous” and tell us a short personal story that fuels your desire for change among aquatic athletes. Don’t forget to finish the video saying “My name is________. This is my mark, now #TAKEYOURMARK”. Post them to Instagram (Aqueous_Co), Twitter (@AqueousCo), Facebook (Aqueous Co) or send them directly to Aqueous ([email protected]) to appear on our blog.
Unity and education can change the culture of aquatic sports, now get ready to #TAKEYOURMARK.
Jenni Brozena
President/Owner, Aqueous Co
@AqueousCo
www.aqueous.co
For more information regarding cross-collaboration, Certified Aqueous Practitioners, or to get involved, go to www.aqueous.co.
Recommended Resources for coaches, AND therapists
If you are a swimmer don't miss this article
"Shoulder injuries in swimming" on @AspetarQatar Sports Medicine Journal http://ow.ly/JjiL3
Resources from @British Swimming
Medical Guidance
"Shoulder injuries in swimming" on @AspetarQatar Sports Medicine Journal http://ow.ly/JjiL3
Resources from @British Swimming
Medical Guidance
- If you are seeking more general guidance based on the work of the unit then click here to go to our general health issues section for advice on asthma, eczema and more.
- Alternatively, click here
- Before taking any medication, athletes are advised to check the Global Drug Reference websitewww.globaldro.com"
Other recommended Articles
- Comparing three underwater trajectories of the swimming start
- Covering a triathlon; things the sports medicine team should consider BJSM Blog, 2013
- Swimming Induced Pulmonary Oedema – raising awareness about this potentially life-threatening condition 5 May, 15 | by BJSM
- Work Hard, Sleep Harder! Resistance Training is the (Resting) Key to Success May 26, 2015 Haley Durbin, Content Director; Jenni Brozena, MS, BS, CSCS, CES @AqueousCo
- Upper Limb Strength Training Weakens Flip Turns May 22, 2015 Jenni Brozena, MS, BS, CSCS, CES @AqueousCo
- Disruptive Innovation: How Motion Analysis Changes the Deliberate Treatment of Aquatic Athletes May 22, 2015 Jenni Brozena, MS, BS, CSCS, CES
- The Stigma of Mental Health in Athletes: How Do We Change? May 13, 2015 Jenni Brozena, President @AqueousCo
- Swimmer’s Cervicogenic Dizziness Associated with Aggravated Upper Crossed Syndrome and Cervical Compression: A Case Study May 7, 2015 Jenni Brozena, MS, BS, CSCS, CES @AqueousCo
- One Stroke at a Time: Consistent Force Generation Key in Competitive Kayaking May 7, 2015 Haley Durbin, Content Director
- Swimming Culture is Altering Evolution! May 5, 2015 Jenni Brozena, Haley Durbin
- Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Competition, Sleep Loss, and Poor Performance April 28, 2015 Haley Durbin, Content Director/ Jenni Brozena, President @AqueousCo
Onlune workshops
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OF SPORTS SCIENCE ASSOCIATES
Free On Line Workshops and Exercises
[All upgraded February, 2015]
Electronic Books
Free On Line Workshops and Exercises
[All upgraded February, 2015]
Electronic Books
Contributors
About Jenni
Completing her bachelors and masters in Exercise science and rehab science Jenni has since specialised in the needs of the aquatic athlete. She is also a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Jenni currently works on both the Sports Medicine and Science Committee for the U.S Masters Swimming as well as being an Advisory Board Member for Performance Enhancement in the International Society of Swim Coaching. In addition she works with Kinetic Seminars to develop evidence-based education material. In honour of her excellent work she was awarded the ‘Pursuit of Excellence’ award from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
Jenni Brozena is the President and Owner of Aqueous, a health care education and human performance company specific to the aquatic athlete.
Jenni Brozena is the President and Owner of Aqueous, a health care education and human performance company specific to the aquatic athlete.
About aqueous.co
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Aqueous is a cross-disciplinary international collaborative network dedicated to producing evidence-based research tailored to the aquatic athlete.
It is revolutionizing the deliberate treatment of aquatic athletes through evidence-based healthcare education and human performance. Website: http://www.aqueous.co/ Blog: http://www.aqueous.co/#!blog/c14g5 |
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