swimmers stretching

CONTEXT: Youth- through masters-level competitive swimmers incur significant shoulder pain. Risk factors associated with shoulder pain include high swimming yardage, a lack of cross-training, decreased shoulder strength and reduced core endurance, and limited posterior shoulder and pectoral length. Since training, swimming exposure, and physical-performance measures have all been associated with shoulder pain, the methods used to train swimmers may influence the development of shoulder pain, yet studies delineating training methods are lacking...

The aim of this study was to determine the role played by the entry-and-stretch phase in the coordination of swimming, at the different paces of race. Three national level swimmers (two men and one woman) were recorded, in lateral and bottom views, in three swimming paces: sprint (50 m and 100 m), middle-distance (200 m and 400 m) and long-distance (800 m and 1500 m). Anatomical landmark positions were obtained by manual digitalisation of the videos. Computational fluid dynamics and experimental studies (with a strain gauge balance and particle image velocimetry method) were used to measure and to calculate the external forces applied to the hand and to the forearm and to visualise the flow around the profile...

The imitation of macroscopic movements at the molecular level is a key step in the development of nanomachines. The challenge is the synthesis of molecules that are able to transform external stimuli into a direction-controlled mechanical movement. The more complex such motion sequences are, the more difficult is the construction of the corresponding nanomachine. Here, we present a system that demonstrates a unidirectional, four-state switching cycle that bears similar characteristics to the arm movements of a human breaststroke swimmer...

Human swimmers use undulatory motions similar to fish locomotion to attain high speeds. The human body is a non-smooth multi-body linkage system with restricted flexibility and is not primarily adapted to motion in the water. Due to anatomical limitations, the human swimmer is forced to deviate from the symmetric fish-like motion and to adjust his motion to his limited abilities. The goal of this paper is to investigates the movement of ten swimmers during human underwater undulatory in a still water pool and to find out to what extent the human swimmer approaches an ideal undulatory wave which is symmetric with respect to the extended gliding position...

The demand profile of athletes shoulders is high. On the one hand the shoulder has to provide a maximum active range of motion that allows rapid movements of the arm and on the other hand it has to be sufficiently stabilized to decelerate rapid movements and to neutralize the resulting translational forces. Two general types of instability can be differentiated in athletes shoulders: the macroinstability typically occurring in athletes involved in contact sports and the microinstability occurring in athletes involved in overhead sports...

Plant-based bioinspired magnetically propelled helical microswimmers are described. The helical microstructures are derived from spiral water-conducting vessels of different plants, harnessing the intrinsic biological structures of nature. Geometric variables of the spiral vessels, such as the helix diameter and pitch, can be controlled by mechanical stretching for the precise fabrication and consistent performance of helical microswimmers. Xylem vessels of a wide variety of different plants have been evaluated for the consistency and reproducibility of their helical parameters...

CONTEXT: The prevalence of shoulder pain in the competitive swimming population has been reported to be as high as 91%. Female collegiate swimmers have a reported shoulder-injury rate 3 times greater than their male counterparts. There has been little information on how to best prevent shoulder pain in this population. The purpose of this study was to examine if differences exist in shoulder range of motion, upper-extremity strength, core endurance, and pectoralis minor length in NCAA Division I female swimmers with and without shoulder pain and disability...

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND: To compare the acute effects of two passive stretches on pectoralis minor length and scapular kinematics among a group of collegiate swimmers. METHODS: The study was a descriptive design with repeated measures. All procedures were conducted in a biomechanics laboratory and collegiate swimming facility. Fifty asymptomatic shoulders from 29 NCAA swimmers were used (15 control shoulders, 17 focused stretch shoulders, 18 gross stretch shoulders)...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the current use of dry-land training in swimmers by age category. DESIGN: Randomized sampling questionnaire. SETTING: Web-based survey. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-seven coaches from swim clubs throughout the United States. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Dry-land training use, frequency, duration, mode of exercise, and exercise by body region in the following groups: ≤10 years, 11-14 years, 15-18 years, collegiate, and masters swimmers (≥18 years, noncollegiate)...

PURPOSE: To established an association between shoulder pain and the stroke specialization among NCAA men swimmers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All members of the top 25 NCAA men's swim teams were invited to complete the survey. Eleven teams with a total of 187 participants completed the study survey. The teams were mailed surveys that included multiple choice questions regarding their primary stroke and their incidence of shoulder pain. Additionally, the survey included questions about risk factors including distance trained, type of equipment, weight training, and stretching...

CONTEXT: The prevalence of shoulder pain among competitive swimmers is high, but no guidelines exist to reduce shoulder injuries. Elucidating differences between swimmers with and without shoulder pain can serve as a basis for the development of a program to prevent shoulder injury that might lead to pain and dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether physical characteristics, exposure, or training variables differ between swimmers with and without shoulder pain or disability...

CONTEXT: Shoulder injuries are common in swimmers because of the demands of the sport. Muscle imbalances frequently exist due to the biomechanics of the sport, which predispose swimmers to injury. To date, an effective shoulder-injury-prevention program for competitive swimmers has not been established. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a 6-wk strengthening and stretching intervention program on improving glenohumeral and scapular muscle strength and scapular kinematics in collegiate swimmers...

The purpose of the present study was to assess the impact of 3 recovery protocols on blood lactate clearance after maximal intensity swimming. Thirty-three regional standard swimmers were tested throughout the course a year and were required to complete a race-paced 200-m swim in their main stroke or individual medley. After the race-paced swim, swimmers were assigned a self-paced continuous steady rate swim of 20 minutes (self-prescribed); a 20-minute coach-administered modified warm-up consisting of various swimming modes, intensities, and rest intervals (coach prescribed); or a 20-minute land-based recovery consisting of light-intensity walking, skipping, and stretching (land based)...

In several biologically relevant situations, cell locomotion occurs in polymeric fluids with Weissenberg number larger than 1. Here we present results of three-dimensional numerical simulations for the steady locomotion of a self-propelled body in a model polymeric (Giesekus) fluid at low Reynolds number. Locomotion is driven by steady tangential deformation at the surface of the body (the so-called squirming motion). In the case of a spherical squirmer, we show that the swimming velocity is systematically less than that in a Newtonian fluid, with a minimum occurring for Weissenberg numbers of order 1...

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of regular warm-up, and upper-body vibration (UBV), or UBV+ short warm-up on swimming performance in Masters Swimmers. Six women and 4 men, mean age 35 ± 9 years, active master swimmers volunteered to participate in the study. Participants were assigned to complete 1 of 3 warm-up types: regular, UBV-only, or UBV + short, rest for 3 minutes, and then completed a 50-yd (45.7 m) freestyle maximal performance time trial. The UBV treatment consisted of 5 minutes of upper-body vibration with a frequency of 22 Hz...

OBJECTIVES: To examine the correction of posture, increase in strength and decrease in shoulder pain and dysfunction in varsity swimmers. DESIGN AND SETTING: Randomised clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-eight National Collegiate Athletic Association division I varsity swimmers. MEASUREMENTS: Two testing sessions were conducted before and after an 8-week time period. Posture, strength and shoulder pain and function were assessed...

Although several studies have demonstrated that motor imagery can enhance learning processes and improve motor performance, little is known about its effect on stretching and flexibility. The increased active and passive range of motion reported in preliminary research has not been shown to be elicited by motor imagery training alone. We thus compared flexibility scores in 21 synchronized swimmers before and after a 5-week mental practice programme that included five stretching exercises in active and passive conditions...

CONTEXT: Warm-up before athletic competition might enhance performance by affecting various physiological parameters. There are few quantitative data available on physiological responses to the warm-up, and the data that have been reported are inconclusive. Similarly, it has been suggested that varying the recovery period after a standardized warm-up might affect subsequent performance. PURPOSE: To determine the effects of varying post-warm-up recovery time on a subsequent 200-m swimming time trial...

HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that pool swimming has a low risk for acute injuries; however overuse injuries are predominant, depending on exposure time and swimming discipline. METHODS: 341 elite swimmers (19 +/- 11 years, BMI 20.3 +/- 3) were enrolled. Swimming was performed at mean since 10.1 +/- 8 years with 3.8 units every week during 43 weeks every year. RESULTS: The overall pool swimming injury rate was 0.39 / 1000 h. Overuse injuries (0...

This study compared the conventional track and a new one-handed track start in elite age group swimmers to determine if the new technique had biomechanical implications on dive performance. Five male and seven female GB national qualifiers participated (mean +/- SD: age 16.7 +/- 1.9 years, stretched stature 1.76 +/- 0.8 m, body mass 67.4 +/- 7.9 kg) and were assigned to a control group (n = 6) or an intervention group (n = 6) that learned the new one handed dive technique. All swimmers underwent a 4-week intervention comprising 12 +/- 3 thirty-minute training sessions...