Balance Exercises For Rehabilitation Of Young Athletes

Balance Exercises For Athletic Youth

By Suzanne Stoke, Physical Therapist @ Exercise For Balance via www.exerciseforbalance.com

Balance exercises are a critical component of the rehabilitation program for injured a athletes. Please see  http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now More importantly, stability routines can help young athletes recover faster and return to their sport safer. There are an estimated two million injuries among high school athletes every year. For that very reason, children's hospitals are expanding their surgical and rehabilitation programs to help care for this growing population of young athletes. Hospitals are recognizing that the rehabilitation requirements of children and teens are substantially different from those of adults and the geriatric population. Consequently, more sports medicine practices are focusing extensively on treating young athletes. To be specific, these programs have adapted their surgical techniques and physical therapy treatments to accommodate growing bones and cartilage. For example, one goal of surgical and reparative techniques is to preserve the growth plate, located on the end of long bones in children and teens. In physical therapy  rehabilitation, younger patients, therefore, concentrate on strength training that involves lifting lighter weights with a greater number of repetitions compared with adults who may use heavier weights and a lower number of repetitions. This modification in an exercise regime helps to protect the pediatric bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons. According to Stop sports Injuries, more than 3.5 million children go through treatments for sports injuries in a given year. Because of the emphasis on year round competition, single sport emphasis and intense training for pre-teen athletes, there has been an increase in musculoskeletal injuries among younger players.  Team sports including soccer and football have seen an advancement in injuries as high as 22%. In addition, to head injuries, concussions, and fractures, doctors are seeing a greater number of repetitive, overuse injuries. For instance, with baseball and softball players, there has been an increase in shoulder and elbow tendonitis injuries. A report presented by Boston's Children Hospital detailed that children of all ages were increasingly sustaining significant sports injuries that required both surgical intervention and follow up rehabilitation. In the past, doctors applied a cast to a fractured bone, left it on for 6 to 12 weeks, took it off and sent the kids home. Now, physicians are realizing the need to refer these young athletes to rehabilitation for strength training, balance and coordination exercises, sports specific skills and determination when it is safe to return to the playing field. One common injury seen in young athletes is a tearing of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament. This specific injury involves a surgical intervention to repair the ligament, followed by an extensive stint in physical therapy to rebuild the strength in the injured lower extremity. Once the individual is able to progress past using crutches, they can focus on normalizing their gait pattern, reducing swelling and regaining full knee range of motion. Throughout their rehabilitation program, practicing balance exercises is essential. While walking on crutches, the young athlete needs good steadiness, especially with going up and down stairs. After they progress past using crutches, they need to rehearse their balance techniques to limit the potential for falling, even when they have limited knee motion or decreased leg strength. Furthermore, practicing equilibrium routines are necessary for returning to their sport of choice. In most athletic competitions, having exceptional balance skills propels the individual above their competition. Whether the athlete plays soccer, football, basketball, gymnastics, tennis or any other sport, having excellent stability during their play is critical.

Balance Exercises For Young Athletes

Balance exercises are an essential part of the rehabilitation process for young athletes. During the physical therapy rehabilitation program, stability exercises can be established and progressed, according to the development of each individual's balance abilities. For instance, the first step in stability training should include simple weight shifting routines on a solid, stable surface like a floor with a thin, industrial carpet or hardwood flooring at home. Equilibrium routines can be advanced by making the surface the person is standing on more unstable. For instance, in the physical therapy clinic we use high density foam to practice steadiness exercises on. At home, we recommend our patients to try practicing their equilibrium exercises on a soft couch cushion. Balance exercises can be further advanced by having the person stand on a balance equipment like a balance board or the BOSU to perform their stability routines. Additionally, steadiness routines can be progressed along the line of starting with a wide base of support and progressing to a narrow base of support. To begin, equilibrium exercises involve standing with the feet shoulder width a part and practicing shifting one's body weight from side to side and then from front to back. The goal of this routine is to rehearse controlling ones body weight during different movements. The base of support can be made more difficult for balancing by narrowing the surface area. As an example, the individual can stand with their feet in a tandem position where one foot is placed directly in front of the other. The next progression is to stand on just one foot and try to balance in that position. For an athlete of any age to return to their sport, they must also practice balance routines that are sports specific. For athletes who compete in sports like basketball and soccer, they must advance their balance routine to include dynamic activities. Their equilibrium program can progress to more difficult activities walking, running and jumping. For instance, soccer players must learn to perform jumping activities that protect their knee joints from further Anterior Cruciate Ligament tears. such equilibrium activities would include jumping while maintaining a soft landing to contract the quadriceps muscles on the front of the thigh with the Hamstring muscles on the back of the thigh. This contraction leads to greater stability at the knee joint and a reduction in the potential of further knee injuries.

Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    To Learn the best balance exercises for your sport, get the Exercise For Balance DVD. The Exercise For Balance DVD is filled with the best balance and strength exercises needed for rehabilitation and to basic activities like walking, standing, stair climbing or to advance to high level activities like soccer, basketball and hiking. In the Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve balance, balance techniques and balance routines from a balance trainer (licensed Physical Therapist) who has worked with balance and dizziness disorders for over 20 years. Get your copy of the Exercise For Balance DVD by clicking on the BUY NOW button

Whatever sport you play start balance exercises today with the Exercise For Balance DVD to improve balance and prevent falls.
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