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Is A Rip Ruining Your Grip?

Posted on by Tara Hackney, PT, DPT, OCS, KTTP

If you’re a gymnast, you know the pain and inconvenience of sustaining a rip. Rips are a common and painful occurrence in gymnastics, caused by separation of the upper layers of skin in the palm of the hand or around the wrists from the lower layers of skin. Rips can happen from an excessively tight grip, or a callus buildup which causes the skin to bunch as the gymnast swings around the bar. The force of the swing pulls the upper layer of skin away from the lower layers which can lead to a blister or cause it to fill with blood. Rips can also form near the wrist if rubbing occurs against a wrist brace or the gymnast’s grips. Callus formation is also extremely common, and gymnasts most often get calluses on the palms of the hand from repeated friction on the bar. The good news is that rips can be prevented, and the most effective way to do so is by focusing on overall hand and callus care.

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Trampolines: For Sport And Fun

Posted on by Tara Hackney, PT, DPT, OCS, KTTP

Trampolines are commonly found in backyards, and the popularity of jump parks has also increased in recent years. Did you know that there is also a sport for a competitive trampoline? In fact, it’s an Olympic sport!

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Five Exercises for Wrist Pain Relief for Golfers

Posted on by Andrew Cassidy, PT, DPT

Golf season is upon us. With most of the country experiencing warmer weather, golfers are looking to book tee times and start practicing at the range. Golf can be a great activity for people of all ages to enjoy the outdoors and get some light exercise. Unfortunately, a nagging ache or pain in the Spring can evolve into a full-blown injury. Nothing can derail a summer season of golf faster than a painful swing.

Wrist injuries in golf occur in several predictable ways. They can generally be categorized into a few categories; inflexibility, overuse, and impact. In this blog, we will take a look at those three categories and provide target exercises to prevent injuries.

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Should Gymnasts Lift Weights?

Posted on by Tara Hackney, PT, DPT, OCS, KTTP

Gymnasts are strong, and they have to be to do their amazing tumbling passes, hang and spin on the bars, and perform their routines on beam or pommel horse. Weight lifting is a common way that many athletes build strength. However, in the gymnastics world, weight lifting has mixed reactions. Historically, many gymnastic coaches and athletes have discouraged weight lifting routines as they may “bulk” up the athlete. Gymnasts need to maintain certain agility and flexibility to perform their skills and be able to fly through the air. The question becomes, “can a gymnast lift weights for strengthening purposes without causing harm?”

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How to Rock Your Cheerleading Tryouts

Posted on by Ashley Kovalcik, PTA

Cheerleading has become one of the fastest-growing sports, and it is no surprise why! Cheerleading has evolved into an activity involving gymnastics, stunts, jumps, and dance jam-packed into a three-minute routine, while most times simultaneously cheering for your school. We hope these tips help you feel more prepared for your big day!

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6 Warm-Up Stretches for Overhead Athletes Before a Game

Posted on by Josh Lawrence, MS, L/ATC

“Go get your arm warmed up!” This is a phrase I hear all the time for overhead athlete sports, whether it’s the relief pitcher in baseball, the center fielder in softball, the ACE server in volleyball, or the star QB. This is solid advice; it’s never a good idea to go into aggressive overhead activity without a proper warm-up, but what makes a good warm-up? That can be a very loaded question! Fortunately, by understanding the anatomy of the shoulder and the requirement by its muscles to work optimally overhead, it can be simple to get an athlete ready for action and, more importantly, lower their risk for injury.

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4 Easy Steps to Improve Offseason Training Tips for Young Pitchers

Posted on by Scott Snyder PT, DPT

With winter in full effect, it is time to shift the focus of training for our throwers toward preparation for the spring. As the demand for increased pitch speed increases, it is important that throwing athletes make the most of the winter to reduce their risk of injury before ramping up their throwing in preseason training. Although most throwing injuries occur in the arm, athletes can minimize injury risk and increase pitch count by focusing on leg strength and core stability in addition to mechanics.

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Most Common Pickleball Injuries

Posted on by Tara Hackney, PT, DPT, OCS, KTTP

Even though pickleball was invented in 1965, it has been gaining popularity very quickly since the early 2000s. Pickleball was the fastest-growing sport from 2019-2022. Pickleball is played both indoors and outdoors and has both singles and doubles. Though it resembles tennis, pickleball is played on a much smaller court and using solid-faced paddles and the rules differ from tennis as well. As with any sport, as the popularity grows, so do the injuries. Here are some of the injuries that can occur in pickleball and ways to prevent injury:

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