The entire point of the PPPE is to safely clear the student-athlete. Yes, we want them to play, but safely! The two main reasons athletes do not clear their PPPE is due to blood pressure and vision issues. It is important to take blood pressure readings with the athlete supine vs. sitting on a table. Make sure the athlete is in a calm state and in a back supported chair. Also, make sure the athlete does not need to go to the bathroom! As for vision, a 2023 study of athletes in Galveston, Texas found that 38.0% the student athletes did not bring their prescription eyeglasses, which resulted in the need for retesting while wearing their glasses.
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Sep 2024
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Leg Lifts Are A Bad Idea…Here’s Why!
Leg lifts? Really?
What are they really doing? Many will tell you that leg lifts (any variation) are good for the abdominal region. Why they believe this is beyond me. I’ve never seen an anatomy chart that has shown the abdominal muscles attaching to the lesser trochanter (hip). In fact, leg lifts are great for facilitating already facilitated musculature. What does this mean?
Facilitated muscles are muscles that are shortened and have lost their ability to stretch. It’s more of a neurological issue vs. the sensation of just an area feeling ‘tight.’ The last thing we want to do with these muscles is shorten them any further. The hip flexor muscles, or the muscles that are responsible for that silly leg lift exercise, tend to be chronically facilitated.
After all, we tend to sit/drive all day and certainly, we are not going out of our way to exercise our gluteal region. We certainly do not need to tighten the hip flexors any further. If we are trying to target the abdominal muscles, we need better ways of doing it (likely coming soon to a blog near you). Continue Reading →