ORTHOPEDICS THIS WEEK
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 38 | DECEMBER 5, 2017
According to Jones, “A 10m platform
diver can reach up to velocity of
16.4 m·s -1 (36 mph) before entering
the water with quick deceleration to
33 km·h -1 (20 mph) on impact with
water, with a force of about 400 kg·N -
1
. Thus, the impact at the water sur-
face on the diver can reach 2.0 g to
2.4 g. A 1-m springboard dive reach-
es an average peak velocity of 8.4
m·s -1 (30.1 km·h -1 or 19 mph). Upon
water impact velocity is decreased by
greater than 50% within a fraction of
a second.”
He wrote that “these incredible veloci-
ties and impact forces are thought to
be large contributors to competitive
diving injuries” and that “with such
forces, injuries can occur not only in
the setting of a dive gone wrong, but
also more commonly secondary to an
accumulation of exposures to repeti-
tive forces.”
“These principles of the physics of div-
ing,” he said, “are vital to understanding
the nature and cause of many of com-
petitive diving injuries.”
The Diving Mechanics and Result-
ing Musculoskeletal Injuries
Competitive divers train about 40
hours a week. Springboard divers aver-
age usually 100 to 150 dives a day while
platform divers average about 50 to 100
dives per day. Between the impact forces
on the body and the constant repetition
of movement, injury can happen in any
of the phases of the dive.
The first phase of the dive of course
is the take-off from the diving plat-
form which includes the approach,
hurdle (where the diver jumps on to
the end of the board) and the press
(the depression of board and the
upward acceleration of the diver’s
8
body). If the timing of downward
motion of the board with the down-
ward motion of the diver onto the
board is not perfect, the diver is at
high risk of lower-extremity injuries,
especially of the knee.
Most common lower extremity inju-
ries, according to Jones, are patellar
tendinopathy, quadriceps tendinopa-
thy and patellofemoral compression
syndrome. The combination of over-
training on the board and on dry land
can also lead to Achilles and posterior
tibialis tendinopathy. If an athlete per-
forms an arm stand dive off the plat-
form, then they are also at risk for
upper-extremity injuries.
The second phase is the flight or midair
maneuver which begins as soon as the
diver leaves the board and ends when
he or she hits the water. The common
injuries during this phase are spine
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