ORTHOPEDICS THIS WEEK VOLUME 13 , ISSUE 38 | DECEMBER 5 , 2017 9 and long head of biceps injuries to torsional overload if a diver does a twist in the area . Concussions and fractures can also occur during this phase if the diver hits the board midair , but this is less common .
The third phase is the entry phase when the diver makes impact with the water . This is the phase where most injuries , both traumatic and overuse , tend to occur due usually to the combination of decelerating forces ( more than 50 % decrease in force in less than second ) and poor dive technique .
Shoulder injuries often happen during the third phase . Jones wrote , “ Many times , the shoulder is the endpoint of the deceleration forces from water entry impact . The shoulder absorbs much of the water entry axial loading , taking the brunt of the kinetic chain load .”
He added , “ It is imperative to stabilize the glenohumeral joint by elevating the shoulder girdle with increased scapular abduction so the glenoid fossa is behind the humeral head therefore providing better absorption of the axial load impact . When the glenohumeral joint is in 180 degrees of abduction and flexion and maximal internal rotation with no inferior support from the glenoid fossa , the shoulder is in a mechanically at risk position . Decreased scapular abduction impairs energy dissipation and increases the demands on the soft tissue , such as the rotator cuff , biceps tendon and labrum leading to injury , ligament laxity , and many times to shoulder instability .”
Athletes with weak or unstable shoulders tend to overcompensate with increased forces on the spine ,
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but that just puts them at increased risk for spine injuries as well . Lumbar spine injuries , according to Jones , are the most common reason that competitive divers retire . He cites recent studies that show the incidence of low back pain in divers to be between 38.4 % and 89 % and that divers after the age of 13 years have a 45 % chance of experiencing back pain within a year .
Pay Attention to Pediatric Divers
Jones emphasized that special attention needs to be paid to young divers because a growing spine is at greater risk for trauma , especially during the growth spurt that occurs during adolescents . www . mo-sci . com • 573.364.2338 ISO 9001:2008 • AS9100C
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He told OTW , “ The average age of a typical Olympic caliber diver is between 14 and 30 . So especially at the beginning of their careers their bodies are still developing and at higher risk for injury due to the increased forces . Also their strength is still developing and so they become fatigued more easily making them susceptible to over use injury .”
He added that “ young divers are still learning technique and form and especially as it relates to the back even a slight increase in extension in their form increases back pain occurrence .“
Jones also called for future research to focus on the large forces that are created and then abruptly dissipated with water entry , and the repetitive exposure to these forces . He said the research should focus not only on how to minimize these forces , but also on how to reduce exposure to them . ♦
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