Injury Prevention and Structural Balance
When an athlete comes in to begin training I always take them through a Structural Balance Assessment for the upper and lower body, despite their training goal or reason for coming in to the facility. A Structural Balance Assessment is completed to reduce the athletes chance of injury. Missing games and practice is the least of my worries when it comes to athletes, high school to professional. The Structural Balance Assessment ensures that your knees, back, hips, ankles & shoulders work correctly. Preventing injuries with balanced joints, muscles, stabilizers & fixators has a huge pay off in the future.
The Structural Balance refers to a dissection of the body identifying strengths and weaknesses of the specific joints, muscles and there range of motion. For example, the front and back of the thigh, as well as the inside and outside of the thigh are evaluated because they all play a crucial role in supporting the movements of the knee and hip. The large muscles of the body need the fixators and stabilizers that support them to work properly to allow for proper function during activity.
I have identified some the key areas of the body below that we evaluate during the Structural Balance Assessment:
Vastus Medialis
The vastus medialis (VMO) is the tear drop shaped quadriceps muscle on the inside of the knee. It is essential to maintain correct tracking of the knee as you move (especially for lateral movements) and I have personally heard multiple Orthopedist blame vastus medialis weakness for a huge number ACL tears in the NHL. We should also note that women have notoriously weak VMOs, and as they suffer 4 times the ACL injuries of men (due to the inferior Q angle at which the femur hits the tibia because of the wider pelvis if the female) strengthening the VMO should always be a priority whether we are dealing with a adult league hockey player to or a top NHL prospect. During the Structural Balance Assessment we examine the vastus medial through a series of movements to identify weaknesses.
Hamstrings
Hamstrings are designed with two functions in mind – to flex the knee and extend the hips. A weakness in the hamstring can result in overcompensation injuries in the quadriceps or gluteus, or pulled / torn hamstring muscles themselves. The hamstring plays such a major in the sport of hockey from skating laying the perfect check. During the Structural Balance Assessment we evaluate at the hamstrings through a series of movements to identify weaknesses.
Scapulae Retractors
Pull your shoulder blades back…you have just achieved scapulae retraction. It sounds simple, but far too often we see athletes with rounded shoulders and that thrust forward head look. Achieving good control of the scapula is essential for healthy shoulders as it’s the shoulder blade muscles that help keep your upper arm properly attached to your body. Complete range of motion through the shoulder and proper strength ratios between the anterior and posterior of the upper torso are essential for that hard slap shot. During the Structural Balance Assessment we evaluate at the scapulae retractors through a series of movements and % of strength ratios to identify weaknesses.
External Rotators
The external rotators comprise of the teres minor and the infraspinatus muscles of the rotator cuff. They are crucially important for stabilizing the shoulder in all forms of throwing, pressing and punching. During the Structural Balance Assessment we evaluate the external rotators through a series of movements and % of strength ratios to identify weaknesses.
Although the idea of a balanced structure makes a lot of sense to most athletes and coaches,there are very few practitioners who have the credential and background to perform the test necessary to complete the Structural Balance Assessment with any success. Only 5% of Strength and Conditioning Coaches in the United States are certified to perform these tests and analyze the results effectively. Seeking out coaches with the proper credentials and background to perform these functional tests with results is imperative.
The Structural Balance Assessment is great for any one in the sport of Hockey who is looking to reduce their risk of injury. To make an appointment with our certified specialist for your Structural Balance Assessment email aaron@brownstrength or call (919)834-4994 today.