How to develop leg turnout for rhythmic gymnastics. The most piquant moments in gymnastics with video examples Why do gymnasts have long legs

Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport, a type of gymnastics, competition of women in performing combinations of gymnastic and dance exercises with and without an object. Recently, performances without an apparatus are not held at world-class competitions. Rhythmic gymnastics is one of the most spectacular and graceful sports that arose in the USSR in the 1940s and owes its appearance to the ballet masters of the famous Mariinsky Theater. Since 1984 - olympic event sports. Until recently, exclusively female appearance sports, however, since the end of the 20th century - thanks to the efforts of Japanese gymnasts, competitions began to be held between men.

Applied rhythmic gymnastics is used in training athletes in other sports (gymnastics, acrobatics, figure skating, synchronized swimming), as well as in the training of ballet and circus performers. Its means are dance elements, stretching exercises, waves, swings, jumps, turns, etc.

Rules of rhythmic gymnastics

Competitions take place on a gymnastics mat measuring 13x13 meters, surrounded by an additional area for belaying. Modern program international competitions includes all-around (one compulsory and three voluntary apparatus exercises) and a group voluntary apparatus exercise. During group performances (a group consists of 6 athletes), either two types of objects are used simultaneously (for example, hoops and balls) or one type (for example, five balls, five pairs of clubs). All exercises are accompanied by music. The choice of music depends on the wishes of the gymnast and the coach. But each exercise should be no more than one and a half minutes. There are some restrictions for projectiles, but they are minor.

Shells

The rope is made of hemp or similar material and does not have a standard length because the length depends on the height of the gymnast.

The hoop is made of wood or plastic, the internal diameter is 80-90 cm. The hoop must weigh at least 300 g.

The ball must be made of rubber or soft plastic. The diameter of the ball is 18-20 cm, weight - at least 400 g.

The 7 m long ribbon is made of satin or similar material. It is attached to a cylindrical stick 50-60 cm long.

Maces are two bottle-shaped projectiles of equal length (40-50 cm), ending in a slight curve at the narrow part. Made from wood or plastic. The weight of each is at least 150 g. They have a wide part - the body, a narrow part - the neck, and a round tip - the head (maximum diameter - 30 mm).

Requirements for gymnasts Rhythmic gymnastics is an acyclic, complexly coordinated sport. The exercises of the program represent free movement around the site, including elements of dance, plasticity, facial expressions, pantomime, movements rhythmically coordinated with music without an object and with objects, as well as some elements of simplified stylized acrobatics (semi-acrobatics) in forms allowed by the competition rules, such like jumps, spins, somersaults, leg swings, bends, backbends, splits. Thus, the subject of study in rhythmic gymnastics is the art of expressive movement.

Rhythmic gymnastics exercises are characterized mainly by voluntary control of movement. The actions of a gymnast moving freely around the court are only minimally limited by any external, artificially established conditions, unlike, for example, the actions of representatives artistic gymnastics. Therefore, one of the main tasks technical training in rhythmic gymnastics is associated with the art of controlling one’s body in natural conditions.

The latter circumstance largely determines the structure of physical qualities, both necessary for practicing rhythmic gymnastics and developed by it. Obviously, in rhythmic gymnastics there cannot be a pronounced problem of developing and improving such motor qualities, such as, static force or speed muscle strength shoulder girdle, strength endurance and so on.

Among the qualities that play a big role in rhythmic gymnastics, flexibility in all its manifestations stands out - passive, active, extremely developed flexibility in the hip joints and spine (Fig. 1). In addition, the specifics of this sport require the development and improvement of fine coordination of movements, a sense of rhythm, musicality, and artistry.

Rhythmic gymnastics exercises place significant demands on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems the body of those involved. This is evidenced by an increase in heart rate when performing exercises of the classification program to near the limit, significant amounts of oxygen debt and oxygen demand. Training sessions pass with high intensity(during training, the average heart rate is 148 beats/min). In this regard, highly qualified gymnasts are characterized by a high functional level of vegetative maintenance systems.

Complexity of structure motor actions gymnasts need to memorize a large volume of relatively independent movements. This places demands on the memory of gymnasts, as well as on such qualities as performance, clarity and completeness of visual representations, and accuracy of movement reproduction.

The quality of exercise performance (expressiveness, artistry, etc.) dictates the need to develop the ability for self-control and correction of muscle efforts, stability of attention, the ability to concentrate and distribute attention, speed of response, quick thinking, quick wits, self-criticism, and perseverance.

One of the significant features of rhythmic gymnastics is the importance of the compositional solution of voluntary exercises. The tendency towards a relative equalization of the technical and functional capabilities of gymnasts competing to win prizes in high-ranking competitions significantly intensifies the competitive struggle, victory in which begins to be determined by the originality and novelty of the composition free programs(both in individual and group championships).

Injury statistics in rhythmic gymnastics

In a joint work of Spanish, Canadian and American researchers, injuries to the national rhythmic gymnastics team were retrospectively studied over 1 year of sports activity. The study involved all 20 gymnasts of the national team, who received a total of 108 injuries over the course of the year, 74 of which were minor and did not lead to missed training. At the same time, 13 (65%) of 20 gymnasts received injuries that forced them to miss training, 4 of them (20%) received serious injuries that forced them to miss more than 7 days of training. On average, girls trained 26.2 hours per week (SD=7.5; range, 14 to 36 hours).

In another paper, Mark R. Hutchinson studied the injuries of elite athletes on the US rhythmic gymnastics team. His work consisted of two parts. In the first part, a prospective study was conducted - during a 7-week period, any injuries received during training were recorded among 7 gymnasts of the national team. During this period, the athletes conducted 490 training sessions, 34 hours a week, during which 474 complaints were registered. On average, there was 1 complaint from each gymnast per training session, which is much more than in the Cupisti study, since recalculation per 1000 hours gives a huge value (34 hours per week * 7 weeks * 7 gymnasts = 1666 hours of training; / 1666 hours of training = 284.5 injuries per 1000 hours of training). Perhaps such a strong difference depends on the conditions for recording injuries. In this study, absolutely all complaints were recorded at the end of each day, 80% of which were minor (severity 1-3 on a 10-point scale). In the retrospective part of the same study, the medical records of 11 gymnasts of the US national rhythmic gymnastics team were analyzed, covering a 10-month period of sports activity. As a result of the analysis, 46 musculoskeletal injuries were found.

In rhythmic gymnastics, not only acute, but also chronic injuries occur due to frequent and repeated repetitions of the same movements and loads. According to several studies, chronic injuries occur more often than acute injuries in rhythmic gymnastics. According to the results of one of them, acute injuries amounted to 21.4%, chronic - 51.4%. In a New Zealand study, 50% of all injuries rhythmic gymnasts were classified as acute, the remaining 50% as chronic or fatigue. Localization of injuries in gymnasts

The Cupisti study showed that most often acute injuries in rhythmic gymnasts are localized in the area lower limbs- the foot and ankle joint accounted for 38% of injuries, the lower leg and knee joint - 19%, the thigh and hip joint - 15% (72% in total - Fig. 2). In third place in the number of injuries were back injuries (17%). The authors associate such a high percentage of lower extremity injuries with a large number of difficult jumps, as a result of which the gymnast can land unsuccessfully.

The study by Zetaruka et al also showed that in calisthenics, the lower extremities accounted for the most injuries (53%), but most were mild and did not result in missed training. In terms of the number of significant injuries, that is, those that led to missed training, injuries of the lower extremities share first place with injuries of the back and torso (Table 1). It is also noteworthy that 16 (80%) of the 20 gymnasts complained of lower back pain, for which reason 8 of them had to miss several training sessions. Only one gymnast was forced to miss training due to a knee injury, but 9 (45%) gymnasts complained of knee pain during the year.

Another study showed that of all injuries requiring treatment, 39% occur in the lumbar and thoracolumbar spine, of which 24% are acute and 56% are chronic. According to Hutchinson, in a prospective study, 86% of rhythmic gymnasts complained of chronic low back pain, and 25% in a retrospective analysis of medical records.

Types and severity of injuries in rhythmic gymnastics

In the Cupisti study, muscle and ligament sprains accounted for the largest number of identified injuries. However, most of all, rhythmic gymnasts reported pain of uncertain typology (Fig. 3). The majority of injuries in this study were classified as minor, with only 22 of 47 injuries requiring medical treatment, in contrast to the control group, where the ratio was 22 of 34. On average, injuries caused gymnasts to miss 4.1 days of training, while the control group recovered from injuries took 4.6 times longer.

In Zetaruka et al.'s work, muscle/tendon strain was the most common injury, with 85% of female athletes experiencing this problem. Stretching of the muscle-tendon units occurred on the lower and upper extremities; among the latter, most were mild in nature. However, 25% of gymnasts were forced to miss several training sessions due to sprains, of which the majority were localized on the back surface hips, groin and ankle. Five gymnasts (25%) experienced fractures, most of which were localized in the lower leg (fibula fracture) and foot. One stress fracture

was in the lumbar region. Most complaints of knee pain were diagnosed as tendonitis. There was also one concussion in this study that required the athlete to rest for a week.

The Hutchinson study also shows that the majority of injuries (80%) in rhythmic gymnastics are mild (severity 1-3 on a 10-point scale) and do not affect training process. Only one injury in the prospective portion of this work forced the gymnast to miss 2 days of training. In a retrospective analysis, 10 of 46 injuries forced a temporary interruption of training for an average of 11 days (range 2 to 14). One athlete was forced to finish sports career due to chronic lower back pain.

Table 1 - Number, location and severity of injuries in rhythmic gymnastics at the national level.
Lungs1Average2Serious3TotalTotal significant
Head and neck 3 2 0 5 2
Upper limbs 16 3 0 19 3
Lower limbs 42 13 2 57 15
Torso/back 13 7 7 27 14
Total 74 25 9 108 34
1 - injuries that did not cause missed training
2 - injuries that forced you to miss up to 7 days of training
3 - injuries that forced you to miss more than 7 days of training
Risk Factors in Rhythmic Gymnastics One of the goals of the Zetaruka et al. study was to identify risk factors for injury in rhythmic gymnastics. The results obtained allowed us to confidently assert that factors such as the duration of classes and the time spent on stretching are closely related to the level of injuries to the muscles and tendons of gymnasts. Each additional hour of calisthenics has been shown to increase the risk of such injuries by 29%. Those who did not receive such injuries worked out on average 18.7 hours per week, and those who did - 27.5. It has also been shown that every additional minute of stretching per day reduces the risk of injury by 11%. Figure 4 shows the relationship between the amount of time you stretch per day and the likelihood of suffering a muscle-tendon strain. It follows from the graph that you should not rely on prophylactic protection from stretching if its duration is less than 40 minutes per day. Stretching more than 40 minutes a day dramatically reduces the likelihood of muscle and tendon injuries.

Sydney study shows 14-year-old ballet dancers have significantly increased risk chronic injuries, if the duration of training exceeds 8 hours per week. However, most gymnasts train much more - Canada's sub-elite rhythmic gymnasts train 9-12 hours a week, the Canadian national team trains 25-30 hours a week. Athletes on the US rhythmic gymnastics team train 34 hours a week. Italy's elite gymnasts train 12-14 hours a week.

Among other risk factors in rhythmic gymnastics, many authors identify the so-called female triad - disordered (improper) nutrition, menstrual irregularities and osteoporosis.

. These three interrelated components of the triad are a fairly serious syndrome, often found in physically active girls and women, which can lead to a decrease in the athlete’s performance and performance, complicating the course of acute and chronic diseases, and even to death.

Rhythmic gymnasts are subject to strict requirements for a slim figure and body weight (Fig. 6). Kate Roberts states in her review that the mass fraction of body fat in rhythmic gymnasts should not exceed 5-10%. Various studies have found that the percentage of body fat in female athletes in this sport ranges from 13 to 16%. One study found that rhythmic gymnasts tend to consume only 80% of their daily calories. Munoz et al reported that rhythmic gymnasts consumed 1828 ± 500 kcal per day, which is below the recommended level. According to various sources, the body mass index of gymnasts ranges from 16 to 18 kg/m². According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), a person with a body mass index below 18.5 kg/m² is underweight. In girls, being underweight can lead to menstrual irregularities. Menstrual irregularities can manifest as late onset of menarche (first menstruation), primary amenorrhea (no menarche by age 16), secondary amenorrhea (cessation of menstruation after menarche), and oligomenorrhea (irregular menstruation or an increase in the menstrual cycle by more than 36 days). A study by Klentrou and Plyley showed that 79% of 14-year-old Greek gymnasts and 34% of 14-15-year-old Canadian gymnasts had not yet reached menarche. Average age menarche for all gymnasts was 13.8±0.3 years, which is much longer than in the control group - 12.5±0.1 years. In another study, the age of menarche was even later - 15±0.9 years (12±1 years in the control group). Menstrual irregularities were reported by 78% of gymnasts (61% oligomenorrhea and 17% secondary amenorrhea). A study by Zetaruka et al showed that 50% of national level gymnasts have menstrual irregularities. Menstrual irregularities lead to premature osteoporosis, which in turn increases the risk of fractures due to weakening of bone tissue. Munoz and colleagues examined bone mineral density in rhythmic gymnasts and found that bone density was increased in the load-bearing area (femoral neck), but bone density was significantly lower in the non-load-bearing area (forearm) than in the control group, which may be associated with partial resorption

bone tissue in gymnasts.

Rhythmic gymnastics has not escaped the problem of doping drugs. To achieve the required body weight, athletes sometimes resort to diuretics.

, which are included in the prohibited list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Dehydration caused by diuretics, as well as incorrect weight loss techniques can cause increased fatigue and muscle spasms, which is also an additional risk factor for injury.

Risk factors for injuries in rhythmic gymnastics also include: incorrect technique and training methodology (rapidly increasing intensity and frequency of training), a hard training surface, and imbalances between lower extremity antagonist muscles.

Lower back pain in rhythmic gymnasts
Rice. 7 - Rhythmic gymnastics requires extremely high flexibility and a large range of motion of the spine.
Rice. 8 - Spondylolysis followed by spondylolisthesis.
It is believed that pain in the lumbar spine is one of the main traumatological problems in rhythmic gymnastics. Several studies have shown that 80-86% of rhythmic gymnasts complain of lower back pain. However, Cupisti and colleagues report in their study that calisthenics does not increase the likelihood of developing lower back pain, and moreover, strengthening the back muscles and abdominals doing gymnastics will help get rid of such pain. Also, Piazza, Cupisti and other colleagues showed in a later study that rhythmic gymnastics does not increase the likelihood of developing lumbar pain with age, but the likelihood of its occurrence in former gymnasts who already had lumbar pain in their sports career increases. This article is intellectual property

Among the causes leading to pain in the lumbar region are excessive extension of the spine in the lumbar region (Fig. 7). Achieving maximum amplitudes in movement can lead to acute injury. Repetitive excessive extension, flexion and twisting of the lumbar spine can cause micro- and macro-trauma to the vertebrae and intervertebral discs. The most common problems with lumbar region spine in gymnasts include spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis, compression fractures, damage to the endplates of the vertebral body and intervertebral discs.

vertebrae Spondylolysis- a consequence of the cumulation of force effects on the interarticular arch of the vertebra, exceeding the modulus of elasticity of bone tissue. At the beginning of the development of the pathological process, spondylolysis represents a zone of bone remodeling (Loser's zone), then a stress fracture occurs, usually the interarticular area of ​​the arch, which is called the “critical zone”. Spondylolysis- reversible process. If excessive force is eliminated, healing of the fracture zone is possible. Spondylolysis is an independent disease. Some patients (approximately half) have spondylolysis complicated by spondylolisthesis(Fig. 8). .

Treatment: symptomatic, NSAIDs, pain subsides after a maximum of a week. The differential diagnosis is a muscle strain. To make a correct diagnosis, a thorough study of the mechanism of pain is necessary.

Contracture

Muscle spasm is an acute reversible change muscle fibers no damage connective tissue due to disruption of biochemical processes - increased myostatic tone.

Clinic: sudden appearance, the athlete feels shortening of the muscle, pain manifests itself even without palpation, the pain is not localized.

Treatment: There is no need for specific treatment, but an injury like this should always be a warning sign - it may be a sign of a more serious injury, usually caused by muscle fatigue (what causes muscle fatigue?). Possible risk factors for injury should be corrected, stretching and massage should be done, and if there are no relapses, you can continue training.

Sprain - grade I

When stretched, irreversible changes occur in some muscle fibers to the point of necrosis.

, but the connective tissue elements are not damaged. Ultrasound reveals micro-tears in the fibers.

Clinic: occurs suddenly, manifests itself at the peak of load, pain when stretching, pain is localized upon palpation

Treatment: rest, NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, relaxation massage, gradual resumption physical activity after 4–5 days (the intensity of the load is limited by the appearance of pain). Judge full recovery possible if there is no pain when stretching.

Rupture of muscle fibers - grade II

They represent irreversible changes in a limited number of muscle fibers, minimal damage to connective tissue elements.

Clinic: sudden appearance, sensation of sharp stabbing pain, spasm, pain when stretching, when spasm decreases - pain on palpation

Treatment: rest, ultrasound control twice during treatment, use of growth factors, physiotherapy (first 48 hours - cold, magnetic therapy, then ultrasound, massage with ice, TENS), eccentric work taking into account the rule of painlessness. Training loads start in the pool. Training begins when the maximum load level in the pool is reached. The transition to training in a general group is carried out with painless performance of speed exercises.

Muscle rupture - grade III

When a muscle ruptures, multiple damage to muscle fibers and connective tissue occurs, and an intramuscular hematoma is formed..

Clinic: sudden appearance, severe pain, loss of muscle mobility, slight muscle weakness, spasm several hours after injury, local pain, but not point pain (up to 4 sq. cm)

Treatment: due to the severity of the injury and the length of the recovery period, we distinguish three stages of treatment

Stage 1 (24–48 hours)

  • Primary treatment: cold, compression
  • Analgesics
  • Muscle relaxants
  • General recovery program: diet, psychological training, maintaining general physical fitness
  • Anti-inflammatory drugs are not used
Stage 2 (completion – painless stretching)
  • Maintaining general physical fitness
  • Endurance – 35–40 min.
  • Electrotherapy
  • TENS, ultrasound
  • Muscle relaxants
  • Eccentric work (taking into account the rule of painlessness)
  • Providing rest for the injured muscle
  • At the final stage - stepwise increasing load for other muscles
Stage 3 (resumption of training activity)
  • Gradual increase loads
  • Exercise bike
  • Pool
  • Resumption of training activity (taking into account the criteria given in the section “Rupture of muscle fibers”
Injuries knee joints in gymnasts A study by Zetaruka et al mentions that the majority of knee injuries in rhythmic gymnasts were diagnosed as tendonitis. Most common tendonitis there is tendonitis in the knee area Patellar ligament, also called "jumper's knee"", which occurs as a result of prolonged training, numerous jumps and landings, which lead to microtraumas of the structure of the patellar ligament (Fig. 10). Since training occurs too often, microtraumas do not have time to heal and accumulate. All this ultimately leads to inflammation and degeneration ligament tissues. Symptoms of tendinitis Patellar ligaments include pain at the bottom of the patella, especially with weight bearing (jumping, landing) and bending the knee. The pain, however, can be quite tolerable, which often leads to postponing a trip to the doctor. This can lead to worsening of the disease, progression of degenerative processes in the ligament tissue and, in the worst case scenario, lead to its rupture. It is recommended to start treatment with conservative methods (rest, cold, anti-inflammatory drugs, special knee pads) and only when they are unsuccessful apply surgery, which consists in cutting out the diseased part of the ligament.

It was not possible to find descriptions of knee injuries in rhythmic gymnastics in the literature, so we used the method proposed by Kate Roberts - we extrapolated data obtained on ballet dancers. The paper by Meuffels and Verhaar describes anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears in ballet dancers. Of the 253 dancers with this injury, 6 were recorded (4 men and 2 women). The authors note that without exception, all injuries occurred during landing after jumping - batman in men and grant jeté in women (Fig. 11). At the moment of landing, the leg was in a supinated position (turned outward), which created a valgus

stress on the knee is a classic ACL injury situation. All injured dancers were operated on. It should also be noted that damage to the ACL is quite serious injury and 3 out of 6 dancers subsequently quit ballet training due to this injury. Prevention of this injury involves focusing the athlete's attention on the movements being performed, training movement coordination, including during the jump phase, preventing excessive leg abduction at the moment of landing, and minimizing jumps that require external rotation immediately after landing. This article is the intellectual property of Ankle joint injuries in gymnasts of the anterior peroneal talus ligament, 1st degree;
b - distortion fibular-talar and calcaneal-talar ligaments of the 2nd degree;
c - complete rupture of the calcaneal-talar, anterior and posterior fibular-talar ligaments. Rice. 13 - Internal (medial) side of the right foot, deltoid ligament bundles ankle joint. Among acute injuries in rhythmic gymnastics, injuries to the ankle and foot occupy first place. Most often these are sprains when the foot is inverted, however, damage to the posterior tibial tendon, rupture of the Achilles tendon, damage to the peroneal tendon and synovial sheaths are possible, as well as fractures in the ankle area. Ankle Sprains Inversion of the foot causes sprains of the anterior talofibular and calcaneal fibular ligaments (Figure 12). In more severe cases, the tibiofibular syndesmosis is also damaged.. Injuries to the deltoid ligament are much less common. All these injuries, excluding damage to the tibiofibular syndesmosis and deltoid ligament, can be treated conservatively way. Regarding damage to the tibiofibular syndesmosis, then it requires open reduction and internal fixation, if the deltoid ligament is torn, open reconstruction may be required. Copyright of the article belongs to

Treatment includes rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medications, a tight bandage to relieve swelling, and pain. Immobilization with a plaster cast is not required. Bandaging or various fixing devices (bandages and orthoses) are usually used. To restore full range of motion, you should begin rehabilitation exercises as early as possible. During this phase, you need to be careful and remember the increased risk of re-injury due to muscle weakness and reduced proprioception

.

A complication is recurrent subluxation of the peroneal tendons. This disorder usually does not go away on its own and usually requires surgical restoration of the retinaculum peroneal muscles, as well as deepening of the fibular groove behind the lateral ankle parts. This injury may occur upon landing when the medial The forefoot ends up on the edge of the mat and the heel loses balance. This leads to supination

and backward bending, which places a load along the peroneal tendon retinaculum. In cases of acute dislocation, a plaster cast may be required. Subsequent episodes of peroneal tendon displacement indicate the need for retinaculum reconstruction. Medial ankle impingement syndrome

Gymnasts also have medial pinching syndrome (impingement syndrome) of the ankle joint. This syndrome can develop after inversion sprains and fractures of the neck and body of the talus of the ankle joint, after which incorrect flexion biomechanics develops, in which the anterior tibiotalar band of the deltoid ligament is pinched during dorsiflexion of the foot, which is located on the medial side. sides of the ankle joint (Fig. 13). Often this syndrome is accompanied by disorders such as osteophyte

talus or articular cartilage damage. Vann and Manoli conducted a retrospective study of patients with medial impingement syndrome of the ankle joint. A total of 789 case reports collected from 2001 to 2007 were reviewed, of which 115 patients (14.5%) were professional gymnasts. All patients were treated surgical method, by arthrotomy. 64% of the operated gymnasts returned to training.

Leg and foot fractures are common. Most often this concerns gymnasts. Fractures usually occur in the distal

parts of the fibula, middle third tibia and in the metatarsal bones. For an accurate diagnosis of metatarsal bone fractures, it is advisable to use MRI, because Such fractures are usually not visible on radiographs. The best method Treatment is rest and modification of activity level. Foot Injuries in Gymnastics Acute foot injuries are quite common in gymnasts due to repeated landings and include subtalar foot dislocation, Lisfranc fracture-dislocation, and other fractures and ligament injuries of the metatarsals and toes. Dermatological problems often arise. Most often, foot injuries occur when landing or falling from a projectile. Damage to the metatarsophalangeal joint of the big toe

Damage to the metatarsophalangeal joint of the big toe can occur as a result of both excessive flexion (Fig. 14) and excessive extension (Fig. 15), which can occur during an unsuccessful fall, as well as when running or jumping. With such an injury, the joint capsule and the ligaments that strengthen it are damaged. Excessive flexion can also damage the extensor tendon. thumb, which will lead to the appearance of the so-called “hammer finger”. Symptoms of injury are pain in the area of ​​the first metatarsophalangeal joint of the foot, swelling, swelling, limitation of movement in the joint. The injury can be either acute or chronic. In the latter case, the pain is insignificant and will develop gradually. In acute trauma, an avulsion fracture can occur when the ligament is torn off with part of the metatarsal bone.

First aid for injury includes rest, ice, tight bandage, and elevation, as well as the use of shoes that do not bend in this area for movement. An avulsion fracture or complete rupture of the ligament or tendon will require surgical treatment.

Prevention of injuries in rhythmic gymnastics

In accordance with the results obtained, Zetaruka and colleagues in their work propose the following measures to prevent injuries in rhythmic gymnastics:

  • The duration of training for elite athletes should not exceed 30 hours per week, for sub-elite athletes - 20 hours per week.
  • Stretching exercises should be performed for at least 40 minutes a day
  • General physical training should not take gymnasts more than 5-6 hours a week

In order to prevent pain in the lower back, you should carefully monitor the correct technique of the athlete and prevent the development of incorrect skills that can lead to such pain. Also, you should not force the development of flexibility in young athletes and force them to perform movements with a range for which they are not yet ready. Athletes should undergo ongoing medical examination to screen for stress fractures. in the lumbar region, as well as the lower leg, ankle and foot. It is necessary to carefully monitor the nutrition and body weight of young gymnasts, to prevent and eliminate menstrual irregularities, potentially leading to early osteoporosis.

References
  • Cupisti A, D"alessandro C, Evangelisti I, Umbri C, Rossi M, Galetta F, Panicucci E, Pegna SL, Piazza M. Injury survey in competitive sub-elite rhythmic gymnasts: results from a prospective controlled study. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 2007, vol.47, no.2, pp.203-207.
  • Roberts K. Spine injuries in rhythmic gymnastics. Sports Health. 2009, vol.27, no.3, pp.27-29.
  • Zetaruka MN, Violanb M, Zurakowskic D, Mitchell WA, Micheli LJ.
  • Georgopoulos N, Markou K, Theodoropoulou A, Paraskevopoulou P, Varaki L, Kazantzi Z, Leglise M, Vagenakis AG. Growth and pubertal development in elite female rhythmic gymnasts. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1999, vol.84, no.12, pp.4525-4530.
  • Georgopoulos NA, Markou KB, Theodoropoulou A, Benardot D, Leglise M, Vagenakis AG. Growth retardation in artistic compared with rhythmic elite female gymnasts. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2002, vol.87, no.7, pp.3169–3173.
  • Georgopoulos NA, Markou KB, Theodoropoulou A, Vagenakis GA, Benardot D, Leglise M, Dimopoulos JC, Vagenakis AG. Height velocity and skeletal maturation in elite female rhythmic gymnasts. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001, vol.86, no.11, pp.5159–5164.
  • World Health Organization. Body Mass Index (BMI) classification. http://apps.who.int/bmi/index.jsp?introPage=intro_3.html.
  • Kruse D, Lemmen B. Spine injuries in the sport of gymnastics. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2009, vol.8, no.1, pp.20-28.
  • Sports injuries: Mechanisms, prevention, treatment. Chapter 26 - Gymnastics. / Freddie H. Fu, David A, Stone M.D. 2nd edition - Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 1994.
  • Cupisti A, D"Alessandro C, Evangelisti I, Piazza M, Galetta F, Morelli E. Low back pain in competitive rhythmic gymnasts. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2004, vol.44, no. 1, pp.49-53.
  • Piazza M, Di Cagno A, Cupisti A, Panicucci E, Santoro G. Prevalence of low back pain in former rhythmic gymnasts. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2009, vol.49, no.3, pp.297-300.
  • Tanchev PI, Dzherov AD, Parushev AD, Dikov DM, Todorov MB. Scoliosis in rhythmic gymnasts. Spine. 2000
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    Every exercise in, and indeed any movement even in dancing, depends on one very important natural aspect - eversion of the legs. The very concept of eversion is reflected in medical reference books and is mentioned in methodologies for. But how can we understand the degree of eversion of the foot and can it be developed with the help of exercises?

    Why do you need to develop turnout and what exercises help develop it?

    Eversion itself is the effort made to turn the limb outward. In medicine, this ability is called supination. It is easier to explain the process of eversion using the example of hands - if you stretch your hands in front of you with your palms down, and then turn your palms up without changing the position of your hands, you can see at what level the hands are supinated. With legs it's a little more complicated.

    In order to independently check the turnout of your legs, just try to stand so that the heels of your feet touch each other with their spur bones. If one foot turns perpendicular to the leg, the second is unlikely to take the same position.

    Immediately upon admission to rhythmic gymnastics classes, future coach checks turnout hip joint. There are several aspects on which eversion will depend:

    It is quite possible to develop eversion, because it is not an innate and incorrigible physical quality (only in some individual cases). Developed eversion allows you to perform hip abductions with high amplitude when the gymnast herself is in the frontal surface while maintaining balance.

    Here are some simple ground exercises to improve turnout:

    • Sit on the floor with your knees pressed to your chest and your toes held with your hands. While tilting your body down, try to straighten your legs, while keeping your feet turned out (as in the first position). Don't rush back to initial position.
    • Sit on the floor, connect your legs with your feet, and lower your knees to the edges (frog pose). Bring the joined feet as close to the groin as possible. The body can be tilted forward.
    • Similar to the previous exercise, but performed while lying on your stomach. The soles of the feet are pulled together towards the groin, while the back bends as much as possible and stretches upward.

    Among female athletes and dancers there is a concept of “upper” and “lower” turnout. It happens that one person has an amazing “upper” eversion - when the groin area opens perfectly, but there are difficulties with eversion of the lower extremities - legs, feet, knees. There are also opposite features, but in any case it is worth working on yourself and the ability of your legs to turn out.

    Turnout and flexibility

    As you can see in the turnout exercises, they are similar to some flexibility and stretching exercises. This is not surprising, because the development of flexibility and leg rotation are closely related.

    Static and dynamic exercises, as well as mixed complexes. For more effective development flexibility there are some factors to consider:


    There are 2 main ways of stretching and hanging flexibility levels. The first is based on multiple repetitions of the exercise, where the amplitude of movement gradually increases. The second method is static, in which repetitions are not important, but maintaining a given time in an extended state. Typically, such exercises are performed with complete relaxation of the body.

    Foot strengthening activities

    Of course, all athletes, and especially gymnasts, must have very hardy, trained and flexible legs. And absolutely all the loads must be withstood by one part of the leg – the foot. To strengthen your feet, you can use the following exercises:

    • Get down on your knees, take your right foot in your right hand and try to pull it as close to your back as possible;
    • Make a lunge position - one leg is bent at the knee, the other is laid back and parallel to the floor. Change the position of your legs with a sharp jump, without transferring the effort to your back, but work with your legs;
    • Sit on the floor, one leg bent at the knee, the other straight. Grab the foot of the straight leg with your hands and lower your body onto this leg as much as possible. Pull the toe towards you;
    • Attach weights to your feet and stand on a small hill with one foot. Rise onto your toes and descend onto the heel of the leg that stands on the hill.

    A pleasant bonus when developing flexibility, eversion and any stretching exercises is that all muscles are stretched and kept in good shape - the abs, arms, and buttocks.

    A simple but very effective complex

    Many years of experience have allowed us to select some exercises that work most effectively to develop turnout. As already defined, this concept can separate the upper and lower parts of the leg. Depending on your goals, you can focus on certain exercises.

    Exercises to develop upper eversion
    Exercises to develop lower eversion
  • Exercise “Fold” - you need to sit on the floor, stretch your legs straight in front of you, place your feet in the first position, toes pointing to the sides. Wrapping your hands around the toes of your feet, you need to bend your stomach to your hips, pulling your feet towards the floor.
  • Exercise “Fold with pull” - the starting position is similar to the previous one, only the hand passes under the knee and clasps the toes. The foot should be pulled towards the floor, but the heel should be pulled up.
  • Exercise “Spider” - from a sitting position and with slightly bent knees, you need to clasp your toes (put your hand under your knee). The toe is pulled towards you, the heel is forward - you need to try to straighten your leg.
  • Exercise “First position” - lying on your stomach, fold your legs into 1st position, bringing the entire edge of the foot to the floor as much as possible. You can put your feet under the sofa or have someone put pressure on your feet.
  • Almost every girl who dreams of victories in rhythmic gymnastics has the potential and opportunities to develop her skills. Therefore, despite any comments or refusals to be accepted into the section, you need to exercise, increase the flexibility and eversion of the joints.

    Are you embarrassed to wear lightweight clothing because you think you have too much weight? full legs? In just 2 weeks you will have slender legs, thanks to a unique set of leg exercises.

    We will now show you a set of exercises. These are literally a couple of movements with which you can correct your figure. You don't need a lot of effort and you don't even need to go to GYM's. Just take a couple of minutes at home to make your legs very slender and beautiful.

    Contraindication: it is not advisable to perform exercises when high blood pressure and postoperative period. Also, if you have a high temperature or have this moment there are leg injuries or injuries to the knee joints.

    Slender legs like gymnasts Exercises 1. Stretching

    To begin with, be sure to do a warm-up. We take a step forward and perform a lunge, and our hands are at the top. The back is straight and we make sure to maintain good posture. Next, with your left hand we take the foot and slowly pull it towards the buttocks. The right hand is in a free position, that is, we relax it and can rest on the knee.

    With a lunge, we try to grab the heel, and the right hand is relaxed. We need to stay in this position for 1 minute. Then we change legs right hand hold the heel, pull it towards the buttocks, and left hand relaxed, back straight.






    The rectus muscle in the thighs and buttocks are stretched and the quadriceps muscle works very well. We also pause for 1 minute and lower our legs.

    Exercises 2

    We get down on all fours. The right leg is back up as much as possible, and the toe is stretched like a gymnast. As you exhale, pull up right leg to the forehead. We try to reach our forehead as much as possible and, while inhaling, stretch our legs back to the starting position. Inhalation and exhalation are necessary. We repeat this movement in the same way on the left leg 10 times.



    This movement is very good for the buttocks.

    Exercises 3. (Yoga) downward facing dog

    From this position, we raise the right leg upward, and the toe is stretched. In the same way, in the previous exercise, we pull the leg to the forehead as we exhale, and with the left we rise onto the toe. Next, we straighten the leg to its original position and place the heel on the floor. Repeat 10 times on the right and left legs.





    The buttocks work very well here, calf muscles, and thigh muscles.

    Exercises 4

    Feet shoulder-width apart, hands on the waist, back straight. We perform a lunge, and then we rise to our feet and at the same time stretch left leg back and go down. It is very important here that there should be a parallel between the shoulders and the pelvic bones so that there is no distortion. Repeat this movement on your right and left legs 10 times.




    The buttocks and the whole body work very well here.

    Exercises 5

    We need to lie on our back, legs bent at right angles, one leg and the other straight. Next, we raise our pelvis at the same time as our leg. Raise the pelvis with the leg and lower it. The movement is performed evenly and smoothly, and don’t forget to breathe.

    Secret 2. Massage with almond oil. Try to massage with almond oil about 3 times a week. Elementary in a circular motion. Massage your legs from heel to thigh. This helps a lot with tired legs and also helps the blood circulation work better.

    Secret 3. Rest with your feet up. As a rule, we come back dead after training and the most quick way when you don’t even have the strength to do a massage. Make some kind of elevation - this can be made from pillows, a blanket. And the legs should be a little higher than the body. This way the legs recover faster, blood circulation improves, and relieves swelling and fatigue in the legs.

    The history of rhythmic gymnastics knows many female athletes. It is believed that the ideal gymnast is a girl with an asthenic build: tall, long-legged, thin-boned, who does not gain weight, even if she eats chocolates at night. But, at the same time, the world knows many cases when girls of average height and unfavorable build became champions. And how many examples of athletes who have excellent data, but did not reach the podium due to various reasons!
    First of all, the texture is impressive. Such a gymnast attracts the attention of spectators, judges and coaches at competitions; she is a pleasure to watch. At the right approach texture has not only an external effect. Due to their light weight, thin, long-legged athletes push off easily and jump high; they have a larger range of movements (compared to their average competitors).

    The most beautiful gymnasts our days can be called Victoria Shinkarenko and Anastasia Mulmina. In general, it is worth noting that the Ukrainian school of rhythmic gymnastics is traditionally famous for its texture.

    Let's look at what data a gymnast should have in order to be called ideal?

    Turnout. Leg turnout is the ability to turn your legs (hips, legs, and feet) outward. Turnout is the basis of classical dance; without it, some elements will not only be ugly, they will be impossible to do. Is it possible to develop eversion? It is possible, but only if there is an innate predisposition to it. If there is no inclination, no amount of exercise will “unfold” the joints; moreover, they can be injured.

    Vera Sesina, Marina Specht, Irina Chashchina



    Flexibility. Despite the fact that the group of difficulties called “flexibility” was disbanded, this quality is still one of the main ones for gymnasts. Flexibility is needed even to lift your leg high, not to mention, say, balance in a ring. You can remove and reduce in value all kinds of traumatic traps in posterior balance, but flexibility as the basis of almost all elements will remain under any rules. It is an indicator of the plasticity of the athlete’s body and gives expressiveness to the composition, thereby contributing to the creation of a stage image.

    Alina Kabaeva, Irina Kazakova, Olga Kapranova, Nadezhda Vasina, Anna Bessonova (flexibility of leg joints)

    High rise. In classical dance, a high instep plays a significant aesthetic role, creating with its elongated instep together with an outstretched leg a complete line in the dance pattern.

    Yana Kudryavtseva, Victoria Shinkarenko, Anastasia Mulmina, Anna Rizatdinova

    Long limbs. There is even such a concept as “texture coefficient”. It is determined as follows: measure standing and sitting height (from the crown to the fifth point), then sitting height is divided by standing height and multiplied by 100%. That is, they determine what part of the height is the torso and head combined. Ballet norm (works for gymnasts): 49-52%. The lower this value, the better. The meaning of these calculations can be explained as follows: the legs must be at least the same length as the sum of the lengths of the torso and head. But it’s better if the legs are longer and the coefficient is less than 50%.

    Alina Maksimenko, Anna Bessonova, Ekaterina Serebryanskaya, Tamara Erofeeva, Victoria Shinkarenko, Anastasia Mulmina

    The so-called training is of great importance. You can have great abilities, but not be able to lift your leg correctly, or, even worse, learn to lift it incorrectly. Training is associated with the quality of execution of any movements - difficulties, dance steps, acrobatic elements and even gait in everyday life. Training, unlike all of the above characteristics, can be learned. To do this, it is necessary that the child be trained from childhood by a competent coach who will lay the right foundation. The combination of texture and training looks very impressive.

    Margarita Mamun, Irina Chashchina, Yana Kudryavtseva, Anna Bessonova, Victoria Mazur, Victoria Shinkarenko, Anastasia Mulmina... In general, most of the Deryugins’ students can be included here.

    Another important factor, although not related to texture, is individuality. Brilliant technique and work with the subject can provide gold medals, awards and titles. You can admire a gymnast’s ability to do 10 turns, bend in a way that is incomprehensible to the mind, or take breathtaking risks... But in order to ignite the hearts of the audience, to create a desire to see this athlete perform again, a special, unique energy is needed. Such gymnasts may not be titled champions, but they are the ones who are remembered by the audience and have the largest number of fans.

    Many gymnasts have an individuality that resonates with fans, but the brightest owners of this quality include Anna Bessonova And Daria Kondakova.

    How important are the above characteristics? They are not decisive, although many coaches try to select “textured” children. If your child doesn't fall into the "textured" category, don't despair! No amount of data or charm can compensate for diligence and hard work in the gym. Two-time Olympic champion Evgenia Kanaeva, for example, is not textured, and, as she herself said in an interview, as a child she looked little like a typical “artist.”

    On the last Saturday of October, All-Russian Gymnastics Day is celebrated. This year it fell on October 25th. In honor of the holiday, we decided to remember the most beautiful Russian gymnasts.

    Yana Batyrshina

    Honored Master of Sports of Russia, represents rhythmic gymnastics in individual exercises. The girl started doing gymnastics at the age of 5, and already at 12 she passed the most difficult selection for the national team of the Uzbek SSR. After the collapse of the USSR, the family moved to Russia, and Yana competed for our country at competitions.

    From big sport Batyrshina left at the age of 19, and a year later she became the head coach of the Brazilian rhythmic gymnastics team. In general, during her sports career the girl won 180 medals and more than 40 cups. In addition, Yana worked on television, where she hosted sports programs. In her personal life, the gymnast is also doing well - Yana is married to the famous producer Timur Weinstein, with whom she gave birth to two daughters.

    Alina Kabaeva

    Alina, now 31 years old, remains one of the sexiest and most desirable female athletes. Just like Yana Batyrshina, Alina was born in Tashkent. She began taking her first steps in sports at the age of 3.5, and at the age of 12, Kabaeva and her mother moved to Moscow to train with Irina Viner.

    At the age of 12, Kabaeva and her mother moved to Moscow to train with Irina Viner.

    She has played for the Russian national team since 1996 and won many awards. She stopped sporting activities in 2007. Having completed her sports career, Alina did not give up social life; at one time she often appeared on television and posed for magazines. In 2007 she became a State Duma deputy, and seven years later she left this post. Kabaeva’s personal life was actively discussed in the media, in particular, there were rumors about her affair with President Putin. True, there was no confirmation of this information.

    Three songs are dedicated to Alina: “Play on Words” - “Alina Kabaeva”, Murat Nasyrova - “Don’t Cry, My Alina!” and Maxim Buznikin - “Alina is half of my destiny.”

    Evgenia Kanaeva

    The mother of this native of Omsk was a master of sports in rhythmic gymnastics, but it was her grandmother who brought the girl into the sport. At the age of 12, Evgenia was invited to a training camp in Moscow as part of a group of young gymnasts. After her first serious performance, Kanaeva was noticed and invited to train at school Olympic reserve. She, like many successful Russian gymnasts, was taken under her wing by Irina Viner. During her sports career, Zhenya almost always won gold, and Laysan Utyasheva once said about her: “Kanaeva is Chashchina and Kabaeva combined.”

    In 2012, the young gymnast completed her sports career, a year later she married hockey player Igor Musatov, and a year later she became a mother. What Evgenia is doing now is not known for certain. Most likely, he fulfills his dreams: he learns to draw, play the piano, master foreign languages and a computer, and also raises a son.

    Laysan Utyasheva

    At first, the parents wanted to send Laysan to ballet, but by chance, while in line at the store, gymnastics coach Nadezhda Kasyanova noticed the girl, noting the extraordinary flexibility of her joints. Since then, the girl has been doing gymnastics. At the age of 12, Laysan moved to Moscow, and two years later she received the title of Master of Sports. The gymnast won many awards, but in April 2006 she was forced to end her sports career.

    After finishing her career, Laysan became sports commentator and TV presenter, and also starred in several TV series. Now Utyasheva lives happily married to Comedy Club resident Pavel Volya, raises her son Robert and hosts a TV show on the TNT channel “Dancing”.

    Irina Chashchina

    The girl started doing gymnastics at the age of 6, and already at 12 she joined the Russian national team. While still a junior, Irina took first place at the CIS Spartakiad and won the Russian championship among girls two times in a row. At the age of 17, Irina was noticed by Irina Viner, who began to raise her from a gymnast Olympic champion. Together with Alina Kabaeva, Chashchina became a star in rhythmic gymnastics, her name thundered throughout the world. But in 2001 it happened doping scandal, the gymnast lost her awards and was disqualified from the sport for two years.

    Together with Alina Kabaeva, Chashchina became a star in rhythmic gymnastics, her name thundered throughout the world.

    Having completed her sports career, Chashchina began to develop other projects. The gymnast took part in several creative projects (“Circus with the Stars” and “Dancing on Ice”), wrote a book, opened her own rhythmic gymnastics school and has appeared more than once for the Russian version of Maxim magazine.

    It is worth noting that Chashchina is not free - in 2011 she married Dmitry Medvedev’s friend, businessman Yevgeny Arkhipov. The couple does not have children yet.

    Margarita Mamun

    Margarita is only 18 years old, but she has already managed to shock the world of sports with her achievements in gymnastics. At the age of seven, together with her sister, Rita began attending a gymnastics section, and at the age of eleven she began to consciously prepare for a career as a gymnast. Mamun achieved her first great success in 2011, when she became the Russian champion in exercises with clubs, ball and hoop, and in 2013 she consolidated her results. Interestingly, because of her origin, Irina Viner calls Rita the “Bengal Tiger”. (She is half Russian, half Bengali. Her father is from Bangladesh). Many compare the girl with Evgenia Kanaeva, only Mamun herself does not see any similarity, except for her love of gymnastics.

    Carolina Sevastyanova

    At the age of 5, her mother brought Caroline to a rhythmic gymnastics school. In the first month of classes, children were assessed and promising ones were selected. The girl did not pass the selection process and was not accepted into the school. But Carolina didn’t forget about gymnastics and decided to become a gymnast at all costs. Later the girl got into sports Complex, where they took everyone, and after a while I ran into Irina Viner. Since then, Carolina has competed in the Russian national team. But after the 2012 Olympic Games, she decided to end her sports career (at the age of 17).

    By the way, Sevastyanova was recognized as the most beautiful athlete of the CIS countries at the Games in London. At one time there were rumors on the Internet about Caroline's affair with famous hockey player Alexander Ovechkin. The only confirmation of this gossip is joint photographs of Caroline and Alexander on vacation in St. Tropez.

    Ulyana Donskova

    The victory gave the gymnast strength, and she began to train even harder.

    Like Carolina, Ulyana began doing gymnastics at the age of 5. The first few years of training brought virtually no results, but Ulyana did not back down. The efforts were not in vain, and in 2000 the girl won the regional championship in the first category. The victory gave the gymnast strength, and she began to train even harder.

    The gymnast became the world champion for the first time on September 12, 2009 at the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Japan. Ulyana will never forget this date! After winning Olympic Games In 2012, in London, the girl, together with her friend Karolina Sevastyanova, ended her sports career. What Donskaya is doing now is not known for certain.

    Yana Lukonina

    About this Russian gymnast little is known. We only know that Yana was born in Ryazan and has been playing for the Russian national team since 2006. Compared to her colleagues, Lukonina does not have many awards. The injury is to blame for everything, because of which Yana had to quit sports and take up coaching.

    However, from coaching work Yana gets great pleasure: “I like working as a coach, working with children is a pleasure. Of course, responsibility is felt. In addition to gymnastics, they can ask some everyday questions and ask for advice. Of course, I try to help them.".

    Daria Dmitrieva

    Another gymnast who has already completed her sports career. Daria began training in gymnastics at the age of 8 under the guidance of the Honored Coach of the USSR Olga Buyanova. At the Russian rhythmic gymnastics championship, held in 2009, Dmitrieva received as many as three medals. That was incredible!

    Daria ended her sports career in September 2013 due to an ankle injury.

    Daria ended her sports career in September 2013 due to an ankle injury. It was very difficult for both Dmitrieva and her coach to make such a decision. But health is most important. Currently, the girl works as a coach at a rhythmic gymnastics club, passing on her experience to the younger generation.