Quads stretches any advice?

[Laura01]

Anybody have any thoughs on this?I work with a youth development programme in football with children aged 11-17 and need some adivce on quads stretches. Some of the kids have been doing the stretches with the hip in about 25 degrees of abduction when in standing on which i corrected them to have both thighs parallel. However, they said that the physio who was there before told them to do the stretches this way. Unless this specifically stretches the medial portion then i cant see why they were told this, also I would stretch the adductors separately. I know this seems really minor but its annoying me!

any suggestions welcome

[alophysio]

I wouldn't stretch in ABD. Also, how much can you trust an 11 year old? Perhaps it was that they felt their ego was bruised when you corrected them.

In standing, i keep an eye on their L/S to ensure it is in neutral, heel in line with femur and extension at the hip, not L/S or pelvis.

Some kids have or are going through a growth spurt so a chair to rest their knee on can help those with temporarily shortened quads.

Don't overstretch (of course!)

Can also do quads stretches in prone and sidelying for variations...

Have fun!

[bsmrashid]

For children it is very easy to teach them manual stretching, Ask them to put kneeldown;then allow to sit on their back i.e- hip on heel; then ask them to lie down on their back; it gives a fine stretching to their quads. to make it easy they can depart their heels.
try the best #

[alophysio]

Hi bsmrashid,

Yes that will give a quads stretch but it will also stretch plenty of other things as well. It is very non-specific, there is no control of the hip position, the L/S will hyperextend, etc.

Also, the full flexion of the knee will put excessive amounts of pressure onto the patellofemoral joints. Also, it is not a functional position (but this point is less important).

I would only recommend that stretch for those who have been conditioned to perform it correctly with supervision and with sufficient training. It would not be one i would give to a group situation - more likely to give to a ballerina or circus performer as a rehab exercise.

But that is only my opinion of course...

[wutti]

hi there!! just to see it from another point of view! stretches before or after exercise/competition? and try to find out, how important stretching is for an 11 years old kid. if a growth spurt happens no stretching is neccessary, the body has physiological mechanisms to adapt to that!!
my believe is that stretching prior to competition is not neccessary as long as a joint can move to the full ROM. Why are you stretching a muscle? its a passive lengthening to increase ROM of a joint. But if ROM is fully there? during exercise the muscle has to contract, concentrically and eccentrically, less isometrically. but with stretching you pulling actin and myosin fillaments apart, so muscle contraction tends to be less effective. and this also affects joint stability. (as long as joint has full ROM)
after exercise as a part of the cool down programm stretching is perfect to release muscle tone, increase blood flow, relax etc. I know i might anger some people with this believe, because stretching is a broad field of discussion. my experience as a semi-pro athlete is that i never had any muscular injuries in last 10 years and i never stretch prior to competition, but i cool down adequatly and do my stretches after exercise. however i think every physio should discuss that with his/her athletes and then decide whats best for them. but i still say: kids dont need to stretch as long as joint has full ROM. have fun when you think about that!!
Cheers

[alophysio]

Hi,

I would on the whole agree eexcept that many postural problems develop during adolescence. People who complain of chronic LBP often have their first episode in their teenage years - i think Peter O'Sullivan told me that but I don't remember a reference...

My point is that yes often people overcome the growth spurt tightness but in that time, what postural habits are forming? And it doesn't always have to be about short muscles. Girls that develop breasts earlier than their peers will round their shoulders to hide it. Often this posture carries over into adulthood, etc etc.

For what it is worth, I too don't stretch before exercise but i do get quite warm first. It really depends on what you are doing. For golf, i prefer to be not to be stretched at all because i lose "feel" and for squash, i prefer to be sweating before i can play at a hard level.

I think stretching for children is ok so long as it is done correctly and not over stretching. It might form a good habit for them later in life!