Mobility Deficits of UFC fighters – Cervical Spine
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The violent nature of MMA it is not surprising that @ufc fighters would have multiple chronic injuries, inadequate joint health and suboptimal mobility.
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@ufcpi started to perform orthopedic assessments on fighters and discovered a few areas of common mobility deficits among UFC athletes when compared to non-combat elite athletes.
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Key areas to address: Average range of motion in degrees for UFC fighters (ROM range) compared to average range of motion in degrees for other elite athletes
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Cervical spine:
Flexion: 43.6 (15-68) vs. >45
Extension: 54 (20-86) vs. >55
Rotation: 68.3 (40.5-99) vs. >70
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Possible explanations for suboptimal mobility and joint health (Personal opinion, no research to support).
1️⃣Chronic injuries
2️⃣Joint Microtrauma
3️⃣Insufficient use of the range of motion.
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Cervical spine: Grapplers have an extreme amount of microtrauma to their neck from takedowns and chokeholds. It is not surprising that the accumulation of stress would eventually take its toil on the overall health of the cervical spine.
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What can you do to improve cervical motion and neck joint health?
1️⃣Controlled articular rotations: full pain-free movements in all directions: flexion, rotation, lateral flexion and extension.
2️⃣Capsular controlled articular rotations: When you find one specific segment does not move you can do more focused motion. Laterally flex away at that segment. Combine flexion/ rotation at that segment. Ultimate goal is for each of the lower cervical segments (C3-7) to have symmetrical movement.
❌Do not rotate through pain. Move in pain-free motions and see a healthcare professional to assess and treat your neck.
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Want to learn more about this topic? The director of Physical Therapy for the UFC @heatherlinden will be doing a lecture on assessments and trends of UFC fighters for the @thegrapplingathlete ONLINE symposium. I will be doing a lecture on JOINT training to teach grappling athletes how to train their joints.
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Link in BIO for how to sign up.
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Reference:
A Cross-Sectional Performance Analysis and Projection of the UFC Athlete: UFC Performance Institute. Volume One