Improve Table Tennis Performance with Chiropractic
What you need to know
Lower Limb Biomechanics during the Topspin Forehand in Table Tennis
Lower Limb Biomechanics during the Topspin Forehand in Table Tennis Topspin forehand is known as one of the most basic and aggressive strokes in table tennis. Especially for an elite offensive player, excellent forehand topspin skill is necessary to maintain a strong attacking posture The lower limb biomechanics of cross-step, chasse step, and one-step footwork seem to have received more attention and research. The chasse step footwork is a side movement that could combine with racket movement to perform offensive and defensive strokes in table tennis . Comparing the long-distance chasse step footwork with the short-distance chasse step footwork, the ankle joint ROM and angular velocity in the coronal and transverse planes of the long-distance chasse step footwork were significantly faster than the short-distance chasse step footwork during the topspin forehand . The maximal knee flexion and ankle inversion angular velocity of the cross-step footwork were significantly greater than the chasse step footwork during the topspin forehand . The joint angles and ROM of the hip, knee, and ankle joints of the one-step footwork were significantly smaller than those of the cross-step and chasse step footwork . In the foreword phase, hip angular velocity and ROM in the male athlete were significantly greater than the female athletes . Compared with IP, the AP showed significantly greater flexion velocity in the hip and knee during cross-step footwork, as well as significant hip and knee moment during a fast topspin forehand using the cross-step footwork Differences in performance levels also led to differences in plantar mechanics, with AP exhibiting higher peak pressures in the medial-lateral forefoot region and the medial-lateral rearfoot region when performing chasse step footwork The peak velocity of pelvic axial rotation and the work carried out by the pelvic axial rotation torque on the playing side has a positive correlation with the horizontal velocity of the racket at impact during the topspin forehand So if your unsure how your posture is , why not book in for a posture scan assessment and ROM assessment at Health Wise Chiropractic Today!
Common Injury types in Table Tennis
The most prevalent type of injury was tendinopathy (38.2%) followed by benign muscle injuries (17.1%) and sprain lesions (10.9%). Most Common diagnosis in Table Tennis are: Rotator Cuff Syndrome Ankle Injuries
Shoulder Movement with Implications for Shoulder Injury in Table Tennis
Table tennis as a racket sport is composed of diverse attacking and defensive stroke techniques that demand high muscular strength, movement flexibility, and body coordination. To reach a competitive level, the dynamic exchange of intricate strokes and versatile tactics is necessary to achieve high spins and high velocities of the bal The long-duration practice and repetitive stress along with the intensive loading sequences create asymmetrical muscle work, leading to overload at particular joints eventually causing injury and deformations. A retrospective study showed that one-fifth of table tennis players suffered from shoulder injuries, research into shoulder injuries in table tennis shows us that 20% of injuries were located at the shoulder, followed by 15% in the hip, 13% in the ankle, and 11% in the wrist The shoulder joint is the principal contributor to energy transfer in table tennis players . From the motor function analysis, the shoulder is the most flexible joint in the human body, which provides anatomical stability allowing for a wide range of motion (ROM) in different directions. However, this kind of biomechanical characteristic causes a fragile equilibrium between stability and mobility, particularly in table tennis players, who require a high level of muscle activity around the shoulder joint to produce as much strength and force as possible to impact the ball. If the scapula fails to conduct its stabilization role, this may lead to a decreased level of performance but also result in shoulder injury Specifically, scapula impingement syndrome is commonly found in table tennis players, which may be caused by the high loading in the glenohumeral and scapulothoracic joint during table tennis movements. impingement syndrome is also common in racket players, which is identified as the abnormal impingement and continual compressive force in the glenohumeral joint The lower level of activity in the serratus anterior muscle contributes to an abnormal movement of the scapula, which is the main factor for developing impingement syndrome Rotator cuff problems may also be a problem as the limitation of normal posterior inclination and upward rotation of the scapula may lead to more impingement on the rotator cuff tendons The good news? Health Wise Chiropractic is ready to help with our online health program for shoulder impingement . We also offer Table Tennis players a comprehensive spinal and muscle hygiene examination to see if we can help prevent and treat table tennis injuries
Risk factors for injuries in table tennis
Poor anaerobic or aerobic capacity is of concern for the unconditioned, inexperienced competitor and, therefore, less technical skill and a lower physiological profile may be related to an increased risk of injury. Thus, prolonged periods of Table tennis training each week and/or overtraining might increase such a risk
Who gets injured in table tennis
Studies have actually shown a high injury rate for table tennis players, with 50.7% of participants experienced at least one sports-related injury over the past 6 months. Although the majority of injury cases was mild, there were still 33.8% of injured athletes who needed to pause training. Nonprofessional athletes are less prepared for the stroke, which increases the likelihood of making decisive last-minute actions, causing compensatory over-dynamic motions of the upper extremity based on the unstable posture of the trunk and lower extremity Further research showed nonprofessional players often have a significantly larger ankle internal rotation, increasing the risk for an ankle sprain, which may explain the comparatively higher injury rate of the ankle among nonprofessional players.
How Chiropractors can help table tennis players
Table Tennis implies the adoption of a particular posture, namely flexed/semi-flexed knee and asymmetrically rotated trunk . Researchers have found that TT players exhibited a kyphotic body posture, and they observed a statistically significant correlation between training experience in years and the amount of asymmetry of the inclination angle of the shoulder line Due to rotational torques applied at the level of the knee joint, table tennis players may be predisposed to osteoarthritis of the knee. The most prevalent type of injury was tendinopathy (38.2%) followed by benign muscle injuries (17.1%) and sprain lesions (10.9%). Our chiropractic team is ready to assess your muscle and spinal hygiene to make sure your posture is able to take the load of the table tennis game and your muscles are ready and healthy to keep playing, whether it be for fun or professional.
