Warming the Bench Hurts

From:Internet   Author:Admin   Time:2007-04-19   Font: [big center small]  

July 16, 2002 -- Athletes have long been encouraged to warm up before a game. But what about those who then head to the bench? They may unknowingly be hurting their spines, says a group of Canadian researchers.

"We wanted to find out whether athletes who sit on the bench for a prolonged period after such exercise and stretching -- especially a low bench without back support -- negate any measurable benefits and even increase risk of injury," says Stuart M. McGill, PhD, a kinesiology researcher at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, in a news release.

In fact, their study showed that bench time did result in more stiffness.

Nine healthy male varsity-level volleyball players participated in the study. Before 36 games, each was measured for stiffness before and after their typical 30-minute workout. They also were measured for stiffness every five minutes while they sat on a standard team bench for 30 minutes -- and again at the end of the bench rest.

Benchwarmers did have increased lumbar spine stiffness after the warm-ups, says Green.

The results suggest that this regimen is not in the players' best interest -- that it does nothing to reduce the risk of back injury or increase optimal performance, he says.

Although his study involved male volleyball players, the results may apply to other team sports like basketball, field hockey, soccer, and ice hockey, where players sit on a team bench before playing.

Also, Green notes that the type of bench and height of the athlete may be contributing factors and suggests that athletes sit in chairs.

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