Are you or any of your family members interested in becoming a gymnast? Maybe you were inspired by a stout young woman swinging back and forth on uneven bars. Maybe you were awe-struck by a young man with bulging muscles defying gravity on some gymnastic rings. Or maybe you witnessed a powerful yet graceful gymnast dashing across the floor into a show-stopping double forward flip. Gymnastics is an incredibly technical activity that requires plenty of practice. Safeguard your body from potential injury with a large rubber mat. Rubber mats are an important supplementary flooring product to cushy tumbling mats generally used in gymnastic applications. It is not sensible to cover a gymnasium floor with foam or gymnastic mats. Therefore, thick rubber flooring which is less expensive and far more durable is used instead.
Considering the types of movements gymnasts perform, injury seems inevitable. Abdomens contort and twist in inhuman ways. Feet fly to the sky multiple times. One lapse of concentration may lead to an injury that could be debilitating or even fatal. An article in the journal Pediatrics reveals statistics saying that there were more than 25,000 gymnastic injuries each year in the United States since 1990. One of the researchers, Lara B. McKenzie of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, concluded that “gymnastics has one of the highest injury rates of all sports” (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/health/research/22haza.html).
Practicing on thick rubber flooring can reduce the chances of substantial injury. Here are two features of an unassuming large rubber mat that protects gymnasts’ bodies:
Impact-absorbent: One of the most common injuries in gymnastics is the stress fracture. Stress fractures occur when there is repeated impact on hard, unforgiving surface. Such hard surfaces also induce general body soreness in the joints, bones and muscles since impactful forces and stresses are rebounded into the body.
Rubber is inherently impact-absorbent and protective, dispersing the shock throughout its volume. Thick rubber flooring acts similar to a spring and can be beneficial to the bodies of gymnasts.
Grip and Foothold: Another common injury in gymnastics—not to mention many other sports—is the sprain. Sprains occur when the ligaments surrounding a joint are stretched and torn. Wrists and ankles are the most common joints affected by such an injury.
You are already probably aware of rubber’s characteristic grip, which is utilized on many things including car tires and the soles of shoes. This same grip characteristic can help gymnasts maintain their foothold on the ground instead of losing their footing and possibly overextending their wrists or ankles. More traction means more control, and more control reduces the risk of frustrating injuries like sprains.
A large rubber mat may be just what the doctor ordered for amateur and professional gymnasts alike. The mat’s shock-absorbent and grip qualities not only reduce the likelihood of injury but also lessen the severity of potential injuries. Opting for thick rubber flooring is a worthwhile investment that is easy to clean and maintain and will last through any amount of handsprings, flips and cartwheels performed on it.