Pole Vault is one of the most complex track and field events (as a pole-vaulter I may be bias 🙂). Despite talented athletes such as Molly Caudery and Mondo Duplantis making the sport look effortless and graceful, the nature of such a complex sport requires high mental and physical demands. Such demands place an extreme physical demand on these athletes’ bodies, regardless of the level of the athlete, often resulting in an array of musculoskeletal injuries.
So, let’s explore the nature of pole vaulting and how as an Osteopath, tailored manual treatment and targeted rehabilitation programmes can support recovery and optimise performances of pole-vaulters.
- What is pole vault
Pole vault is a unique sport where athletes must be mentally, physically and technically strong, as it combines sprints, plyometrics, physics and gymnastics into one. Not to mention placing complete faith into a carbon-fibre/ fibre-glass pole. This not only requires physical but mental toughness, requiring full concentration, strength and neuromuscular coordination. The phases of pole-valuting can be broken down into 4:
1- The approach
Arguably this can be considered one of the, if not the most important phases of the event. This phase requires the athlete to hold their pole upright and sprint down the track towards the take off zone. The phase is critical in determining the speed and generation of kinetic energy into the pole (the energy that launches the athlete upwards). Poor speed will inevitably result in reduced energy input into the pole and therefore reduced clearing height. However, the approach is also responsible for the entire set up of the vault, including the plant and take-off alongside body positioning. This phase requires strong core stability, explosiveness from the lower extremity and grip strength.
2- Pole Plant
This phase is a close contender as the most important phase within vaulting. In this phase the athlete will plant the pole into the take-off box to transfer the energy generated from the approach into the pole. A properly timed and executed plant involves the athlete planting the pole at the right time, to ensure they have a straight top arm alongside the correct distance between their take off foot and the box. If this phase is poorly executed, it can result in poor energy transference into the pole which can lead to poor or rejected pole bend, impacting the rest of the vault. This phase relies heavily on the upper extremity and core stability to be able to control the plant and maintain an upright position.
3- The Invert
This phase of a vault is when the athlete works in-time with the pole bend to swing their body in an ‘upside down’ position to allow the athlete to take advantage of their maximal vertical position. It is important the athlete times this with the pole recoil as the pole will be able to utilise the energy inputted from the approach to help propel the athlete vertically. This phase also allows the athlete to get in the best position for clearing the bar and landing safely on their back. In this phase the core muscles are critical for initiating the movement, what your upper extremity controls the motion and the lower extremity to help keep the motion fluid.
4- Clearance
This is the phase where the athlete will rotate over the bar at their peak height and land safely on the mat.
- Injuries that can occur from pole vaulting
As you can see the art of pole vaulting generates significant mechanical loads especially across joints, muscles and connective tissues. The high demands often result in rigorous training sessions and repetitive loading through the musculoskeletal system. Common injuries pole vaulters may face include:
- Rotator cuff strains
- Shoulder impingement
- Shoulder labral tears
- Facet joint irritation
- TFCC injuries
- Patella-femoral pain syndrome
- Muscular strains
- What is Osteopathy and how it can help with injuries
Due to Osteopathy being very holistic, hands-on and individualised to each patient, injuries acquired from athletic injuries can be tackled utilising the various techniques Osteopaths have in their tool box. With the aim to restore functional movements, address structural and mechanical imbalances and improve overall body biomechanics, Osteopathy can be a proactive route to get athletes back to full health and well-being. Techniques an Osteopath may use include:
- Soft Tissue Techniques
- Muscular Energy Techniques
- Neuromuscular Techniques
- Joint Mobilisation
- Joint manipulation
- Exercise Prescription
The art of pole vaulting challenges the body in unique ways and with such demands can come injury risk. Combining a range of techniques and exercise prescription provides a unique lens to support biomechanical and functional health of such athletes, alongside reducing injury risk and enhancing athletic performance, regardless of the stage of the athletes journey into vaulting.
