FUNCTIONAL REHABILITATION Jeff G.

Konin, MEd, ATC, MPT, Column Editor

Facilitating the Serape Effect

To Enhance Extremity Force Production
Jeff G. Konin, MEd, ATC, MPT; Nicole Beil, ATS; and Greg Werner, MS, CSCS,
ACSM-HFI • James Madison University

O VERUSE INJURIES SUCH as muscle strains

are considered common pathologies pri-
marily in athletes who participate in extrem-
ity-dominated sports. When athletes are withheld from
be stored as potential energy and then transferred
into kinetic energy for force production in the extremi-
ties.1 Each of these muscles has an attachment that
spans across multiple levels of the trunk. These at-
participation because of overuse injuries of the upper tachments are angled in such a way that a shortening
or lower extremity, much of the rehabilitation process of the muscle fibers via an active contraction results
focuses on injury repair, local muscle strengthening, and in rotational movement of the trunk. Each of these
related conditioning so that the athlete can return to muscles is anatomically bilateral in nature; thus a
competition with minimal chance of reinjury. Oftentimes, sagittal-plane exercise would actually initiate a con-
however, extremity-muscle weakness can result from an traction of both the left- and right-side muscle. To take
inability to transfer forces generated at the trunk to the advantage of the rotational component from both a
extremity itself, and not addressing the role of trunk flex- strengthening and a flexibility perspective, unilateral
ibility and strength can contribute to chronic injuries. functional activities must be performed and empha-
The process of using force generated in the trunk and sized in a coordinated manner such that when one
transferring it to the extremities is referred to as the se- side is contracting and shortening its fibers, the con-
rape effect. tralateral muscle is elongating its fibers. This most
Injuries to the extremities are often treated symp- closely mimics functional activities that can benefit
tomatically, with little attention paid to the
core components of the body. Having defi-
cits in core strength and flexibility in ad-
dition to extremity pathology reduces the
likelihood of symptom-free return to ac-
tivity and competition. Furthermore, ath-
letes who do return to activity symptom
free might eventually develop recurring
pathology if the underlying cause of the
extremity injury was a result of trunk-
muscle weakness or lack of flexibility.
The main functional movements that
one should concentrate on when attempt-
ing to strengthen the body’s core muscu-
lature are rotational components (see
Figures 1 to 5). Muscles such as the inter-
nal and external obliques, latissimus dorsi,
and serratus anterior and posterior work Figure 1 Trunk rotation to the right for upper extremity energy transfer using
together to establish core strength that can a physioball and jump-stretch elastic band.

© 2003 Human Kinetics • ATT 8(2), pp. 54-56

54 ❚ MARCH 2003 ATHLETIC THERAPY TODAY

 from the advantages of incorporat-
ing the serape effect into one’s per-
formance.
It is not unusual for these trunk
muscles to be restricted in terms of
their flexibility and therefore their
ultimate ability to produce force. It
is believed that muscles are able to
produce maximal amounts of force
when they are in a position of ap-
proximately 110–120% of their rest-
ing length. 2 Oftentimes, trunk
rotational muscles can be inherently
limited in range of motion as a re-
Figure 2 Trunk rotation to the right for lower extremity energy transfer using a sult of the thoracic cage and its sta-
Downloaded by York Univ Libraries on 09/19/16, Volume 8, Article Number 2

physioball.
bilizing role in protecting the trunk.
Using core strength to assist
with extremity muscle-force produc-
tion can also serve to compensate
for underlying extremity-muscle
weaknesses. Thus, the serape effect
should be used not only as a reha-
bilitative tool but also as part of an
athlete’s basic strength and condi-
tioning program. Benefits of such a
program are not only seen with
throwing athletes; results are
equally visible with those who per-
form kicking motions, such as soc-
cer players. Furthermore, athletes
Figure 3 Stretch into right trunk rotation to increase flexibility.

Figure 4 Incorporating trunk-rotation strengthening activities Figure 5 Trunk rotation using a medicine-ball pass to a
into functional performance (upper and lower) using jump-stretch partner.
elastic bands.

ATHLETIC THERAPY TODAY MARCH 2003 ❚ 55

 such as swimmers can benefit from the transfer of
energy into both the upper and lower extremities dur-
ing most strokes.3
To maximize the ability of trunk rotation, maxi-
mal rotational flexibility must be established. This pro-
vides for a “winding up” of the trunk. When an athlete
is able to achieve a greater rotational range of motion,
it allows for a longer lever arm for the muscles to use
in producing force. This in turn promotes maximum
benefits for energy transfer. Thus, it is important to
address both the flexibility and the strength of these
trunk rotational muscles in rehabilitation and daily con-
ditioning programs for all athletes, whether they par-
ticipate in an upper- or lower-extremity-dominated
sports. ❚
Downloaded by York Univ Libraries on 09/19/16, Volume 8, Article Number 2
References
1. MacWilliams BA, Choi T, Perezous MK, Chao EYS, McFarland EG.
Characteristic ground-reaction forces in baseball pitching. Am J Sports
Med. 1998;26(1):66-71.
2. Crawford CNC, James NT. The Design of Muscles. Scientific Founda-
tions of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. London, England: William
Heinemann; 1980.
3. Colwin C. The “serape effect”: building the muscles used in swim-
ming. Swimming Tech. 1995;32(3):26-27.
Jeff Konin is an assistant professor of health sciences and the clinical
coordinator of athletic training at James Madison University.
Nicole Beil is a senior athletic training student at James Madison Uni-
versity.
Greg Werner is the director of strength and conditioning and coordina-
tor of the sports performance and technology team at James Madison
University.

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56 ❚ MARCH 2003 ATHLETIC THERAPY TODAY