Research Corner - Q&A Missing Leg and Stretching by Matthew Blair Davis | Date Released : 19 Sep 2006 0 comments Print Close Question: I have a client who is missing his lower limb. He has a knee but only two centimeters of leg below; therefore, he finds a traditional quad stretch impossible without his prosthetic popping off! Can you give me any ideas? We have tried having him lie on floor face down with me helping him bend at the knee, but this does not work. Answer: Great question! There are a number of ways to stretch the quadriceps without much knee involvement. You tried the traditional stretch in a standing position and the lying prone position, both of which involve more knee flexion to get a quadriceps stretch. When working with a client who is missing an extremity at the knee or just below, you will have to use a method of hip extension in place of extreme knee flexion to stretch that group. Only one of the four quadriceps muscles will get a good stretch in this manner, but it’s better than none at all. With two centimeters of leg below the knee, there really isn’t much to work with to provide the adequate knee flexion to get a great stretch from the quadriceps femoris tendon. The vastus medialis and vastus intermedius both originate on the femoral shaft and the vastus lateralis originates at the greater trochanter and upper half of the femur. Thankfully, to solve your problem, the rectus femoris originates at the hip bone. It actually has two origins: one is the straight head at the anterior inferior iliac spine and the other is the reflected head at the upper surface of the acetabulum. The tendons from both heads come together to form the muscle. Essentially, a hip flexor stretch is also a stretch for the rectus femoris. A great rectus femoris stretch for a client with a prosthetic limb is to have him lie on his side on the floor or stretch table. Have him rest his head on his arm and bend his lower leg. Your client should hold his bottom leg with his other arm at the knee. You will rest your knee against the client’s low back to prevent lumbar extension. With abdominals braced, cue him to flex his glute max to create hip extension. If your client has the capability, once maximum hip extension is attained, cue him to flex his hamstrings through whatever knee flexion he can manage to create an active-isolated quadriceps stretch. Help your client keep the prosthetic leg in alignment, if necessary. Good luck! Back to top About the author: Matthew Blair Davis Matthew Blair Davis is the President of Functional Revolution Fitness, Inc., located in the Washington DC area. He is also a Featured Strength Coach for Off-IceStrength.com, a web site devoted to the off-ice strength and conditioning of figure skaters. Matt specializes in the training of elite level figure skaters, corrective exercise techniques, Olympic lifting and hard style kettlebell training. Matt has a BS and MS from Florida State University, and he became an IDEA Master Level Trainer in 2004. Matt is an NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, USA Weightlifting Sport Performance Coach, NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist, NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist, NASM Certified Personal Trainer and ACSM Health/Fitness Specialist. He also completed the three-day Russian Kettlebell Challenge in Minnesota, where he was trained by Pavel. Matt is a member of the NSCA's Figure Skating Special Interest Group. Matt has been an award winning Fitness Director for Sport & Health Clubs in Northern Virginia (2002) and Regional Director of Personal Training for Gold's Gym in Northern Virginia (2003-2005). He has been a special guest trainer for the Washington Post and authored the "Train Reaction" fitness Q&A column for the Washington Post Express from April 2006 to June 2007. Matt works with figure skaters at the Fairfax Ice Arena in Fairfax, Virginia and the Cabin John Ice Rink in Rockville, Maryland. He is also a National Off-Ice Training Presenter for Audrey Weisiger's seminar program, Grassroots To Champions. Matt is the off-ice strength coach of senior level skater Tommy Steenberg, a USA National competitor. Full Author Details Related content Content from Matthew Blair Davis Multiple Amputee Drusilla Leitch | Articles Email Training for Disabled Client Joshua Rubin | Articles Wheelchair Client Lenny Parracino | Articles Client with No Legs Lenny Parracino | Articles Leg Amputation Client Noah Hittner | Articles Disabled Fitness Training Lisa Ericson | Articles Wheelchair and Cardio Lenny Parracino | Articles Teen Ballet Dancer Matthew Blair Davis | Articles Figure Skating Functional Anatomy Matthew Blair Davis | Articles Problem Clients Matthew Blair Davis | Articles Teen Gymnast Matthew Blair Davis | Articles Figure Skater Training Program Matthew Blair Davis | Articles Missing Leg and Stretching Matthew Blair Davis | Articles Please login to leave a comment Comments (0) Back to top