Topic: Dislocations at the Worlds

[Walter Bailey]

Has anybody else noticed the amount of dislocations at the competition?  So far I have counted four (CHN, GRE, RUS, THA); I realize that it is part of the sport, but four in such a short time seems kind of more than normal.  Does anybody have any ideas to why?  Are lifters simply pushing themselves more than usual because this is such an important world championships, or do you think that there is another factor, such as the bar being used?  Just curious

Walter

[Shaun Le Conte]

I haven't seen any video of the lifting so I will have to restrain from making any real comment but I would start by noticing any similarities between the lifters that have had dislocations

I believe the chance of dislocation is related to at least a few factors
- grip width
- forward inclination of the torso (to be able to get even lower)
- rearward momentum of the bar

[Shaun Le Conte]

I see Peter Tanev (Nader) made a snatch but no attempts in the clean & jerk. I wonder if he dislocated his elbow as well, unless he just realized he wasn't going to place in the top 3 and get a guaranteed Olympic spot.

[Matt Foreman]

It was the same situation at the 2003 Worlds in Vancouver.  There were several elbow dislocations at that championship.  That was a pre-Olympic year, as this one is.  I think lifters are just loading massive weights on the bar in an attempt to get Olympic spots.  Many of them are probably jumping under weights that are really pushing the limits of what their bodies are able to support. 

And I know I harp on drug use a lot, but it's a factor.  If you build up a muscle strong enough to rip 450 pounds overhead, and the tendons attaching that muscle to the bone are only capable of supporting 425 pounds, there's a good chance that something's going to pop.  Although dislocations certainly don't mean a lifter is taking drugs.  There are plenty of clean lifters who have dislocated joints as well, for a variety of reasons.

[Matt Erdman]

I haven't seen any video of the lifting so I will have to restrain from making any real comment but I would start by noticing any similarities between the lifters that have had dislocations

I believe the chance of dislocation is related to at least a few factors
- grip width
- forward inclination of the torso (to be able to get even lower)
- rearward momentum of the bar

I only saw the Russian lifter. He had an incredible torso lean. Even on the one he made.

[dominguezal]

I'm going to make an outrageous theory about this issue. Every forum has to have at least one. I think a lot of these lifters have stopped taking performance enhancing drugs and the use is starting to catch up to them and have become a lot more susceptible to injury.

Bejing Olympics should be pretty interesting because they will start using an HGH test drawn by blood to root out the dopers.

[Jack Dluzen]

IF THAT TYPE OF TESTING IS  DONE IT WILL BE VERY  INTERESTING