WAG Asymmetry in the leg muscles

[munchkin3]

This is more out of curiosity after I did some research about gymnasts commonly having one leg stronger, bigger or more dominant than the other. Apparently it is common (?) and the constant loading or one leg may actually make those muscles bigger.....
Get a measuring tape and measure the circumference of the calf and the thighs (at the widest point) on both legs and see if there is a difference. (Only if you want to)

My DD's left leg is bigger than the right, and she is a righty, but takes off with her left.

 

[kitkat]

Alex rolled an ankle when she was around age 8/9 doing a switch split on the floor... never thought much of it and fast forward to when she turned 10 her coach said to me that there was something wrong with one of her legs.
She thought maybe one leg was longer then the other and asked me to take her to physio to check it out. Apparently her tumbling was off. (We had just switched gyms at this point so it was a new coach)
Sure enough - physio said that her one leg was stronger then the other and they thought that maybe she had favoured the one that she rolled for too long... After several months of physio and exercises the other leg caught up...

I have never actually measured the two legs - they could just tell by the way she was tumbling... who would have thought.

This is more out of curiosity after I did some research about gymnasts commonly having one leg stronger, bigger or more dominant than the other. Apparently it is common (?) and the constant loading or one leg may actually make those muscles bigger.....
Get a measuring tape and measure the circumference of the calf and the thighs (at the widest point) on both legs and see if there is a difference. (Only if you want to)

My DD's left leg is bigger than the right, and she is a righty, but takes off with her left.

 

[kayjaybe]

I haven't measured dd's legs, but when she was having trouble with her knee, they did strength tests on both legs and one was stronger than the other....but I don't remember which one.

 

[gymgal]

dd is currently in Physical therapy after a leg injury. The PT measures her leg circumferences periodically and wants them to be even.

 

[thefellowsmom]

Dds Chiro noticed that one side of her back was significantly stronger than the other, which was throwing off her alignment. He had her do some one sided back weighted exercises to balance things out. She said she notices the change most on vault. Stronger and more even. Not going off to the side as much, entry stronger etc.

He said it is very common for gymnasts to be lopsided like this. Much of what they do is one sided, they are a lefty or a righty. I can't remember how that corresponded with the weak side. I will have to ask her.

Will have to measure her legs now...

 

[wrzos]

I just caught your comment in the injury thread and replied there. But in a nutshell, my dd's uneven calves were the result of an old injury that she was compensating for. Not to say she isn't still lopsided, but this was a HUGE difference and causing cramping and leg soreness over time. Now, after PT, she is just "normally" lopsided rather than excessive.

 

[munchkin3]

Thanks for replying! Interesting stuff.....i never though about this issue and assumed that gymnasts are pretty symmetrical.
My DD has never been 'injured' but I suppose the Severs could be having some effects on her tumbling and running over the last 6 months and as a result is favoring one side.
The bottom line is flexibility.....once again.
She is doing lots of stretching as per the doctors instructions but I am also having her stretch her hamstrings and legs entirely. This is one area where our gym is lacking, Flexibility....
PT starts today and Im curious to see how they handle the exercise part of the weaker leg.
I really do THANK GOD we are at this point, with a relatively small issue (severs) and have found all these deficiencies and imbalances BEFORE a bigger injury.
This is the stuff that can lead to much bigger problems so, maybe I should thank Severs then??