Study:A MOUTHGUARD TO IMPROVE ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
Read and Watch
How Our Mouthguard
Could Improve Your Performance
By Changing Your
Skeletal and Muscle Physiology as well as Your Airway Dymnamic
For a Softball or Baseball Player
If you have improved:
Strength, Balance, Flexiblity
as a result of:
Better Vertebral Alignment
Better Muscle Recruitment
Better Muscle Contraction
Better Grip Strength
Better Body Symmtrey
Better Core Balance
Better Foot to Ground Platform
Better Flexiblity
Better Range of Motion
Better Jumping Ability
Enhance Oxygen Flow By An Increased Airway Space
It can give you that competitive edge to be a better athlete!
What can it mean for a Softball/Baseball player?
Playing
at your optimal
"Fixed Jaw Position"
Can improve
Hitting, Running,
Throwing, Pitching
Better Grip Mechanics
Better Swing Mechanics
Better Stance Mechanics
Better Hand-Eye-Bat-Ball
Coordination
Hit Ball Harder
Increase Pitch Velocity
Continue to Read Below!
Can Mouthguards Impact Athletic Performance?
What these videos below show is that:
1. The mouthguard as the only variable in the exercises is all that alters the athlete's ability to facilitate better these exercises.
2. The mouthguard as the only variable in the exercises is all that is changing the skeletal and muscular physiology of the athlete.
- Proceed to watch the videos below:
How important is Skeletal Alignment as it affects the Muscle Physiology of an athlete?
WATCH BELOW and SEE WHY it can be important.
A Mouthguard Is the Only Variable In Changing His Skeletal and Muscle Physiology!
How Important is Balance to an Athlete?
How Important Is Strength To An Athlete?
Is A Stronger Athlete Better Than A Weaker Athlete?
We believe if we can change for the athlete a better Crania-Mandibular-Cervical relationship as it relates posterior rotation of the cranium with its resultant FHP (Forward Head Posture), rounded shoulders, body asymmetry, lack of a reproducible maxilla-mandibular organic midline, Improper TMJ position all resultant from that posterior rotation of the cranium then and only then can we:
Improve their Vertebral Alignment
which in turn makes the athlete
Stronger as a result of a better Muscle Contraction and Grip Strength.
Also open the athlete's airway throughout the game to improve Stamina and Endurance.
As well as better Flexibilty, Balance and Range of Motion.
READ ON:
It takes months of preparation to prime an athlete for competition. It involves attitude, perserverance, rigorous training, practice time, nutrition and hydration regime, strength and conditioning, physical therapy especially as it relates to posture, balance, the influence of the muscle patterning and kinetematic body movement necessary for your sport. Your head coach and assistant coaches expertise, understanding what it takes to win and the studying of your opponent's strategies and how they might execute their game plan against you. The role of your certified athletic trainer with respect to preventive services, clinical evaluation of
diagnosis, immediate treatment care, rehabilitation, recovery and reconditioning. "It truly takes a village" to get a team ready to compete.
You are now in your best shape for game-time execution to succeed.
Still with that said - Can it be improved upon?
Our goal is to improve upon what your coaches, athletic trainers and fitness personel have prepared you for your first game.
Most games are won or lost in the last 5-10 minutes of the last half, 5-10 minutes of the final period or the last 3 innings of the game.
If you are in better strength and conditioning shape than your opponents during this critical time period of the game to be "stronger" at the end, so by adding to your already full "TOOLBOX", a new mouthguard to better your physiological state may help put you in a better position to execute with the game on the line.
We know the goal is:
"First" to play to your potential and do your best to be focused and then you will have a successful season. "Second" to make the Districts.
"Third" to win a Central Mass Title.
It all starts months before the season even begins. We know it takes a team approach that "village". But should mouthguards even be part of that role, even in sports where they are not mandatory.
We utilize MORA Theory in the Form of a Type IV Mouthguard taking into consideration:
Your Age: It works best we find if you are at least 16 1/2 years old
Dental Occlusion
TMJ
Body Asymmetry
Cranio-Mandibular-Cervical Relationship as it relates to Posterior Rotation of the Cranium with its resultant
Forward Head Posture
We have found in our preliminary projects which involved Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse and Softball that we undertook with high school players to evaluate about our mouthguard that:
1. Most replied there was a 1-3% improvement in play. Some replied there was a 3-5% improvment in play.
No one said it had a negative effect.
2. Athletes felt that it was just part of their uniform/equipment after 1-3 practices/games.
3. Athletes reported overwhelming COMPLIANCE
A common response to our COMPLIANCE is "this is the first mouthguard I ever wanted to wear, not had to wear!"
4. The most general recurrent comments related to it being "easier to breathe."
Read more comments "What athletes have written"
5. We have found Growth and Development played a significant role in our results.
6. We also found that the high school athlete who was more serious in intensity, attitude and focus driven about preparing for their sport, putting the time in, strength and conditioning etc. (such as our
NCAA Division I - II - III recruited athletes) tested best.
7. Athletes although not recruited but intensely dedicated to putting the time in to prepare themselves for their sports season definitely tested better in our office.
8. Watching the many games during these projects that I've been involved with I can say without a doubt that there are so many factors that go into winning games to make it to the Districts or Championship that mouthguards do not win or lose games, all they do is give you with all thing being equal a competitive edge because you are wearing a better mouthguard.
9. I can tell you and this only happens after winning a title or championship. I am only at such games if by circumstances that enough key players from the same team are wearing our mouthguard. There are always a bunch of parents from the team that will come up to me after the game ( only if it is a win) and say to me, "Doc those mouthguards of your really do work". My reply is always the same "mouthguards don't win or lose games they only give you a better competitive edge over your opponents wearing someone elses mouthguards".
10. We are cognizant that published research validates that mouth devices do not enhance athletic performance or strength but don't impede performance either.
Click here to view: Dr. Portnoy's Patient Videos
What these videos below show is that:
1. The mouthguard as the only variable in the exercises is all that alters the athlete's ability to facilitate better these exercises.
2. The mouthguard as the only variable in the exercises is all that is changing the skeletal and muscular physiology of the athlete.
3. If you are an athlete currently not wearing a Mouthguard or wearing a "Store Bought Boil/Bite Mouthguard" or an "Internet Purchased Mouthguard" (where you take a mold of your upper teeth at home) and it does not allow you to reproduce simple changes you see in strength, breathing, flexibilty and balance, then you should at least reconsider getting a new mouthguard/mouthpiece. You may need a new "TOOL" for your "TOOLBOX".
Proceed to watch the videos below:
Procedure For Mouthguard:
1. If you are under 18 yo you must be accompanied by a parent.
2. You must fill out a Health History.
3. Be pre-tested to see if you are a good candidate for mouthguard.
4. Oral examination followed by dental impression of your teeth.
5. Return within one week
6. Fitted with mouthguard
7. Testing criteria with or without your current Boil/Bite mouthguards
8. Leave with mouthguard.
9. Fill out questionaire comparing subjectively any perceived differences in hitting, pitching,running, playing with and without the Mouthguard.
10. There is no cost for participants.
We prefer athletes bring their current mouthguards so that we can pre-test and post-test to see if our device works better. We believe it makes no sense to use
Let me address the following points before we continue:
1. To date, no published independent study has verified the positive effect of mouthguards and performance. However they have also shown to not have any negative effect on human performance.
2. The ASD ( Academy for Sports Dentistry ) Position Statement on use of Mouthguards and other Oral Appliances for Performance of Enhancement and Strength.
a. The Academy for Sports Dentistry (ASD) has not yet (2011) identified any sound, independently peer-reviewed, published scientific research which either supports or refutes the wearing of any type of mouthguard or oral appliance for athletic performance and strength enhancement. The Academy for Sports Dentistry supports continued validated scientific research on the issue of performance enhancement.
Approved by the Academy for Sports Dentistry Board of DIrectors 1/27/2011
Finally
Let me address store bought Boil/Bite Mouthguards and our Custom-Fit Pressure Laminated Mouthguards next:
1. Boil/Bite Mouthguards as you see at the games you attend, your athletes are "struggling" to keep them in their mouths.
2. Most everybody involved "in" and "playing" high school sports has an "aversion" to the "contraption" we call a mouthguard. However it is mandatory in Football, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey and Lacrosse.\
3. The athletes, at least I have worked with, have told me as follows. "You struggle to keep it in your mouth", "when you can't keep it in you fish hook it", "you try cutting the backs off"," you chew on it", "you can't wait to spit it out after play has stopped", "you can't hydrate with it in", "you can't talk with it", "you can't breathe properly with it".
It is the "inability to breathe properly" as a result of an "ill-fitting" mouthguard that will "hasten fatigue" especially as your athlete logs more playing minutes during a game.
A. I'd like to add that Boil/Bite mouthguards that I've seen recently are getting better. The key to a good mouthguard is one that fits properly and doesn't dislodge upon impact. If your boil/bite mouthguard is working this way for you then a custom mouthguard is optional from my perspective.
