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Is the twisties a mental illness?
On Tuesday, while interacting with journalists, Simone Biles opened up about her condition saying she was 'having a little bit of the twisties', which is a mental health condition that specifically affects gymnasts.
One may also ask: what is the condition the twisties?
'Twisties' is described as a mental block by gymnasts, which causes them to lose spatial awareness while performing, thereby losing control of their body. There is a disconnect between the body and mind in this condition and leads to disorientation.
Are the twisties like vertigo? But her reference to the twisties sparked a surge on social media as gymnasts past and present, elite and amateur, spoke of their own brushes with the phenomenon. Like a blurring vertigo, said some. Or a mid-air mental block. A terrifying total loss of what they call air sense.
One may also ask: how long does it take to recover from twisties?
"There is no harm in taking a break. This break could be of five hours, five days, or five months. You can recover from it in two sessions also, you can recover from it in two months also. It is like that.
In respect to this, why do gymnasts get mental blocks? Fear and being scared is a stressful and anxious emotion that ignites our blocks. Most gymnasts explain the fear they have with blocks as "I am scared but not scared of the skill". We usually assume that if an athlete is blocking it is because they are doing a really hard and complicated skill that scares them.
Accordingly, how do gymnasts overcome the twisties?
How do gymnasts cope with 'the twisties? ' Oftentimes, gymnasts start by relearning basic skills, sometimes near a foam pit if applicable for safety, to make themselves more comfortable with their muscle memory. Swiss gymnast Giulia Steingruber described her experience coping with "the twisties" in 2014.
Correspondingly, is there a physical cause for the twisties? As far as physical causes of the twisties, there's focal dystonia. Shapiro describes this as "a neurological condition involving involuntary muscle spasms, which could result from overuse of the muscles." Or, oftentimes, the twisties can happen "out of the blue," Shapiro says.
Subsequently, do male gymnasts get the twisties?
Any gymnast at any point can get the twisties. The worst part is that it is sudden and unexplainable. A gymnast may or may not overcome them, but usually it requires a break from whatever skill or event is causing the issue.
Moreover, can twisties be cured? Gymnasts agree that the only cure for twisties is time and going back to basics - physically and emotionally. That might mean doing simple moves that enable muscle memory to kick back in, or going through coaching to help trust their bodies again.
How do gymnasts not get dizzy?
Professional athletes employ a variety of other strategies to prevent dizziness, including maintaining a uniform speed. The sensors in our vestibular system can detect only changes in speed, so they fail to sense rotation that takes place at a steady pace.
