How to Overcome Sports Injuries

BANGALORE: Next time you are playing football or working out in the gym take extra care not to injure yourself.

Experts say calf muscles, knee, groin, upper back muscles, shoulder and upper arm muscles as well as muscles in the joints and shin are prone to injuries due to strenuous workouts.

Dr Basavaraj S Kyavater, consultant, joint replacement and orthopaedic surgeon at Sagar Hospitals says, "Injuries can happen when one tries to take on too much physical activity too quickly. It is important to understand how to pace it, or one may be at risk of an overuse injury, which could ultimately prevent one from being active."

He says, "Going too fast, exercising for too long or simply doing too much of one type of activity can strain your muscles and lead to an overuse injury. Poor posture while doing a set of strength training exercises can overload certain muscles and cause an overuse injury."

‘Disability cannot be ruled out’

Dr Niranjan N, senior consultant, orthopaedics and sports injuries, HOSMAT Hospital says, "Most injuries are self limiting and heal with rest and treatment. But if there is a complete tear, it may need surgery and in rare cases it may also lead to permanent disability."

Dr Veena Nambiar, consultant physiotherapist in MS Ramaiah Hospital, who has a PhD in physiotherapy says, "Potential dysfunction of injured muscles can lead to chronic pain and disability if not treated properly at the right time. A patient has to be taken to hospital at the right time, operated on if necessary and post that he/she should  go through physiotherapy."

Diabetics are at risk

Dr Veena Nambiar also says, "For diabetic patients, a regular workout is recommended. Diabetics are also advised cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, and flexibility. If there is an injury, it takes longer to heal compared to normal people."

Experts say drinking less water during workout sessions is not good while drinking too much can lead to abdominal cramps.

RICE to keep your injury from getting worse:

 R: Rest the injury.

 I: Ice the injury to lessen swelling, bleeding and inflammation.

 C: Apply a compression bandage to minimise the swelling.

 E: Elevate the injury to reduce swelling. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen can help ease pain and inflammation. Check with doctors before using them.

People should also not skip their meals or eat junk food.

Diet:

For long distance running: A carb-rich diet and protein supplementation is critical.

For general fitness: A balanced, healthy diet with fruits, lean proteins, carbohydrates, vegetables, whole grains, salmon, legumes, nuts and seeds.

 Train right

"A good trainer will always work on warming up and cooling down techniques. Otherwise, the lactic acid in joints can cause an injury. It is important to work under a certified trainer who will know your body well and will make you work accordingly. He will see if people are using the right footwear and running at the right speed."

Ashish Kumar Ballal  Indian hockey player

 "Stretches are a good way to avoid injury. Absence of stretches will lead to muscle soreness. It is recommended that one includes strength training and flexibility components to their workout. Being inactive will lead to unhealthy joints and muscles. It makes them rigid and in this condition, muscles, ligaments and tendons tend to snap. Stiff joints lead to injuries. Therefore it’s advisable to exercise on a daily basis. A moderate workout regime consisting of 40 minutes of cardio on most days, weekly two sessions of 20 minutes of weight training targeting the entire muscle groups and 5 to 10 minutes of flexibility exercises done daily by moving all joints in full range of motion and stretching every muscle and holding it for 20 seconds will suffice."

Wanitha Ashok  Fitness expert

Experts offer advice

Most injuries are self limiting and heal with rest and treatment. But if there is a complete tear, it may need surgery and in rare cases it may also lead to permanent disability

Dr Niranjan N, Consultant sports Injuries, HOSMAT

Injuries can happen when one tries to take on too much physical activity too quickly. It is important to understand how to pace it, or one may be at risk of an overuse injury, which could prevent one from being active

Dr Basavaraj, orthopaedic surgeon, Sagar Hospitals