September 28, 2006
Hi,
One of the most frustrating things most sports people will have to endure at some stage in their training is injury. Just when you think your training is going well up pops an injury. I’m sure we have all tried to ignore those minor aches and pains but deep down we know we should take notice. Those ‘minor’ niggles could just be big show-stopping injuries waiting to happen.
So what can we do if injured, or better still how can we prevent them happening altogether? Read on.
In this issue
1. When is an ache a pain?
2. Are you the cause of your injury?
3. Sports Injury treatment
4. Rehabilitation: a vital time to learn
5. Sports injury advice on the web
6. An apology
1. When is an ache a pain?
We all get aches after a hard session. Training in this fashion puts your body under some stress challenging it to adapt to the conditions you have set – this is how we get fitter. But you will need to be vigilant because if those aches become more frequent or prolonged, you are probably in pain. Pain is telling you something is happening and you will need to take action.We know prevention is better than cure, so if you can learn to listen to your body you will pick up those warning signs long before you need a therapist. Read more……
2. Are you the cause of your injury?
Many consider a sports injury to be down to bad luck. If some great hulk crashes into you on the pitch then I would agree. But I believe that a significant number of injuries are self-inflicted – unknowingly. I say unknowingly because it’s the way we move that can cause an injury and yet most people seem quite happy with the way they move –blissfully unaware that they are making hard work of it.If you drove your car with one foot on the brake and the other on the accelerator what would happen? It wouldn’t be long before a mechanical fault developed due to conflicting forces at play. You may be surprised to hear that nearly everyone I have worked with, including professional sports people, apply the brake whilst performing to some degree increasing the risk of an injury.
How would you know if you do this? Find out here……
3. Treatment for an injury
The articles above are about prevention and spotting the early signs, but what should you do once injured? If the injury happens during your sport you must obviously STOP! I see too many sports people who continue and make things worse. If you are taking part in an organised event then there should be a trained first aider or therapist available who can apply the ice, strap or immobilize the damaged joint or whatever needs to done first. If you are out for a run and several miles from home this is a little trickier – do not try to hobble home! If you have your phone, call someone to pick you up or if this is not an option you will have to walk slowly and take plenty of rest breaks.Even if you think it is a minor injury I would suggest you visit a therapist. This could be either a physical therapist, osteopath or chiropractor but check they have some experience with sports injuries first.
It is well worth getting a check over from a professional because what you think is a minor problem might be one of those early warning signs mentioned above. Take their advice about rest because returning too soon to training after an injury will cost you more time in the long run.
To find a therapist either use a recommendation from a friend, coach or sports club or check out the excellent site below.
4. Rehabilitation: a vital time to learn
Okay, it would be naïve to think that we will never suffer from an injury. We can do as much as we can to prevent them but it only takes a second to do something stupid and throw all the good work away. Following the appropriate treatment there will be a period for rest and rehabilitation. This is a valuable time to learn about why it happened and how to prevent it happening again. It is also time to assess your approach and technique. Too many people are in a hurry to get back and end up creating the same conditions that cause the injury in the first place.So how do you use this period to prevent frustration and further pain?Read more here……
5. Sports Injury Advice on The Web
If you are looking for a therapist or advice on diagnosing or treating an injury you can’t go wrong with Sports Injury Clinic.net. It has hundreds of pages on just about every injury you could sustain plus help with treatment, rehabilitation and prevetion.You can find the site at www.sportsinjuryclinic.net
6. An apology
Last month I said my Beginners Guide to Running would be available shortly. However, due to a heavy work schedule and an experiment with video downloads for the program, it has yet to be completed.I am looking for 3 volunteers to test the program when it is released. You will get the program free but I would like you to try it out and report back within a month on your progress and thoughts about it.
If you are interested in being a test runner please contact me using Running Test as the title and state whether you have had previous experience of running or running injury. Obviously because it is a beginners guide you do not need to have been a runner to apply. Ideally I would like at least one man/ woman to give it a go.
I will contact you when the program is almost ready. Thanks in advance
Please feel free to email this ezine on to your friends, see you all next month
regards
Roy Palmer