Archive for sports injuries
San Jose Chiropractor: Sports Tips for San Jose Youths From an Expert
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re a young athlete in junior high or high school, or if you’re the parent of one, Thomas Solecki, DC, DACBSP, a sports medicine expert and chiropractic physician, has some tips on how to get the most out of youth fitness and sports activities that will not only maximize the health benefits of youth exercise, but will help to avoid injuries as well. Dr. Solecki is a faculty clinician at National University of Health Sciences’ Whole Health Center, is certified in exercise rehabilitation and exercise performance enhancement, and also serves as a chiropractic physician for athletic teams at DePaul and Northwestern universities. So, when Dr. Solecki offers advice, as your San Jose Chiropractor, I say “listen up!”
Sports Safety Tips:
- Warm up with light activity, then progress to moderate activity at least 5-10 minutes before exercising or participating in sports. You should feel “hot” and have a little sweat going if you are properly warmed up.
- Cool down and stretch after every workout. Never just walk away from a sport or activity. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds to one minute without bouncing.
- For safe training, never increase your exercise intensity or the amount of weight lifted by a factor of more than 10 percent every two weeks.
- Train specifically for your sport. Each activity uses different muscles and patterns in the body; make sure your body is trained for your sport
- Use heart-rate guidelines in training for endurance sports. Certain formulas can be used to help calculate safe heart rates for training children, teens, and adults. These ranges can be used to train specifically for longer endurance, short bursts of heavy exercise, etc. Talk to a fitness professional to help you find these ranges.
- Give your body a break. Always take one to two days off per week to let your muscles heal and your body repair.
- Cross-train with different activities. This allows your body to repair and helps you gain strength and endurance at the same time. Your body adapts to an exercise program every four to six weeks. Change exercises or types of workouts every four to six to help improve your performance and also to avoid overuse injuries.”
- Don’t use thirst as a guide to drinking. By the time you are thirsty, you are already more than 3 percent dehydrated. Guidelines:
- Drink at least 64 ounces (eight 8 oz. glasses) of water per day
- Drink two to three cups of fluids up to two hours before exercise
- During intense and prolonged exercise sessions, or when exercising in an environment that is hot and/or humid, drink 8-10 ounces of fluid every 20 minutes.
- After exercise, drink enough fluids to quench your thirst plus extra. (A good guideline for hydration is urine. Urine should be clear, if it is dark colored you have dehydrated and need to drink more.
Dr. Solecki advocates using what he calls a “periodization schedule of training” for serious and competitive high school athletes who focus year-round on their fitness and sports training. What does this mean? According to Dr. Solecki, it means that your training should be very different in your off-season versus pre-season. In other words, give yourself periods of time with more strenuous exercise and periods with lighter/recovery types of exercise.
Dr. Solecki also wants you to be aware that if you change workout types or start a new sport, some muscle soreness is normal and even good. The soreness from lactic acid build-up is an indication that you are building stronger muscles. But, not all pain is “gain.” He suggests that if you find yourself much more sore on day two than you were on day one, or if you’re only getting sore on days two or three, this is an indication that you are pushing too hard and need to back off.
And, finally, Dr. Solecki advises that children age 12 and under should avoid using weights or heavy lifting because the growth plates at the end of children’s bones may be damaged by lifting weights too early, which will affect later growth and development. The alternative? Dr. Solecki recommends that younger athletes stick with exercises using only body their own body weight until their growth plates have closed.
Source: National University of Health Sciences, www.nuhs.edu
How Can San Jose Chiropractic Care Help Sports Injuries?
Posted by: | CommentsDr. David Hoewisch frequently treats the sports injuries of many adults and children. In the past, sports injuries were mostly limited to professional athletes, young people participating in school sports programs, and men participating in weekend activities such as rugby. Today, more and more people of all ages and both sexes are doing regular sports and fitness activities. There are even women now doing traditionally men’s sports such as soccer, basketball, and rugby. The majority of people are involved in sports such as golf and tennis, and other healthy activities like running, aerobic classes, and weight training. Unfortunately, risk of injury is possible with any sports activity.
The majority of injuries fall into two categories: 1) traumatic injury, such as a slip, fall, or collision and, 2) repetitive stress or overuse injury.
Traumatic Injuries
These injuries cause the debilitating problems often associated with trauma. As a rule injuries to the ligaments (the tissue that connects bones to bones) and to muscles are the most common, though the trauma of fractures and dislocations often occurs in contact sports. A strain is any injury to either a muscle or its tendon, and a sprain is an injury to ligaments. The most common areas for these types of injuries are the ankles, knees, and shoulders, although other areas can be affected including the low back and neck. Because the spinal cord and/or spinal nerves can be involved, injury to the neck and low back can be very serious.
A traumatic injury may be mild, such as a “muscle pull” or ankle twist. But, some can be serious enough to require surgery. It all depends upon the degree of tearing of the tissues, the location, and the age of the person. Some degree of swelling occurs with most sprains and strains. However with certain injuries, especially those of the ankel and knee, there can be some internal bleeding as well. Strains and sprains require proper attention, especially during the initial stages of an injury,to insure proper healing and no future disability. Treatment from a healthcare professional, such as your San Jose Chiropractor, is highly advisable.
The following is an acronym for the post-injury management of sprains and strains expressly if no professional help is available: PRICE
P Protect injury from further damage
R Rest the injury
I Ice injury to reduce swelling, bleeding, muscle spasm, and pain
C Compress injury with a specialized support or elastic bandage to support injured tissues
E Elevate the injury, especially when dealing with ankles and knees
Of course it is important to get the injury properly assessed by a chiropractor or other professional to find out the extent of damage. When proper care is given during the various stages of healing, most individuals who have sustained sprain and strain injuries will recovery. If not managed carefully, some sprains and strains can result in long-lasting problems such as joint instability, painful or weak joints and muscles, and lack of mobility. Good management of your sports injury by a chiropractor highly experienced in sports injury treatment will insure that your injury heals properly. Call your San Jose Chiropractor if you have sustained a traumatic injury.
Repetitive Stress, or Overuse, Injuries
These injuries are becoming more and more common, especially among people pursuing sports such as golf, tennis, bowling, and any other activity that requires the same activity over and over (repetition). Something as simple and healthy as running, particularly on a treadmill, can also be a factor.
Basically, overuse or repetitive stress injuries occur when a person is involved in a repetitious activity that causes a very slight strain to tissues, especially tendons and muscles, that alone would not cause a problem, but done many times has an accumulative effect. carpal tunnel Syndrome is one of the most common types of overuse injuries. Over time the muscle or other affected tissue develops changes that no longer allow it to function properly resulting in pain, stiffness and disability. Certain factors predispose a person to these types of injury. Some are “intrinsic,” meaning the factor is found with a person’s own body. Others are “extrinsic,” which means that the factors are external and can often be changed or controlled by the individual.
Some of the most common intrinsic factors for injury
Age is the most common intrinsic factor for injury. The older a person is, the easier it is for that person to get injured. Congenital abnormalities are another factor. Some people are born with joint or muscle problems. And, previous injuries are a factor as they often keep the joints or muscles from functioning properly.
Extrinsic factors for injury
Extrinsic factors are numerous. An improper grip size of a tennis racket, worn out running shoes, an uneven treadmill surface or a too-hard surface for soccer are all examples of faulty sports equipment that can cause problems. Improper technique in any sport, such as an improper golf grip is, as they say, an injury waiting to happen All sports activities require some pre-conditioning, which is why people who are out of shape, those who continue to increase the duration of an activity without building up slowly, and those who lack flexibility, are injured most often. Warming up is essential prior to sports activities, and lack of warm-up, that is, not stretching or preparing for an activity is a common cause of injury. And, finally, but perhaps surprisingly to some, stress is a factor. Being tired or stressed can cause tense, inflexible muscles that are too tight for most activities.
There are many more factors that are extrinsic and, therefore, within a person’s control. Before beginning a new sport, or as a way to prevent injury in a current sport, it’s smart to get an assessment of your general body condition. If you’ve been injured, it is crucial to seek out a qualified professional, like a chiropractor, to assess the nature of the injury and prepare a plan of treatment. If left untreated, sports injuries can greatly affect a person’s life and limit a favorite activity. Treatment such as joint manipulation, massage, bracing, and specific exercises is often required to stabilize the condition. A chiropractor is a good source of help. Call a chiropractor if you’re either thinking of beginning a new activity, you’re feeling pain related to a current sports activity, or you’ve sustained a sports injury. Your San Jose Chiropractor has years of experience helping people just like you.
