Increasing Recovery Process and Preventing Sport Injuries

Each generation has iconic sportspersons that shock the world with incredible performances. Recently, it was a Kenyan athlete, Eliud Kipchoge, who ran a marathon in under 2 hours. Based on that performance, and many others, you have to wonder, how intense are their workout sessions? And if abnormally intense, how do they avoid injuries? Today we look at the recovery process and the importance of treating recurring injuries.

Recurring injuries

Injuries are common once you start exercising. But if they keep recurring, then it’s time to evaluate what you are doing wrong. Sports orthopedic doctors usually work closely with coaches and players to ensure top performances. In the event you have a recurring injury, it could call for physical therapy, resting the injured area, or even a surgical procedure. You should visit your orthopedist for diagnosis and a way forward. Such injuries tend to need some medical care, and may not heal by themselves.

The good news is, there are signs to watch out for to identify prolonged injuries, such as increased chronic pain, long recovery times, loss of movement, decreased range of motion and interruption of daily activities due to muscle pains, and soreness, etc. These are red flags that should not be ignored.

Treatment and prevention

Seeking a medical professional’s assistance and guidance is absolutely necessary to avoid and treat injuries, recurring or otherwise. Moreover, you need to listen to the body’s signals. Apart from that, you can help the recovery and prevention process through;

·      A smart warm-up and cool down session

When getting ready for an intense training session, it’s important that your body is ready. Stretch and start small then build up your exercises. After the session, do the same. Only that this time, it’s to cool down the muscles. This helps prevent the impact of a cold stop such as getting muscle cramps and hamstrings. These two sessions safeguard the body and help make the training more effective.

·      Rest

No matter the stakes, it’s good to rest in between your sessions. After addressing the injured area, take some time off and ease into your normal training. Resting will help increase your performance and increase muscle endurance by enabling them to properly regenerate.

·      Hydrate

Working up a sweat can cause your body will lose a lot of fluids. It’s not a problem though. It is a way to get rid of toxins. However, you need to hydrate to keep your body’s water supply at peak levels. In the process, you aid muscle recovery, increase metabolic functions, and help avoid fatigue.

It's easier to exercise without any injuries by taking care of your body. Should there be a recurring injury, do not assume it’s nothing. With the above tips, you can help protect the body and speed up its recovery process. Sports injuries no matter how minor, shouldn’t be ignored. Exercise safely.

Lubbock Sport Medicine

4110 22nd Place Lubbock, TX 79410

(806) 792-4329

Disclaimer:  This information is provided as an educational service only, and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.  Anyone seeking specific medical advice or assistance should consult his or her doctor or orthopedic surgeon.

Useful Tips for Sports Fitness

Being physically fit and at your best is something every active sportsperson desires throughout their sporting career. However, sickness due to poor nutrition or other preventable ailments could sideline even the best athlete. The following sport fitness tips will help keep you in the game at your best performance level.

Do Your Training on a Daily Basis.

A common mistake done by many athletes is training only when one has an upcoming sporting event. There should be no downtime regarding fitness in the off-season. For you to maintain consistent fitness, you need to adopt a serious training/fitness regimen. Aside from keeping you mentally fit, your body will be able to maintain its conditioning and its higher immune and metabolism levels.

Be engaged in a specific sport or two.

For you to realize real fitness, try focusing hard on one or two active sports.  Being a master in a given sport, say football, gives you the chance to focus all your attention on it and therefore enable you to perfect your skills and fitness level to that specific sports. However, different sports utilize different muscles and body movements. Being active in more than one sport can have a positive effect on your overall health and physical condition.

Eating well.

Quality sports fitness can only be achieved through proper diet. Certain foods are often recommended at some point for anyone involved in sports. Likewise, there are some foods that you need to shun as an athlete. For example, taking a heavy meal prior to engaging in a sport is discouraged. Taking a balanced diet regularly greatly improves your performance in sports. If you find yourself lacking the necessary energy for a certain sport, it may be advisable to take approved food supplements to boost your daily diet. Also, you may want to visit your professional Sports Doctor to ensure your diet and eating habits are best attuned to your specific sport and fitness goals.

Do regular stretching exercises.

Consistency in stretching is a key factor to maintaining proper sports fitness. Every time you go out to engage in your favorite sport, ensure you do some stretching as this helps stimulate your muscles and nerves before the game starts. This way, your body gets the flexibility needed making you perform well in the sport. You may also avoid picking up certain injuries while playing the game.

Have enough rest.

Resting properly is vitally important to recovering lost energy and rebuilding muscles.  It also boosts your conditioning to a great extent. Always find some time to have enough sleep be it at night or during the day. Regardless if you have a big game the next morning or not, try to get your Zs.

In conclusion, have some consistency in terms of your sporting diet and conditioning. Also, have regular check-ups with your sports doctor to rule out any ailments that may threaten your sporting or fitness goals.

Live Life to its Fullest

Dr. Kevin Crawford

4110 22nd Place Lubbock, TX 79410

(806) 792-4329

Disclaimer:  This information is provided as an educational service only, and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.  Anyone seeking specific medical advice or assistance should consult his or her doctor or orthopedic surgeon.

Benefits of Sports Medicine

Sports medicine is a segment of medicine that deals with physical fitness, treatment, and prevention of injuries that relate to sports and exercises. Sports medicine encompasses an essential position in medicine. Sports and activity-related injuries are fairly rampant among athletes and the general population. The following are some of the benefits of sports medicine:

Specialized Care. Sports doctors are mainly trained to care for athletes, fitness professionals, as well as active individuals. Notably, they understand the impacts of sports and exercise on their patients' bodies, such as repetitive motion injuries. Further, they work closely with an orthopedic surgeon (or can be one themselves) and physical therapists to develop treatment plans that suit each patient's specific needs.

Injury Prevention. Sports medicine physicians have an in-depth understanding of how athletes use their bodies during practice and as they engage in the actual play. As a result, they provide patients with quality expert advice and instructions on preventing injuries and avoiding the instance of re-injuring a previously damaged area. They help both professional and novice athletes to make fundamentally wise decisions and conduct pre-participation physical exams to prepare their patients to resume activities.

Cutting-Edge Treatment Options. From leading-edge reconstructive surgical techniques to regenerative medicine procedures like platelet-rich plasma therapy and stem cell therapy, sports medicine physicians and surgeons utilize the latest ways and methods to help restore function to injured areas.

Enhanced Athletic Performance. Sports medicine professionals also participate in training program development. For athletes, a training program has to be constructed around an individual’s medical needs, physical strengths, and weaknesses. Notably, a medical professional can establish an athlete's essential elements and craft an extensive program appropriately.

Sports medicines provide a pivotal assessment of athletes, their performance capabilities and areas for improvement. Sports medicine helps identify and treat any underlying conditions that may be impairing sports performance. Usually, athletes with medical issues are hopeful of competing again in sports after treating their conditions promptly and effectively.

A sports medicine professional can provide youth with nutritional and physical recommendations necessary to forgo degenerative diseases. Further, a sports medicine doctor provides an athlete with preventive measures to preserve their long-term health and extend their athletic career.

Conclusively, the significance of sports medicine in games and active lifestyles is vital. Humans have been participating in sports-related activities even before the dawn of civilization just as a way of life. Today, most people recognize the importance of exercise and physical activity for good health. The outstanding element of sports medicine is that it encapsulates the expertise of specialized doctors, surgeons, therapists and the individual to assess and effectively maintain the physical health of the sports athlete or active person.

Remember to live life to its Fullest

Dr. Kevin Crawford

4110 22nd Place Lubbock, TX 79410

Medical Breakthrough: How Hanging Upside Down Improves Flexibility

Medical research has found that hanging upside down also known as inversion therapy (prescribed by a licensed medical professional) can significantly improve your health and fitness levels. Inversion tables have been developed to help people with this new health and fitness treatment. However, to ensure that you benefit from the inversion therapy, it is important for you to use the right equipment for the right purpose and consult your doctor before starting. Most people think that hanging upside down is meant for those people with chronic back pain, but this therapy has other benefits as can be seen below:

Use of gravity

Hanging upside down or inversion therapy uses gravity to gently bring into line, adjust and provide traction to the spine. This healthy traction decompresses the vertebral column, and thus creating space for the discs while at the same time straightening and balancing the spinal column. When the muscles of the vertebrae are lengthened and strengthened, your upper, as well as lower body, become more flexible. This can aide in more easily partaking is higher energy activities..

Eases strains caused by compression

As we walk and carry out our daily chores, the spine and back muscles tend to be strained in the process. On top of that, the spinal column also experiences compression from carrying the upper body. This compression causes rigidity on the muscles and ligaments surrounding the spine. But when you hang upside down you allow the muscles to stretch, relax and also decompress the vertebrae. Safely hanging upside down offers the simplest way to ease strains and pressure caused by compression and also helps to lift the weight off the superimposed parts of the body.

Helps in preventing muscle stiffness and sports injuries

By hanging upside down, you reduce stiffness in a number of body parts, which include the arms, shoulders, back legs and torso. This creates a feeling of release as the pressure on these body parts is freed. It is because of this fact that hanging upside down may be helpful in improving certain conditions, such as herniated discs, lumbar osteoarthritis, inclinatory skeletal defects, sciatica, and paralytic scoliosis just to mention but a few.

The spine is a very important part of the body, and when it is in good health our entire body benefits. Inversion therapy enhances the health of the spine and as such, promotes better health for the whole body. Therefore, not only does hanging upside down improve flexibility, but it also improves overall strength, boosts the immunity and helps to promote emotional well-being. So, if you thought that inversion therapy is only for chronic back pain, it is a high time you thought again and considered hanging upside down on a regular basis. Hang-10.

Remember to live life to its Fullest

Dr. Kevin Crawford

4110 22nd Place Lubbock, TX 79410

(806) 792-4329

Disclaimer:  This information is provided as an educational service only, and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.  Anyone seeking specific medical advice or assistance should consult his or her doctor or orthopedic surgeon.