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AllFlying |
Top of
your game
What does it take to keep match-fit without injury? Antonia Magee finds
out…
 When
Lauren Jackson was injured last week it was a huge disappointment to women's basketball
fans nationwide. Not only is she a superstar for Australia but also her reputation
in the United States, where she plays for the Seattle Storm in the WNBA, means
she is known as one of the best female basketballers in the world. Her injury
is called a stress fracture and it is so severe it has ended her season with the
Canberra Capitols in the Australian Women's Basketball League 2005/2006 season.
She is now in doubt for the Commonwealth Games in March next year.
Looking
after your body when you are training for a sport or just keeping fit should be
a top priority for all women. There are many ways to prevent and treat injuries
but not everyone is aware of how to do this. Prevention of injuries should be
a vital part of everybody's exercise program and can be incorporated into everyday
life.
Professional athletes put tremendous strain on their bodies through hours
of training and participating in their respective sports. Vanessa Webb, a former
Canadian Olympic Tennis player and Sanex Women's Tennis Association tour player
for last six years, knows the demands that a sporting life can have on your body.
She would train seven days a week when she was training for Grand Slam tournaments.
She told All Women Sport, “There is only so much exercise your body
can take, you have to listen to the pain and fatigue otherwise you get your self
into trouble.”
Steve McCaig, a Melbourne physiotherapist, has worked with
Australian hockey, cricket, tennis and Australian rules players on national levels.
He explains that women must have a holistic view of their health especially when
training for a sporting event. It doesn't come down to how fit an athlete is:
there are numerous other considerations to be aware of. Prevention of injury is
the key to successful fitness. Mcacaig told AllWomensport that the key activities
to prevent injury are as follows:
Fit for Sport
Mccaig stressed that
this is the number one factor in injury prevention. “Don't get fit playing
your sport, get fit for your sport. You may be aerobically fit for swimming but
that does not necessarily mean you are fit for running.” Most injuries occur
in people who are not physically prepared to participate in their activity. For
example if you have decided to take up netball after years of being out of the
sport, don't solely rely on your technique to get you through your matches.
Good
Technique
There is a good reason why there are sporting coaches. One of
them is to ensure that players and participants have good technique. Mccaig explained
“Having a few coaching lessons prior to picking up a tennis racket for the
first time for example can not only drastically reduce you risk of injury but
will increase the level of enjoyment.”
Warming Up and Cooling Down
According
to the online Stretching Handbook “Warm up activities are a crucial part
of any exercise regime or sports training. The importance of a structured warm
up routine should not be under estimated when it comes to the prevention of sports
injury.” Most injuries occur in their first part of exercise if there has
been no warm up done. A light 10 minute warm up get the blood flowing to the whole
body and makes it ready to work hard. The cool down at the end of a work or sporting
match should include some light exercise and stretching. Mccaig said “There
is no evidence that suggests that stretching before exercise prevents injury but
it is a vital part of cooling down.”
Good Nutrition
Nutrition
is not something that people would attribute to injury prevention but for athletes,
in particular young women, it is vital in protecting the body against fatigue
and good bone health which are essential for peak fitness. Sports Medicine Australia
(SMA) released a paper earlier this year on bone health in young female athletes.
With poor calorie intake and strenuous exercise, females can have menstrual irregularities,
this can often cause a decrease in bone density. SMA research shows “This
leads to a much higher risk of bone injury such as fractured ankles and stress
fractures throughout the body.” The good news is once the hormonal levels
have returned to normal so will bone density but if the damage is done to early
in a female's development then it can have life long consequences such as Osteoporosis.
Elite athletes have access to sports nutritionists who watch and plan specific
diets around their training and body size. Unfortunately for most people this
is not something they can afford in their regular lives. The most important thing
to remember is to stay at the top of your game your intake must be adequate for
your output.
If you are injured, it is important that you seek professional
assistance immediately. Mccaig advises seeing a physiotherapist within 1 -2 days.
Treatment would include taking a physical and injury history, stretching, strengthening,
massage and treatment may also include the use of a brace or orthotics, depending
on the injury. He also said “Pilates and Yoga, whilst not directly treating
specific injuries can help the body with poor muscle control and flexibility,”
both of which can help prevent injury.
By Antonia Magee
(Nov 2005)
Useful
links
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/warm-up.htm
http://www.sma.org.au
Pic credit: http://www.igs.net/~bmitchell/Tennis/tennis.htm
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