Tag: serious injuries

Reasons for Sports Medicine

There are numerous sports that are played all around the world by a wide range of people. Ensuring that everyone is in the best health possible and sports related injuries are treated properly has created a huge need for sports medicine. While it may seem almost trivial to devote an entire practice of doctors to sports medicine there are numerous reasons why it is a wise decision to make.

Rather than simply working with doctors who are not widely trained in the specific injuries that can occur from sports related injuries it is possible to work with a sports medicine doctor. These doctors are specially trained in working with athletes to improve strength, as well as help injuries heal quickly and with as few long-term effects as possible.

Many athletes are injured each year, and often by specializing in sports medicine, the highly trained doctors can gather information and ideas about how to help prevent the injuries from occurring as well as how to help the injuries heal as quickly as possible. Working with a typical doctor will almost always result in a healed injury but it can take much longer, and depending upon the type of injury can result in your athletic career being over. The job of a sports medicine doctor is to ensure that through appropriate treatment, strength building, and diagnostics that you are not left sitting on the sidelines.

Advances in modern medicine have made it possible to narrow down how potential injuries can occur. It is a well-known fact that some sports are tougher on the body than others are, however this inability to all doctors to distinguish what the most serious injuries are often leads them to treating the minor injuries first. A sports medicine doctor is trained to focus on the most pressing injuries first and then worry about those that are not as important. This means if you have an injury to your knee that can affect all of your movement as well as walking on a permanent level they are going to focus more time on your knee rather than the sprained ankle you may have as well.

While the idea of sports medicine seems to be solely related to sports and athletes many dancers find relief from sports medicine doctors as well. Because dancing particularly ballet, jazz and modern are not considered sports some are confused about what benefits a sports medicine doctor can offer. However, if you consider that dancing is a very high stress activity that places great amounts of pressure and strain on your body it makes perfect sense to see a sports medicine doctor. Whenever a dancer sustains an injury while doing Pointe work or practicing for a performance, they are almost always referred by the dance master to a sports medicine doctor to help speed the recovery process.

Aside from just being a pricy specialty there are so many benefits to using sports medicine doctors that many athletes simply will not use a standard doctor unless they are forced to. The added knowledge and experience that sports medicine training provides to doctors is almost unmatched in terms of treating injuries both with and without surgical means. Looking beyond the initial injury and treating the overall cause as well as the injury is one of the biggest goals and helping all athletes return to full strength is a much needed benefit.

PPPPP
(word count 565)

Children at Greatest Risk for Sports Injuries

The statistics all around the world are startling; children are much more likely to be injured while playing sports than an adult, even if they are only playing the occasional game. As parents and adults, how can we protect children from the majority of the injuries? There are some things you can do, both as treatment and as preventative to ensure that they are as protected as possible.

Your first concern should always be getting a physical check up of your child done before allowing them to actually play sports. This is absolutely imperative to let you know if there are any potential problems that you need to know about. While most children are healthy, there are some children that are not or that are highly prone to injuries. A good doctor should be able to let you know if your child can handle the physical activity of playing a sport.

Ensure your child has the appropriate safety equipment. Never allow them to play or practice without it. This can result in serious injuries as well as minor injuries, but it is always best to protect your child by ensuring that safety equipment is always worn. In addition, it is important to ensure that the safety equipment your child uses fits properly. This means that while it may be cheaper to pass down equipment from child to child, making sure it fits appropriately is even more important.

Other concerns should be ensuring that the coach your child plays with has been trained in how to interact with children, as well as teach them the rules of the game. Ensuring that all kids playing follow the rules is one of the best moves that coaches can make to help avoid injuries both during practice and during games. Teaching how to cheat will not only rob your child of sportsmanship but also increase the risk of injury immensely.

Make sure your child is playing with other children who are around the same size, as well as skill level. Common sense should tell you that a 5 year old should not be playing on the same team as a 15 year old. However, many parents do not realize just how important skill level can be. Having a child who is a beginner playing on an intermediate to advanced level team is a recipe for disaster and should be avoided. Always ask about the skill level of the team before signing up, if the team is too advanced for your child, find a team that is better suited.

Before your child starts any sport, regardless of age you should find a sports medicine doctor whom you are comfortable with as well as whom your child can talk to. This is important because many parents must deal with restrictions due to insurance and geographical location. Finding a doctor who is suitable before an injury occurs means you will spend less time waiting to start appropriate treatment in the event that an injury does occur. This also helps to ensure that you start your child on the appropriate foot in terms of preparing to be the safest and healthiest possible while playing sports.

As you can imagine, there are always numerous things to look out for in childhood. Injuries in sports just constitutes yet another potential danger, but with careful consideration and close supervision it is possible for most children to enjoy playing sports with very few, or minor injuries.

PPPPP
(word count 574)

What the Future of Sports Medicine Holds

As sports medicine has developed over the years, the ideas of how to study and analyze both the athletes and their injuries has increased as well. As time progresses even further, this study is increased as new advances in medicine, training methods and even treatment options are further explored. What seems like science fiction now can very well become a real treatment in the future.

The idea of sports medicine is very unlikely to waiver. The primary reason being sports are such an integral part of life that most people simply cannot imagine their lives without them. This creates the need to continuously improve upon treatment options for injuries, and also leads to even further research and development required to help reduce the number of injuries that are experienced. While many forms of medicine are simply studying the treatment options heavily, and relying less on preventing problems sports medicine is focused on the long term commitment to athletes by reducing the risks of injury overall through proper training and fitness.

Continuously working to improve fitness and training techniques has ensured that regardless of the treatment options offered, sports medicine has secured itself a very safe home in the medical field. With thousands of new athletes each year starting sports there are always new injuries, as well as new considerations to take into account. These differences can often be a huge aspect when compared to the age of the athlete. Children tend to have more injuries at times, which is due to underdeveloped bones and muscles, while adults tend to have more serious injuries and take much longer to fully heal.

Combining all of the current research with the developments in surgery, fitness, and dietary fields allows sports medicine to continue to grow and encompass the majority of the athletes life. The desire to play sports for many is not simply a hobby, so selecting a doctor that views it as merely a hobby is unwise. Doctors in the sports medicine field are usually highly dedicated to their work. Putting forth diligent effort to reduce the amount of time to treat injuries, and helping improve the body following an injury are all continuous processes that undergo essential development.

Some of the biggest breakthroughs of recent sports medicine will eventually be classified as obsolete and new, exciting techniques and principals will replace them. Deciding how to carefully advance the research is in the hands of the well-trained doctors who have made it their lifes work to help each and every athlete improve their overall health and fitness levels.

From studying exercises to make small adjustments for a positive impact on the entire body, to making slight changes in the way surgery is performed to allow faster recovery times, to even increasing the effort put forth to ensure all athletes are following a healthy diet there is plenty of room for improvements and advances.

In addition to studying the body of the athlete themselves, sports medicine is starting to encompass the rules and structure of games themselves. For example, after a recent study of softball it was determined that breakaway bases should be used to help protect the players. This one small change was estimated to help reduce athlete injuries by as much as 90%. As you can see, sports medicine is encompassing so much more than simply traditional medical aspects as it moves towards the future.

PPPPP

(word count 564)

The Common Types of Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is a science of healing that has been existing for several hundreds of years now. This is the typical resort of people who want to be free from their daily stressors. People from all walks of life see this as an ultimate solution to their aching muscles and as an escape from the pressure which their busy lifestyle imposes on them. For sure you have already tried one after the other. In reality, there are more than eighty recognized kinds but this article is about to cover ten of the popularly used types of massage therapy. Read on and find out what they are and what they are comprised of.

The first one is called the Swedish massage. This is a typical find in the United States. It is known to be done in such a relaxing and gentle way. With this kind of massage therapy, the masseur or masseuse makes use of the long strokes that are basically made up of the circular and kneading movements on the muscles by using either oil or lotion for a more relaxing effect.

The next one is termed as Aromatherapy. This is the term used simply because the professional masseur or masseuse uses one or more of the known scented plant oils in the execution of the massage session. You will be asked to choose the oil of course. Among the many plant oils, the lavender is one of the most sought-after because of its recognized effect in the alleviation of stress, both physically and emotionally.

Have you heard of the hot stone massage? Well, this is another kind. With this, smooth stones are heated and then placed on particular points of the body which need to loosen up the tight muscles. The stones also help in balancing the energy centers of the body. If you experience muscle tensions, you may request the professional to apply some gentle pressure.

The deep tissue massage is known to heal the deeper muscle layers and the connective tissues. Slow strokes are used across the muscles. The strategy is also referred to as the friction technique. This kind is employed on people who experience painful or chronically tight muscles, repetitive muscle strain, problems with the posture, and to help those who are recuperating from serious injuries.

Then you also have the Japanese massage therapy that is called Shiatsu. This therapy utilizes the localized finger pressure following some rhythmic sequence as what is done in acupuncture. The points are held for about 2 up to 8 seconds because the massage is meant to enhance the energy flow within the body.

Thai massage actually resembles Shiatsu in such a way that it re-aligns the energy in the body by applying the gentle pressure on some points. Stretches and compressions are done as different postures are followed.

The pregnancy massage is perfect for the expecting women. It is crafted to lessen swelling, aches, stress, depression, and anxiety.

Reflexology or foot massage includes the use of pressure as applied to particular areas on the foot. The practitioners believe that every point on the foot is associated with an organ in the body.

Sports massage is used on the athletes who need to get their physical injuries treated and prevented.

The back massage is of course another popular one. It is applied to relieve the tension in the back as caused by improper posture, lifting of heavy objects, and long sitting.

There you go with the types of massage therapy. Choose one which best applies to you!