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Shoulder injuries can be both painful and inconvenient, ruling athletes out of action for weeks, months or even years. However, different sports carry a higher risk of specific shoulder injuries so here are a few to look out for in different sports.

In sports like baseball, cricket and other batting games where athletes repeatedly rotate and pivot their upper body, shoulder tendonitis is prevalent. Like any other kind of tendonitis, this stems from overuse and continually putting stress on the muscles and joints in the shoulder. This same injury also crops up in tennis, volleyball and a host of other sports. The best medicine for shoulder tendonitis is resting the muscles and gradually building up the strength and flexibility before returning to action.

Rapid movement of the shoulder or lifting a tremendous weight can lead to a frozen shoulder. This is particularly common in weightlifting and sports where the shoulder quickly locks out. These injuries need to be immediately iced to avoid swelling and any further damage that might be caused.

In the worst cases where an athlete can get no movement out of the shoulder and experiences a great deal of pain, the collar bone might well of been broken. This is an incredibly serious injury and requires immediate examination by a doctor to ensure there are no further complications. These types of injuries will often occur as a result of heavy impact, normally from an opposing player in a contact sport like rugby or American football.

These are just a few of the shoulder injuries that athletes can pick up and there are many other to be weary of. Unfortunately, most of them are entirely unavoidable and are simply occupational hazards.

By: Thomas Baugh

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So what happens after the first 48 to 72 hours of your Achilles tendon injury? Let’s first take a quick look at how damaged tendons repair themselves.

When any damage occurs to the soft tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments), the body immediately goes into a process of repair. Where the individual fibres rupture, or tear, the body begins to bind the damaged fibres together using a fibrous protein called collagen. Or, as it’s more commonly known, scar tissue!

When a tendon is torn or strained, you would expect that the body would repair that damage with new tendon. In reality, this doesn’t happen. The tear or rupture, repairs itself with scar tissue.

Now this might not sound like a big deal, but if you have ever suffered an Achilles tendon injury, (or any soft tissue injury) you’ll know how annoying it is to keep re-injuring that same old injury, over and over again.

Very brittle, inflexible fibrous material makes up scar tissue. This fibrous material binds itself to the damaged tendon in an effort to draw the damaged fibres back together. What results is a bulky mass of fibrous scar tissue surrounding the injury site. In some cases, it’s even possible to see and feel this bulky mass under the skin.

When scar tissue forms around an injury site, it is never as strong as the tissue it replaces. It also has a tendency to contract and deform the surrounding tissues, so not only does this diminish the strength of the tissue, but compromises flexibility of the tissue.

So, how do we get rid of that annoying formation of scar tissue associated with an Achilles tendon injury or any other type of soft tissue injury?

Firstly, you must keep active! Don’t listen to anyone who tells you to do nothing. Now is the time to start active rehabilitation. Most of the swelling will have subsided after the first 48 to 72 hours and you are now ready to start light activity.

Light activity will not only promote blood circulation, but also activates the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system plays a vital role in clearing the body of toxins and waste products, which accumulate in the body following a sports injury. Activity is the only way to activate the lymphatic system.

Before we move on, a quick word of warning. Never, Never, Never do any activity that hurts the injured area. Of course you may feel some discomfort, but NEVER, NEVER push yourself to the point where you’re feeling pain. Listen to your body. Don’t over do it at this stage of the recovery, you’ve come too far to blow it now.

Achilles Tendon Injury Post Treatment: Removing Scar Tissue

To remove most of the unwanted scar tissue, you now need to start two vital treatments. The first is commonly used by physical therapists (or physiotherapists), and primarily involves increasing the blood supply to the injured area. The aim is to increase the amount of oxygen and nutrients to the damaged tissues.

You see, the Achilles tendon receives very little blood supply, as compared to a muscle for example. So it’s vitally important to increase the blood flow to the injured area. This helps supply the tendon with the oxygen and nutrients needed for a speedy recovery.

Physical Therapists accomplish this aim using a number of activities to stimulate the injured area. The most common methods used are ultrasound and heat.

Ultrasound, or TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) simply uses a light electrical pulse to stimulate the affected area. While heat, in the form of a ray lamp or hot water bottle, is very effective in stimulating blood flow to the damaged tissues.

Secondly, to remove the unwanted scar tissue it is vital that you start to massage the injured tendon and connecting muscles. While ultrasound and heat will help the injured area, they will not remove the scar tissue. Only massage will be able to do that.

To start with, the Achilles tendon may be quite tender. So start with a light stroke and gradually increase the pressure until you’re able to use firm strokes.

Concentrate your effort at the direct point of injury, and use your thumbs to get in as deep as possible to break down the scar tissue.

Just a few final points before we move on. Be sure to drink plenty of fluid during your injury rehabilitation. The extra fluid will help to flush a lot of the waste products from your body.

Also, I recommend you purchase a special ointment to use for your massage called “Arnica”. This special ointment is extremely effective in treating soft tissue injuries, like sprains and tears. You can purchase this ointment at most health food shops and pharmacies.

As usual, I’ve gone on way too long, and I’m not finished with this topic yet. I still need to cover the rehabilitation and conditioning exercises needed to get your Achilles tendon back to 100%. This final part of the rehabilitation process for an Achilles tendon injury is vitally important, and I will discuss it over the next couple of topics.

By: Brad Walker

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Sports Injuries

Did you know that 50% of all sports related injuries are a direct result of inadequate core strength? Think about it! Where are all your vital organs housed – major muscle groups, spine, bones, you name it – that’s right, in the center of your body, the core. It makes sense that this is where your “real strength” is gonna come from.

Bodyweight exercises are one of the most effective ways to build a strong core. One that will improve your balance and stability for sports, give you more power in your workouts and increase your resistance to injury. In addition, you will benefit from better posture, and look and feel good, as your body alignment improves.

If you want an example check out the photos on the covers of the Fitness magazines in your local shop. You need go no further, pop-out abs and excellent posture go hand in hand.

It has also been proven that individuals with a strong core have a much lower susceptibility to all forms of illness and disease. So stoke up the fire in the boiler house of your body with the following exercises, and begin to develop true core strength with bodyweight exercises -

EXERCISE 1 – The Stomach Pump (Deep Breathing). This exercise works best when performed daily, preferably in the mornings on an empty stomach. For best results, do it as soon as you get up.

Stand in front of a mirror. Make sure you are erect and your posture is good, head up, shoulders back and tummy in. Start by exhaling and shaking your body out releasing any tension.

Now resume position, and bring your arms up straight pointing forward, until they are level with your shoulders. Breathe in deeply through your nose (mouth closed) as you **** your belly button towards your spine, and close your fists as you draw your them to side. Hold for one count.

Then breathe out deeply, again through the nose, at the same time holding the lock on your abdominals, drawing them toward your spine and pressing down with open hands. Hold for one count.

Repeat for ten repetitions. This exercise will give your body a tremendous boost, both stimulating circulation and increasing flow in your lymph system ie your digestion, thereby helping to eliminate toxins and make you feel good! Do this any time of the day and benefit from an instant boost to energy levels.

By: Stevey Mcgeown

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The ankle joint is a hinge joint, and is actually three joints. Your two ’shin bones’, the tibia and fibula join to the the talus, the foot bone, and also to the heel bone.

This allows for flexing and stretching your foot, for keeping the foot flat on the floor while the leg angles, and also for ankle rotations.

In ballet, and many sports, the strength of the intrinsic foot muscles – the muscles exclusively in your feet, is the buffer against strains in the calf muscles. The calf and leg muscles have to work harder to control the ankle if the foot muscles are underdeveloped. However, the calf and leg muscles cannot control the ankle and foot movements as well as strong foot muscles can.

You could say that is an out-sourced job. Control is best, locally, in the feet. Athletes have the challenge of uneven ground to deal with as well.

To dancers working in pointe shoes, the sole of the shoe presents uneven ground. Some professional dancers file down the edges of the leather sole so that it is more flush to the floor. But unlike a new pointe student, they have the strength in their intrinsic foot muscles to make up for the loss of the sole support. In other words, I do not recommend this for novice pointe work students – it is better to work on achieving new strength and balance in standing in pointe shoes (on flat).

Occasionally, also, the talus bone is damaged from a jumping injury. The ankle may be sprained, and the talus bone can suffer a compression fracture, easily, on the corner areas. This can go undetected.

Dancers have turnout to control stresses on knee and ankle joints. They also have the foot muscles to buffer landings. Athletes have training routines also. But all of us must rely on our ability to concentrate, and build strength for muscle control to avoid jumping injuries.

By: Dianne M. Buxton

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Injuries are very common with any type of sport. You can often avoid getting injured in a particular sport, however, by finding out what injury is most likely to occur, and then taking precautions to avoid it. Naturally, there’s no guarantee that, even then, you won’t get injured. That’s why it is beneficial for you to be in good physical shape. It will make your getting injured less predictable or, at least, less traumatic. The most critical thing that you can do is to be sure that you have the proper fitness level prior to starting to play a sport, such as golf. You just might keep your body safe from injury if you follow these general guidelines: Perpetuate a healthy lifestyle; make sure your joints are mobile and your muscles are limber; prepare your body prior to activity; use proper form and good postures while actively playing; give yourself sufficient cool down and relaxation time.

Golf injuries can happen to anyone, amateur or pro. It has been estimated that over thirty percent of pro golfers playing concurrently are playing with injury. On the positive side, general good health and fitness can decrease the number of injuries a person may incur and may possibly prevent them.

Proper body strength in the muscle zones most used when golfing is very important. However, it’s essential to determine that your spine is in healthy alignment and that it has good mobility before you set out to build muscle strength. A proficient golf swing hinges on your spine’s facility to efficiently move in a rotational fashion. Back injuries are the most widespread kind of injuries experienced by golfers. Your chiropractor will establish that your spine is in proper alignment and that there is effectual movement of the vertebrae. Chiropractic care can make a big difference in helping you to avoid back injury.

A day on the golf course that remains injury-free depends on how prepared you are for the game, so once you’re “straightened,” you’ll need to strengthen and gain more flexibility. Warming up your muscles by doing golf-specific stretching and flexibility exercises, is a must in order to make muscle strain less likely. Full body flexibility can be gained fairly quickly through range of motion (ROM) exercises, and elastic band condition can provide targeted golf range of motion advantages and increase needed strengthening of shoulders, hips, and the deep muscles of the core. Your chiropractor and other sports professionals are adding elastic band training to their golf conditioning programs because they supply the dynamic resistance that ordinary weight lifting does not.

“Golfer’s Elbow” is a common golf condition second only to back injuries. The only difference between golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow is that, with tennis elbow the outside of the upper arm is afflicted, the inner arm is impinged with golfer’s elbow. Both can be a reaction to a single excessive action, e.g., in golf it might be thrusting down on the mat at the driving range or striking a hard fairway surface. However, repetitive stress from smaller shocks is usually the culprit. Another exacerbating cause of injury is suddenly starting to play too much golf, such as entering a tournament when you’re used to playing only once or twice a month.

There are more golf injuries because sport makes exclusive demands on the body. The game is usually longer than many other sports and that can result in fatigue. Incorrect posture and clumsiness are frequently the result of body fatigue. Together, these two components can cause a variety of injuries. In addition, the constant swinging of the golf clubs puts the shoulder muscles at risk for injury. Warming up with stretches and resting between games is essential for avoiding unnecessary injury.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be an unforeseen result of the repetitive stress of numerous games of golf played over several months continuously. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be a serious injury creating incapacitation and sometimes requiring surgery. However, discovered at an early stage, chiropractic management and, frequently, the use of a brace will alleviate the problem.

Quite a few golfers seem to assume that injuries are just an unavoidable part of a golfer’s life. Nonetheless, a healthy, mobile spine, dedicated preparation, proper exercise and muscle conditioning, attaining and maintaining a a suitable fitness level, and prudent rest and recuperation after your game is over, can assisting in making injuries far less a part of your golfing experience.

By: Yong J Kim

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Groin pain, groin strain, groin pull injury, or adductor strain; call it what you want, the fact is, it’s a very common muscle strain injury that currently plagues sports like soccer, basketball, football, hockey, track & field and racquet sports.

The groin, described as the junction between the lower limbs and torso, is vulnerable to many different injuries. Hernias, stress fractures, and avulsion fractures are all common injuries that affect the groin, but for this issue we’ll be focusing on one of the most common groin injuries; groin pull or groin strain.

What is a Groin Pull?

Depending on the severity of your groin injury, a groin pull can range from a slight stretching, to a complete rupture of the muscles that attach the pubic (pelvis) bone to the thigh (femur) bone.

A groin pull or strain specifically affects the “Adductor” muscles. (Adductor; meaning, moves part closer to the midline, or middle of the body) These muscles are located on the inside of the thigh, and help to bring the legs together.

The adductor muscles consist of “Adductor Brevis”, “Adductor Magnus” and “Adductor Longus,” all of which are displayed in the picture to the right. Adductor Longus has been cut to display the muscles underneath.

Of these three, it is Adductor Longus that is most susceptible to injury, and the most common place of injury on Adductor Longus is the point at which the muscle and tendon attach to the femur (thigh) bone.

What Causes a Groin Pull?

Competitors that participate in sports that require a lot of running or rapid change in direction are most susceptible to groin injuries. Other activities like kicking, jumping and rapid acceleration or deceleration also place a lot of strain on the groin muscles.

Another activity that puts a lot of strain on the groin is any movement that results in a sudden pressure being applied. Such as a fall, landing awkwardly, twisting, or bending while stress is applied to the groin muscles.

How to Prevent a Groin Pull?

The basis of prevention comes down to two simple factors. A thorough warm-up and physical conditioning, ie: flexibility & strength.

Firstly, a thorough and correct warm up will help to prepare the muscles and tendons for any activity to come. Click here for a detailed explanation of how, why and when to perform your warm up.

Secondly, flexible muscles and tendons are extremely important in the prevention of most strain or sprain injuries. When muscles and tendons are tight and stiff, it is quite easy for those muscles and tendons to push beyond their natural range of movement, which can cause strains, sprains, and pulled muscles. To keep your muscles and tendons flexible and supple, it is important to undertake a structured stretching routine.

Stretching is one of the most under-utilized techniques for improving athletic performance, preventing sports injury and properly rehabilitating sprain and strain injury. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that something as simple as stretching won’t be effective.

And thirdly, strengthening and conditioning the muscles of the groin will also help to prevent a groin injury. There are a number of specific strengthening exercises you can do for these muscles, like cable adductions and machine adductions.

By: Brad Walker

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Many people dismiss the cool down as a waste of time, or simply unimportant. In reality the cool down is just as important as the warm up, and if you want to stay injury free, it’s vital.

Although the warm up and cool down are just as important as each other, they are important for different reasons. While the main purpose of warming up is to prepare the body and mind for strenuous activity, cooling down plays a different role.

Why Cool Down?

The main aim of the cool down is to promote recovery and return the body to a pre exercise, or pre-workout level. During a strenuous workout your body goes through a number of stressful processes, muscle fibers, tendons and ligaments get damaged, and waste products build up within your body. The cool down, performed properly, will assist your body in its repair process.

One area the cool down will help with is “post exercise muscle soreness.” This is the soreness that is usually experienced the day after a tough workout. Most people experience this after having a lay-off from exercise, or at the beginning of their sports season. I remember running a half marathon with limited preparation, and finding it difficult to walk down steps the next day because my quadriceps were so sore.

Post exercise muscle soreness is caused by a number of things. Firstly, during exercise, tiny tears called micro tears develop within the muscle fibers. These micro tears cause swelling of the muscle tissues which in turn puts pressure on the nerve endings and results in pain.

Secondly, when exercising, your heart is pumping large amount of blood to the working muscles. This blood is carrying both oxygen and nutrients that the working muscles need. When the blood reaches the muscles the oxygen and nutrients are used up. Then the force of the contracting (exercising) muscles pushes the blood back to the heart where it is re-oxygenated.

However, when the exercise stops, so does the force that pushes the blood back to the heart. This blood, as well as waste products like lactic acid, stays in the muscles, which in turn causes swelling and pain. This process is often referred to as “blood pooling.”

So, the cool down helps all this by keeping the blood circulating, which in turn helps to prevent blood pooling and also removes waste products from the muscles. This circulating blood also brings with it the oxygen and nutrients needed by the muscles, tendons and ligaments for repair.

The Key Parts of an Effective Cool Down

Now that we know what the cool down does and why it is so important, let’s have a look at the structure of an effective cool down. There are three key elements, or parts, which should be included to ensure an effective and complete cool down. They are;

1. Gentle exercise;

2. Stretching; and

3. Re-fuel.

All three parts are equally important and any one part should not be neglected or thought of as not necessary. All three elements work together to repair and replenish the body after exercise.

To follow are two examples of effective cool downs. The first is an example of a cool down used by a professional athlete. The second is typical of someone who simply exercises for general health, fitness and fun.

Example Cool Down Routines

Example 1: – For the Professional

• 10 to 15 minutes of easy exercise. Be sure that the easy exercise resembles the type of exercise that was done during your workout. For example, if your workout involved a lot of running, cool down with easy jogging or walking.

• Include some deep breathing as part of your easy exercise to help oxygenate your system.

• Follow with about 20 to 30 minutes of stretching. Static stretching and PNF stretching is best at this time.

• Re-fuel. Both fluid and food are important. Drink plenty of water, plus a good quality sports drink. The best type of food to eat straight after a workout is that which is easily digestible. Fruit is a good example.

Example 2: – For the Amateur

• 3 to 5 minutes of easy exercise. Be sure that the easy exercise resembles the type of exercise that was done during your workout. For example, if your workout involved a lot of running, cool down with easy jogging or walking.

• Include some deep breathing as part of your easy exercise to help oxygenate your system.

• Follow with about 5 to 10 minutes of stretching. Static stretching and PNF stretching is best at this time.

• Re-fuel. Both fluid and food are important. Drink plenty of water, plus a good quality sports drink. The best type of food to eat straight after a workout is that which is easily digestible. Fruit is a good example.

Getting serious about your cool down and following the above examples will make sure you recover quicker from your workouts and stay injury free.

By: Brad Walker

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The art of massage is one of the oldest treatments recorded dating back to as early as 280 BC when it was used as a treatment in far eastern regions. It is also one of the most natural forms of medical treatment.

There are numerous types of massage used in as many different countries around the world with each culture having a different variation. Being 100% a natural treatment, which is able to be used to treat the majority of the body, it is considered very effective by enhancing the blood flow which in turn speeds up the healing and recovery process.

One of the most common types of massage is used to treat sports injuries. Masseurs utilise a deep tissue technique that helps to recover ligament, muscle, and tendon injuries. The technique of slow and controlled movements upon your skin draw fluid through your blood vessels. This helps damaged muscle tissue to replenish its blood flow given tight or damaged muscle tissue will be deprived blood flow.

Sports type massages also help to cleanse tissues from lactic acids and further help the muscle and tissue absorb additional amounts of oxygen and nutrients. This enables a recovery time much greater than if you had not had a massage. Massage in general can also help to stretch out tissues which otherwise would not be treated, a good example of this is our backs and the back of our shoulders which helps to relieve and release tension.

The amount of sessions required to treat sports injuries vary depending on the severity of the original injury. Your therapist will provide you with an assessment at the initial appointment to understand what treatment you will require and for what duration. Treatment times tend to vary between four sessions to weekly or monthly sessions.

Massages are relaxing whilst at the same time being invigorating and a good masseur will make you feel relaxed and comfortable enabling you to fully appreciate the treatment.

Only attend therapists who are fully qualified in massage therapy and are able to administer sports massages. Unqualified therapists may further aggravate your original injury which may extend the recovery time and cause greater discomfort.

By: Jamie Noone

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During the initial stages of cheerleading the sport was just that – groups of men and women leading the crowd in cheers with pom poms and high kicks. But as time progressed the routines and skills performed have become more complex to entertain the crowds at sporting events. As the sport has evolved there is an unfortunate side effect that has evolved as well – cheerleading injuries.

There are some estimates that up to 16,000 cheerleaders suffer injuries each year. Some experts claim that high school cheerleading is the most dangerous sport. Between 1987 and 2007 there were 103 high school cheerleading injuries that were classified as serious, disabling or even fatal. The other most dangerous high school sports (gymnastics and track and field) didn’t even come close in terms of number of injures, with only 16 injuries reported that were classified as serious, disabling or fatal.

College cheerleaders have also suffered their share of cheerleading injuries. About one quarter of the insurance money spent by the NCAA Insurance program during 2005 went to pay for cheerleader injures. More serious injuries were sustained by cheerleaders than in field hockey, gymnastics or lacrosse.

Specialists in sports medicine have said that during the past few decades the sport of cheerleading has become more dangerous. During the period 1990 to 2002 there was an alarming increase in the number of cheerleaders who sustained injuries that required them to go to the emergency room. One of the main sources of cheerleading injuries is the classic cheerleading move called a pyramid where a cheerleader is on top of a two, three or four person base.

What kind of injuries can be sustained by a cheerleader? Studies estimate that more than half of the injuries sustained are sprains and strains. Soft tissue injuries, fractures, lacerations, and concussions/closed head injuries have also been sustained by cheerleaders.

While cheerleading can be considered a dangerous sport, there are ways to make it safer for those who participate. Dr. Sally Harris, a specialist in sports medicine and pediatrics at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation states that part of the problem when it comes to cheerleading injuries is that it isn’t classified as a sport by many schools. Because of this, cheerleading doesn’t get the same support the other sports get in terms of access to trainers and appropriate facilities. Dr. Harris advocates a yearly physical prior to the start of the cheerleading season for all cheerleaders. Also, parents should ask if their cheerleading coaches are certified and inquire as to their background and experience. There is a certification offered by the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators that covers both cheerleading safety and risk management.

Some other techniques that can be used to help prevent the occurrence of cheerleading injuries include proper stretching before and after each cheerleading activity by the cheerleaders; proper landing positions after jumps; exercise to strengthen the core of the body (hip, back and abdominal muscles)’ and adequate rest periods after tumbling practice.

When proper safety and risk management principles are applied by the coaches, trainers, cheerleaders and parents many cheerleading injuries can be prevented. Awareness of the potential warning signs of injury is also important. Parents and cheerleaders should be able to recognize signs such as swelling, deformity, numbness/tingling and extreme difference in temperature as signs of a potentially serious injury. Timely medical treatment can also minimize the extent of an injury in some situations.

By: Katie O’Hara

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Swimming is a fairly safe sport to compete in when compared to contact sports like football or rugby but shoulder injuries are a definite threat to swimmers of all ages and abilities.

Not many swimmers pick up acute injuries but those that do often occur when swimmers hit the water hard when diving. The most common type of shoulder injuries in swimming are overuse injuries caused by repetitive stress on the muscles and joints.

When you consider that a dedicated swimmer who competes in the sport at either amateur or professional level makes over 1 million strokes per arm per year, you can understand how the shoulder can become strained.

The important thing to remember if you’re a swimmer is to take adequate rest between training sessions as not doing this is the number one cause of shoulder injuries. The muscles need time to repair and strengthen and by taking the right amount of rest, swimmers can expect to achieve their best performance when it really matters.

Swimmers that picks up shoulder injuries should immediately get out of the pool, take a shower to relax the muscles and rest up. Icing any shoulder injury is advisable to reduce swelling and improve flexibility quicker. The arm should then be elevated to ensure the shoulder is comfortable and not being put under unnecessary strain.

The hardest thing for a swimmer to do when they experience an injury is to sit back and do nothing. They constantly want to be back in the water, as that’s where they feel most comfortable. However, to avoid longer layoffs it’s imperative that any swimmer takes care with their rehabilitation and doesn’t dive back in too early.

By: Thomas Baugh

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