* What it is: repeating a movement used in a particular sport to strengthen muscles, improve performance and prevent injury. "We need to look at sports as movement patterns and train muscles for them," says Laura Ramus, trainer for Women's National Basketball Association team the Detroit Shock and director of athletic medicine for the St. John Health System.
* How it's done: Study movements you use in a sport and do exercises that incorporate them. Instead of stationary stretches, a tennis player might do side-to-side movements, a series of squats, or sit-ups to build core body strength before playing. A basketball player might practice single-leg squats and overhead movements, first individually, then together. Then, increase the number or shorten the time to do the movements. Change balance and do the exercises by standing on a towel, or use a ball or other devices.
* More information:
People are also reading…
* Source: Laura Ramus, physical therapist and director of athletic medicine, St. John Health System, Detroit.
* Don't let children under age 12 play the same sport all year. A variety will lessen their risk of injury, avoid burnout and teach them what a sport really is all about: having fun, accomplishing a goal and working as a team.
* The brain is still developing in children and teens. Once a child has a concussion, he or she may be more at risk for another one.
* Seek help from a sports medicine orthopedic or podiatric specialist if there's a persistent problem. These experts have more expertise in dealing with precise sports injuries.
Using a chair to lean on at first, do a deep knee bend using only one leg.
Do five on one side, then five on the other. Then lose the chair. Gradually increase speed. Then do one deep knee bend on either side with a jump in between. This simple routine builds up all the necessary muscles to jump and react quickly.
This is simple training using nothing but your own body weight. Start in a squat and move slowly to a tiptoe stretch. Repeat 20 times, then add a jump to the stretch. Try doing the set standing on an uneven surface like a towel. Eventually add a twist to either side of the upper torso, returning to the squat each time. This will increase balance, strength and mobility.
* What it is: The rotator cuff consists of a group of muscles and tendons that raise the arm and rotate it inward and outward. Overuse may strengthen one set of muscles over another, causing the rotator cuff to stretch or tear. Excessive lifting or trauma also may cause problems.
* Incidence: Eight percent to 13 percent of all sports injuries are caused by excessive overhead motions. This affects swimmers, baseball players, tennis players and others. Problems may be caused by improper motions, such as baseball pitchers who can't maintain a 160-degree arch during windup and delivery.
* Symptoms: pain, particularly when raising the arm, or pain radiating from the upper arm to the top of the shoulder. Also, stiffness, weakness or a feeling that something is being pinched. Early on, the shoulder becomes inflamed, a problem called tendinitis. If the problem persists, it can wear away the cuff, known as a partial-thickness tear, or, when completely eroded, a full-thickness tear. Impingement occurs when the space between the rotator cuff and the acromion - the top of the shoulder blade - narrows.
* Treatment: rest and rehabilitation, with gradual exercises to strengthen the shoulder. Anti-inflammatory medications help reduce pain and swelling. Heat or ice and corticosteroid injections also may help, as can arthroscopic or minisurgery. In the technique, doctors insert a thin tube with a lens at one end through a small incision. Then, using tiny instruments, they can remove small bone chips and other debris or tighten and repair ligaments. As a last resort, conventional surgery may be necessary.
* Prevention: Stretching and strengthening activities can increase range of motion in the shoulder and protect it from injury.
* More information: American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, www.ases-assn.org/patiented.html
* Source: Dr. Steve Petersen, chief of orthopedic surgery, The Orthopedic Speciality Hospital, Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit and Madison Heights, Mich.
Four common injury areas
Participation in physical activity is not without risk. Injuries sideline athletes at all levels, whether you are a professional or an amateur. While some injuries can't be avoided, there are a few steps you can take to prevent common ailments from taking you out of the game.
Concussion occurs when the brain continues its momentum
after an
impact. As the brain rebounds, tiny nerve endings can tear.
* What it is: a complex series of events, usually but not always caused by a blow to the head. Concussion also can be caused by force transferred up through the body to the head (such as falling while skating). It's also important to know that concussion is an evolving series of events that may worsen with time.
* Incidence: In high school football alone, an estimated 250,000 players a year have concussions. The number is considered low because many are never reported to doctors. One in five football players has had two or more concussions, studies show.
* Symptoms: confusion, memory loss, vacant stare, delayed verbal or movement skills, slurred speech, poor coordination, headaches, nausea, blurred vision, trouble concentrating or sleeping, irritability, anger, problems in school. Symptoms may not appear for days. There may be no loss of consciousness.
* Second-impact syndrome: Emerging research shows that people can die from brain swelling if they have a second concussion before symptoms of a previous one have cleared. Also, once athletes have a concussion, they are at risk of greater damage to the brain and permanent learning disabilities if they have another one. Athletes should be monitored every few minutes while sitting out before being allowed to return to play, or they should be sent home under supervision. Some schools test players before the season begins on various cognitive skills so they have measurements of how an athlete normally functions. Then they compare the results to those on tests after a concussion. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that college football players may need a week to recover from a concussion, and 10 percent need more than a week.
* More information: jama.ama-assn.org
* Source: Dr. James Moeller, William Beaumont Hospital sports medicine specialist, Troy, Mich.
* What it is: discoloration of the toenail after long-distance running, downhill hiking or someone stepping on your toes during a sport. Often caused by too short of a toe box in your shoes. More common in hot weather.
* Incidence: very common in runners.
* Symptoms: bleeding, discoloration and sometimes pain.
* Prevention: proper-fitting shoes and absorbent, synthetic, padded socks. Try standing or even running when you try on a pair of shoes so your toes extend into the shoe. Your shoe should be a half-inch longer than your biggest toe.
* Treatment: If not painful, lubricate with an anti-fungal cream, cover with a bandage and watch the toenail in the weeks ahead to see if the nail falls off. If painful, heat the tip of a small, straightened paper clip or sewing needle and burn through the nail until a drop of blood comes out. If you're squeamish, visit a podiatrist.
* More information: American Podiatric Medical Association, www.apma.org
* Source: Dr. Pete Wilusz, podiatrist, Southeast Michigan Surgical Hospital, Warren, Mich.
* What it is: The anterior cruciate ligament is an elastic band
of collagen that acts as the knee's internal stabilizer. A blow
to the knee or a twisting motion can cause the ligament to
tear, making the knee unstable for athletics.
* Incidence: An estimated 250,000 Americans a year are diagnosed with the problem. Girls and young women 15 to 25 have four to eight times the risk of an ACL tear that men have. Most are noncontact injuries.
* Symptoms: pain, warmth, immediate swelling and a feeling that your knee has popped or snapped.
* Diagnosis: The first few hours after an injury, the so-called golden period, are the best time to have the knee examined. X-rays and other tests may miss the tear, so a patient's history and exam by a specialist are important. Magnetic resonance imaging is effective in diagnosing ligament injuries.
* Treatment: Rest, ice and elevating the leg above the level of the heart help, as do splints, crutches and pain relievers such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. After a few days, if your knee gives way, feels unstable when you walk, or you can't walk, see a specialist. Surgery is usually recommended and is successful 90 percent to 95 percent of the time.
* Prevention: Plyometric exercise programs, which use quick bursts of jumping to strengthen the legs and improve landing mechanics, have been shown to prevent ACL tears. Also, keep your body straight and bend more at the hip when jumping. Try to land in a flexed rather than straight knee position. Keep quad and hamstring strength roughly equal.
* More information: www.girlscanjump.com and www.sportsinjuryclinic.net
* Source: Dr. Steve Karageanes, Henry Ford Health System, sports medicine specialist, Detroit