S
soccer50
Guest
After 2.5 years of training in and out of the gym, This article from WebMD got me hesitating
"Aug. 21, 2000 -- There are some sports injuries you may want to take sitting down. Tibial stress fractures fall into this category. These microscopic fractures, usually found in runners, tennis players, and other athletes who participate in running and jumping sports, can keep you sidelined. Fortunately, however, there are things you can do to prevent these injuries.
According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), a stress fracture occurs when muscles become fatigued and are unable to absorb added shock. The muscle, unable to handle the stress, transfers the work overload to the bone, which results in a tiny crack.
Stress fractures are not easy to diagnose, so it's important that you pay close attention to the signals your body is sending during your workouts. A physician should check any pain that prevents aggressive play or compromises daily activity, Henry Goitz, MD, tells WebMD. Goitz is senior staff physician in the department of orthopaedics at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.
It is often difficult to distinguish a tibial stress fracture from a shin splint, more properly called medial tibial stress syndrome. This condition is now believed to include pain and tenderness over the middle or lower part of the shin bone that still allows for a full range of motion of the leg.
The classic way of making a diagnosis, Goitz explains, is with either a bone scan or MRI. However, since these tests are expensive, doctors will sometimes use their clinical judgment to determine whether patients have tibial stress fractures. Once a tibial stress fracture is diagnosed, it is treated with limited activity and rest. Without treatment, it can result in a real bone fracture.
The cause of these common fractures -- particularly in weekend warriors, but essentially in every athlete -- is doing too much too soon without sufficient rest in between exercise periods, according to the AAOS. Also, if the weekends are your primary play time, the organization recommends that you try to get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day so the weekends aren't an all-or-nothing onslaught on your body. Besides making you susceptible to injury, this kind of shock therapy does not make you more fit.
David Edell, ATC, LAT, CSCS, a physical trainer in Houston, offers this suggestion: "Don't set unreasonable goals." If you jog, start out for a short distance and perhaps jog half way and walk half way until endurance and strength builds up. Overdoing an activity the first day out can leave you laid up and hurting for the next four days -- just the opposite of what you hoped for.
"There's a principle called 'specific adaptation to implied demand,'" Edell tells WebMD. "This is what makes our body so fantastic. If we give a demand to our body that doesn't exceed its biomechanical maximum, our body responds by getting stronger."
And that's the goal.
"Slowly and consistently increase your activity and keep track of your program and increase it in 5-10% increments," says Timothy Hosea, MD. Hosea is an assistant professor of orthopaedic medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, in New Brunswick, N.J.
And don't forget to stretch. Edell recommends stretching four times a day -- in the morning, before exercising, after exercising, and again in the evening.
Most of all, don't overlook proper equipment, especially your shoes. Edell says that he can often tell where a person is stressing his body just by looking at the soles of his shoes. While most people buy their athletic shoes based on what is popular or looks good in the commercial chain stores, he cautions against this. Scout out a qualified sports shoe store with personnel who know their trade. Often, jogging or athletic clubs will have lists of the best places to get footwear.
"Running shoes break down after 3 or 4 months and need to be replaced," Hosea says. This may be long before the shoe uppers look worn.
Investing in lessons or a personal trainer also can help avoid injury. According to the AAOS, "proper form and instruction reduce the chance of developing an 'overuse' injury like tendonitis or stress fractures."
"
"Aug. 21, 2000 -- There are some sports injuries you may want to take sitting down. Tibial stress fractures fall into this category. These microscopic fractures, usually found in runners, tennis players, and other athletes who participate in running and jumping sports, can keep you sidelined. Fortunately, however, there are things you can do to prevent these injuries.
According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), a stress fracture occurs when muscles become fatigued and are unable to absorb added shock. The muscle, unable to handle the stress, transfers the work overload to the bone, which results in a tiny crack.
Stress fractures are not easy to diagnose, so it's important that you pay close attention to the signals your body is sending during your workouts. A physician should check any pain that prevents aggressive play or compromises daily activity, Henry Goitz, MD, tells WebMD. Goitz is senior staff physician in the department of orthopaedics at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.
It is often difficult to distinguish a tibial stress fracture from a shin splint, more properly called medial tibial stress syndrome. This condition is now believed to include pain and tenderness over the middle or lower part of the shin bone that still allows for a full range of motion of the leg.
The classic way of making a diagnosis, Goitz explains, is with either a bone scan or MRI. However, since these tests are expensive, doctors will sometimes use their clinical judgment to determine whether patients have tibial stress fractures. Once a tibial stress fracture is diagnosed, it is treated with limited activity and rest. Without treatment, it can result in a real bone fracture.
The cause of these common fractures -- particularly in weekend warriors, but essentially in every athlete -- is doing too much too soon without sufficient rest in between exercise periods, according to the AAOS. Also, if the weekends are your primary play time, the organization recommends that you try to get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day so the weekends aren't an all-or-nothing onslaught on your body. Besides making you susceptible to injury, this kind of shock therapy does not make you more fit.
David Edell, ATC, LAT, CSCS, a physical trainer in Houston, offers this suggestion: "Don't set unreasonable goals." If you jog, start out for a short distance and perhaps jog half way and walk half way until endurance and strength builds up. Overdoing an activity the first day out can leave you laid up and hurting for the next four days -- just the opposite of what you hoped for.
"There's a principle called 'specific adaptation to implied demand,'" Edell tells WebMD. "This is what makes our body so fantastic. If we give a demand to our body that doesn't exceed its biomechanical maximum, our body responds by getting stronger."
And that's the goal.
"Slowly and consistently increase your activity and keep track of your program and increase it in 5-10% increments," says Timothy Hosea, MD. Hosea is an assistant professor of orthopaedic medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, in New Brunswick, N.J.
And don't forget to stretch. Edell recommends stretching four times a day -- in the morning, before exercising, after exercising, and again in the evening.
Most of all, don't overlook proper equipment, especially your shoes. Edell says that he can often tell where a person is stressing his body just by looking at the soles of his shoes. While most people buy their athletic shoes based on what is popular or looks good in the commercial chain stores, he cautions against this. Scout out a qualified sports shoe store with personnel who know their trade. Often, jogging or athletic clubs will have lists of the best places to get footwear.
"Running shoes break down after 3 or 4 months and need to be replaced," Hosea says. This may be long before the shoe uppers look worn.
Investing in lessons or a personal trainer also can help avoid injury. According to the AAOS, "proper form and instruction reduce the chance of developing an 'overuse' injury like tendonitis or stress fractures."
"
