A healing touch to sports

Fitness enthusiasts can train safely for six days a week and take off on the seventh day. If this simple principle of adequate recovery is ignored, the body may become prone to injuries like a sudden back pain or unexplained neck pain or shoulder pain, as people who are gymming also work at a sedentary job for many hours

Lata Jain

As any athlete knows, exertion puts a constant strain on the body, which can make you prone to injury. Whether they are playing for a professional team, for their school, or for fun, they are still pushing their body to new limits every day. Unfortunately for athletes and sports lovers, this often results in injury. For those who are constantly finding themselves with injuries that disable them from playing their game, this can be extremely frustrating. Rather than numbing the pain, it is important for athletes to either heal their injuries or prevent their injuries from occurring in the first place. While painkillers provide temporary relief, they don't heal injuries.

Even after the pain subsides, athletes can easily exacerbate their injuries, especially when they have not allowed their bodies, ample time to heal. Chiropractic care can enhance this healing process by focusing on the root of the patient's problem. By focusing on the spine, joints, muscles, tendons, and nerves, chiropractic care would address the underlying cause of an injury and take steps to prevent it from reoccurring. For all this, one needs a SPORTS DOCTOR. Yes, most of us don’t know the existence of the term ‘Sports Doctor’.

Sports doctors are medical professionals who specialise in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of injuries from athletic activities. These doctors generally focus on joint, bone and muscle health, although they also offer generalised medical care as well. No matter where they choose to work, sports doctors enjoy the deep gratification of helping active people recover from sports-related injuries and return to the lifestyles they love. Dr Kannan Pugazhendi, Sports Physician at Sports Performance Assessment Rehabilitation Research Counseling Institute (SPAARC), is a favourite name and a boon to sportsmen. SPAARC has branches in Chennai, Coimbatore and Hyderabad.

Dr Kannan Pugazhendi observes, “People of all age groups visit the gym and the younger ones tend to dominate. Their desire is to look good and feel good. The women always want an hourglass figure and the men dream of a six-to-eight pack abdomen.” “Serious sportspersons, who train both at morning and in the evening, should ensure that every fifth session is a resting session,” recommends Dr Pugazhendi. “Fitness enthusiasts can train safely for six days a week and take off on the seventh day. If this simple principle of adequate recovery is ignored, the body may become prone to injuries like a sudden back pain or unexplained neck pain or shoulder pain, as people who are gymming also work at a sedentary job for many hours.”

Make sure the young athlete enjoys his or her sport, and is not being physically or mentally burned out because of the constant demand. Even serious one-sport kids, require time-off and proper recovery — more is not always better.

Acute injuries can be so unexpected, in or outside of sports. Getting immediate evaluation and care is important and that’s why it is crucial to appreciate the critical role of athletic trainers being able to evaluate what happened and what to do about an acute injury. The trainer also can be a youngster’s best help with persistent overuse injuries.

On a final pitch Dr Kannan Pugazhendi, passionately shared the challenges faced by Indian sportsmen concerning lack of accessibility and affordability of sports medicine. His sincere endeavours focus on putting the sprint back into sports people immaterial of their economic condition.