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"Martial Arts and Sports Injuries...
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Prevention of training injuries is far easier than fixing them afterwards.
To enjoy a healthy lifestyle we are urged to make physical activity a part of our daily lives. It is common knowledge that it reduces the risk of many illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, obesity, and diabetes.
Enjoying a good workout is also a highly effective way of managing stress, combating depression, and fun.
Unfortunately, taking part in any activity including Aikido, Martial Arts and Sports training increases the risk of sustaining an injury.
The effects apart from the pain involved are stress and frustration at being unable to continue training.
However a large percentage of accidents can be avoided and by learning how they occur, You can take positive action to prevent them.
The most obvious cause is over-training which results in reduced performance, fatigue, less enthusiasm, and an increased risk.
Pre-existing problems caused by years of poor lifestyle... breathing, drinking, eating, exercising, relaxing, negative thinking, work repetition and daily habits all have an effect on us.
The human body is blessed with it's own built-in self healing mechanisms, but continuous abuse can undermine the healing process.
If You wish to avoid and reduce the possibility of aikido, martial arts and sports injuries, then You must approach your training in a Holistic Way.
To prevent and reduce the potential... Breathe deeply, focus your mind and relax your body. Warm-up before you exercise and cool-down gradually when you are finished. Build up your exercise programme gradually, steadily increasing the frequency, intensity and duration.
Vary your activities to get a good balance of muscular development. Maintain good general fitness and lower body strength. Be on your toes and pivot on the balls of the feet when you turn.
Remember that lack of focus and concentration on what you are doing increases the chances of silly mistakes. Trying 'Too Hard' is another risk factor that can lead to problems.
Develop Your flexibility by Stretching to Prevent Injuries
Best
Training Principles
Exercise stresses the body and can cause problems, unless your choice of activity, level of health, fitness, and physical condition are taken into account. Different training methods are used to develop strength, power, muscular endurance, cardiovascular efficiency, flexibility and coordination.
Training exercise generates heat and induced sweating causes fluid loss of between one and a half to three litres of water per hour. If this is not replaced we can become dehydrated, and experience muscle cramps, nausea, headaches, dizziness, and weakness, leading to exhaustion.
A good Warm-Up increases the body temperature, making tissue more flexible and less prone to injury by tearing. It also raises the heart rate so fuel and oxygen can be delivered more effectively to the muscles leading to a more skillful performance. An effective warm-up can ensure peak performance as well as protection.
Correct Stretching requires attention to form and each stretch may need to be held for up to 30 seconds to get the optimum benefits. Before and after Your chosen activity, breathe slowly and deeply while focusing on relaxing the muscles, without pain or strain in the joints.
A good Cool-Down will gradually reduce the intensity of the activity so that waste products can be removed more effectively. Deep breathing, relaxation and stretching will help in the reduction of muscles soreness.
Performing exercises using posture, alignment, making correct movements, at the right pace are regarded as good form. To obtain and maintain good form requires guidance from an 'Expert' and a high degree of concentration in the present moment.
Any good instructor will include much of this criteria in their 'Planning & Strategy', so you will be protected. They will also have coaching certificates, a governing body, first aid qualification and have a good understanding of the basic techniques, theory, principles, risk factors, and appropriate action to take in an emergency.
A particularly aware instructor will be able to 'See' potential accidents before they occur and take appropriate action. A gentle leading suggestion or an ear-splitting Ki-Ai to halt the class, in extreme cases.
Get Your Stretching Handbook Here
Healing and Treatment
of Injuries...
If you suffer an injury, the choices you make can have a major impact on your recovery. Healing is a perfectly natural phenomena and happens by itself... we heal ourselves. The purpose of treatment is to remove any obstacles to this healing process.
Acute Injuries are generally short-term, with symptoms that are sudden or sharp, the result of some trauma. This is often seen in contact sports, aikido, martial arts from a fall or collision etc. These seem to be serious but the tissue cells fully repair themselves in a few days or weeks.
Acute strain can be caused by massive effort and over-exertion beyond our capabilities. It is in those moments of poor co-ordination that problems tend to occur, with muscles working against each other, or excessive force at the joints.
Chronic Injuries refer to conditions that persist over a longer period of time, developing progressively over a number of years and caused by prolonged incorrect activity, structural problems, incorrect training methods, poor equipment or problems with technique.
The damage is often not noticed until it announces itself via pain or restricted movement. Poor technique is a common source of pain that concentrates stress onto specific areas of the body leading to overload.
This reminds us that there is something we need to change in our lifestyle and/or method of exercise or training.
If you have been injured recently, in the first 24 hours after an expert health assessment use the R.I.C.E method...
Rest: Take it easy, but keep moving within your limit of pain. Ice: Apply ice for 15 minutes every two hours to control pain and bleeding. Compression: Firmly bandage to reduce swelling. Elevation: Raise your limb higher than heart level to reduce swelling and bleeding.
Avoid the H.A.R.M. factor in the first 48 hours...
Heat: increases swelling and bleeding. Alcohol: increases swelling and bleeding. Running or Exercise: Agravates the problem. Massage: increases swelling and bleeding.
Relaxation, Stretching and Flexibility
AND COMPLETE HEALING
These are treatments such as osteopathy, chiropractic, physiotherapy, massage, acupuncture, hydrotherapy etc. that are part of the rehabilitation programme offering challenging exercises to progressively rebuild the skills for your chosen activity. This is vital to reduce the risk of further injury to the weakened area.
The main aims are to restore movement, improve fluid flow, balance nerve messages and improve coordination by making tight muscles more flexible and stiff joints more mobile.
Every cell of the body needs to receive nutrients and remove waste material. Blood, lymph and intercellular fluids are essential for the transmission of chemical messengers such as hormones and any abnormality can lead to dysfunction.
Also available to aid the prevention and healing of aikido, martial arts and sports injuries are... Posture therapies (alexander technique, pilates etc.) Nutrition, Herbs, Homeopathy, Essential Oils etc.
SURGICAL OPERATIONS
Surgery can help repair an injury by...
debris removal, stabilization, repair, and reconstruction.
The surgical treatment of aikido, martial arts and sports injuries has progressed at an incredible rate over the last 10 years. Arthroscopy (keyhole) surgery to joints, carried out using a tiny camera is much less invasive, allowing for faster repair and rehabilitation.
MRI (magnetic Resonance Imaging) Scans see soft tissue, muscle and ligaments in addition to bones, for more precise diagnosis.
REHABILITATION
An injury means that our tissue cells were unable to cope with the stresses of our chosen activity. Overly vigorous training will tear the newly repaired tissue, taking you back to square one.
Progressive exercises place gradually increasing loads on the tissue and should always be pain-free. It is best to use specific exercises that target the weak area, as part of your general exercise routine.
Pain suggests you have gone too far in the aim to return to normal function. Gentle stretching exercises will increase flexibility.
