Fluid Needs

Individual sweat losses and weather conditions are the main factors in determining someone fluids requirements. It is important to maintain regular hydration and replace any fluid debt, particularly during longer games and hotter weather, for optimal concentration. Water is a good option and for those hotter days and heavy sweaters sports drink or an electrolyte replacement may assist.

Pre-Event Eating

A meal or snack should be consumed 1-2 hours prior to the start of the playing. It is important to choose food that sits well in your stomach.

Some high carbohydrate choices are:

• Jam or honey sandwich
• Yoghurt and fruit
• Rice pudding
• Sustagen Sport
• Fruit smoothie
• Cereal
• Cereal Bar

Fluid and Carbohydrate Intake During Exercise – Events 1-3 hours duration

Drink as much as is practical and comfortable in attempting to match sweat loss. Begin ingesting fluid early in the exercise and continue to ingest beverage regularly to maintain gastric volume and increase fluid availability.

Plan to consume 30-60g Carbohydrate/hour of exercise

Amount to provide 50g of carbohydrate

• 600-1000ml sports drink
• 1½-2 sports gels
• 2-3 medium bananas
• 50g jelly beans/babies/snakes

Nutrition for Recovery

Replenishing muscle glycogen and minimising muscle damage is particularly important for recovery and this means an immediate intake of carbohydrate after exercise.

Some initial recovery snacks are:

• Cheese sandwich or roll
• 3 medium pieces of fruit
• 2 breakfast bars or cereal bars
• 3 rice cakes with jam or honey
• 250g creamed rice

Drink more water.  Dehydration can lead to headaches.  Increasing your fluid intake can decrease your risk.  Working in an air-conditioned work place can make it easier for you to become dehydrated.

Schedule regular breaks.  At a minimum, take a few minutes break each hour to get up, move around and stretch.  Try setting a reminder on your computer to prompt you.  Standing while talking on the phone is another idea to get you out of your chair.

Check your desk set-up.  Below are a few simple guidelines to ease the strain on your body.  If you are unsure most workplaces have an Occupational Healthy and Safety Officer to assist you.

• Chair.  The height of your chair should allow you to sit with your feet flat on the floor, or a foot rest, with a 90 degree angle at your hips and knees.  The height of the back rest should be adjusted to support the curve of your lower back.  There should not be an arm rest as these stop you sitting closer to your desk.
• Desk.  The top of your desk should be just below elbow height.
• Monitor.  The top of your screen should be level with, or slightly lower than eye height when sitting upright.  Stands, or books can be used to raise the monitor.  The monitor should be placed about an arms reach away and directly in-front.
• Desk layout.  Items used frequently should be placed close and within reach.  The keyboard should be placed close to the edge of the desk with the mouse beside it.  If using the mouse  a lot, try swapping sides occasionally to avoid overuse injuries.
• Document Holder.  These take the strain off your upper back and neck by bringing the document you are referring to, or reading closer to eye level, decreasing the need to look down.
• Head-sets.  Are great because they free up your hands to take notes while on the phone. A much better option than holding it between your cheek and shoulder which, causes neck muscles to tighten.

Get out and exercise.  Find a sport you love and stick to it.  The fitter and healthier you are, the better you will cope with the daily grind.  Swimming is a great form of exercise to free up joints and muscles.  Pairing up with a friend or group will help keep you motivated.

Seek treatment.  Too many people go day to day with pain and discomfort.  So, don’t wait until it gets worse, call the staff at Stay Tuned to book an appointment.

The Kinesio Taping Method is a performance enhancing taping technique that is designed to provide support and stability to muscles and joints, without restricting the body’s range of motion. It is also effective in facilitating the body’s natural healing process, as well as providing extended soft tissue manipulation to prolong the benefits of manual therapy administered within the clinical setting.

Latex-free, Waterproof and sandproof, it is wearable for days at a time.

Kinesio tape increases proprioception. This is vital in any upper limb dominant overhead sports (volleyball, baseball, cricket, tennis etc.)

Proprioception is our ability to sense our body’s static position in space. Kinesthesia is our ability to sense how our bodies move through 3-dimensional space. This “sense” occurs through several different types of sensory organs under our skin and around our joints that provide our brains with information about pressure, vibration, touch, temperature, and tension.

The effectiveness of the Kinesio tape lies in its ability to alter the sensory feedback that enters your nerves in the area that the tape is applied. The contact of the tape on the skin appears to increase the ability of the joint and/or tissue to detect movement and to respond to outside forces. As a result, this has a positive effect on the communication between your brain and the affected tissue which, in turn, could enhance athletic or movement performance.

Kinesio Tape can be applied in hundreds of ways and has the ability to re-educate the neuromuscular system, reduce pain and inflammation, enhance performance, prevent injury, promote good circulation and healing, and assist in returning the body to homeostasis.

Article by Bryan Robertson, Physiotherapist at Stay Tuned Sports Medicine Elwood.

How?

Acute muscle tears occur when they are overstressed or put on sudden stretch such as when sprinting, changing direction, and during rapid movements against resistance such as lifting weights or kicking a ball. They may also occur from a direct blow to the body such as in contact sports.

Signs & Symptoms:

Muscle tears are graded from one to three, depending on the extent of the tear.

Grade one is a minor tear where less than 10% of fibres are damaged:

• discomfort in the area, especially during and post exercise
• a feeling of tightness
• an area which is tender to touch
• requires two to three weeks rest

Grade two is a moderate tear where between 10-90% of fibres are torn. Due to the large variability of fibres torn, often grade two strains are further categorised into grade two minus or two plus tears:

• sudden sharp pain in the muscle during exercise
• tightening of the muscle, especially the following day
• minor bruising or swelling
• weakness and pain with contraction of the muscle
• discomfort or pain when stretching the muscle
• activity is limited due to pain
• rest period between three and six weeks

Grade three injuries are the most serious being partial or full fibre ruptures:

• severe pain during exercise
• inability to contract the muscle
• substantial swelling and bruising
• pain when attempting to stretch the muscle
• a lump or gap in the muscle may be prominent if avulsed
• may require surgery to repair the damaged muscle
• rehabilitation time may take approximately three months

What should I do?

During the first 48-72 hours following the injury apply the R.I.C.E protocol:

• rest the affected limb
• apply ice over a damp cloth for 10-15 minutes every 1-2 hours
• compress the limb using a compression bandage
• elevate the affected limb above the height of the heart

Pain medication may be prescribed if necessary by your health professional or chemist.

When pain and swelling are reduced, gentle stretching of the affected muscle to a point of comfortable stretch can begin. This should be pain-free and held for 20-30 seconds, repeated three times and performed throughout the day.

Your Stay Tuned Physiotherapist or Osteopath can offer you further advice on treatment, as well as perform adjunct treatment techniques including ultrasound, gentle massage, stretches and strengthening exercises not only to promote and enhance the recovery phase, but also prevent the injury from re-occurring.

A little work on prevention can often lead to avoiding many injuries and can save a lot of time in recovery.

• Weak muscles, tight muscles or muscle imbalances can reduce performance and can lead to increased chance of injuries.
• Rehabilitation of injuries is often more than just ice and rest.
• Joint stabilization, strength of the large active muscle group and core muscles, flexibility and correct biomechanics all effect the recovery time as well as the chance of reinjury.

As the damaged muscle heals, scar tissue is being formed causing the injury to become tight and stiff leading to an increase of reinjury. Strengthening and stretching the injured site during the healing process can help the scar tissue form stronger with less chance of future tears. The recovery is not finished after the injury has healed but continues until the individual is back to full strength.

Correct alignment and joint stability need to be assessed and achieved during a rehabilitation program for the individual to regain their levels of performance and reduce any chance of future injuries. Even more important than recovering sensibly from an injury is protecting yourself from one in the first place.

So if it is taking yourself to the next level or getting back to being at your best seeing an exercise physiologist is vital to help you achieve your goals.

Barefoot running is not a recent phenomenon. Historical discoveries have shown that our ancestors walked either barefoot or with very minimal foot coverings. More recently Abebe Bikila was able to win gold in the 1960 Olympic Games marathon, running barefoot. However, today barefoot running is being practiced more widely thanks in part to Christopher McDougall author of ‘Born to Run’. Mr. McDougall’s book details the benefits of barefoot running and rejects the need for any specific running shoe.

The benefits of barefoot running that have been reported in Mr. McDougall’s book and in numerous other publications such as Runner’s World include; a reduction in impact force when the foot strikes the ground, adaption and strengthening of intrinsic foot muscles, and reduced energy expenditure when running. It is the belief of Mr. McDougall and other barefoot running advocates that the abovementioned benefits add up to produce an overall reduction in running related injuries.

According to Dr. Lewis Maharan (a.k.a Running Doc) as the number of people encouraging and participating in barefoot running has increased so has the incidence of barefoot running related foot pathology. More and more people are presenting to their podiatrist or health care professional with problems ranging from heel pain to stress fractures.

Dr. Kevin Kirby from the California School of Podiatric Medicine believes that the increase in barefoot running and the use of inimalist footwear such as Vibram Five Fingers and Nike Free has seen a spike in the number of metatarsal stress fractures. Some of the problems that have been associated with barefoot running include; injury from a hazardous running surface (glass, rocks, and infectious agents), increased shock at impact, and aggravation of a pre-existing biomechanical foot condition.

It is difficult to ascertain whether the barefoot running community is disproportionally represented when it comes to running related foot and lower limb injury or if it simply an increase in the popularity of barefoot running that has seen an increase in barefoot running related injuries. Furthermore, the uncertainty of the true impact of barefoot running is unknown as research to support either side’s argument has remained relatively inconclusive.

Importantly before an individual considers implementing a barefoot running regime they should consider their specific suitability. The results achieved from barefoot running will vary across individuals due to differences in foot biomechanics, the surfaces in which barefoot running is conducted and the level of running experience of the individual. Keeping this in mind, it is advisable that an individual takes caution before including barefoot running as part of their training schedule. Making an appointment with your podiatrist to have your feet assessed is the best way to start on the right foot.

By Michael O’Connell (Podiatrist)
NB – all data correct at time of publishing August 2011

Stress Fractures are a common injury when people return to activity after a break and are under prepared for action. They are regarded as an overuse injury or occur when the muscles are over tired and no longer able to decrease the shock of repeated impacts. Activities such as running, tennis, basketball or dancing are all common sports with a high degree of “stress fractures.” Most stress fractures occur in the weight bearing bones of the foot and the lower leg and occur when you increase your high impact

activity by frequency, duration and intensity, or possibly a change in playing surface. In all of these sports, the repeated stress of the foot striking the ground can cause problems, possibly leading to a fracture.

Picture taken from American Academy of orthopedic surgeons – AAOS website – www.orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm

Doing too much too soon is a common cause of these type of injuries, without adequate preparation.

So what does a Stress Fracture feel like? And how do I treat it???

Generally people report a slow onset of pain with weight bearing activities, which eases with rest, but then becomes increasingly painful with day to day activities. There may be swelling around the effected area as well as tenderness to touch the area.

Stress fractures are best treated with rest. Avoiding the activity which has caused the over use is essential and if bad enough, weight bearing should be avoided at all times (crutches or a Cam walker may be prescribed by your therapist. Icing the injured area may help as well as ensuring you have good and supportive shoe to wear.

During this “rest” period it is important to speak with your health care practitioner so they can advise you on your training methods to prevent a re-occurrence. They can advise you on alternating your activities to prevent overuse from occurring, such as cross training. They will also be able to advise you when it is safe to progress your level of activity as well as give you a strengthening tips to help prevent muscle fatigue or injury.

It is important to remember that it may not be an increase in activity or an over use injury. Conditions such as Osteoporosis, which weaken the bone, may also lead to “Stress fractures” If there is a family history of Osteoporosis in the family, it is important to ensure your diet is adequate in providing you with the calcium you need. Consulting your dietitian can help address this issue.

Remember if pain or swelling returns, stop your activity and seek your health care practitioner’s advice.

It incorporates individual assessment, diagnosis and the use of clinical reasoning skills to formulate a treatment program appropriate to the client’s condition.

Hydrotherapy has long been accepted as an important and integral part of the rehabilitation process. It can be provided in isolation or be utilized as an adjunct to complement other forms of patient management including in rooms physiotherapy, osteopathy, pilates, myotherapy and massage.

Hydrotherapy is particularly useful for:

• Conditions where land-based exercise causes pain associated with weight bearing eg. arthritis or chronic low back pain
• Conditions that have been slow to progress with land-based rehabilitation eg. joint replacements & complex fractures
• Conditions where independent movement on land is difficult eg. patient’s with weight bearing restrictions (fractures) & falls
• Musculoskeletal problems where swelling is present eg. post ankle fracture or knee replacement
• Conditons where patients are having difficulty managing daily musculoskeletal pain and need self-management strategies eg. chronic LBP, fibromyalgia & auto-immune diseases

Most joints of the body can be treated with hydrotherapy including shoulder, neck, back, hip, knee and ankle problems.

Sessions are currently held from 11am-12pm on Mondays and 6-7pm on Wednesdays in our new purpose-built hydrotherapy pool at Knox Leisureworks. Bookings can be made through Stay Tuned Sports Medicine, 9762 9478.

For patients who cannot attend group sessions, one-on-one sessions are available after hours. Click HERE to enquire about personal hydrotherapy consultations.