Sports Injuries
Preventable or Just Part of the Game?
Adam Lawless
Issue date: 3/22/07 Section: Sports
"By loosening muscles you prepare them to do work," Sheffer said.
The second innate factor is weather. Weather can be very stressful on the body. Differences in temperature can drastically affect muscle looseness and efficiency. It is essential that a player be well acquainted to the type of weather conditions he or she plays in. Foreign conditions can heighten the risk of injury.
The third factor is age. It is much easier for a 20-year-old than a 40-year-old to play a pick-up game of basketball and still feel fine the next morning. Sheffer said that as the body ages it does not recuperate from strenuous activity as quickly. That is why it is important to keep your body in good shape.
Another issue associated with age is the age of an injury. Old injuries that are not properly rehabilitated make it easier for a second injury to happen.
Mike Kemp, the head football coach at UC, has experienced his fair share of sports injuries. Many of his injuries happened because he had never fully allowed a previous injury to heal.
"Just because it does not hurt anymore, does not mean it is completely healed," Kemp said. "Many times players do not want to take the time to go to rehab."
In Kemp's experience, players do not realize the true impact an injury has on the body. He said injuries cause the muscles to lose function, range of motion and strength. If an injury is not given enough time to heal, more serious injuries can occur.
Rinae Olsen, a sophomore at UC, is entering her second softball season at the college. Like Kemp, Olsen has experienced the agony of a reoccurring injury.
"During high school, I broke the growth plate in my leg," Olsen said. "I did not let my leg fully heal before I starting playing sports again. It was not long before I re-injured the same leg. This time I tore most of the ligaments in my ankle."
Olsen has learned from her mistake. She said she does a lot of stretching and weight training to ensure that her body is in good shape. She also makes sure she gives her body the proper amount of time it needs to heal before jumping back into action.
The second innate factor is weather. Weather can be very stressful on the body. Differences in temperature can drastically affect muscle looseness and efficiency. It is essential that a player be well acquainted to the type of weather conditions he or she plays in. Foreign conditions can heighten the risk of injury.
The third factor is age. It is much easier for a 20-year-old than a 40-year-old to play a pick-up game of basketball and still feel fine the next morning. Sheffer said that as the body ages it does not recuperate from strenuous activity as quickly. That is why it is important to keep your body in good shape.
Another issue associated with age is the age of an injury. Old injuries that are not properly rehabilitated make it easier for a second injury to happen.
Mike Kemp, the head football coach at UC, has experienced his fair share of sports injuries. Many of his injuries happened because he had never fully allowed a previous injury to heal.
"Just because it does not hurt anymore, does not mean it is completely healed," Kemp said. "Many times players do not want to take the time to go to rehab."
In Kemp's experience, players do not realize the true impact an injury has on the body. He said injuries cause the muscles to lose function, range of motion and strength. If an injury is not given enough time to heal, more serious injuries can occur.
Rinae Olsen, a sophomore at UC, is entering her second softball season at the college. Like Kemp, Olsen has experienced the agony of a reoccurring injury.
"During high school, I broke the growth plate in my leg," Olsen said. "I did not let my leg fully heal before I starting playing sports again. It was not long before I re-injured the same leg. This time I tore most of the ligaments in my ankle."
Olsen has learned from her mistake. She said she does a lot of stretching and weight training to ensure that her body is in good shape. She also makes sure she gives her body the proper amount of time it needs to heal before jumping back into action.
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