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A dynamic warm up is a series of sport specific movements which are designed to prepare the muscles for use and are performed under the guidance of a trained physiotherapist
In this week’s column, our panel of experts answers your queries on a variety of issues that include head injury to backaches suffered by sportspersons especially tennis players.
Q: I am a cricketer, 27 years of age. Two weeks ago while fielding in a match, I attempted to catch the ball, but the sun blocked my sight and the ball hit between my eye brows, right at the junction of my nose and forehead. Since then I cannot hear properly from my right ear. Am I turning deaf? Please recommend which specialist to go. –Fahad A. Khan
A: How severe was your injury? Did you have bleeding from your nose or ears? Did you need to go to the hospital? Did you have any brain injury? We need to have answers to these questions before an advice can be given. However, it is unlikely that you would have suffered any injury to your ears with this kind of trauma but you should consult an ENT surgeon. He/she will be able to tell you if there is any injury to your right ear, what type of hearing loss you have or if there is some other cause for your symptom.
FRCS (Edinburgh)
Assistant Professor | Department of E.N.T-Head and Neck Surgery
Liaquat National Hospital & Medical College
Q: I am 37 and play tennis regularly. I have developed a severe backache lately. Should I leave the game? Please advise. –Zeeshan Ahmed
A: Dear Zeeshan, tennis is one of the sports which require maximum stamina and strength of muscles and tendons of whole part of body to have good performance and to avoid injury. You formally need an evaluation of your spine for any pars interartuclaris defects as this becomes the cause of lumbar stress fractures. There are certain things that your physiotherapist should look into the foremost during service and for maximum stretch of your body. You can be advised a change in the jumping stance while doing service and also the clinical findings. Your physio should follow a proper warm up before the match and proper rest periods before the next match. Hope this helps in eliminating your back problem. If it persists, you will require proper examination and assessment of your back.
MD, FCPS (Ortho) AO Fellow (Germany), Sports medicine Fellow (IRI) (France), Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Fellowship (PAS, Pak)
Assistant Professor | Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Liaquat National Hospital & Medical College
Q: Three years ago while playing squash, my left ankle was twisted. I went to an orthopedic doctor who bandaged my ankle, and after few weeks I felt fine. Now I have started playing again after an interval of three years and I experience the same pain again. My age is 28 years. Please suggest which doctor to go? –Abdul Ghaffar Khan
A: Dear reader due to nature of game in squash ankle joint is subjected to frequent, repetitive, fast and explosive movements that can potentially lead to a number of injuries. It is obvious from your description there is a high possibility that your ankle got sprained 3 years back which was managed non-operatively with a bandage. There is an injury to ligaments in ankle sprain which causes weakness in the ligament. There is a high chance that it gets reinjured again during sports activities. It is advised that you get opinion from a foot and ankle specialist and undergo a complete evaluation of your ankle.
FCPS (Ortho) AO Fellow (Germany), Sports Medicine Fellowship (Singapore)
Assistant Professor | Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Liaquat National Hospital & Medical College
Q: I am a regular hockey player. I’m 30 and attend practice sessions regularly. Somebody told me that getting physiotherapy is necessary for a sportsman, because physiotherapy is helpful in avoiding muscle ruptures. Is it true? –Khurshid Alam
A: It’s good to hear that you are concerned about physical fitness for our national game. My answer to your question is, yes, physiotherapists especially sports therapists are capable of working with other professionals to achieve the optimal activity for a specific individual on the ways to minimise the risk of injury.
As a hockey player you will focus on two primary objectives; decrease risk of injury and improve performance. The most common types of lower body hockey injuries suffered are to the groin.
Hip strength imbalances, decreased hip mobility, poor core/trunk stability, and lack of a good dynamic warm up have all been associated with increased risk for these injuries.
According to your sports demand you do high-intensity training with rapid changes in velocity and duration. This can improve your agility and speed. This can be further strengthened by including hip exercises such as lunges which work on hip mobility. You can also focus on your core stability during these movements.
Movement is primarily forward and change of direction includes stopping, backwards skating, and some lateral movement in correct movement may cause you groin injuries. Ankle sprains and high velocity physical contact may cause you shoulder dislocation and this injury is commonly seen in hockey.
A dynamic warm up is a series of sport specific movements that are designed to prepare the muscles for use and are performed under the guidance of a physiotherapist. In hockey these can include movements such as squatting, lunging and high knees.
To avoid major soft tissue injuries make goals in every season you have different goals in pre, post and on seasons. Don’t over train yourself as it may cause repeated stress trauma. As a physical therapist I recommend you focus on aerobic fitness, maintain the joint stability, power and strength.
All the specialists on our experts’ panel are associated with Liaquat National Hospital. Please send your queries at khalidhraj@gmail.com or Anjum.Rizvi@lnh.edu.pk)
– Khalid Hussain
