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Sports Medicine Doctor
Sports medicine doctor deals with the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of common sports injury during any athletic activity. This branch of medicine is also concerned with the evaluation and enhancement of athletic performance. Sports medicine extends to sports physicians, athletic trainers, exercise specialists and biochemists. Injury prevention is also becoming a focal area in sports medicine. Also, nutrition, training programs and protective athletic equipment play a key role in
the area of sports medicine.
Sports Nutrition Product
The importance of the right nutrition for athletes cannot be overlooked. Building lean muscle is all about combining adequate calorie intake with an intensive program aimed at muscle strengthening. Getting the right kind of calories is crucial to fuel workouts as well as build tissues.
Many athletes use pre-packaged sports nutrition products such as sports supplements and drinks. Energy bars are easily digestible and taken with about 16 ounces of water replenish the lost energy. Of course, natural energy foods like bananas and almonds and pretzels are nature's bounty of vitamins and minerals. Hydration is important for athletes in order to replenish lost fluid and sodium. Sports drinks provide much needed nutrients before, during and after exercise.
High protein diet, traditionally favored by most of the athletes and weight lifting enthusiasts builds muscles and connective tissues faster than any comparative diets. Research conducted by the US Armed forces speaks highly of this traditional diet, albeit its implication of atherosclerosis and premature kidney failure in some rare cases.
Though the Atkins Diet continues to gather followers with the promise of weight loss, an athlete has to consider it from different perspectives. Since this diet results in muscle glycogen depletion, an athlete will have to view this from the point of view of his athletic performance. The debate about whether high protein, low carbohydrate diet is good for athletes is still an unresolved issue. Some sports nutritionists argue that carbohydrates fuel high intensity powerful muscle contractions. According to one school of thought, Fat or protein cannot be oxidized rapidly enough to meet the demands of high-intensity training. However eminent physicians like Dr.Atkins have shown that this theory is not supported by hard evidence in the laboratories. For normal individuals, high protein food evidently adds to the muscle mass when combined with other nutrients. Further some researchers have shown that certain Vitamins like Niacin and components of Vitamin B in excess of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) can improve performance in competitive environment. The essential amino acid - Lysine in combination with arginine is used by bodybuilders for the effect of stimulating the release of growth hormone. Lysine has proved to be useful in the prevention of atherosclerosis - a condition in which the hardening of the walls of arteries is caused by deposits of lipoproteins and fats. Inclusion of Lysine in regular diet results in less susceptibility for hypertension, which is a major cause of heart failure and strokes.
Prehabilitation
Prehabilitation or Prehab, as it commonly referred to, is focused on the primary aim of 'preventing injuries'. This is a preventive sports medicine therapy. Prehab is a personalized exercise program that is created to suit individual athletes' needs. Repetitive movement and stress caused by rigorous training can cause tightness in some muscle groups and imbalance of strength. This imbalance can later result in training injury. Prehabilitation is an exercise regimen and fitness schedule that is committed towards prevention of injuries. The success of this type of sports program is dependent on the athlete's commitment towards prevention of injuries.
Follow these Simple Rules to Prevent common sports injury:
- It is vital to remain in proper physical condition to play a sport. Don't expect the sport to help you get yourself in shape.
- Abiding by the rules of sports regarding protective gear and equipment (protective pads, helmets, mouth guards) goes a long way in preventing common sports injuries.
- Do not underestimate the power of adequate rest. Many an injury is caused by overuse, fatigue and poor judgment that are the results of insufficient rest.
- Warm muscles are less susceptible to injuries and therefore any athlete always begins with a proper warm-up session before getting on with the sport. Warming up raises the heart rate and keeps the body prepared for physical exertion. It also increases flexibility and joint mobility.
- Never ignore pain. It could be a warning sign, ignoring which can lead to a careless and avoidable injury.
Sports Performance Enhancers
When the difference between a champion and the loser is measured in hundredths of a second, it is now seen that athletes resort to sports enhancers to gain a competitive edge. These sports performance enhancers of ergogenic acids are believed to make the athlete faster, bigger and stronger by enhancing the energy use.
Since protein forms muscles, it is believed that eating more protein will translate into more muscle.
Amino acids have gained popularity as ergogenic supplements because of their perceived capacity to accelerate rate of recovery during training and improve psychological and physiological responses during endurance training. Ginseng is an herbal plant used for medicinal properties in China and Korea and marketed as a sports food supplement today.
Anabolic steroids are similar to the natural male hormone testosterone. On account of its ability to regulate growth and muscle size and strength, they are popular among athletes. But their flip side is that irreversible side effects can result in liver damage and prostate cancer. Anabolic -androgenic steroids were developed in the 1930s and were used to promote growth of skeletal muscle on account of their potential for enhanced body building properties. Increased muscle mass and decreased body fats were seen as the benefits of resorting to these types of sports performance enhancers. Use of such steroids is illegal and international athletes are tested to prevent anyone gaining an unfair competitive advantage over the others.
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