Veteran Sports

Veteran Sports

The whistle blew on that first game and I burst onto the field with a fervour I hadn't felt in oh so long and haven't felt since. What I have felt is every year of absence and age, groaning about the stupidity of running around a field chasing a ball with a stick in my hands at the grand old age of 41. It hasn't stopped me though. I think to myself, "I'm too old for this..." as the ball whizzes past, and [like one of Pavlov's dogs] I automatically react. "That's my ball!" the hockey player inside my head says and orders my legs to start running. It would all be quite pathetic if it wasn't such good fun.
The camaraderie of the team is something I'd nearly forgotten about. The slaps on the back as we'd chased, tackled, jostled, and occasionally scored goals is a wonderful boost to moral. As is the concern when once again I've forgotten to stop running, barrelled into another player and somersaulted through the air to land with a thud on the ground. Or the shouts of "Don't worry, you'll get 'em next time!" when one of us has completely stuffed up a tackle or shot. The emphasis has been, and continues to be, less on winning [though that always remains our goal] and more on being a team, supporting each other and having fun. It's much more fun now than when I was a teenager and winning was everything. If I can get through a whole game without gasping for the need to rest before quarter time, I'm happy. If I can manage the game without injuries I'm even happier. To score a goal is the ultimate high!

Pain in the Butt: Piriformis Syndrome

Pain in the Butt: Piriformis Syndrome

If it hurts to touch a point that's in the middle of one side of your buttocks, you probably have piriformis syndrome. This chronic condition is very difficult to diagnose, because other injuries may produce exactly the same symptoms. Similar pain may be the result of an injury to bones, muscles, tendons, bursae (pads between the tendons and bones), the hip joint, or the sciatic nerve, but there are ways to determine from which condition you might be suffering.
If you feel most pain when you land after hopping on one leg, you might have an injured hip joint or a stress fracture in your pelvis or upper leg bones. An x-ray will usually reveal a joint injury, but only a bone scan will reveal a stress fracture.
If you feel pain in your buttocks, particularly when you touch your toes while keeping your knees straight, you might have a tear in the large muscles or tendons that run down the back of your hips.

Urgent Medical Care Is Required for Sprains and Strains

Urgent Medical Care Is Required for Sprains and Strains

When you have a medical emergency, such as a sprain, broken bone or strained muscle, the pain can be unbearable. This emergency requires immediate medical help. Waiting for a physician to see you in a hospital emergency room can take hours and the pain can be excruciating. Sitting in a crowded waiting room causes pain, stress and can waste precious time in the healing process. However, there are alternatives in medical care that can shorten and even remove that waiting time. It is a good idea to research facilities in your area that can provide professional services, experienced doctors and thorough services to meet your needs. The key in an emergency is to respond quickly and not to wait around for hours while your condition worsens. You can never predict when you will need urgent medical care in your life. However, with a little research and preparation, you will at least know where to go if something does occur. You want to avoid pain from broken bones, flu symptoms, allergic reactions and muscle spasms.
Let's have a look at some of the basics that any individual suffering from a sprain or strain should understand prior getting the medical care. These are two different medical conditions. An injury to a ligament due to tearing or stretching is known as a sprain and an injury to a muscle or tendon is known as a strain. In your body there are muscles, ligaments and tendons; all of these together hold joints together and allow an individual to move. Two bones are held together with the help of a ligament and it is with the help of tendons that muscles are connected to bones. This is how movement occurs. In any age group, these conditions can occur to an individual either from falling, lifting, twisting, or sports, exercise, or car accidents.

Overuse Injuries

Overuse Injuries

Overuse injuries occur due to repeated and excessive demands on tissues over time, resulting in tissue damage and pain. All our bodily tissues have tolerances to activities and postures and have a degree of ability to adapt to the stresses placed upon them. The stresses we place on our tissues very enormously in quality and include a large number of different stress types such as compression and impingement, tension and contraction, tension and shearing. Continual stresses on the tissues leads to changes within them which lead to failure and pain as the rate of injury overtakes the ability of the tissues to repair and heal.
Tissues vary in susceptibility to stress and overuse, with neural tissues being very vulnerable especially to the restriction of blood supply or ischaemic damage leading to thickening of the nerve membranes and in severe cases degeneration of the nerves themselves. Muscular pain may result from a low level continuous contraction when muscles are required to perform repeated actions. It is known that psychosocial factors have some relevance, such as satisfaction about work, the self perception of health, the person's coping mechanisms, depression and anxiety. Many activities, occupations and sporting endeavours involve repetitive actions and can trigger overuse injuries.