Don’t overdo those reps

Sports medicine, a branch that was earlier considered to be restricted to injury management among sports persons, is now widening its reach. People are more fitness-conscious now and are also injuring themselves more due to overdoing their regimen. Sports medicine is increasingly coming to their aid. It is also addressing the effects of a sedentary lifestyle, ergonomic hazards due to sitting too long and conditions like osteoporosis, arthritis and obesity. 

When Anand, a techie, was asked to reduce weight, he was referred to a sports medicine expert for treatment. He was put on a fitness regimen, apart from reworking his diet, and the sports medicine specialist followed up his case with assessments every month. Similarly, when 60-year-old Devaki was diagnosed with osteoporosis (when the bones become brittle), she was prescribed exercises that could supplement her medication, at a sports clinic in Alwarpet. 

For the past five years, Dr P Nagaraj, who runs Dr P Nagaraj’s PMN Pranikha Physiotherapy Speciality Sports Medicine Centre, has been screening people for disorders. In his recently concluded camp, over 80 men and women above 25 years were screened for bone mineral density. He adds, “Osteoporosis and osteopenia (bone loss), is more common in women, sometimes even as young as 25 years. The main reasons are stress, an irregular diet and disturbed sleep, coupled with a lack of physical activity, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking and alcohol consumption. Specific exercises and alteration in diet and lifestyle can help overcome it.” Dr Nagaraj adds that an important part of the treatment is counselling by a psychologist. “Often people are very rigid about their diet. A clinical psychologist can help explain the need for the change and the effects of it,” he points out.

Across the world, there has been a gradual migration of sports medicine to the mainstream, especially in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe. 

Explaining its relevance in the Indian context, Dr Dobson Dominic, Sport Medical Director, S10 Health, says, “The physician can provide comprehensive musculoskeletal care both in the form of injury prevention and injury management. Whether you are a diabetic or a person suffering from any other musculoskeletal injury, sports medicine helps you get back to normalcy. The treatment is simple.” He adds that the doctor identifies ergonomic hazards, offers medical assessments and formulates treatment plans. He says that the facility should ideally be a combination of sports physiotherapy, sports nutrition and sports psychology. 

Another extended application of sports medicine is among fitness and exercise enthusiasts, who suffer injuries that are similar to those by sportspersons. At the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, that operates a sports medicine clinic once a week, there are close to 20 cases that are a result of exercise-related injuries. Dr Deen Mohammad Ismail, Professor of Orthopaedics and Director, Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Madras Medical College and RGGGH, says, “People are taking to exercise to beat metabolic disorders and that is a welcome change. Injuries are easier to treat and they can get back to normal life in a short span.” 

Similarly, at the Department of Arthroscopy and Sports Injury at the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital, as many as 60-70 per cent of the complaints are related to muscle strain in the shoulder or back. Dr G Leonard Ponraj, Professor and HoD, Department of Arthroscopy and Sports Injury, TNGMSSH, says, “A majority of patients are amateurs and fitness freaks. The complaints range from the most common hamstring and ligament sprain, strain of a muscle in the back and abdominal muscle pain.” 

The golden mean is a useful rule to follow: let’s not overdo the enthusiasm to get fit.