Don’t Get Injured While Playing Sports!

Don’t Get Injured While Playing Sports!

Prof. Dr. Mahir Mahiroğulları explained how we can enjoy many summer favorites, from beach volleyball to swimming, in the healthiest way while protecting ourselves from injuries

Just as summer has its classic places and flavors, it also has its sports. We spoke with Prof. Dr. Mahir Mahiroğulları, Secretary General of the Turkish Society of Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy and Knee Surgery, about how to do the healthiest of these sports while getting their benefits and avoiding their harms. Mahiroğulları, who is also Head of the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology at Medipol University International School of Medicine, stated that while doing these sports men should drink at least three liters of water a day and women two liters. Emphasizing that we should avoid all kinds of outdoor
sports activities between 11:00 and 16:00, when the sun’s harmful rays and temperatures are at their peak, and that we should not push our limits too hard out of ambition, Mahiroğulları also explained what to do immediately after an injury despite all precautions, as well as new treatment options.

SWIMMING

Stay away from strenuous strokes

Swimming is the best sport for working all the muscles in our body at the same time in a coordinated way. We frequently turn to swimming in the prevention and treatment of joint and bone conditions of the shoulders, knees, lower back and back. For example, even simple activities such as walking against the water or kicking our legs up and down are good for knee joint problems such as cartilage softening.

We also recommend that people with curvature of the spine (scoliosis) swim on their back for half an hour at least three or four times a week. However, people with lower back, neck or shoulder problems should avoid strenuous strokes such as butterfly. It is healthier for people with these kinds of problems to choose freestyle or breaststroke.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Exercise before the match

Beach volleyball, one of the pleasures of summer vacation, is a sport that pushes and increases the limits of our fitness. Contrary to common practice, it is better to play beach volleyball at times when the sun and heat are less intense, and in comfortable clothing that allows sweating.

Sandy ground makes movements that we could normally do quickly slower. This means we need to make more effort to meet a ball coming at us fast. Since the ball is usually above head level, the shoulder joints can be strained. To avoid damaging the muscles and tendons of the shoulder on the beach, our saviors will be not forcing ourselves on balls we know we cannot reach, warming up well before the match, and doing exercises that strengthen the shoulder muscles.

TENNIS

Watch out for tennis elbow!

We often see elbow injuries in people who do not know how to play tennis well. Severe pain in the elbow with wrist and elbow movements is a sign of tennis elbow.

In this case, the person should apply ice to the painful area two or three times a day for 15 minutes each, rest the elbow and take a break from tennis for a few weeks. Tennis elbow can be prevented by using a racket that the fingers can grip well and whose length suits the person’s height, and by learning the proper stance, grip and stroke positions.

FIVE-A-SIDE FOOTBALL

Warm up all your muscles

After five-a-side football matches, which have become a ritual of summer evenings, the most common problems we see in patients who come to us are anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus tears. To prevent these, we need to warm up all our muscles before the match, wear shoes that will not catch on the artificial turf and avoid sudden movements. We also should not go home after a match without stretching for at least five minutes.

If you hear a popping sound when you hit your knee during a match, your knee swells immediately and the pain is so bad that you cannot finish the match, your anterior cruciate ligament may be torn. You should immediately put ice on your knee, rest it and see an orthopedic specialist.

HIKING AND RUNNING

Choosing the right shoes is critical

Hiking, a popular summer activity, is the sport best suited to human physiology. People with good fitness can add running in the middle of the walk to increase the benefit of the exercise. Of course, choosing the right shoes is critical to adapting to the changing terrain in nature. Walking on hilly trails in unsuitable shoes puts too much load on our knees, leading to cartilage problems.

To prevent this, you should choose sports shoes that fit the foot well, absorb shock from hard ground and let the foot breathe. Although it varies with a person’s age and fitness, walking for 40–45 minutes at a pace of 6–10 kilometers per hour is the most beneficial for health.

New treatment approaches

– The classic approach to an anterior cruciate ligament tear was to take another tendon from the knee and use it to replace the torn ligament. Today, however, new technologies make it possible to stitch the torn ligament back in place, allowing a return to sports in a much shorter time.

– In cartilage damage and muscle-tendon injuries, healing can be achieved more effectively and quickly using the PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) method.

– In deep cartilage injuries, it is now possible to replace lost cartilage with cartilage patches enriched with stem cells.