Physical Education, Sports Medicine and Doping Studies

Biography

Biography: Ashutosh Tiwari

Abstract

Aside from common cold, backache is our leading public health problem, well defined conditions as well as symptoms for which no specific treatment available. Acute back pain is most common among sports person. Prevention is more favorable even without comprehensive assessment and treatment. Most of sports person may resume their normal sporting activity within 1 or 2 weeks. The prevalence of backache varies from sport to sport. In weightlifting nearly every elite athlete affected annually whereas other such as other athlete such as runners, rarely have back trouble while swimmers are 30 to 40% and skiers 60%. A Swedish epidemiological study that included soccer and tennis players, wrestlers and gymnast revealed that 50 to 85% of the athletes had experienced back pain. Radiographic changes were seen in 36 to 55% of the athletes depending on their sports. The prevalence of spondylolysis among wrestlers was five times more than in general population. The causes may be different person to person and sport to sport. But some common factors are listed here as: Shortening of muscles; over use, stress and stretch; frequency of forward bending, extension and torsion; repeated loading; lifting weight or partners many times; loading during growth period; sudden strong muscle contraction; poor posture; hamstring pull or strain; sciatica; groin pull; hip flexor strain; facet joint arthritis; spondylolysi; spondylisthesis; PIVD; traumatic injury or fracture; osteoporosis and degenerative disorders; sport injury; nutritional facts; and hyperlaxity syndrome. Diagnosis should be immediate and correct to prevent more future problems. If it is affecting more than a week we should be careful for it and go through further physical examination and if we are crossing more than two week then we should go through comprehensive examination and supplemental examinations like: (1) MRI: For full evaluation of spine and spinal cord with identification of particular issue as stenosis, lysthesis, black disks and other pathology; (2) CT scan: To examine the facet joints and useful in radiating pain; (3) X-ray: For identification of degenerative disorders, and anatomical symmetry; (4) Skeletal Scintigraphy: For clarification of malignancy and stress fractures; and (5) Diskography: Useful in disk related pain. Treatment is different and depends on person to person and causes of problem. It has a very wide range of choice as rest, medication, physical therapy and nutrition therapy, braces and belts. The preventive formula is the best way to ensure the good sport life. As a prevention or routine workout for our back care athletes should follow strategies: (1) Proper and correct stretching as hamstring, groin, IT band, quadriceps, calf and back flexors and extensors prior to sport and post sport rest; (2) strengthening of back and abdomen; (3) maintain correct posture during sport as don’t over bend or extend; (4) avoid direct hit with person or object; (5) proper water intake prior and post sport activity, to maintain aerobic and anaerobic capacity; (6) warm-up; (7) maintain deal weight; (8) plenty of sleep and rest; (9) proper techniques to weight lift and perform sport activity; and (10) fit emotionally and focused to avoid any kind of issue and injury or backache.