Athletes can have very hectic training schedules. They have to exert a lot of time and effort during training so that they would be able to excel at whatever sport they are in. And since athletes train a lot, it is not a surprise for their bodies to grow weary easily. Too much training can be exhausting and it can easily lead to sore muscles. But sometimes, more damage than just simple sore muscles is done. There are two possible ways in which the overuse of muscles can lead to very painful results.
• Acute conditions – Acute conditions are the most common causes of muscle damage or displacement. Prominent among these is the pulling or even the tearing muscles. The pulling of muscles can usually be avoided with proper warm-up and stretching. But even if these are conducted, the possibility of pulling and tearing muscles is still present. This is true especially during a very intense workouts or even games. Acute conditions can even include collisions. There are a lot of sports that can cause players to end up damaging their muscles due to collisions. These include football, basketball, and soccer.
• Hypoxia – Muscles need oxygen to be effective. Now what happens if the muscles do not get enough oxygen? This condition is known as hypoxia or hypoxiation. Hypoxia can be caused by extreme physical movement; this can refer to an intense basketball game or a strenuous exercise at the gym. There is a very popular form of training these days known as hypoventilation training. It focuses on reduced breathing frequency. It is done through various exercises including skating, rowing, swimming, and cycling. Though a lot of people consider it effective, it can cause hypoxia. Hypoxia then leads to the pain of muscles.
Acute conditions and hypoxia cause damage by forcing the body to produce dense and tough scar tissues in the affected areas. These prevent other tissues to move freely. Eventually, as they grow in size, they start to overpower muscles. These scar tissues can soon weaken and even shorten the tissues making them useless. Also, resulting tensions on tendons can lead to tendonitis – a common problem among aging people.
What is the use of muscles that cannot be moved at all? So many people who suffer from rigidness of muscles cannot even do the daily work that they normally do. Some even reach points wherein they cannot even raise their hand. Thus, these muscle problems can really affect athletes in a big way especially since they have to shoot some hoops or even run the long yard.
Active Release Techniques for athletes
Active Release Techniques, or ART, is becoming very popular due to its effectiveness for its patients. With ART, tension is applied to affected muscles, ligaments, and tendons by putting everything ‘back into place.’ As tension is applied, patients are usually asked to try to move the affected areas on their own. Both practitioners and clients are expected to work together for good results.
A lot of athletes find ART very effective that so many of them have ART specialists working for them. Practitioners are required to have certification as well as pass a practical exam. After these, they are free to heal those athletes which have aching and/or immobile body parts. Chiropractors, massage therapists, and of course, athletic trainers, are examples of people whom athletes can consult if they ever have problems with their over-used muscles.
Are you an athlete? Try the services of Beyond Chiropractic today and see the difference for yourself. It is our priority to help athletes stay in their top form with our plethora of services.