Sports without the pain.The trend toward health and fitness has not been lost on former high school and college athletes. Around the country leagues specifically designed for the over-30 and over-40 athlete are now popular in sports such as baseball, basketball, soccer, and ice hockey ice hockey: see hockey, ice. ice hockey Game played on an ice rink by two teams of six players on skates. The object is to drive a puck (a small, hard rubber disk) into the opponents' goal with a hockey stick, thus scoring one point. . But athletes who were star players a decade or so ago often find they can no longer perform as they used to. Years of inactivity reduce strength and flexibility, leaving former athletes susceptible to injury. However, with some simple guidelines, athletes of yesterday can still participate in today's sports without risking serious injury. Following are some helpful tips for the returning older athlete: * Include stretching in your warm-up. This is imperative for all athletes, even if they participate three or four times a week. Stretching helps prevent pulled muscles. As a rule, warm up for five to 10 minutes with a light jog, then stretch for 10 to 15 minutes. Concentrate on those muscles you will be using. For example, if you're playing softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' , make sure you loosen your arm and shoulder muscles before throwing with velocity. * Don't rush into a sport you haven't played for a few years. Build up flexibility, strength, a. cardiovascular endurance by first working out in a gym. * Wear the proper equipment. Worn or ill-fitting equipment can lead to injury. Footwear is especially important. Shoes too big or too small can cause blisters and lead to ankle and foot injuries. Also, wear appropriate protective equipment such as shin guards, goggles goggles, n the protective eyewear worn by dental personnel and patients during dental procedures. goggles see periocular leukotrichia. , and mouth guards. * If you are injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. , stop. Don't try to "play through" an injury, no matter how minor it is. A pulled hamstring hamstring /ham·string/ (ham´string) one of the tendons bounding the popliteal space laterally and medially. inner hamstring the tendons of gracilis, sartorius, and two other muscles of the leg. or sprained ankle A sprained ankle, also known as a ankle sprain, ankle injury or ankle ligament injury, is a common medical condition where one or more of the ligaments of the ankle is torn or partially torn. can only heal with time and rest. If the pain of an injury does not subside sub·side intr.v. sub·sid·ed, sub·sid·ing, sub·sides 1. To sink to a lower or normal level. 2. To sink or settle down, as into a sofa. 3. To sink to the bottom, as a sediment. 4. within 48 hours, consult a physician. * Exercise during the week. if you're involved in a league that plays only on weekends, try to exercise between games. It will improve your conditioning and endurance. This will result in enhanced performance on the playing field and will also decrease the chance of injury. Cycling and swimming are good general conditioning exercises. * Accept reality. Your body has changed since your glory days of high school and college. Focus on the benefits of regular exercise--and have fun. I |
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