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20 Jan 2010 08:52:55
The Professor of Sport at the University of Bedfordshire warns everyone to be careful when they eventually return to competition.
Professor John Brewer believes the long lay-off, caused by a combination of Christmas and the bad weather, means that people returning to their chosen sports over the next few days could be at an increased risk of injury.
He said: “Fitness is lost very quickly when people stop exercising for even a short period of time.
“While most people only associate this with a shortness of breath and increased fatigue, they forget that their muscles, tendons and ligaments have also lost strength and suppleness, making them more prone to injury.”
The cold snap either side of the festive break means many sportspeople will have been inactive for weeks before returning to competition.
Professor Brewer said: “Most grounds should have thawed out by the time they are played on, but the mud and uneven surfaces that will have resulted from the snow and melt-water will put extra pressure on the body, and muscles and tendons, especially during twisting, turning and sprinting.
“Although the body might have coped with this a couple of months ago, now there could easily be a serious injury due to a loss of conditioning as a result of the break.”
Professor Brewer’s credentials are undoubted as he was the sports scientist for the England team at Italia ’90 when the late Sir Bobby Robson’s side just missed out on reaching the final.
Here are some of his tips to reduce the risk of injury:
* If possible, do some gentle training before your first competitive event to kick-start your fitness levels.
* Make sure you warm up properly, taking time to raise your body temperature and stretch your muscles before starting any sporting activity.
* Pace yourself properly – don’t let your enthusiasm for being back on the field of play get the better of you. Otherwise running around too quickly at the start will increase your chances of injury, and almost certainly mean that you won’t last the full duration of your event.
* If you coach/manage a team, use substitutes sensibly and be sensitive to the loss of fitness that your team will have suffered!
Latest news» 2010» January» Ease yourself back in after long sporting lay-off
