How to use the sports medicine guide
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Written by suphut
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Wednesday, 20 February 2008 |
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First, rule out all aerobic warnings and other danger signals. If you have any of the symptoms just listed, call your doctor immediately. If your injury is not an obvious emergency, find your symptoms in following the appropriate section on the outline that follows to look for your symptoms. (Problems are grouped by body system and then by body area, from bottom to top.) Read about the injury to confirm that you actually have it and then treat it as suggested. Note any warnings included and do not attempt self-treatment if you have any doubts. in addition to the treatment suggested, you will also find hints for speeding your return to normal, as well as advice and suggested exercises to keep from hurting yourself again. You can locate any exercise quickly by looking it up in the separate Exercise Index in the back of the book. If you have more than one symptom, you may have more than one injury. Look them up in order of severity.
For some problems, home treatment will be your only choice. It is the same therapy your doctor would provide. If you follow the directions conscientiously, you should solve the problem. An injury requiring home treatment is not necessarily trivial. It may simply be the type of problem for which you can do as much as a doctor can. For this reason, take your home therapy seriously and minister to yourself with as much attention as you would expect from a doctor.
For other injuries, home treatment is a stopgap measure, or a first step. If your symptoms disappear, fine; if not, see your doctor. But even when you have to see a doctor, read the description and appropriate therapy and rehabilitation in this section first so that you are armed with as much information as possible.
To ensure accurate diagnosis and effective treatment, give your physician the following information:
- Precisely how and when the injury occurred
- Whether the injured part is stiff, sore, or numb when you first wake up in the morning
- What kinds of movement aggravate the pain
- Whether the pain intensifies or disappears during a workout and at what point (if it gets worse, stop exercising)
- How the injured part feels after the workout-if it hurts, note when the pain starts, how severe it is, and how long it lasts
- What sort of home treatment you've applied
NOTE: Many of the exercises suggested for treating, rehabilitating, or preventing injuries are used in other parts of this book for sports conditioning. During training and conditioning, you build muscle and stamina by performing exercises quickly and aggressively. However, for therapy you recover lost strength and mobility by doing each exercise slowly and deliberately (unless otherwise noted); otherwise you may aggravate rather than relieve your pain. And remember: Don't force anything. It takes three days to rebuild the strength in a muscle for every day you wear a cast or brace.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 25 February 2008 )
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