There's often a fine line between exercise and injury, as weekend warriors are apt to
discover...all too painfully.
Push typically comes to shove when guys try to reclaim some of their past athletic glories. When underused muscles suddenly get overused, it becomes clear that the old bod isn't what it used to be.
During the 1990s, the number of emergency-room visits for sports injuries, increasingly dubbed "boomeritis," jumped by about a third, to 365,000 from 276,000.
Some injuries, such as tennis or golf elbow, develop from poor technique. Others, from rougher or careless activities, include muscle bruises, torn tendons or ligaments, crushed cartilage, and broken bones.
All of these injuries prompt an inflammatory to break down and clean up damaged cells. But unchecked, inflammation can lead to chronic pain, stiffness, and damage to healthy nearby tissues. And when sports injuries don't heal properly, they can lead to chronic aches and pains.
There is some consolation, though. Overuse injuries happen to the best of us, including the most fit elite athletes, says Soren Mavrogenis, the physiotherapist for the Danish Olympic team. And weekend warriors can take a page from what some top athletes do to heal
Mavrogenis, whose clinic is in central Copenhagen, became interested in the anti-inflammatory properties of essential fatty acids (EFAs) and antioxidants about five years ago. He had been trying to treat a woman rower with an inflamed knee, but was reluctant to recommend long term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as ibuprofen, because of their side effects.
So he and a couple of colleagues explored an alternative course of action: suggesting that the rower try supplements of omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils), gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), and vitamins E and C. Her knee improved.
The omega-3 fatty acids and GLA temper the body's powerful inflammatory response by providing the building blocks for the body's own anti-inflammatory compounds, such as prostaglandin E1. Vitamins E and C neutralize hazardous molecules known as free radicals, which help fuel inflammatory reactions.
Mavrogenis now recommends these supplements for Danish Olympians and other athletes with overuse injuries. He has found that most athletes bounce back from their injuries, often without NSAIDS, after just a few weeks of supplementation.
The same supplements can ease of aches and pains of wounded weekend warriors as well.
In one of several controlled studies scheduled for publication, Mavrogenis and Norwegian physicians treated 40 weekend-warrior athletes, men and women 18 to 60 years old, with fatty acids and antioxidant supplements or placebos for one month. All of the subjects had been injured in sports activities and had suffered chronic inflammation for at least three months. In addition, all of the participants received physical therapy. Nearly all of the men and women taking the supplements benefited from significant reductions in inflammation and pain.
The information provided by Jack Challem is strictly educational and not intended as medical
advice. For diagnosis and treatment, consult your physician.