Sport vital part of lifestyle

and promotes good health.
Sport, in terms of bodily movement, is an extension of activities of daily living and quite often requires normal movement patterns albeit at higher intensity and repetitions as well as in a highly dynamic and ballistic fashion.
Some sports like gymnastics, swimming/diving and cricket bowling to name a few however require some unnatural movement patterns that significantly challenges the body’s inherent biomechanics, particularly those of the back. The back is the link between our lower body (pelvis and leg) which propel our bodies forward and the upper torso from where the arms that we lift push and pull with, hang. It therefore is a crucial biomechanical link for transmitting forces from either end of the body, forces which multiply with sporting activities and significantly raise the risk of physical injury to the tissues involved.
Common causes of back problems in sport
l Poor posture – Poor prolonged body position can leave the back stressed-sitting badly on the plane/bus/car on the way to the event
l Poor sporting technique – An ill-trained athlete is likely to exhibit poor technique due to muscle weakness, tightness or poor co-ordination, which in turn may stress the lumbar spine.
l Poor equipment and facilities – Most sports involve running on hard ground. This requires good and well fitting shoes. Similarly, if a playing surface that is meant to be wet and soft is in fact dry and hard the stresses on the back are significant irrespective of the player wearing the right footwear.
l Poor preparation – A person must condition their body for the sport they want to play if they want to play it competitively; otherwise the back is inevitably exposed to injury causing repetitive loads.
l Overtraining – As match day nears, one must cut down on “practices” and reserve their energy for match day; quite often athletes suffer a “burnout” prior to the event and exhibit poor technique on the day, which in turn increase the risk of injury.
Prevention
l Correct warm – up and cool-down exercises
l Proper stretching exercises for flexibility
l Correct footwear and ideal facilities
l Specific conditioning for a particular sport
l Good general and aerobic fitness
Use your legs rather than your back to lift loads, starting from a bent knee position. Keep the load close to you.
If you have to push it alone, push backwards. Get regular breaks in between a sustained forward bent position.
Lift and turn rather than lift and twist.
What your physiotherapist can do
Physiotherapists are qualified and trained in the assessment and treatment of soft tissue injuries including back problems. More information can be obtained from the Zimbabwe Physiotherapy Association on [email protected]; or [email protected]