Dublin has enjoyed some high temperatures so far this summer and understandably many of us are more active outdoors when the sun is shining. We must be aware of the potential issue of heat related injuries sustained from exercise in sport and other forms of strenuous work-related activity.

I don’t want to put a dampener on our untypical warm and sunny weather but rather my intention is to simply raise awareness. Many of us may not have a lot of experience training in such warm conditions but I do from my youth growing up in sunny South Africa.

It’s important to realise from the start that heat injuries can be life-threatening, if precautions are not taken. Heat injuries can start with mild forms of heat cramps which are easily treated if identified early enough.

Let’s look at different types of heat injuries.

Adequate preparation as well as appropriate rest and recovery from sport and activity can help prevent overuse injuries from occurring. However with every good intention an overuse injury is easily sustain and is a common type of injury we see here in our Physiotherapy practice.

To fully understand the nature of the overuse injury, how to treat it and prevent it from happening again we must take a look at some background information about this common condition.

What is an overuse injury?

As a result of our sport or activity we can sustain one of two types of injuries - acute or overuse types.

Acute injury

This type of injury can be characterised by the sudden onset of a ‘sharp’ pain with the potential for the sudden loss of function, usually as a result of a traumatic event. Some examples of acute injuries would be sprains of the ankle, dislocation of the shoulder, bone fractures, etc.

Overuse injury

This type of injury is quite different from the acute injury in that the presence of pain and in some cases inflammation too can be totally absent. Instead of the sudden onset of pain and dysfunction there are numerous and repetitive micro traumas that occur to the muscles, tendons, joints and bones. These micro traumas are subtle and if frequent enough they will eventually lead to pain and dysfunction due to the eventual breakdown of the affected body part.

Widespread pain, such as the symptoms associated with Fibromyalgia, is a type of aching pain that affects multiple areas of your body. The unpleasant experience of such symptoms can negatively impact mental health as well as physical functioning. A Physiotherapist experienced in managing the condition of Fibromyalgia can offer effective pain relief and a better ability to cope, but sleep quality is also an important factor the individual can focus on by themselves.

Poor quality sleep can impact all aspects of our health in undesirable ways. When it comes to sleep consistency is as important as quality and that is because we rely on something known as our circadian rhythm. This internal body clock programs our wake and sleep cycles and influences the healthy functioning of our bodies.

Although the precise cause of Fibromyalgia is unknown contributing factors are believed to be such things as infection or injury and more focus is now being placed on sleep quality too. Disturbed sleep may not cause Fibromyalgia but is often associated with the condition and may impact of the severity of the symptoms as well as the ability of the sufferer to remain functional in day to day life.

A few weeks ago Simon wrote a very informative Golf related article called - Golf Flexibility, The Golf Swing & Common Injuries

If you are a golfer and haven't read this article I recommend you do, it attracted good interest and praise over on our Twitter profile @mmphysiotherapy . On the back of this article I've put together some top tips for helping you avoid those niggly golfing injuries. 

Here we go...

The best sleep position may be slightly different for each person but to avoid back and neck pain there are simple sleeping position techniques that are common for most. We spend about a third of our day sleeping in a mostly still position. This extended period of motionless can leave us feeling stiff the next morning and potentially cause or aggravate back or neck pain. Fortunately it is not difficult to achieve an aligned, pain free sleeping position with the help of some simple techniques and an extra pillow or two.

In my clinic I get asked regularly about what are the best sleeping positions and in fact it was just the other day a client queried specifically about neck pain and sleep positions which inspired me to write this post.

My first answer is usually to suggest finding a position which is most comfortable. From years of clinical experience and understanding sleep related pain issues I am usually able to offer some suggestions as to how best to achieve better sleeping positions for pain relief.

With Wimbledon fever well under way and a particularly injury prone year among the top seeded players I thought it might be interesting to have a look at the most common tennis relates sports injuries. Research has shown that there are 54 injuries per 1000 games played (Pluim et al 2006). Among the most common injuries are a sprained ankle, shoulder strain, calf strain, tennis elbow and back injuries. 

Let’s take a closer look at the sprained ankle.

The sprained ankle is highly common in both the elite and the recreational sportsperson. The sudden sprinting, side movements and change of direction as required in tennis can cause the ankle to twist, particularly if the player is becoming fatigued or are playing on a slippery surface. The likes of Andy Murray and Roger Federer will wear ankle braces during matches in order to reduce the risk of such injuries.

Can I exercise too much?

Sure you can. There is such a thing as ‘chronic cardio’ where the amount of exercise you do can actually have negative long term consequences on your health.

Although in my experience, those I meet who are chronic exercises are often aware of what they are doing and are driven by something else rather than the pursuit of optimal health.

Another quote I recall from a runners forum:

I run to add life to my years not years to my life

Good quality sleep is really important. Sleep not only enables the body to recharge physically but is also essential for helping us stay mentally alert and balanced. In fact, poor quality and not enough sleep over prolonged periods can affect our health in many negatively ways.

This infographic describes The Dangers of Sleep Deprivation

With increasing lifespans, rising chronic disease rates, challenged health care systems and an explosion in easily accessible health information - it seems everyone is searching and sharing their experiences in trying to discover that magic pill for perfect health. Maybe it is and has been right under our noses all this time.

Why is an athlete better off than you or me?

Have you ever been in awe from the physical perfection of a professional athlete? Just last year we witnessed one of the greatest sporting events, the Olympics, bearing witness to those runners, riders, throwers, jumpers and others who dedicate incredible time and effort preparing their precision sculpted bodies for the highest level of performance in their sport.

Any such athlete rarely reaches this point alone. Trainers, coaches, Physiotherapy teams and the latest and most advanced sports medical research assists the athlete through the highs and lows of such demanding training. Sickness or injury would present a major set-back and strategies for prevention and recovery is hardly left to chance.

A recent 'twinge' in my left knee while jogging over some uneven turf in the park reminded me of these simple self treatment techniques and the vulnerability of our hard working knees.  

Did you know the knee is the largest joint in the body? It also has a pretty tough job and is prone to injury unfortunately. Our knees take the impact for pretty much everything we do on our feet. Being literally two bones, femur and tibia, joined together by ligaments with only a wedge of soft cartilage (meniscus) as a cushion between them - they do an amazing job on the whole.

It's not only athletes who risk injuring their knees but most of us in our day to day can suffer one of these common conditions. If we are aware of them and be more mindful during our daily movements we should be able to reduce the risk. Let's take a look...