Sports have been with us for many centuries and are loved by many. 760 BC were the first recorded ancient Olympic Games and the only event was a foot race. Later events included jumping, discus, boxing, wrestling, equestrian, and javelin. Whether played or watched sports are played everywhere. Some more modern sports such as basketball, soccer, and American football have developed throughout time. American football may be the best example of this because of how dangerous the sport initially was. American football back in the 1860’s was already a rough sport but the protection that the players wore had no way to keep them as safe as they are today. Although all sports can cause some type of injury no matter the precautions taken beforehand and new types of equipment built today injuries are pretty much bound to happen one way or another. An injury during physical activity can happen to anyone. They can result from acute trauma, or from overuse of a particular body part. All sports are pretty dangerous in its own way and can easily cause damage to the body that has long term or short term effects as you live. Although football is one of the most dangerous sports because of the roughness of the sport, basketball and soccer are also dangerous in their own ways and are rigorous activities that requires high fitness levels. However, there are ways to prevent and or treat injuries using physical therapy.
Physical therapy and athletic training are becoming more popular methods of treatments from all ages and for many reasons. Physical therapy is the treatment of disease, injury, or deformity by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise rather than by drugs or surgery. They are experts in the science of healing and the art of caring. Physical therapy is also a branch of rehabilitative health that uses forms of exercise and equipment which are specifically designed to assist people to either regain or improve their physical abilities. Physical therapy helps to restore a person's best ability to function through minimizing physical impairment, disability-related congenital and acquired conditions, and functional limitations. Physical Therapy is useful to anyone with an illness or injury. A physical therapist is an expert on how person body works and moves, they teach people ways to prevent injury and promote healthy lifestyles and wellness. Physical therapy is a very useful type of healing and should be used more than drugs and surgery if possible.
Sports physical therapy is a specialized practice that focuses on prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, performance enhancement and evaluation of the individual that is active. Athletes try to prevent these injuries with these methods so they can have a longer healthier career. In sports such as soccer the legs are going to take the most damage and show the most fatigue and must be strong. The average soccer player will travel a good 7 miles in the course of one soccer games. Although if injury is to occur a player can get physical therapy to strengthen that muscle or heal the injury. For example if a player were to get a knee injury. When you look at a fast paced game either professional or amateur there will be wear and tear on the legs, and knee problems should come as no surprise when it comes to injuries. The patella or “kneecap” is one of the most common locations a player will feel the most discomfort and pain. This usually occurs in the front of the knee and where it is seen the most in is patellofemoral dysfunction, an injury that occurs in the cartilage between the patella and the femur, or thigh bone. Dr. Hale says “when the patella is subject to excessive pressure against the femur, or is aligned improperly with the groove at the end of the femur along which it slides, the cartilage can become irritated or wear away. This can lead to chondromalacia, a condition in which the cartilage underlying the patella is softened or frayed, causing pain and inflammation in surrounding tissue.”(N.P.) Injuries such as this are no joke and should not be taken lightly because it'll hurt throughout your whole life as you get older. These types of injuries would be considered long term such as concussions. A concussion is temporary unconsciousness caused by a blow to the head, also loosely of the aftereffects such as confusion or temporary incapacity. There are some main reasons as to why concussions are taken much seriously now than it was 25 years ago. If an athlete is to sustain a concussion injury they are at higher risk for getting another than an athlete who has never experienced the injury. Concussions are also cumulative, meaning that the more concussions an athlete receives the longer it takes for them to recover from each one. Also their brain function becomes worse after each injury. Some athletes that receive concussions may develop problems later in their lives such as dementia, confusion, confusion and other problems. Some athletes have been diagnosed with an autopsy with the disorder of “chronic traumatic encephalopathy.” The last thing is that an athlete that are still recovering from the concussion that returns to the sports prematurely (particularly young males) are at risk for life threatening swelling of the brain known as “second impact syndrome.” Even though the usual header won't cause immediate brain damage it will over time and studies have proven that.
Research that was done at the Imperial College of London that determined soccer players who direct soccer balls with their head absorb an impact equivalent to that of a punch from an amateur boxer, and that existing soccer headgear doesn't seem to help much.
Heading a soccer ball is a tactic used many times throughout the course of a game can have serious consequences in the long run. Heading the ball has never had attention paid to it, but research shows that doing so can contribute to cognitive decline or impairment with either short or long term effects. Heading the ball happens a countless number of times throughout a player's career whether it's in a game or even practice not to mention other head blows. Nearly 63 percent of a varsity soccer players had symptoms of a concussion at some point in their career, but only 19 percent knew about. When thought about it's a very serious matter that is not paid much attention to. Long term results of these types of injuries include problems with memory, planning and perception. Even professional soccer players suffer from these problems. When tested the soccer players the engage in the most heading (which is most likely the midfield and defenders) performed the worst on verbal and visual memory tests as well as test in attention span. Another example to show how heading the ball can damage the brain was a study showed on retired players. The study showed that retired players had significant problems with conceptual thinking, reaction times and concentration. Even physical therapist can help with concussions. After a diagnosis of concussion, physical therapists can help to evaluate and treat many problems that follow a head injury, including dizziness, difficulty with balance, and neck injuries. Because no two injuries are the same, the physical therapist’s examination is essential to assess a recovering individual symptoms and limitations. The physical therapist then designs a treatment program. Physical therapy is a growing method of healing and is becoming more popular. The athletic trainer would most likely be the first to diagnose the athlete because they can work on sports fields. An athletic trainer administers proper equipment to the athlete or patient depending on the situation.
Physical therapy is expanding throughout the world and there has been an overwhelming amount evidence that was partaken in physical activity that was beneficial to both physical and psychological health and well being. People in this field of learning are impacting on government health policy around the world. These people; work with professional and elite sport teams, they help to promote public health offers, they take up a significant amount of health management opportunities. They also contribute to groundbreaking discoveries in medical and health research, and assist in health teams in developing and war torn countries across the world. Even though evidence shows that physical activity was beneficial large amounts of people in other countries across the world do not participate in the levels of physical activities that would help them achieve such benefits. The challenge of overcoming such benefits is where physical therapy and sports medicine professions can contribute their knowledge in. The talents of physical therapy are being demanded by persons such as patients and physicians, and they are needed for a wide variety of reasons. Many patients are being sent to physical therapy instead of surgery. Physical therapy and athletic training has been in many places other than clinics, it has already reached places including; hospitals, private practices, outpatient clinics, home health agencies, schools, sports and fitness facilities work settings and nursing homes.