Knee injuries are among the top four loss injuries in soccer according to USSoccer.com. However, knee injuries are the main concern for both athletes and physicians regardless of the . The research feature on USSoccer is a bit technical, but the main aspects on prevention for both weekend worries and pro-athletes are as follows

1. Warm-up your body/muscles.
2. Stretch your body/muscles.
3. Strengthen your body/muscles.
4. Do special exercises:  Plyometrics, Agilities

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) created “The 11+”  a complete warm up program which is supposed to prevent injuries by 50%.

If you are tough enough or need extra motivation to follow a strict and regular prevention program, you might want to check out some of the worst soccer injuries ever. I saw some of the scenes on TV, it was pretty scary – in particular with sound.

Below is my fav picture of the series :)

source: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3138/2989015986_ff7d37c217_o.jpg

World Cup Countdown: 121 days

GOOOAAALLL! I have to admit I am REALLY EXCITED!!! excited about the FIFA World Cup 2010 from 6/11 through 7/11 in South Africa. Hope it will give South Africa and the continent a big boost. The draw last Friday with David Beckham and other stars (click here for the results) already created the first big pre-tournament hype.

As always there is the question who might be among the favorites for the title? Italy, the defending champion, Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Spain (the current European Champion), or maybe the host South Africa? Or one of the "underdogs" like the US or Ghana? Probably not North Korea. What do you think?

At the same time people start debating what players should/should not be selected for the national teams. Who are the referees for next year's best of the best? Why does not the FIFA add cameras or referees behind the goals?

During the world cup there will be the usual surprise teams (performance-wise) as well as UNFORTUNATELY cheating, fouls, and injuries. How many times have I seen players limping off the field or being carried away on a stretcher. Then, we will all be reminded of knee injuries such as ACL or MCL injury, dislocation, meniscus tear, or sprain. The worst is that we - the couch potatoes - not only see the pain in the athlete's face but often also hear the sound of the impact prior to the injury. Thanks to constant replays and way too sensitive microphones next to the field.

That leads me to my main question (and concern). Are there currently any soccer players not available due to knee injuries? I think I lost track of the main national leagues and developments in recent months. Maybe somebody can help me out (aka comment on my blog with updates).

Side note: the American Journal of Sports Medicine published an interesting article on knee injuries about (serious) soccer players this past summer, which is worth reading (click here for the article).

185 days to go!

 
I read an interesting article this morning about the relationship between childhood abuse and osteoarthritis. According to researchers at the University of Toronto, physical abuse at a young age leads to an increased risk of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis, the gradual weakening of the cartilage surrounding a joint, causes stiff and painful knees, ankles, fingers or hips.

 

The researchers looked at a 2005 Canadian health questionnaire that surveyed 11,108 men and women. Just about 10 percent had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, and nearly seven percent reported being physically abused as a child. The group with osteoarthritis was almost two times more likely to have been physical abuse. The researchers called this correlation "unexpectedly robust."

 

So add arthritis to the growing list of complications that can occur from child abuse. Previous studies have linked abuse with an increased incidence of everything from depression to mental illness to cancer. Some of the relationships intuitively make more sense than others; I was pretty surprised to see a study relating abuse and cancer. But it goes to show just how devastating abuse can be.

 

The article got me thinking. If childhood abuse can have an influence on osteoarthritis -something so seemingly unconnected - what other negative impacts could it have? If it can contribute to joint pain, how else can it damage us?  I know we don't need more motivation to fight against child abuse, but here's yet another reason.  The full article can be found here.

They have a saying here in the Northeast - "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute." And with winter approaching (much faster than I'd like), the weather is really all over the place.

 

Such unreliable weather doesn't just make outfit choice difficult. It also can have significant consequences for people with arthritis or other types of knee pain. You always hear stories about people using body aches to predict the weather; many swear an increased pain level forecasts a storm better than any meteorologist could. In addition, other people say their knees hurt more in colder weather. So how much does weather really affect knee pain? Is there any scientific proof or is the correlation just built upon anecdotal evidence? With the weather acting up (Last weekend in Boston, it snowed. This weekend, I walked around in flip-flops), I decided to look into it.

 

According to John Hopkins Medicine, the evidence is conflicting. One study tracked Argentinean people living with and without arthritis for a year. Those with a form of arthritis reported more pain in low temperatures; those without it were unaffected. How humidity and air pressure affected patients varied depending on their type of condition. People with rheumatoid arthritis were affected by both high humidity and high pressure, people with osteoarthritis were affected by high humidity, and people with fibromyalgia by high pressure. Another study, however, looked at Floridians with arthritis and found no relationship between pain and weather.

 

Another study I found, from 2007, found that lower temperatures and higher barometric pressures increased pain in osteoarthritis patients. My next question was, why would different weather conditions affect body aches?   

 

A common theory seems to be that changes in barometric pressure affect the pressure within a knee joint. Barometric pressure often drops before a storm, and experts think this might cause tissues in the knee joint to swell, leading to arthritic pain. However, this swelling is too tiny to be measured scientifically, so the idea remains theoretical. Another idea floating around is that the pain has a more psychological or indirect cause. For example, people tend to feel down on gloomy days - would that make their pain more difficult to handle? Also, people tend to lounge around the house on rainy or cold afternoons - does this lack of action make their joints stiffer?

 

It seems there is no easy answer to the question, but anecdotal evidence definitely seems to suggest a relationship between pain and weather. Anyone out there have tales of amazing weather prediction feats? Do you have a better track record than your local meteorologist? All this research made me curious - I'd love to hear stories of how well your pain correlates with weather changes. Thanks :)

I've always loved water sports. I was on a swim team for years, and I've tried all types of water activities - water polo, crew, kayaking, surfing. In the water, above the water, it doesn't matter. I've liked them all.

 
One class I have not tried yet is water aerobics. But it's definitely on my to-do list. I've heard it's a great work-out and it's easy your joints. So what exactly are the benefits of exercising in the water?

 
For people with knee pain or arthritis, water aerobics provides a good workout without putting stress on the joints. This is because water's buoyancy can support most of the body's weight. You can even add weights to your ankles to intensify the workout without harming your knees.


In addition, water's resistance forces your muscles to work harder, making for a more effective workout. The numbers I saw say that walking on land for 30 minutes can burn 135 calories, while walking in deep water for the same time can burn 264 calories. Similarly, jogging on land for 30 minutes burns 240 calories; the same amount of deep water jogging burns 340 calories.


In other words, water aerobics combines stress-free movement with an intense workout. That sounds pretty good to me - I think I may have found my next water sport!  Here are some tips for exercising in the water, from the Creighton University Medical Center:

·         Exercise in navel- to chest-deep water.

·         Place your entire foot on the bottom of the pool.

·         Keep your abdominal and gluteal muscles tight and your spine neutral, with your hips slightly forward and your back straight, but not arched.

·         Wear water shoes for better traction and to protect your feet from rough pool surfaces.

·         Add equipment such as weights or water gloves, water paddles, or aquatic hand buoys if the exercise is too easy.

If you're looking for some more info about water exercise, this website seems like a good place to start: http://www.calainc.org/indexslide.htm.

It seems as if every time I open the sports section lately, another star athlete has been sidelined with a knee injury. To name a few: Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez is out for two months, Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano is done for the season, and Dallas Mavericks forward Tim Thomas is prepping for surgery.

But unless you’re an expert, reading that your favorite player has suffered a knee injury is not just upsetting – it’s confusing! What’s the different between a sprained ligament and a torn cartilage? How about ACL versus PCL? I decided to look into some common terminology to better understand all the different knee injuries

Many athletes fall victim to ligament injuries. Ligaments connect your thighbone to your lower leg bones, holding the knee in place. There are two classes of ligaments, the cruciate ligaments and the collateral ligaments. The cruciate ligaments, located inside your knee joint, control the knee’s front and back motions. The collateral ligaments, located on the sides of your knee, are in charge of sideways motion. Injured ligaments are called “sprains,” and they are ranked on a scale of one to three, with grade three sprains being the most damaging.

Cruciate Ligaments – ACL and PCL

The two types of cruciate ligaments are anterior (ACL) and posterior (PCL). ACL injuries are some of the most common; the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons estimates that 200,000 ACL injuries occur per year. The majority of these injuries do not require any direct contact. A quick deceleration, abrupt change in direction or awkward landing is enough to cause a sprain. Athletes most at risk for an ACL injury are skiers or those who play basketball, soccer or football.

PCL injuries often result from a powerful, direct blow to the knee; for example, a football player falling on a bent knee. Athletes can also injure theirs PCLs by over-stretching the ligament or making a misstep on the playing field.

Collateral Ligments – MCL and LCL

The two types of collateral ligaments are medial (MCL) and lateral (LCL). The MCL is injured more often than its lateral counterpart. This type of sprain is caused a direct blow to the knee that pushes it sideways. As a result, MCL injuries occur most often in contact sports, such as football or soccer.

Meniscus

Ligaments are not the only parts of the knee at risk for injury. The meniscus, the rubbery cartilage in your knee, is another common injury site. Located between your thigh and shin bones, the meniscus acts as a shock absorber for your knee, keeping it stable.

Tears in the meniscus can occur when athletes twist or pivot their knee, or during tackles. If you hear someone has torn their cartilage, it most likely means they have torn their meniscus. 

I just finished reading an article about a college figure skater with rheumatoid arthritis. First diagnosed in high school, she refuses to let the disease dictate her life and continues to skate. Here's a link to the story:

http://www.thecollegianur.com/2009/09/10/sophomore-battles-arthritis-keeps-figure-skating/

A college student myself, I found the article very interesting. It's easy to forget that teenagers can get arthritis, a condition we tend to associate with older people. Yet according to the National Institutes of Health, about 294,000 Americans under the age of 18 suffer from arthritis or another rheumatic condition. I decided to look into juvenile arthritis (JA), the most common form in children.

JA is a chronic autoimmune disease, though the severity varies from case to case. Its symptoms include joint swelling, pain and stiffness; a common sign of the condition is a morning limp caused by knee stiffness. For most children, JA progresses unevenly. Their symptoms can go into remission, then worsen suddenly. They can also develop high fevers or skins rashes.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, doctors classify JA into three separate types. The first, pauciarticular, involves only a few joints. It may cause eye inflammation, which is treatable but could lead to blindness if left alone. The second polyarticular, affects five or more joints, usually on the same side of the body. The third, systemic, causes a rash and inflamed internal organs, in addition to swelling, pain and limited motion in at least one joint.

Researchers are still not sure what causes JA. They think certain genes predispose people to the condition, and something environmental triggers it. It's rare, however, for more than one child in a family to be diagnosed with JA.  

People used to think children outgrew JA. However, half the children with JA would remain arthritic 10 years after their diagnosis if not aggressively treated. Treatment includes medication, physical therapy and in rare cases, surgery to improve joint positioning.

The article I read today highlights some of the challenges JA sufferers face, but it also shows you don't have to let a diagnosis stop you. Pretty inspiring!