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Show Page 14 THE HERALD. Prove, Utah, Sunday November 19, iSTB Athletic Injuries: Giving Medicine A Sporting Chance By DUaaa Sim vie NEW YORK (NEA) - Whether you jog, play tennis or ski. at some point in your "sporting life, you'll probably million suffer from injury Fifty-fiv- e Americans participate in sports every are inyear, and 2C million of the jured Injury is the chief reason that amateur and professional athletes stop athletics "Most of these injuries are preventable," says Or Gabe Mem in He s assistant professor of sportsmedicine at University of Maryland "Preventing injuries is what the sportsmedicine is all about It's a new field This represents a giant step beyond the time when physicians were concerned with treating injuries. "Everyone wants to learn about their bodies. Sportsmedicine explains how the body works during physical activity." Sportsmedicine is still an unofficial specialty in the medical field. This newest "branch" was practiced by coaches, trainers and athletes before the doctors stepped in The best physicians are often not medical doctors, but trainers," Dr. Merkin said in a recent interview John Lally of the Capital Bullets and Jim Monahan of the New York Yankees are excellent sportsmedicine physicians, but Uvy've never been to medical school. " Even those attending medical school find that few courses are offered on the subject Only 30.000 physicians practice sportsmedicine part time The sportsmedicine physician is usually an athlete himself or has an otherwise strong interest in sports Dr. Merkin has been invoked in sportsmed'eine for 15 years. He learned painfully, from his own in- juries. "I began running at 28 and did everything wrong. I broke three bones in my foot and must have pulled every muscle in rny legs. I even submitted to cortisone treatment and surgery. Then I realized that these treatments were doing nothing that stretching and strengthening exercises couldn't do." The regular physician is a pain he says Most distribute injections and pills without exploring the reasons for the injury The sportsmedicine physician instead looks for the cause, then looks for the treatment " Dr Merkin is adamant If you re injured and your doctor wants to give you an injection or pills for vour pain and that's ?U go to another doctor' You can the muscle, sometimes more seriously, when pain is masked but the reason for the injury is not found Identifying the cause is usually fairly simple, based on anatomy "I can tell by looking at a person whether he is likely to develop sore treater - - back pain or pulled knees, hamstrings," Dr Merkin says Runners with "flat feet," for example, usually complain of "runner's knee" because the knee twists with the foot. The foot really isn't flat in this case; it has a very low a ah A good quality running shoe and arch supports in the street shoe can correct this problem be says Those with one leg slightly longer than the other often suffer from low back pain because the back curves to compensate Exercises that strengthen the abdominal muscles and stretch the back muscles straighten the back and stop the pain Exercises can do much The Pittsburgh Steelers led the National Football League in injuries and losses a fe years back Then they hired Paul Uram as flexibility coach He put the team on a diet of stretching and strengthening exercises Two years later the Steelers stood at the top Super Bowl champs and league leaders in The sportsmedicine physician ha another advantage over the regular doctor He knows the differences between the athlete and the nonathlete Medical tests on an athlete can of hepatitis, anemia and an enlarged heart In the nonathlete. these signs are serious In the athlete, they are not. But the athlete s blood following competition contains higher levels of NON-injuri- show-sign- s By JIM COUR UPI Sports Writer PALM SPRINGS, Calif (UPI) The United States will rely on - Americans John the enzyme associated with hepatitis Athletes also have more blood The greater volume lowers the concentration of red blood cells though they and the are normal in numbers result looks like anemia And the athlete s heart is larger because it's a strong, healthy muscle, with large arteries and veins, efficiently pumping blood at about 50 beats per minute The other kind because the muscle heart is large stretched with of is explains Dr Merkin. This fluid, to go against Britain at z Dec At a Thursday news 0 Brian conference, Gordon co'insu) Ange! Favorites Dr Merkin says the initial treatment for any injury is the same: rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE) Swelling usually starts within seconds of an injury, so RICE should be started as soon as possible Sports are basically combinations of strength, coordination and agility, he says "If you understand the science of sports and fitness and are willing to put it to work, you can get the most out of your body and your favorite sport," he says The teams won't be of- ratings and the Smith-Lutduo never has lost a ficial until each captain hands the other his Davis doubles match in Davis Cup lineup 10 days before Cup competition while the start of the matches, Mottram is rated 22nd but no changes are ex- and John Lloyd 32nd. But Trabert pointed out pected. The United States will that America will be apbe heavily favored to win pearing in the Davis Cup since McEnroe and Got- finals for the first time in tfried are rated sixth and five years The United seventh, respectively, by States won its last Davis the American Tennis Cup in 1972 by defeating Professional computer Romania Palm Springs, Calif., Britain's deputy McEnroe and Brian Gotgeneral in Los tfried, and the veteran revealed the doubles tandem of Star. Brittdi team as brothers Smith and Bob Lutz to John and David Lloyd, win the Davis Cup. Buster Mottram and That was the lineup an- Mart Cox. John Lloyd nounced by U.S. Davis and Mottram will play Cup captain Tony Trabert singles. Davis Cup dis- eased heart must beat 120 times a minute to pump the same amount of blood." Telling an athlete to stop exercising when injured is "like killing him," he says Yet this is usually what the regular doctor does The sportsmedicine physician's job is to find a substitute sport while the injury heals," says Dr. Merkin. "The runner with a foot problem or the tennis elbow victim can ride a bike, for example Someone with a hip prosthesis can use a rowing machine." The physician must realize which sports are complementary, he says Biking and running are not complementary In the runner the front of the thigh (quad muscle is about 15 times stronger than the back of the thigh hamstring muscle) The biker, skier and skater have a nearly equal ratio of strength between the two muscles To switch from biking to running, for example, you must take care to strengthen and stretch the hamstring or you will pull it. , 3-- 2 OPEN LATE MA 111 A V f SHOP EARLY FOR K CHRISTMAS mvnvNi Qf FRIDAY - PAIN OFTEN EXCRUCIATING accompanies sport injury. 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