Management Sciences & Injury - Assignment Example

Management Sciences & Injury Discuss the role of correct posture in prevention of sports injuries. Illustrate with examples. Injury prevention measures are put in place with regards to athletes so that they could look after themselves in a proper and adequate manner. This pinpoints the areas of concern and devises methodologies which would help their trainers at better analyzing the athletes’ fitness regimes. Selective incorporation of these measures needs to be embedded within the regimes so that there is a consistency level in their fitness and health whenever they have an injury. Correct posture is one of the techniques which looks at solving the problems that arise within the human bodies and the injuries that they seem to tie up in every now and so often. Injuries can be drastically reduced if the posture of an athlete is maintained in a correct and proper fashion. Poor posture can result in a lot of stress for the lower back and thus back pain is one of the major ailments that could arise with the passage of a considerable time. Back pain thus forms as one of the resultant activities due to the absence of the correct posture within athletes. Injuries to sportsmen do not only consist of the ones which are met on the field but also comprise of those that happen even during the phases of exercise, rest and cool down process. The absence of a proper posture in an athlete almost definitely ensures back pain to come to his/her trouble and this can leave a lasting impression on the body under study. It is also a case in point here which has to be noted that non-traumatic injuries include poor and incorrect posture as well as sustained postures. With regards to athletes who are involved with games that entail throwing and the like, we see that incorrect techniques are composed of poorly designed strengthening programs which in essence has a direct effect on the muscles as they get imbalanced and hence the upper quarter of the body sees a slight tilt within it, forcing it to have back pain. A correct posture thus makes use of lifted chest, relaxation in the shoulders, chin needs to be tucked in properly and lastly the head is in a balanced level. Similarly, within this correct posture the head needs to be straight as the neck has to feel strong all this while and the relaxation factor cannot be denied its due place. Therefore a correct posture is a very simple yet significant mannerism in which there is a guarantee for keeping the internal muscles of the body in a straight fashion and the back and spine is checked upon in terms of health at all possible times. Correct posture is different from good posture in the sense that the latter might look good to others but correct posture assures that the body receives positive vibes through its different organs and the entire functioning of the system is on a regular and balanced level nonetheless. Thus the cosmetics of the body are reduced and taken over by the correct posture talk since this maintains a quo of balance and stability within the system which is not only systematic but also helpful in ensuring smooth and timely functioning of the body parts and the human brain which is on its toes at all possible times. Correct posture also helps reduce the incidences of back pain amongst those individuals who work in an office and remain glued on to their seats for hours on stretch. Moreover, it makes sure that they remain healthy and stay focused all this while without falling onto their backs and their spines getting fragmented as a result. The backbone at all times has to remain steady and straight no matter what activity or task the individual is carrying out, at a particular moment of time. This is equally true for people who have to stand for long hours too. The failure of a human body to counter with the problem of maintaining a correct posture adds to strain on the muscles and thus the spine gets stressed due to the same effect. The anatomical characteristics of the spine with the passage of considerable time get affected and thus this leads to a possibility of constricted blood vessels as well as nerves. This comes in line with the problems that arise in relation with the muscles, discs and joints too. Therefore, back and neck pain arise due to these happenings and add to that, headaches, migraines, fatigue and even other body organ disorders. Nonetheless, for the human body to maintain a health check within itself, it is of utmost importance to ensure that the spine is in a straight and erected manner and there is no injurious shift to its structure. Owing to the same anomaly, we can witness a number of problems which have been listed above. These are some of the examples which come under the bad posture heading. The first is the slouching factor which speaks of the slouch which happens with the shoulders which are hunched in a forward manner. The second is the Lordosis which is also known by the name of “swayback” meaning there is a large extension in the inward curve present within the lower back. The third bad posture could be due to carrying of some heavy thing on one side of the body and not getting balance for the very same at the other side. The fourth example is holding a phone receiver between the neck and the shoulder joints. Another one could be due to the wearing of such shoes which disable proper walk. This can also include clothes which are too tight and cannot be worn to comfort levels. One significant aspect or example that we may suggest is that of holding head high for a considerable period of time or looking downwards with the neck pointed down at a stretch. The correct posture is an imperative clause in the maintenance of proper order within the human body and all these examples come directly under the bad posture tenet. 2. Discuss the importance of core stability in an athlete using the shoulder to illustrate your points. Core stability has started to make its mark in the world of athletics and indeed the whole of sports with the passage of time. These players rely not only on the combination of concentration and physical stamina but also require skill set and consistency so that they can remain on top of their respective games. More than anything else, these require the proper strengthening and conditioning knowledge which comes under the area of core stability and which is indeed making its presence felt to all and sundry in the related quarters. Correct posture and alignment using the shoulder is an important point that comes under the core stability aspect and one that needs to be understood in the proper context as well. When an athlete performs sporting activities or movements and gets acquainted with the techniques that are deployed on these very tasks at hand, then is the time that the maintenance of correct posture and alignment raises paramount importance in the whole equation and then only the issue of core stability within the shoulders gets raised up a bit. A due example for the game of golf focuses on the core stability whilst the same being true in the lumber spine and the pelvic areas. These two areas are indeed the significant ones in the whole of the golf gaming. In order to have a more proper and sound technique it is indeed imperative to have a correct posture and alignment, not only within the sport of golf but also in diving, gymnastics and a host of other sports that are played outdoors. For that matter, diving and gymnastics are very much dependent on the aesthetics as these accounts for the athlete to have complete control over his/her own self. This allows for the much needed cushion in his/her body as concerns to breathing, functioning of different body organs in a systematic manner and more than anything else, a complete balance in his mode of respiration that is so very essential at the very end. Similarly, whilst an athlete is running, enhanced core stability ensures that he/she is able to exert pressure on his/her shoulders in a much better and more effective manner and this would in turn mean that the core stability would be made available for applying force in an effective manner nonetheless. Indeed one of the advantages of this exercise is that it reduces the risks that are there with regards to the ultimate injuries which the athletes face from time to time. In the game of rugby, core stability has been taken as the buzzword in recent times. This is due to the fact that in core stability the word ‘core’ deals with the origin of movement activities as well as the exact basis for the safe and dynamic sport that is being played. The usage of shoulders is maximized since the core stability phenomenon speaks of the muscular strength within the athlete and thus the whole of the central body control as a result. It asks for generating more power and control on the part of the athlete whilst he/she is utilizing the muscular effort. Core stability training is very effective since it forms up as a long term solution for the recurring back and neck pains. There have been found longer sustained improvements in the body as compared to the other manual therapy treatments. As we delve into this equation further, we find that the core muscles lie pretty deep inside the torso and are thus in complete linkage with the spine, the pelvis and the shoulder blades as a result of the same relationship thus formed inside of the torso. It is with the contraction of these core muscles that one starts feeling the stabilization process coming into full effect and thus the three organs namely the spine, the pelvis and the shoulders act in unison to vie for a solid basis of the movements within the arms and the legs. Core stability can take a back seat if the muscles are not acting in a coordinated manner to say the least. This means that for the core stabilization process to act in the first place, we need to have a coordination that has to come to full effect nonetheless. Without the same being absent, the core stability regime would almost be a lost cause. The muscles, more than anything else, need to be in line with this coordination activity and it is this linkage that has to set the ball rolling in the proper direction nonetheless. The process of core stability looks at working on the deep muscles of the torso in a complete manner as soon as it develops linkage with it. We just cannot leave alone a joint as is the case within weightlifting exercises as this would not facilitate the process of core stability right from the onset. It is the combination of these deep muscles that actually lie within the entire portion of torso that we are talking about as a matter of fact. The role of the shoulder in this whole exercise raises more questions since it is present in all the tasks that we have spoken of here. It is the dynamic linkage that is formed up between the control that is present in the lower back area and indeed controlled by the transversus abdominus and multifidus, which are indeed the intersegmental muscles that are present between the vertebrae. The same work in unison with the muscles so that the movement of the limbs becomes an essential part of the whole core stability exercise and without a doubt the whole concept. Thus the manner in which core stability has been spoken about here with respect to the muscles and their internal strength, not to forget the usage of shoulders for the muscular effort is something that can be easily understood in the proper context of things, things which require coordination of activities within the spine, the pelvic area and lastly and more importantly, the shoulder itself. 3. The sit-and-reach test is used throughout sport as a guide to an athletes flexibility. Describe how the test should be utilized for maximal effect. The sit-and-reach test is a measurement tool that looks at the flexibility regime of the lower back of an athlete. It also has its say in the measurement and the eventual flexibility angle with regards to the hamstring muscles. The sit-and-reach test is comprised of legs, hands and indeed the chest which then entails for the whole body as a result. The flexibility is ensured due to the movement of all body organs during this sit-and-reach test. It starts when an athlete sits on the floor where his/her legs are straightened on the floor ahead of his/her body. The feet, without shoes are placed against a box in a flat on manner. The two feet are placed in a way that they are shoulder width apart from each other on the side of the box facing the athlete. Apart from this, the knees are placed flat out so that they are held in a flat manner by the tester. The sit-and-reach test starts when hands are placed on top of each other and the palms start facing downwards so that the athlete reaches the forward position which is along the measurement line of the sit-and-reach test as far as he/she can possibly arrive at. The sit-and-reach test starts off and the initial three reaches are taken as a warm up routine. The fourth reach is held in static position so that it is waited on for about a couple of second and the distance thus covered is recorded as a result. On the part of the athlete the effort should be such that he/she has to avoid any jerky movements that might arise from attaining a perfect reach. This would enable him/her to conduct the sit-and-reach test in a more effective and better manner as compared to other exercises which are held for the same routine. Another cautionary tip is to keep the fingernails at level with each other while the legs have to be flat on, against the box at all times during the process of the sit-and-reach test. The scoring for the sit-and-reach test is done to the nearest centimeter which encompasses the distance before, in negative and the distance beyond, in positive with relation to the toes. The equipment which is essential for the sit-and-reach test includes the sit and reach box. At other times, when the sit and reach box is unavailable, a ruler set can also be made use of. This ruler set would then be held between the two feet used in the sit-and-reach test. The validity of the sit-and-reach test comprises of the measurement for flexibility which includes the lower back as well as the hamstrings. The reliability factor of the sit-and-reach test entails of the amount of warm up that is allowed on the part of the tester towards the athlete who is basically the subject here. It is also a matter of fact whether these warm up measures every time the sit-and-reach test is held. In order to attain maximal effect with regards to the sit-and-reach test, it is necessary that we make use of the shortcomings in a more positive fashion than is being employed in the present times. It means that we need to delve further into the loopholes present in the sit-and-reach test, which are aplenty to say the least. Thus for attaining the best out of the sit-and-reach test there should be a genuine effort to make use of the sit and reach box instead of the ruler. On the part of the athlete, the jerky movements must be avoided so that the whole test gives a perfect and more precise result than anything else. In terms of the reliability just discussed above, we must make sure that the proper procedure of warm ups is allowed for every time the sit-and-reach test is underway. It has been seen that most of these warm ups are not even allowed in the sit-and-reach tests but research in sports fitness and regime has shown that the best results are only achievable once the warm up is done beforehand. Also the endurance test guarantees a much better result than one which does not entail the endurance test in the first place. The sit-and-reach test thus makes sure that the flexibility within an athlete is measured in a proper manner and the same is carried out within his/her body as well. Other research works, such as those carried out in Kentucky on young, healthy adults showed that this test measures only the areas including spine and the hip flexion and even though the sit-and-reach test is a common test in the times of today, it is non-specific to say the least, which indeed raises a number of questions about its authenticity and genuineness when we speak of the same in the context of the flexibility issues of athletes. This research concluded in its findings that resistance training for the individuals which comprises of the dynamic activities and movements encompassing a full regime of joint motion and the like can indeed account for the improvements in the flexibility of athletes as compared to the ones which are measured by maximal range of movements in a passive stretch. For the sit-and-reach test to be termed as effective and indeed rewarding, we need to discern that the same will cope up with the flexibility measures in a better manner than other tests which are present in the current times and more than anything else, solve the issues that come hand in hand with the flexibility topic. Thus flexibility and weight training have to be meshed along in a proper manner so as to achieve accurate results when one speaks of the sit-and-reach test. BIBLIOGRAPHY Sports Medicine Education Series URL: http://www.hksi.org.hk/hksdb/html/et_pub1_ep2_medicine3_series9.html Lloyd, Brian. Shoulder Injuries: Prevention and Treatment Brandon, Raphael. (1996) Flexibility and Weight-Training URL: http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/flexibility-weight-training.htm Word Count: 3,011 Read More