Posted by Rick Denney on March 07, 2003 at 17:51:23:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Practicing tips posted by JeffO on March 07, 2003 at 17:09:38:
I hate to dispute what you say, but you get many athletes whose careers end because of over-use injuries. Athletes are much smarter about training these days, and there has been lots of improvement. But just look at many ex-NFL football players who are now in their 50's and 60's--some of them can hardly move because of joint damage (ligament tissues overused, causing buildup of scar tissue). And runners are incredibly picky about their shoes--they worry about debilitating cumulative over-use injuries such as iliotibial band syndrome (tendon), plantar fasciitis (bones), and a host of knee injuries. These knee injuries also affect cyclists. Ever hear of tennis elbow? That's an over-use injury affecting tendons. Carpel-tunnel syndrome? Yup, that's a tendon over-use injury.
Athletes (and typists) try to avoid these injuries by taking breaks. Weight-lifters don't work the same muscle groups on successive days. Runners don't do speed work on successive workouts. Many competitive long-distance runners are finding that their performance improves when they lower their training from the traditional 125 miles a week to 90 miles a week (45 miles a week at my training peak nearly killed me, heh, heh). Impact athletes like football players lift weights to build muscular strength around weak areas like knees and backs. Sprains and strains are muscle overuse injuries, but unlike some of those other tissues, muscles rebuild themselves fairly easily. Nearly all athletes cross-train.
Not all injuries affect only ligaments and tendons. Lips muscles may not be overworked, but they can easily be bruised. Bruising is when tissues are crushed causing physical destruction to cells. Tissues may rebuild, but only when given the chance. Otherwise, scar tissue begins to form in the tissue. That scar tissue can keep the tissue from doing its job. Cyclists sometimes have problems with nerve damage where they sit on the typically narrow saddle, causing numbness that (thankfully) usually goes away. Some regard this as mythical, but I've experienced it myself and I know it isn't. With nerves, perhaps scar tissue blocks the chemical neuro-transmitter, blocking the signals from the brain to the muscles.
In summary, there are all sorts of over-use injuries associated with any intense physical endeavor. Some affect muscles, others affect ligaments, still others affect tendons, and finally some affect nerves. The consistent preventative for all of them seems to be to take breaks and allow damaged tissues to heal before the damage creates scar tissue, and to control intensity to prevent development of scar tissue.
Specific examples? Yes, sadly. The repeated nerve damage from overuse over many years accumulates to the point where the nerves no longer provide the connection to the muscles needed to control them. Toby Hanks is one player who has discussed this publicly, and there are others who have not (despite gossip), but they were at the very top of the profession.
The three-hour limit is just a guess. For someone who uses too much pressure, like me, it's probably less. I do have problems myself with a quiver in the middle of my range, and though I am not thinking at the moment that it is related to these issues, I can't really rule it out. If so, then the limit is MUCH less. For someone who takes frequent breaks and balances high-range stuff with lots of low-register stuff, the limit may be much higher. I suspect that's part of Mr. Hanks's proper procedures. And, of course, different people will have different resistance to the injury in the first place.
But we have barely reached awareness of the problem, let alone the point where we can prescribe a fool-proof prevention.
Rick "no stranger to athletic training" Denney