subject: How Do Those Pro-Athletes Do It? [print this page] How Do Those Pro-Athletes Do It? How Do Those Pro-Athletes Do It?
This month the United States has crowned a new National Hockey League champion, determined the National Basketball Association champion and watched the U.S. Men's Soccer team begin its quest for what is arguably the world's most coveted sports title, Word Cup champions.
How do these world class athletes handle the pressure on their bodies to perform at superior levels, sometimes on a daily basis? In general, the most common sports injuries are concussions, muscle cramps, ACL sprains, ankle sprains and shin splints. When you are a professional athlete, the chances of experiencing body pain are high. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2007, professional athletes suffered 2,049 injuries per 10,000 workers.
What does an athlete do when their paycheck is dependent on how well their body and mind can perform on the field? Fortunately for most professional athletes, they are surrounded by a team of medical professionals who care for their injuries using a variety of methods. From comprehensive medicinal therapies to more unconventional methods such as Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy, these professional athletes are protected, so that when injuries do strike, they are on their way to recovery in no time.
Other professional athletes, like some golfers for instance, rely on more traditional healing techniques for fast relief. Among the most common is described with the acronym R.I.C.E., which stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Some professional athletes also rely on topical creams and similar medicines. I saw PGA Golfer Jay Haas giving a Jr. Golfers Clinic in NC that was sponsored by a product called Blue-Emu. With a little research, I discovered that Blue-Emu is a topical cream made of Emu Oil that surprisingly enough, can be found in major retail stores like Walmart and Walgreens.
Professional athletes wow us with their athletic abilities. When their bodies are in motion, often times they are performing at physical levels that the average active person will never see. They are fun to watch. When one of our favorite athletes is sidelined because of injury we hope that whoever is providing their medical care is doing all they can to get them back in the game. Being a professional athlete is a tough job but with the advancement of modern medicine and science, athletes today are able to bounce back to playing form quicker than ever before.
