By TANJA RAI features@algarveresident.com
Tanja Rai qualified as a physiotherapist in Germany. She has specialised in orthopaedic rehabilitation and sports injuries and has been living and practising in the Algarve for over eight years.
Summertime is here and the warm long days invite us to spend more time outdoors; whether it is gardening, jogging, swimming, tennis, golf or surfing.
The hot weather might also tempt you into the water to try new activities such as wake boarding, sailing, kite surfing, windsurfing, etc.
As much as we all know exercise is good for us, this new found enthusiasm often leads us to do more than our body, or rather our muscles, can handle! Repetitive moves that you are not accustomed to doing can often lead to a Tendinosis, Tendinitis or Tendopathy or as otherwise described a RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury). Technically, they can occur on any tendon but most commonly appear on the elbow (tennis-, or golfer’s elbow), shoulder (rotator cuff injury), kneecap (patellatendinitis) or the Achilles tendon.
Sound familiar? Have you suffered from any of the above-mentioned injuries? Some of you may have experienced very strong pain, lack of movement and heat on the affected area and have maybe resorted to taking some painkillers or anti inflammatory to relieve the strain and feel better to get on with your daily activities. Maybe some of you have had to have Cortisone injections and hopefully many of you were sent to a physiotherapist.
How can physiotherapy help in these situations? You will probably be told to rest the overused tendon by avoiding any triggering factors. Also, ultrasound, TENS, TFM (Transvers Friction Massage), stretching and functional taping are some of the techniques that your physiotherapist may apply to the affected area. In addition, you can expect to be advised on how to build up muscles and mobility around the injury to hopefully prevent this from happening again and to recover the strength you may have lost during the resting period.
A friend of mine recently had 15 minutes of fun on the donuts you now find at most water sports centres. You get pulled behind a speedboat and bounce over the waves while hanging on for dear life to try to avoid being catapulted into the ocean. As much ‘fun’ as she had, the following days (yes, days) she was barely able to use her arms!
So maybe next time you want to try a new sport or some fun activity at the beach, in the water or in the great outdoors, remember to enjoy it in small doses. Don’t forget to listen to your body and to rest when you feel tired. That way your muscles and tendons will hopefully be able to handle your new love for adrenaline and don’t get sprained. And, of course, you can then enjoy your whole summer, without injury…
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me on tanja_rai@gmail.com
