Safe Sports: Focus on knowledge and understanding of the body

Number of injuries and sudden deaths increased

In recent times, hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City have frequently received young, healthy people who suffered injuries or even died suddenly while jogging or exercising . A typical recent example was a former futsal player who suddenly passed away while participating in a grassroots soccer match. Previously, Thong Nhat Hospital received a male patient (56 years old) who collapsed while playing pickleball. Doctors performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation but the patient did not survive.

Gia Dinh People's Hospital has also successfully treated patient VHH (39 years old) who died suddenly while playing soccer and patient D.D.N. (59 years old, living in Binh Thanh ward) who suffered from acute cardiac tamponade, pericardial effusion, and ruptured heart while working out at the gym (lifting weights).

Dr. Bui Minh Thanh, Head of the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Gia Dinh People's Hospital, said that a ruptured heart is a condition in which the patient has a myocardial infarction, causing necrosis of the heart muscle and rupture of the heart muscle at points where the heart muscle is weakened by necrosis. A ruptured heart causes bleeding, cardiogenic shock, and severe heart failure. This is an especially dangerous condition with a very high mortality rate. Even after surgery, the patient can still die due to complications caused by a ruptured heart.

According to statistics at the Ho Chi Minh City Orthopedic and Trauma Hospital and People's Hospital 115, every day the hospitals receive dozens of sports-related injuries, mainly in football, badminton, tennis, jogging and gym. The number of sports injuries increases by 15%-20% each year, with common forms such as: sprains, muscle strains, ligament tears, fractures, dislocations, spinal injuries, even traumatic brain injuries, strokes... Notably, most of the injured people are in the 18-35 age group, who are healthy, play sports at high intensity but are subjective in the warm-up and prevention stages.

Always listen to your body

Doctor CK2 Ngo Thanh Y, Deputy Head of the Department of Treatment on Demand - Sports Medicine, People's Hospital 115, said that playing sports brings many physical and mental benefits, but if there is a lack of knowledge and caution, it will turn into risks. Sports are only really good when we practice correctly - sufficiently - safely. Sports help the body to be healthy, the mind to be clear, but if practiced incorrectly or subjectively, the risk of injury is not small.

For those who play sports incorrectly, without protective equipment when playing, on inappropriate playing grounds and times, it can be harmful to health, even life-threatening. Sports that require vigorous movement such as football, long-distance running, tennis... are very susceptible to ligament injuries. People with a history of high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity... if they do not have regular health check-ups and over-exercise, the risk of stroke is very high.

Choose a sport that suits your health and physical condition to avoid risks when exercising. Photo: HOANG HUNG

If the ligament is torn but not reconstructed in time, the knee joint will be dislocated, and over time the joint will be seriously damaged and degenerated. To limit the risk of torn ligaments, in addition to warming up properly to prepare the tendons and muscles, you should play sports in the morning, avoid playing at noon or in the evening because the body is tired and needs to rest. After playing sports, you should walk gently and relax to bring the body back to a stable state before moving on to other activities.

“A common habit of many sports players is to go out drinking after playing. This habit not only has a negative impact on body parts such as the heart, brain, kidneys, liver, etc., but also causes muscle fatigue. When the muscles are tired, the task of keeping the knee joint stable falls entirely on the ligaments, making the ligaments increasingly weak and very susceptible to tearing even with only light impacts,” warned Dr. Ngo Thanh Y.

Dr. Bui Minh Thanh noted that physical activity is necessary, but depending on age and health status, appropriate exercise methods should be applied. One should not overexert oneself when one is old. Cases of stroke and sports injuries are not simply “accidents” but reflect a lack of preparation and knowledge of both the players and the community.

Playing sports properly not only helps you stay healthy, but also saves your life. When you see signs of chest pain lasting more than 10-15 minutes, pain causing shortness of breath... you should go to the doctor to detect, treat and monitor angina or "silent" myocardial infarction.

To limit injuries, athletes need to warm up for 10-15 minutes to warm up muscles and joints; choose a sport that is suitable for their physical condition and age; equip themselves with standard footwear and protective equipment for each sport; practice the correct technique and increase the intensity gradually. In addition, always listen to your body - stop immediately if you feel pain, dizziness, shortness of breath and have regular health check-ups, especially for people over 40 years old or with underlying diseases.

“Players need to equip themselves with knowledge and prepare carefully before going onto the field, so that their passion for sports can truly be a source of positive energy, and not become the reason for them to end up in the emergency room,” Dr. Bui Minh Thanh shared.

According to Dr. Tang Ha Nam Anh, President of the Southeast Asian Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Association, playing sports is not just about sweating, but must start with understanding your body. In addition, there should be early community communication campaigns about "safe sports", instead of just promoting physical education and sports in general. Tournament organizers and grassroots playgrounds should also arrange medical staff on duty, provide first aid instructions and perform basic health checks for players.

THANH AN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/the-thao-an-toan-chu-trong-kien-thuc-va-hieu-biet-co-the-post807912.html