Can Too Much Sports Be Harmful?
Sports And Health
Exercising has always been a solution for both physical and psychological problems such as obesity and depression. Healthy lifestyles can develop from including a physical activity along with our other daily activities. And there are several positive effects of engaging in sports and making physical activity a part of daily life. Also, it is clearly evident that engaging in any kind of sport can prevent many chronic diseases like hypertension, depression, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes etc.
Many organisations promote physical activities amongst their employees as a means to improve their lifestyles and reduce tension and also to have a good rapport with their colleagues. Sports fosters teamwork, communication, leadership qualities and also problem solving skills. Sports also prevents people from indulging in certain bad habits like smoking and drinking. However, too much of sports activity can also be harmful if practiced in an unhealthy manner.
For a certain group of individuals who are involved tirelessly in some sports, health related problems are known to develop in the long run. These diseases evolve from the lifestyles of the people who are engaged in different sports simultaneously. It results due to imbalanced practices and due to their immense passion for sports along with hard work and practice, without paying much attention to the body. These health problems occur in elderly people and in children during their growing years and here are some diseases of this nature.
Sports And Health Problems
Osgood-Schlatter Disease
Over use of your knees can be the main reason for this disease. It occurs mostly in the adolescence period in both boys and girls when growth is rapid and also In individuals engaged in sports like basketball, volleyball, soccer, skating etc. Excessive use of the knees for running or jumping, leads to swelling and pain. The symptoms vary with different individuals and the age at which it can begin also varies but some of the signs are pain and limping during physical activities. In severe cases, a total break from sports activities can also be expected after being diagnosed with this disease.
Calcaneal Apophysitis
Also known as Severs Disease, this disease causes pain in the heels. It is a painful bone disorder that is a result of swelling in the growth plate located in the heel. This is similar to the Osgood schlatter disease as it Is caused due to the overuse of the legs. Basketball players are the ones who are targeted by these diseases, as use of one’s heels are very important in the structure of the game. Sever’s disease can be treated by taking rest, putting an ice pack, choosing right shoes and decreasing the amount of hard workouts every day.
Vigorous Workouts Leading To Asthma
Doing heavy or vigorous workouts can lead to asthma and it need not be necessarily triggered in people with chronic asthma. The temperature of air that we breathe is warmed and moistened by our nasal passage while exercising as the breathing can shift to the mouth. The muscle bands present around the airways clash with these sudden changes and function abnormally by contracting. The symptoms are coughs, wheezing, tightening of chest and shortness of breath. Use of inhalers and warming up prior to exercising are some of the preventive measures one can take.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)
This brain disease is initiaIy found in people who are engaged in boxing. It was previously known as dementia pugilistica. Currently, the disease can only be diagnosed posthumously as there is no technology available that could diagnose it within the bio markers in living tissues. The disease has also been found in people commonly engaged in football, wrestling and other sport where individuals take considerable blows to their head. Memory loss, depression and contusion are some of the symptoms of CTE.