In the year 2021, the National Safety Council (NSC) reported that incorrect exercise equipment was the primary reason for over 409,000 injuries. Combat sports are often termed “high-risk sports”. They are typically viewed as being dangerous due to the increased risk of suffering trauma while training or performing.
Kabaddi, for instance, is an age-old combat sport native to India. Vaibhav Somani, Director at Gravolite told FinancialExpress.com that according to a study published in International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health- 2020, the body part of a kabaddi player that gets injured the most is the knee joint. “The study also highlighted other types of injuries occurring frequently among kabaddi players because of continuous contact and the rough playing surface. From minor sprains to muscle pulls, some of these injuries can be life-threatening. Like Kabbadi, any kind of combat sports comes with its risks for the athletes, if the athlete does not have the right kind of infrastructure to train,” he said. Vaibhav Somani has listed these common sports injuries which range from;
- Ankle sprains and fractures: An abrupt, awkward landing or stepping on an uneven surface can cause ligament damage around the ankle, leading to partial or full ligament tears. Ankle fractures are common due to frequent ankle twisting and holding, and repeated jumping where the full bodyweight is supported by the ankle.
- Calf muscle pulls: When the calf muscle is overextended, the muscle tissue is torn. Even calf strain has levels based on how severe the impact is.
- Strains: Being a contact sport involving repeated motions of pushing, pushing, twisting, and leaping, kabaddi players often experience cramps, muscular spasms, and swelling.
- Broken teeth or jaws, a fractured nose, eye damage, bruises, and concussions are other injuries common in kabaddi.
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How good sports mats help in injury prevention
“A good professional sports mat provides proper cushioning, grip, hygiene, and durability. They are thicker and larger than regular workout mats. They have an easy-to-wipe vinyl cover outside and extra-dense foam inside. They can also absorb shocks that may leady to an injury of the ankle, knee, spine, neck, or shoulder,” Vaibhav Somani said.
“Professional mats also ensure that the athletes get the required training which will help them to compete in an international arena where the settings are similar. This enables them to get a complete hang of the actual ground to perform better,” Somani added.
Dr. G.L. Khanna, Pro Vice Chancellor at Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies who has special interests in Research & Consultancy in High Performance Sports, Nutrition & Physiology and Educational Administration told FinancialExpress.com that sports play an integral role in mental and physical development of an individual. “High performance sports-persons are put up under heavy training loads repeatedly without proper monitoring process. This leads to physical and mental stress in players as they do not undergo proper training to take up that much of load.”
“The imbalance of systematic planned training load, and recovery and regeneration can lead to a sports injury. Often a leading cause is overtraining syndrome. This is when a player trains beyond the ability of the body to easily recover. The incidence of injuries during international athletic competitions is 10%-to 14% of the total number of athletes in the world. Nearly two million people around the world suffer sports injuries during these events, and the common causes include poor training, structural changes, weak muscles and unsafe exercise environment including the equipment used,” Dr Khanna said.
Type of Sports injuries vary in different sports depending upon the technicalities involved: movement, stress on joints, muscles, level of competitions, preparedness of athlete to take the load, age, sex,surface, and equipment.
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Common Injuries observed in Sportspersons
· Sprains and strains
· Knee injuries
· Swollen muscles
· Achilles tendon injuries
· Pain along the shin bone
· Rotator cuff injuries
· Fractures/Dislocations
· Impact injuries: Head & Neck injuries
· Lower back or overall back pain
· Concussion etc.
These injuries can be minimised by taking some preventive and safety measures:
· Proper warm-up and cool-down
· By adopting proper hydrating strategy
· Use ergonomically designed protective equipment during training and competition
· Systematic long-term planning and monitoring of training load
· Proper recovery and rehabilitation strategy
· Strengthening exercise for specific and core muscles
· Proper diet and nutrition
It is a well-known fact that conditions and type of sporting ground influence the risk of impact injuries. “It has been observed that non- availability of professional mats may lead to higher risk of life-threatening injuries and disability. As to reduce impact of sports injury from the grounding surface, cushion mats with high density can be used to reduce the chances to land up into injuries like sprain, strain, muscle tear, etc.,” Somani said.
Here’s why good quality mats are important in avoiding sports injury:
1. The material used in mats guarantee good grip during the sports and also reduce the chances of slips which may occur due to excessive sweat.
2. Evolution in different sports like kabaddi wrestling have now shifted from mud to mats, as it has been found convenient to practice and train on similar surfaces when the sportsmen are competing internationally.
3. Hygiene also plays an important role while engaging in ground sports; the mats which are used in professional sports absorb less sweat and can be easily cleaned which maintains proper hygiene parameters.
