The Badminton Herald

Bringing in badminton news and views to the grass roots..

I AM A BADMINTON GEEK...

"I had this intention of sweating out excess fat in exchange for the fun of whacking shuttlecocks in midair. The first time I stepped into a badminton court, I got that... and more! -The Bad Geek 2007

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Showing posts with label sports medicine in badminton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports medicine in badminton. Show all posts

Badminton Hiatus

Posted on 2:12:00 AM No Comments
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I'm off badminton game for one week now. I'm nursing a flu. Shucks, I hate it when I'm down with this epidemic. You'll really loose skills and concentration. And its so darn hard to get back to your "rhythm" when you step back in the game!

But as I've previously wrote here, playing while nursing a flu is not a good idea at all. In fact, it will predispose you to more serious injuries that may possibly incapacitate you from playing any badminton at all! Read here.
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Lateral Epicondylitis: Tennis elbow in Badminton?

Posted on 8:12:00 AM comments (6)
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In badminton, when sport injuries occur, it occurs successively if you're unwise enough. "When it rains, it pours".Just as I am talking of getting fit for badminton and ankle injuries a while ago, here I am again ranting about another blunder I made.
I sustained a lateral epicondylitis or "tennis elbow" on my racket hand. It is an injury on the extensor muscles and tendons of the wrist that results from repetitive or overuse of this muscle. It is commonly seen among tennis players (who uses a wrong backhand grip or small racket grip size), but can also occur in any racket playing sports who uses wrist extensors repetitively. (For a detailed definition or description, management and prevention of this injury, read the Mayo Clinic article on Tennis Elbow) Badminton players for one, are definitely prone to this injury.

A wrong backhand clear grip plus an "under prepared" and overused wrist extensor muscles is the culprit in my case. I was so happy perfecting my past body, overhead backhand clear with a slightly altered (thumb resting on the angle of the grip rather than flat surface) backhand grip . I was also practicing a perfect cross court backhand smash with this grip. I know from the very start that this "unorthodox" grip was not the usual backhand grip taught by coaches on backhand clears. To be able to do this overhead backhand clear, you should have a sufficiently strong and warmed extensor muscles that could forcibly throw, hit the shuttlecock in front of your body and a good footwork so you can have a better stance executing the stroke. That because because Lin Dan (CHN) or Taufik Hidayat (INA)can do it perfectly, like in this picture, I can do it also.

Well TaufiK Hidayat can do this perfectly alright. But not me. I do know that superstars can get away with any unorthodox grip they invent so long as they can deliver a winning shot. This is not so in my case. At least not for now.
On grip and stroke analysis, I've been using this grip size for long now that I only had minimal wrist extensor pain before. But I'm definitely trying an unorthodox grip for a weak, wrist extensor muscle and a relatively new, unfamiliar stroke. Somehow, my slow footwork "pushed" me to use this grip to reach a shuttlecock past and up in my backhand corner, angling my racket a bit downwards (downward return) overextending my wrist extensors (contracting) and still absorb the energy from the shuttlecock! This is what sports medicine physicians call an "elbow leading" backhand stroke that demands so much power from your extensor muscles. The results, a hurting extensor mechanisms in my forearm!

So for at least two weeks, Id be off strenuous activity that will aggravate my "badminton elbow", on daily 5x 15min cold compress, until pain subsides, then will start on with wrist muscles strengthening exercise before going back to badminton. Also, I'd be using an elbow counter force band from now on, rest my wrist while typing or blogging, and moderate  my other wrist extension activities!
Knowing these, it is quite clear now, what needs to be done and corrected upon. Right grip, adequately stretched and strengthened wrist  extensor muscles, faster footwork and the right sized racket grip!
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Watch out! Changing shoes could be detrimental to your ankle!

Posted on 4:59:00 AM No Comments
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Of course if you do this haphazardly and with much stupidity, you sure will end in the injured list. That's what I learned from last week's pre-tournament change of badminton shoes.



I got bored using my old Nike Court Shuttle during one badminton game I switched to an Umbro GT5-AIN Futsal rubber shoes. I tried to lunge with my right foot (with the Umbro shoe) and felt a faint, sharp, jabbing pain in my posterior ankle region. I continued playing and wasn't actually bothered by it during the whole game. My ankle is swollen and the pain is magnified the next day. Definitely, an posterior lip ankle injury. Worst it could have been a cartilage injury. So I stopped playing for one week and went on to nurse the sprain. I slowly stretched my ankle joint after 3 days and went on ankle strengthening exercises, prior to returning back to any game. And switched back to my old Nike Shoes.



Aside from the relatively poor posterior ankle support of the Umbro Futsal shoes, the insole and the gum sole felt horribly like a rocker. So when you lunge and land with your shoe flat and your distal leg behind your foot, there's no shoe posterior lip support that would thwart your ankle from over bending, hence the injury.



I've learned my lesson well. Glad It wasn't tournament proper when I sustained those injury. Or I'll be damned!

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You don't play badminton to get fit, you get fit to play badminton!

Posted on 5:38:00 AM comments (3)
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The "ease" of playing badminton is attractive to "I-wanna-be- fit- fast" type of fitness junkies. The slimmer physique may look enticing on seasoned players but this may not be the case among newbie players. Worse, such misplaced attitude predisposes unfits to badminton related injuries if physical conditioning and fitness for badminton is taken lightly.



In a year of playing badminton and acting as a sports physician for mostly less fit players, I saw not a few patients who joined this badminton fitness craze and sustained injuries that are otherwise totally preventable! One extreme case is of an obese newbie who actually fractured his ankle (bimalleolar fracture) during a lunge! He twisted his ankle and the stress loads on his seemingly unconditioned physique forced the ankle to give in!



A recurring pattern of overuse injury and excessive demands on a less conditioned physique is a common finding among these newbie players. Surprisingly, this doesn't seem to stop them from acquiring more self inflicted injuries! I said 'self inflicted' because most injuries are results of over doing and mishandling one's physique while playing! The do-it-yourself type of badminton training also contributes to these 'self-inflicted' injuries.



This famous one liner among sports physicians and seasoned athletes is obviously taken out of context in badminton.



You don't play any sports to get fit, you get fit to play any sports!


From a sports physician's perspective, here is my advice on wannabe fit type of badminton players. Do these before even trying to step into the court!

  1. Have a medical check up to assess your physical fitness capabilities. This is not limited to persons who have illnesses and diseases but to all would be badminton players! The sports physician can actually examine you and give you some specialized conditioning to improve muscle coordination, balance and fitness aside from what you can get from your trainer.

  2. Get a good trainer or coach. Not a player, not your neighbor and definitely not your friend. These guys are poor trainers because of their tendency to be "biased" on their "judgment". Get certified trainers and stick to them. Good trainers starts with the basics, discusses fitness training first and start monitored badminton training and drills before even allowing you to hold a badminton racket.

  3. Get serious about your fitness. Concentrate on physical fitness conditioning and training first rather than whacking off shuttlecocks at first sight. You do not expect to do jump smashes when your leg muscles couldn't even lift your body weight off neutral ground. Or you can't expect to reach that drop shot via a lunge when you can't even run.

  4. Start with off court training and drills . Perform interval training on a graduated, flexible schedule that you can maintain. Monitor your health and training improvement via your trainer. Set goals for every training session.

  5. Get badminton gears and equipment that is right for you. No fancy rackets, shoes or clothes. Grip sizes for example vary and the wrong grip size for you may just start a "tennis elbow" (common term for lateral epicondylitis). Your trainer can help you on this.

  6. Monitor your health condition and fitness. If you feel pain in any part of your body, that is because the body is signaling you that "stress" has already strained that part of your body. There's a fine line between pushing your physique to the limits (so it can be developed) and that of sports related injuries. A well planned, guided and monitored training will definitely increase your chance of avoiding these injuries.


  7. If you sustain any injury, have it checked by your sports physician. Playing with an injury is definitely not a smart way to get fit!


I guess that's all I can sum up for now. These are common advices I gave to my over eager and injured patients. Good articles on badminton injuries and prevention can be read here, here and here. Do these and hopefully, I wouldn't see you in my clinic!
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Leveling the playing field on badminton courts and professional practice

Posted on 5:20:00 AM No Comments
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(This is a 'repost' from my other blog, The Orthopedic Logbook)
I've been playing badminton for almost a year but never enjoyed any other sport as much as I enjoyed whacking shuttle cocks now. I have long accepted the limits of my innate athletic ability. But when my fitness level went off scale after med school and residency, I went berserk in panic search for a sport that would trim down excess calories.

"I am awfully fat. Period."

I jumped at any sport that came my way- swimming, mountain biking, marathon, volleyball and even basketball, to name a few. I dabbled at a sport for some time and then moved on to another if it bored me to death already. But when my nephews invited me to a badminton game in our backyard, my affair with rackets and shuttle cocks never stopped since then.

" I gotta have one of those "Yonex" MP racket, promise!"

I got hooked and seriously believed that being "geeky" on badminton would somehow improve my nominal athletic skills to competitive level and burn fat at the same time.

I almost thought this was "MI 4".

I started training- albeit non formally, with the help of my nephews and friends. I read books, searched the net, watched training videos, international matches, and then applied what I saw on and off court. I stalked coaches, watched former national players' matches, and asked endless questions to athletes often shunned as an obnoxious behavior.

"That was an awesome cross court shot don't you think?"

Whilst a beginner, I joined matches and insisted taking on better skilled opponents. Obviously my ass got whipped left and right. I lost count of the times I was floored on court chasing shuttle cocks and losing balance. Most veteran players laugh at my mistakes. Some ridicule me at my clumsiness and shun off my competitive attitude on court.

Like Rudy in Rudy.

But I was serious not just on winning but also on improving my game and losing some extra calories. I took notes of my mistakes, applied new skills whenever possible and consistently improved tactics through drills and training. Results were barely tangible at first.

Until, I first won my class E championships.

Almost a year passed and I have improved a lot from where I started. Everyone seem to notice the "fit body" and weight loss (~30lbs) I incurred from playing this sport almost daily. Modesty aside, I learned a number of skills, improved my stamina and then pushed the limits of my athletic ability to levels I only dreamed of before. Given an equally skilled partner in a doubles match, I can deliver my previous court "tormentors" a smash past their speed limits or give them hard time winning matches against me. Interestingly, you gain more friends with more skills you learned!

At the bottom of this improvement is the commitment to learn, accept, improve, train and apply new skills to beat your handicap and win friends. Have I started this type of attitude and training 30 years ago, I would have given Lin Dan a run for his spot in badminton world rankings!

But that is purely speculative I guess. Thirty years later.

Professional practice in the business of medicine is analogous to learning and improving in a new sport, like badminton. Like it or not, when you are a newbie entering a competitive medical or surgical practice, chances are, you'd eat dust and be shunned away by "colleagues" for dabbling at "their craft".

Or crap.

Medical practice is basically of skills and competition. Clinical and patients skills and the competition to earn one's practice. You gotta learn some skills and improve on it. And almost always, it's lonely being a newbie in the business of medicine.

The field is not without "he-who-went-there-first" type of people, who have been comfortable in their share of patients' pie, but forgot to acknowledge the need for "new blood" to be infused in the learning process. These 'colleagues" will feel threatened by your aggressiveness and learning skills. Either they whip your ass or shun you away from "the practice". Worst, you will be shot at first sight, and will offer you lots of excuses to do so.

In one interview I attended, an interviewer admonished a training program applicant for signifying his intention of practicing in the same place where this guru is comfortably practicing. On surface, the excuse was "it's too crowded". Yet, on deeper prodding you'd find no clear evidence that it is in fact the status quo. The patient to specialist ratio is still wanting and that new skills have to be learned for specific type of diseases. This is where the newbie trainee is hoping to fit in. He has new skills, an updated learning, a conscious effort to improve and a love for the community. In my opinion that's all he need to be in this "game" of competitive medical practice.

My take on this and my advice for newbies ? Learn your craft, improve your skills, create a market for your expertise, stay on the side of the patient, and just ignore the rants thrown at you. I'm pretty sure that later, when you have grasp firmly on new found skills and niche, you'll never be threatened by anybody on account of "overcrowding".

And maybe shame them all by extend help to newbies entering into the practice.
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Warming up and cooling down for badminton addicts!

Posted on 6:54:00 AM comments (2)
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I've been addicted to badminton ever since I learned holding my nephew's racket 6 months ago and whacked a shuttle in midair. And in my case, I don't see any remedy for this addiction up to this moment.


Badminton has been the most popular sports nowadays here in my place that even basketball courts here were invaded by intense "shuttle smashers". And they do so with confidence, with much gusto.

What made this sport very popular here in my place?Is it the health benefits that you get or the social interaction that you reap afterwards? Nobody really knows. Probably both. Adding to that is the free use of our city gym's badminton courts up to now. Although there was a council resolution lately that ordered a payment scheme for the city gym's use (for badminton), implementing guidelines has yet to be created. For now, our addiction is still free.

But the increase popularity of badminton also brought with it a number of injuries for the less prepared ones. Simply put, it was the lack of understanding and practice for warming up and cooling down that brought many of these injuries. To top it all, injuries incurred from badminton is often relinquished to a much insignificant bodily injuries that most (if not all) those injured believed they can go back to the sport again with just efficascent oil and massage. Maybe.

But what constitute a warm up and cooling exercise for badminton? I previously wrote an article about this in my other blog, The Orthopedic Logbook. But since many of my playmates repeatedly asked me to re post or re lecture about it. I'm reproducing it here.

Here are my warm up and cooling down regimen for badminton. Most of these you’ll also see in other badminton forum exercise recommendations. Some parallel exercises (same muscle stretched) may be performed, but you must ask your sport physician before doing any of these.

Warm Up:
Jog around for 5-10 minutes. These will increase your heart rate and warm your muscles. Then do dynamic stretching (like lunges, arm windmills) head to toe for 10-15 minutes. I do shadow play and do footwork for badminton for another 10 minutes after this dynamic stretching. The important thing is you do dynamic stretching and gradually increase in the intensity of your shadow play/footwork.

Play:
Use ankle support, apply tapes when needed. Maintain hydration status.

Cool down:
Slow jog/brisk walk for another 5-10 minutes while your muscle is still “warm” or your heart is still beating fast. Then do static stretching (like the calf, hip and trunk flexor stretching) for another 5-10 minutes. When doing static stretching, hold the “stretched” muscle for 30 seconds before releasing it. Breath normally. Rehydrate.

Note: If you sustain any injuries on court or off court during training, SEEK CONSULT of your doctor ASAP. Delay in seeking medical attention will just aggravate your injury and thus decreases your chance of getting back to your game fast. Or better yet SEEK the advice of a sports physician before doing any intense badminton training.

So there it goes shuttle chasers. Lets enjoy our addiction with less injuries!
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