What are the determining factors in naming a sport extreme? There are many sports considered to be extreme sports today but how did they become to be known as such? Some came from seemingly benign beginnings and have evolved to more dangerous sports. The addiction to these sports it seems comes from the associated adrenaline rush that comes from the participation in them. Let’s look at some examples of extreme sports.Skateboarding is considered the best known of extreme sports and was actually started in the sixties by bored surfers looking for a way to get exercise and cross train when the surf wasn’t up. The sport took on a life of its own and soon national competitions were being held bringing the cult sport into mainstream America. From its humble beginnings the sport has now garnered worldwide attention.The cold weather sister to skateboarding is snow boarding which takes the same movements and more onto the snow. This extreme sport has really caught fire today and in the last winter Olympics the snowboarding events were among the most popular. As its popularity has grown many resorts have added specialized snowboard trails and trick spots.The sport that takes biking to the extreme is BMX biking. There are a couple of different versions of this sport with one being like traditional racing with dirt jumps and obstacles. Freestyle BMX is more closely related to skateboarding as they use the same courses as the skateboarders use and perform tricks on their bikes.Have you seen the skiers that do all the crazy tricks and flips coming off of ramps on the slopes? This is freestyle skiing and is one of the most popular of the winter extreme sports. Like snowboarding, this sport has its own tricks and its own language.An extreme sport mainly for the more mature of participants has recently evolved to be called sport climbing. With sport climbing there are preset handgrips and a designated course to climb with the goal to prove one’s strength and athletic ability.Ever felt the urge to jump out of an airplane? Most people don’t, but still this has become a very popular sport that gives an enormous adrenaline rush from the initial jump. Parachuting teams work together to form shapes and perform choreographed aerial maneuvers while freefalling.There is no doubt that as our culture seeks new ways to create excitement there will be new extreme sports introduced that may prove to be just as popular as the ones we see now.

Those who practice physically demanding sports such as soccer, rugby or even tennis, are at a very high risk of developing sports hernia. Sports hernia, or Gilmore’s groin as some call it, is a very common type of hernia that affects the lower abdominal wall and can be encountered at those who practice sports.Practicing the sports mentioned above weakens the muscles of the lower abdominal wall and causes the hernia to appear.
Inguinal hernia appears in the same place, when a part of the lower abdomen slips through a small tear that is created in the muscles of the abdominal wall because they are weakened, and creates a visible and palpable bulge that sticks out. Sports hernia is similar to inguinal hernia, and they both appear in the same location, but the difference between them is that at sports hernia there is no bulge or lump that sticks out.Anyone that practices sports can get sports hernia, it doesn’t matter how strong their muscles are because sports hernia does not have anything to do with muscle strength, it appears because the muscular fiber from the abdominal wall is too thin.The first symptoms of a sports hernia are light pain that appears in the abdominal region, followed by pain in the groin and sometimes at males pain in the testicles. The pain caused by sports hernia is worse when the patient sneezes, bends or coughs.If you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above then consult a doctor for an accurate diagnosis. There are no medical tests that can diagnose sports hernia. The doctors usually perform tests to eliminate the other conditions that may cause the same symptoms, and based on the patient’s medical history and on some physical examinations, the sports hernia diagnose is placed.Once you get the sports hernia diagnose it is advised to begin the treatment soon before any complications can develop. Unfortunately, the only really effective way to cure a sports hernia is surgery. The first thing that doctors prescribe is a lot of rest. In some cases, if the hernia isn’t too advanced, several weeks of rest can heal it, especially if you use ibuprofen and other muscle-pain relieving medication, but in most cases rest is not enough and surgery is required.
Sports hernia surgery is a very simple operation that most doctors have done many times and are familiar with. Its goal is to reattach the abdominal muscles and fix any tearing that has occurred.Sports hernia patients need to remember that they can’t return to their sporting activities until their hernia is cured, because if they do it the hernia can appear again. The recovery rate is different from one person to another, so you need to visit the doctor if you want to know when you are fully recovered and can start practicing sports again.

Children in India these days are increasingly participating in competitive sports. They find in sports, especially the popular ones a career opportunity or a pastime. Sports are a good way of developing comrade ship and leader ship qualities. In the big cities like Chennai, Bangalore, tech Hubs of India, there are many families who have relocated from the United States. Children of such families have been exposed to games like Basketball, soccer, football, baseball, roller and board skating from an early age. Participation in sport is good for the overall development of kids but there is a risk of getting injured. Let us examine the risks from sports and look at the methods of preventing sports injuries.Children in sports are likely to sustain injuries. Most of these are sprains.To quote some statistics from the US,o Nationally, over 775,000 children under age 15 are treated in hospital emergency departments for sports-related injuries each year.o About 80 percent of these injuries are from football, basketball, baseball, or soccer.o Most sports-related injuries in children – about two-thirds of them – are sprains and strains. Only 5 percent of sports injuries involve broken bones.However the trauma of a sports injury does not end with the immediate hospitalization. There may be hidden problems which can surface later. A sports injury in childhood can cause late arthritis in later life. The most serious of these is osteoarthritis. According to one study, a single knee injury early in life can put a child at five times the risk for osteoarthritis in adulthood; likewise a hip injury could more than triple the risk.Fact: Osteoarthritis affects one third of the people with chronic arthritis and joint symptoms. Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of chronic disability in many countries with aging populations. Sports activities are bound to increase in children and adults with abundant leisure time and affluence. Since there is little help from coaches or advice from parents, children are more than likely to suffer from injuries that can be neglected. This puts the child at risk of developing osteoarthritis. Knee osteoarthritis is the commonest arthritis in our country.Knee ligament and cartilage injuries are the commonest joint injuries in sports like football, basketball or soccer.
Ligamentous injuries of the knee are a major cause of secondary osteoarthritis, a variant of osteoarthritis which appears at a much earlier age than arthritis in our grandparents. I have seen in the past few months a handful of children with bony and ligamentous injuries of the knee which has resulted in gross damage. As many people are aware, in Osteoarthritis (OA) the cartilage that cushions a joint is worn away, causing the bones to grind against each other casing pain and stiffness.
The main ligament injury of the knee is an avulsion of the anterior cruciate ligament from its bony attachment at the top of the shinbone (tibia). Earlier it was thought that in children, the attachment of the ligament to the bone gave way earlier before the ligament could tear as in adults. This has not been born out in more and more case reports and my experience as well. So while examining children with knee injuries, it is important to remember that the pattern of injury could resemble an adult type of ACL injury. The growing child’s surgical reconstruction differs slightly from a reconstructive procedure.Kids who play sports will get hurt – that’s a fact. But how can parents and coaches protect kids’ joints, reducing the risk of injury and cutting the chance of developing osteoarthritis later?Preventiono Ensuring that your child has protective gear for that particular sport.o Conditioning and training for a specific sport can ward of injury.o Warming up and cooling down exercises at the beginning and end of the game are vital.o Parents should not be over ambitious and push their kids too much.o Ensure that your kids get the right nutrition.o If you want your kid to develop into a good sports person, get him a good coach.o Older children can localize pain but younger ones can’t. They may just limp or not use the limb. If your kid complains of pain in a joint, or develops a swelling in a joint or limps, consult an orthopaedic surgeon with special interest in paediatric sports injuries.
Protecting your child’s joints from sports injuries should not mean keeping him or her out of sports and stuck in the house. The long-term benefits of sports for children are clear. Exercise is crucial for maintaining proper weight, improving strength and coordination, and building lifelong good health habits early. Emotionally, team sports can help children build social skills and can provide a general sense of well-being.Let them play – but play smart!