HEALTH NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 43, 20 February 1931, Page 8

HEALTH NOTES

ATHLETICS

MEDICAL ADVICE

(Contributed by the Department of of Health.) In view of wide popularity ,of athletic life in New Zealand, the following extracts from an article on disorders and accidents of athletics by Dr. Salisbury Woods, M.A., appearing in a recent issue of the "Practitioner," is published for the guidance of athletes and those concerned in their training. He writes that an athlete's life is in many ways a safeguard against ills of the body, since the regular and active exercise' of all its members is secured, and strict discipline is imposed upon its appetites. The nice judgment of the amount of training required to bring the body to its highest pitch of efficiency is, however, a matter requiring great experience, and varying with every individual and with his particular form of athletics. Therefore, since youth not only supplies the enthusiastic personnel, but also its concomitant inexperience, it is hardly surprising to find that in the wake of the cult of physical fitness disorders and disasters may attend. Eegular healthy exercise -uilds up the frame, oxygenates the tissues thoroughly, assists the excretions, and benefits every organ in the body. If,,is not with this aspect that this article is concerned, but with the effects of competitive strain. An old adage says: "It's the pace that kills." This should be rendered, "It's the ill-judged pace that kills." That is to say, if the preparation had been better or the race better judged the "killing" could have boon avoided. The athlete who never was physically sound enough to compete at all is excluded. DISORDERS. The most familiar disorders to which athletes are prone include staleness, fainting" af-sr a hard race, "strained heart," albuminuria, rupture of tendons and muscles. These have an interest not only for the athlete (who does not worry until the condition actually supervenes in his own person), but for those responsible for him, who want to know: "Ought my son to row or will he strain his heart?" "Is the quarter-mile too punishing?" and "Is it bad for Blank, who is a light threequarter, to 'put' the 161b weight?" A boy of 18 or 19 cannot in Dr. Woods's opinion run two and three middle distance races an afternoon and play other games once or twice a week for two terms without going absolutely stale or possibly straining his heart. Staleness consists in a lifeless display- below his average form by an over-trained athlete. His complaint is not so much of early fatigue as of inability to do himself justice, or, as the Americans say, to put any "pep" into his performance. Constantly repeated muscular fatigue without sufficient intervals for repair may be supposed to impair the tone of the muscles called upon. This is borno out by the practical experience which tells athletes to "ease off" for about three days before an important event. If the, athletu be subjected to still more violent or prolonged ordeal he may reach a stage further than fatigue, stiffness, or staleness, and complain thereafter of rapid beating of the heart on slight exertion, especially if undertaken soon after food. He has now "strained his heart." This is a condition which needs immediate medical supervision. "BURNT OUT" ATHLETES. In following up the consequences of severe exertion from mere muscular stiffness to actual impairment of the heart, it must occur to anyone who ia closely connected with athletes to wonder what becomes of the brilliant schoolboy athletes who shoot like meteors across the horizon of their school days and disappear from public notice like damp squibs. There are many in whom there are no apparent physical signs of cardiac or other trouble, but the standard of performance entirely falls short of its early promise. This vague condition may never have been scientifically investigated, but certain it is that in practice all athletes of the Olympic Games class, and particularly those who have had administrative experience, are agreed that the "Victor Ludorum" award at schools is pernicious. Not only is it found to be thoroughly bad for school boys to run themselves out all kinds of distances consecutively, but the same applies to the older undergraduate. Iv discussing the "burnt out athlete" two cases may be of interest. Douglas Lowe, after winning the Olympic 800 metres in 1924, set himself to run his races as slowly as he conveniently could, with the definite aim of saving himself to win the world's title again in 1928. His rivals from Trance, America, and Germany had successfully beaten world's records that very season, but after three days' gruelling eliminating heats, Lowe left them all in a bunch like so many "selling-platers" in the 1928 Olympic final. It is also interesting to note that another most outstanding British athlete, Lord Burghley, winner of the world's 400-motres hurdles in 1928, left school in 1923, having done nothing of note at all, and did not get. a "blue" until his second year at Cambridge. In other words, those athletes appear to last best who do not over-compete before their strength has matured. During growth, each organ develops in greater or less proportion in different places, and it is known that the heart achieves its biggest innings of growth late in the period of general development. Hence it follows that the heart of a boy of 15 is smaller in proportion to the size of his body than will be the case when he has reached 20 years. This is a sufficient answer to those who advocate exhausting cross-country runs for young school boys. INJURIES. The very high incidence of injuries at football undoubtedly arises not only from the tradition of ignoring all hazards in going for the ball or the man, but from lack of proper training, the playing of men who are over-tired, and of inadequate medical supervision of doubtfully fit players. Dr. Woods considers that much sick-wastage could be avoided if iii eve>- football or other changing room there appeared a notice: "Unless medically authorised, (1) do not immediately massage injured joints and muscles; (2) do not allow concussion cases to play on.' " In regard to concussion cases, he considers it essential that not only should such players not return to the field, but that they should be kept quietly in bed until their pulse, blood pressure, and nervous reflexes become stabilised at the normal again. If this is not done, as anyone with any experience of head injuries knows, those cases may suffer later on from intractnblo headaches, impaired memory, and other after-effects, and at a late stage it is very difficult to do much for them. CONCLUSION. (1) Athletics properly conducted undoubtedly contribute definitely to physical health as well as to sheer enjoyment. (2) That whereas some consider exercises in general and athletics in particular to be a panacea for all ailments from flat foot to melancholia, the fact is that each individual must have his exercise suited to his physical capacity or disaster mny result. (3) To quote the Carnegie Foundation report: "There exist serious deficiencies in the relations of the medical profession la college athletics, All athletic

aspirants are not subjected to adequate physical examinations to determine i their physical fitness. Upon, the basis ' of a careful medical examination, quite ; irrespective of the supposed exigencies . of the situation, a doctor should de« \ cide the availability of a player wheii! i physical fitness or the effect of trains j ing upon him is in doubt. Partieipatiou ' in an excessive number of sports is still permitted and is too frequently] urged upon prominent athletes. (4) That minor skin disorders as^ be prevented by better hygiene t«) locker-rooms and clothing. (5) It would seem that in any youth* ful community: (a) many through inepJ titudc, slackness, or dislike of atheltics do not participate and therefore do not, gain this benefit; (b) some, marked out by conspicuous success, are encour* agod positively to harm themselves by, excessively frequent and strenuous competition; (c) a good player, athlete, or. oarsman who takes care of himself may last at world's championship standard until he is anything from 26-30 ye'aif of age. (A. G. Hill, aged 30, Great Britain, won the Olympic 800 and 1500! metres afc Antwerp in 1920.)