interview | Sports Medicine | “Technology has a leading role in the care of athletes” | technology

Dr. Struan Coleman, a sports medicine and hip-preserving surgeon from the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), was in Lima this week, presenting the Sports Medicine Biology Conference to National Specialists.

The family doctor of the New York Mets baseball team also spoke with El Comercio about the current state of injuries on both teams High competition athletes As in athletes on the weekend.

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What is the effect of the athlete’s preparation on the severity of the injury?

enormously. One of the most important things in sports medicine is that the athlete is in perfect condition. It is essential that it be under the supervision of someone who knows how to train it. Not only about how to squat properly, but also about how to train muscles that most people forget about. For example, for an athlete, the muscles of the trunk are very important, from the chest to the thighs. But many forget it and we see many injuries in those areas. One of the things we do at HSS in New York is work with a multidisciplinary team to really assess the athletes, find their weaknesses, and focus on those areas as they train. This is the best way to avoid injuries.

– And you also forget that in addition to the muscles, you have to take care of the bones …

it’s the truth. Bone health is very important. We train to build strong muscles, but – especially for Maths– It is necessary to pay attention to the bones. We have seen, especially among young athletes who train a lot, some cases of osteopenia, or osteoporosis. What we do is test them to focus on what we call metabolic bone health, using calcium, vitamin D and other substances that can help keep your bones healthy.

“Commercial wearables monitor sleep hours and this is essential for the athlete.”

Can modern medicine protect athletes from injury?

Yes, through a comprehensive evaluation of the patient. So we can figure out which training will be more efficient. We have a movement analysis, we can know in which routines are stronger and in which movements are slower. With that we design focused training. Imaging also plays an important role: magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. Thanks to modern computer programs, we see if the athlete has a problem in any part of the body.

How important is the role of technology?

She has a leading role in the care of athletes. Not only in pictures but in detailed analysis. Even many commercial “wearables” are very effective, because they monitor your sleep hours and this is essential for the athlete, because he is constantly traveling and has to take care of the moments of rest between competitions.

– All metrics that athletes generate during training and competitions are today invaluable inputs…

Now there are a lot of sensors that can perform a very sophisticated analysis of their movements. From there, you can design a custom workout that helps you be more efficient.

– I read in an interview you did some time ago that you consider it wearable [como relojes inteligentes] It’s important, but does it matter if it’s from a brand or refers to a niche brand?

In fact, many commercial wearables are very effective. It allows you to measure your sleep hours. This is key when you are an athlete, because you are constantly traveling and you have to take care of the resting moments between competitions. But of course, you also have more advanced and specialized hardware. For example, baseball players have a sleeve packed with sensors to analyze the angle of their arm and how fast they can throw the ball. You can see how much he pushes and then continue with other exercises.

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– What about recovery times? Has progress been made to reduce them, or are they natural processes that have to wait?

It was all the knowledge obtained about recovery that made the time longer, regardless of whether the athlete was young or old. Now we have more complex processes that allow the athlete to return to competition in less time. We now better understand the different types of injuries, and know how long recovery processes take. In this area, progress is also being made towards personalized medicine.

Speaking of athletes, what are your recommendations for weekend athletes to avoid injuries?

I call this group “weekend warriors” and they are about 90% of the patients I see. My advice is to try to find a simple exercise routine at home and do a lot of stretching throughout the week. As I mentioned at the beginning, the key is to work your core muscles hard. If you have to focus on one area of ​​the body to prevent most injuries, focus on that.