Track and Field

I. Running Events
A. Injuries
1.) Runner’s Knee is the irritation of the cartilage under the
patella, or kneecap. It usually strikes runners during or after long
runs, after they’ve been sitting for a long time, or while they’re
going down hills or stairs.
2.) Achilles Tendonitis- the Achilles tendon connects the two major calf
muscles to the back of the heel. If there’s too much stress, the tendon
tightens and becomes irritated, causing tendonitis.
3.) Hamstring Issues-the muscles that run down the back of our thighs are
either too tight or too weak to bend knees, extend legs, or power
uphill runs.
4.) Plantar Fasciitis-because feet absorb force that’s several times our body
weight while running, tendons and ligaments along the heels and
toes get torn or swollen. The pain, typically feels like a bruise along your arch
or on the bottom of your heel.
5.) Stress Fracture- too much stress can fracture the shin, feet and heel bones.
B. Exercises
1.) Hip Flexor Warm-Up - Start standing tall. Flex your hip by drawing left knee
up toward chest as you swing your right arm forward
(as if you are running). Return to starting position and
repeat with right knee and left arm. That’s 1 rep.
2.) Leg Flexor Stretch- Stand tall. Draw left knee toward chest until thigh is
parallel to the ground, as you simultaneously swing
your right arm forward and left arm back (as if you
are running). Engage your quad to extend left leg
straight out. Return to standing, then repeat with the
other leg. That’s 1 rep.
3.) Start standing- Slowly bend left knee to bring left heel
behind you to glute as you swing your right arm
forward and left arm back (as if you are running). You
should feel your left hamstring engage. Return to
starting position, then repeat on the other leg. That’s 1
rep.
4.) Hip Extensor Stretch- From standing, hinge forward at your hips. Draw left
knee up toward chest while bringing right arm
forward. From there, maintain the same lean as you
quickly kick left leg back behind you while you
simultaneously swing left arm forward and right arm
back (as if you are running). Return right knee in front
 of you and repeat for 10 reps. Then repeat with other
leg.
II. Jumping Events
A. Injuries
1.) Achilles Tendinopathy is usually an overuse injury that is common especially
to joggers and jumpers, due to the repetitive action and so may occur in other
activities that require the same repetitive action.
2.) Ankle fracture is where the is a break (fracture) within one or more of the
three bones that constitute your ankle. These are your tibia (shin bone), fibula
(outside leg bone) and your talus (a smaller bone that sits above your heel and
articulates with its concave upper surface under your tibia and fibula).
3.) Anterior Ankle Impingement is a condition where an individual experiences
pain at the front of the ankle, due to compression of the bony or soft tissue
structures during activities that involve maximal ankle dorsiflexion motion.
4.) Knee bursitis can cause pain above, on or below your patella (kneecap). The
knee consists of up to 11 bursae. The bursae most commonly subjected to
inflammation are the prepatellar bursa, infrapatellar bursa, pes anserinus
bursa and suprapatellar bursa.
5.) Cramp is defined as a spontaneous or involuntary electrical activity of a large
number of skeletal muscle fibres that quickly develops into a painful,
sustained contraction (muscle spasm)
B. Exercises
1.) Athletes should spend time doing approach runs—i.e., the drive and max-
velocity components of the approach. This drill helps jumpers find their
starting point and determine the foot from which they will take off. Be sure to
maintain a 45-degree angle in the first six steps, similar to a sprinter coming
out of the blocks.
2.) Squats: Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Bend at the knees and hips
and lower your butt back and down as if sitting into a chair. Keep the torso
upright and the shoulders back and down. Go as low as you can without the
heels coming up or the torso leaning far forward. Press back up to standing.
Repeat for a total of 10 to 20 reps.
3.) Lunge: Get into a lung position with your back knee on the floor and the front
knee and hip at 90-degree angles. Place your hands on your glutes and
contract your core. Gently push your pelvis forward while keeping your torso
still. Hold the position for 2 seconds. Release and repeat for a total of 10 reps,
then switch sides.
4.) Standing hip circles: Hold onto a wall or other stable support. Lift one leg,
raising the knee to a 90-degree angle. Open the knee out to the side as far as
possible then bring it back down, making a big circular motion. Do 10 to 20
reps on one side, making the circles larger and larger, then switch sides.
III. Throwing Events
A. Injuries
1. Flexor Tendinitis -Repetitive throwing can irritate and inflame the
flexor/pronator tendons where they attach to the humerus bone on the
inner side of the elbow. Athletes will have pain on the inside of the
elbow when throwing, and if the tendinitis is severe, pain will also
occur during rest.
2. The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is the most commonly injured
ligament in throwers. Injuries of the UCL can range from minor damage
and inflammation to a complete tear of the ligament. Athletes will have
pain on the inside of the elbow, and frequently notice decreased
throwing velocity.
3. Olecranon Stress Fracture -Stress fractures occur when muscles
become fatigued and are unable to absorb added shock. Eventually, the
fatigued muscle transfers the overload of stress to the bone, causing a
tiny crack called a stress fracture.
4. Ulnar Neuritis -when the elbow is bent, the ulnar nerve stretches
around the bony bump at the end of the humerus. In throwing athletes,
the ulnar nerve is stretched repeatedly, and can even slip out of place,
causing painful snapping. This stretching or snapping leads to irritation
of the nerve, a condition called ulnar neuritis.
B. Exercises
1.) Athletes should spend time doing approach runs—i.e., the drive and max-
velocity components of the approach. This drill helps jumpers find their
starting point and determine the foot from which they will take off. Be sure to
maintain a 45-degree angle in the first six steps, similar to a sprinter coming
out of the blocks.
2.) Squats: Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Bend at the knees and hips
and lower your butt back and down as if sitting into a chair. Keep the torso
upright and the shoulders back and down. Go as low as you can without the
heels coming up or the torso leaning far forward. Press back up to standing.
Repeat for a total of 10 to 20 reps.
3.) Lunge: Get into a lung position with your back knee on the floor and the front
knee and hip at 90-degree angles. Place your hands on your glutes and
contract your core. Gently push your pelvis forward while keeping your torso
still. Hold the position for 2 seconds. Release and repeat for a total of 10 reps,
then switch sides.
4.) Standing hip circles: Hold onto a wall or other stable support. Lift one leg,
raising the knee to a 90-degree angle. Open the knee out to the side as far as
possible then bring it back down, making a big circular motion. Do 10 to 20
reps on one side, making the circles larger and larger, then switch sides.
Racket Sports
A. Injuries
1.) Tennis elbow- it is known as Lateral Epicondylitis which simply refers to the
inflammation of the tendons joining the forearm of the muscles just outside the
elbow.
2.) Fractured Lower Back Due To Stress- To prevent this from happening , it is best
to avoid serving for as much as you can. If your racket sport allows it, cut back
from the overhead serves altogether.
3.) Ankle Injury- Ankle sprains are very common to racket sport players. They often
occur as a result of a fast-paced change in direction of the players
4.) Wrist Injury- Most players injure their wrist as a result of hitting the ball too late
and this happens because by hitting the ball late , you wouldn’t have built
enough momentum in your forearm when the ball hits your racket and your
wrist takes the fall for it.
5.) Eye Injury- eye injuries are so common that the American Academy of Pediatrics
recommends that children involved in such organized sports should be
equipped with the appropriate eye protection.
B. Exercises
1.) Dumbbell Wrist Curls- For this exercise, you will need a light dumbbell (1-10lb).
This exercise works out your forearm flexors. To do this exercise hold the
dumbbell in one hand with the palm facing up and place that arm on a flat
surface such as a table or on your leg. Hold the dumbbell lightly in your hand
with a relaxed grip so that your hand hangs off the end, this is your starting
position. Keeping your arm still, tighten your grip and curl your wrist up,
bringing the dumbbell towards you. Return to the starting position and repeat
the action. Do this for 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
2.) Forearm Blaster/Wrist roller- To use the forearm blaster, grab both ends of the
handle and hold it straight out in front of you, keeping your arms perpendicular
to your body, this will be your starting position. From here, twist the handle in
one direction so that the weight starts to move up towards the handle. Once
the weight attached to the rope has reached the handle, reverse the direction to
lower the weight. You should feel your forearms burning when doing this. Try
to do it as many times as you can, taking breaks in between, aiming for 3-5 sets.
3.) Hand Grippers- Hand grippers are designed to help strengthen your fingers as
well as your grip strength. They come in many different shapes and sizes with
some having a higher resistance than others. You want to squeeze the hand
gripper as fast as you can. This exercise will improve drive shots and net kills. Do
this as many times as you can for 3-5 sets.
4.) Training Racket- For this exercise you can use a badminton racket with a head
cover on, or a training racket if you want to make this more challenging. This
exercise works out both your grip and forearm muscles at the same time as you
are doing the same action as though you were playing badminton. To do this
exercise, hold your badminton racket in your hand with a relaxed grip. Pretend
you are hitting drive shots by doing a short swing and tightening your grip.
Alternate between forehand and backhand to workout the muscles involved in
those strokes.