Lifestyle

First-hand look at the success of pro athletes

On the Mend
Joe DiVincenzo
Published: September 5, 2008

This summer I had the distinct pleasure of working with a professional sports team. It was my first time working with professional athletes either in the locker room or on the field. I would like to share a few important points about health and fitness that I picked up from the pros.

Beverly Hospital was a title sponsor for the professional tennis team the Boston Lobsters. Throughout the duration of their short three-week season, I was fortunate enough to meet and assist several of the game's greatest players including Jan-Michael Gambill, Martina Navratilova, and the recent Wimbledon champion Venus Williams.

Let me first say that without exception, each player was kind and grateful for all the assistance they received - and that assistance varied greatly between players. Each pro had a different pre and post-game routine. As I attended more matches, I learned these routines better and came to understand exactly what it is that allows them to play at such high intensities.

I treated a wide variety of injuries ranging from elbow and shoulder tendonitis to bulging lumbar discs and ACL instability. Nearly to my surprise, the presentation of these problems matched almost exactly to what I regularly see in the clinic. It was strange to be treating these iconic figures who suffered from the same health issues as the "general population."

My sport of choice is tennis, and as an avid fan I can admit that the first night I was a little star-struck. But after the first match, I discovered something I did not intend to find. I found that there are two major differences between professional and recreational athletes.

The first difference is the length and quality of the warm- up. It has often been said that a good warm-up cannot be over stressed, a point with which I firmly agree. The players would arrive about two hours before the beginning of the match and get right to work. They would rally back and fourth for thirty to forty-five minutes, progressing in intensity. Afterwards, they would come to the locker room to have specific injuries addressed further.

Not everybody plays right away in World Team Tennis. Some players have to wait an hour or more to take their first official swing of the match. Regardless, every player was up and rallying at every intermission - trying to stay warmed up before the match. Some warm-ups persisted as long as 2 1âÑ2 hours because of rain delays and long games.

Having to mentally and physically prepare for an event for a long time can be draining. I asked one of the players if they ever felt fatigued during a match because of long warm-ups. "A long warm-up is the price you pay to prevent and minimize injury, there's just no other way around it," the player said.

The second major difference is the amount of focused attention their injuries receive. I provided care to number of players who each followed my instructions and recommendations without hesitation or argument. I am confident that this difference alone allows them to recover from and play with injuries.

Most of us have had an injury that has prevented play in our respective sports at one point or another, and most of us merely "hope" that it will go away instead of giving it attention. Because professional athletes have such a nuanced appraisal of injury, it becomes more of a minor obstacle than an unconquerable problem. By embracing and addressing their issues, they move past them much more quickly than the average person.

Indirectly, I learned a great deal from the pros these past few weeks. We have always been willing to adopt the practice patterns and drills the pro athletes use to improve our sports - I think it's time we start recovering as well as they do.

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Joe DiVincenzo is a physical therapist and clinical specialist in manual therapy. He works in the outpatient division of Beverly Hospital and writes "On the Mend" weekly.¬ Questions may be submitted to On the Mend, c/o Salem News, 32 Dunham Road, Beverly, MA 01915 or e-mail features@eagletribune.com.