Rest important for team India

Considering the spate of injuries that has haunted the Indian team on their tour to England,a seminar titled ‘Solutions for Sports Injuries’ couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time. And during Wednesday’s seminar in Delhi,Dr. Raju Vaishya,senior orthopaedic surgeon at Apollo Hospital,made several points relevant to the beleaguered touring party.

One was the need for the team to implement a rotation policy to help players manage their workload. “The body requires rest to recover from the intense strain it goes under. I can’t tell you what is the ideal number of days a player can play in a year,but rotation definitely helps,” said Dr. Vaishya.

“It prevents injury,it gives time to recover from injury,and also keeps a player’s confidence intact because he knows he will come back at some point after he has his rest.” Dr Vaishya also said that sports teams might need to supplement their back-up staff with experts in orthopaedic surgery. “Most players are guided by physios,who are not orthopaedic surgeons. Ideally,there should be a good sports medicine specialist attached to every team.”