Men\'s Health Australia - 11.2018

November 2018 125

TOP THREAT:

HIP LABRAL TEAR

What it is:

An injury of the hip labrum, a

gasket-like cartilage ring at

the rim of the hip socket that

helps hold the ball of the

thighbone in place and seals

in fluid. Besides causing pain,

labral tears raise the risk of

hip osteoarthritis.

Cause:
Usually repetitive motion,
such as from long-distance
cycling or collisions in sports.
“We see it a lot in cutting
sports like soccer and
hockey,” Comeau says.
Tennis players are also prone
to hip trouble. Two-time
Wimbledon winner Andy
Murray finally had surgery in
January to ease hip issues
that had plagued him for
years. Abnormal hip anatomy
can also contribute.

TOP THREAT:

OLECRANON

FRACTURE

What it is:

A crack or break in the

elbow’s tip; this can result in

an open fracture in which

bone sticks through skin and

can cause infection.

Cause:

Usually direct impact with a

hard object, such as getting

hit by a cricket ball or

whacking your elbow

against a door frame. Falling

on an outstretched arm can

also stress the joint enough

to separate bone, as can

repeatedly poking your

elbow into the ribs of

someone with zero sense

of humour.

Treatment:

If pieces of bone aren’t out

of place, splinting for about

six weeks should allow the

fracture to heal. More

complex fractures require

surgery to realign bone

fragments. A graft can fill in

that connect forearm

muscles to bony protrusions

called epicondyles on the

outside and inside of the

elbow. You know outside

(lateral) epicondylitis as

tennis elbow and inside

(medial) epicondylitis as

golfer’s elbow, but both can

occur in either sport. Bonus

tip: ease into your game.

“Massage your forearm

muscles at red lights on the

drive over,” says DiNubile.

“That stimulates blood flow

to the area around the joint.”

Hit the first few balls gently,

working up a light sweat to

limber up muscles and

ligaments before taking

more vigorous strokes.

Watch Out!

“If your tennis racquet isn’t

strung correctly, it will

transmit more force up the

forearm to the elbow,” says

D’Lima. A recent study in

Shoulder & Elbow found that

lower string tension placed

less of a load on the elbow,

potentially reducing the risk

of lateral epicondylitis.

Treatment:

Physical therapy can help

identify and compensate

for quirks in your gait or

anatomy that may stress

the hip, and stretch and

strengthen hip-supporting

muscles. If these approaches

don’t do the trick, a surgeon

can use an arthroscope

to trim frayed cartilage

and reattach the labrum

to the socket.

Defence:

Vary your sports and

workouts from day to day

to avoid stressing the hip in

the same way and to help

joints recover.

Future-Proof Your Hips:

A previous hip injury or

normal ageing can erode the

articular cartilage that lines

the hip’s ball and socket and

lead to osteoarthritis. As

cartilage diminishes and the

bone that’s been lost

or destroyed.

Defence:

Wear elbow pads in sports

such as mountain biking and

snowboarding, which have a

higher risk of falls. And just

in case you do go down,

practise the tuck and roll. On

a soft surface, crouch down,

bend forward, tuck your

head and roll onto one

shoulder. Try to curl into a

ball as you do so, using your

arms for guidance rather

than as shock absorbers.

Future-Proof Your

Elbows:

If you’re a golfer or tennis

player, take lessons to learn

how to swing a club or

racquet using your core and

whole body, not just your

arms. “A poor swing puts

chronic strain on tendons,

causing overuse damage

that can be difficult to heal,”

says sports medic Dr Darryl

D’Lima. This can result in

epicondylitis, a painful

inflammation of tendons

• BALL-AND-SOCKET
  The rounded, ball-like end of
  one bone fits into the concave
  surface of another. The design
  offers superior range of motion,
  but stability can vary: high in a
  deep socket, low in a shallow one.
  Surrounding tendons and ligaments
  help keep bones in place.

space between the bones

closes, damaged bones may

grow out and form spurs that

can add to pain and limit

movement. To keep your hips

young, do bridges, planks

and lunges to strengthen

your gluteus, lower back and

hip-flexor muscles, which

stabilise the hips. Don’t do

lunges with weights, though,

to avoid undue stress.

Watch Out!

Metal-on-metal hip implants

haven’t worked out as well as

expected. The ball-and-

socket combo promised to

be exceptionally durable, but

the authorities warn they

carry risks, including the

release of metal particles

that may damage

surrounding bone and/or

tissue. Consider alternative

bearing surfaces such as

ceramic on cross-linked

polyethylene instead.

ROCK THE JOINT