Medical Mechanics of Ultrarunning :: Running Sports Essays

Medical Mechanics of Ultrarunning The medical aspects of ultramarathon running are a enormous part of what makes up the individual ultra runner. Many traumatic injuries can take place when a person gets involved in this specific sport. " It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of injury prevention and treatment to the career of a successful athlete. It has been noted that the champion athlete is very often one who has attained a high level of lay expertise and downright craftiness with regard to injuries, whereas novices seem to keep getting hurt. Very often the difference between the perennial champion and the perennial bridesmaid is just that edge: an ability to avoid and/or recover quickly from physical trauma."(Marty Liquiri) This quote made by Marty is stating the point that preventing injuries is a essential aspect that a runner has to consider. There are a limitless amount of injuries that a runner might have to deal with. Several precautions can be taken to make sure most of these injuries do not tak e place. Proper stretching is a very major part of preventing injuries concerning running. In order to run any distance your muscles as well as body have to be readily prepared. There are four stretching techniques that I have learned about. The first one is ballistic stretching. This stretch activates the stretch reflex, allowing the stretched muscle to contract quickly and the runner to bob up with a lot of speed. This stretch is not a popular one and is not very useful in ultra running. The second stretch is called the passive stretching. This stretch needs a partner to apply extra external pressure to elaborate the stretch. This stretch is safest when applied to more experienced athletes and is not advised for beginners just learning the whole stretching routine. The third way of stretching is referred to as contract-relax stretching. In this stretch the muscle is allowed to contract actively while being stretched and then stretched once more immediately after it relaxes. The fourth and f inal stretch is considered static stretching. This stretch is positioned and held for thirty to sixty seconds. There is a gradual build up of tension in the muscle being stretched so the stretch reflex isn't activated. As the tendons are slowly being stretched the inverse stretch reflex is being activated and the tension in the muscle lessons so the muscle can be stretched even further than before.