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Sim, adoro a Natureza

Garra de desportista 13.05.2010 Os portugueses ainda são um dos povos mais sedentários da Europa, mas o panorama está a mudar. As empresas já perceberam as potencialidades da prática desportiva e o seu impacto no quotidiano profissional. Gestão de stress e de conflitos, orientação por objectivos, reforço do espírito de equipa são alguns dos vectores empresariais que o desporto pode ajudar a consolidar. O exercício físico é um bálsamo para a alma e para o corpo e apesar dos portugueses continuarem campeões do sedentarismo a nível europeu, a realidade é hoje bem diferente de há uma dúzia de anos. A vontade de quebrar o ciclo vicioso da preguiça leva, só para as academias de desporto e ginásios particulares, cerca de 600 mil praticantes. Um número que tem vindo a crescer com o contributo de um segmento importante: o das empresas que estabelecem protocolos com os ginásios para a prática desportiva dos seus colaboradores. Na verdade, se há alguns anos recrutar, por exemplo, um atleta de alta competição causava alguma apreensão a muitos empresários pela consciência de que a profissionalização na carreira desportiva exige elevadas horas de treino, hoje não há dúvidas dos inúmeros benefícios que a prática desportiva confere ao quotidiano profissional. Maior aptidão para trabalho em equipa e enfoque nos resultados, melhor capacidade de gestão de conflitos e stress, são apenas alguns pontos fortes desta prática. A lista é tão extensa que até as empresas de recrutamento e selecção já perceberam a vantagem de impulsionar a prática desportiva e de surgirem no mercado associadas a altletas que marcam a diferença e inspiram multidões. Um incentivo assente no secular lema “corpo são, mente sã”. Não brilha nos relvados, nem é mestre da bola, mas é o velejador do momento. Francisco Lobato tem 25 anos, é português e prepara-se para conquistar o mundo solitariamente no seu barco. É finalista do curso de Engenharia Naval e a sua grande paixão é o oceano. No ano passado foi o vencedor da regata Transat 6.5 e parte agora no seu barco o Fígaro Roff à disputa do campeonato francês da modalidade. É determinado, objectivo, aventureiro, sem medo de desafios e hábil a gerir adversidades. Características que alcançou graças à sua prática desportiva e ao muito treino que ela exige. Características que fariam a diferença para qualquer empresa. Líderes como Francisco Lobato são para as empresas fontes de inspiração e motivação de equipas, como explica Mário Costa, administrador da Select e da agora Tempo-Team (ex Vedior). O especialista enfatiza o impacto do treino desportivo no quotidiano profissional e argumenta que foi à luz destes benefícios que, no seu arranque, a Tempo-Team apostou em associar-se e incentivar eventos desportivos de relevo. Patrocinadora oficial do Estoril Open e da viagem solitária do navegador Francisco Lobato, a empresa especializada na gestão de recursos humanos assume, segundo o seu líder “a promoção da valorização do trabalho em equipa como uma das fórmulas de sucesso organizacional, sabendo que o êxito de uma equipa está directamente ligado ao somatório das valorizações pessoais de cada um dos seus intervenientes”. Não serão difíceis de imaginar os desafios, confrontos e adversidades com que se depara Francisco Lobato nesta sua travessia solitária, sobretudo quando se aventura em provas de competição com milhares de milhas que o levam á travessia de oceanos. Para Mário Costa “independentemente da sua classificação que tem sido sempre de topo, Francisco Lobato é o exemplo perfeito do que a Tempo-Team procura em cada colaborador que propõe aos seus clientes: alguém que saiba enfrentar os mares com que se depara na vida profissional”. Uma visão que é já partilhada por muitos líderes em inúmeras organizações. Ainda que com menor grau de ambição e exigência, a adesão à prática desportiva tem vindo a aumentar entre os portugueses, em grande escala incentivada pelas empresas que de forma crescente tem apostado no estabelecimento de protocolos de colaboração com ginásios, facilitando o acesso ao desporto aos seus colaboradores. “Desde 1998 que o nosso sector modernizou-se, a formação dos seus profissionais aumentou e a ‘moda' dos ginásios instalou-se, contribuindo para um crescimento sustentado em todos os segmentos, (incluindo o dos seniores e o das mulheres, por exemplo). O ninho das empresas sempre foi muito significativo e seria ainda mais se houvesse incentivos estatais para a prática de desporto”, realça José Luís Costa, presidente da Associação de Empresas de Ginásios e Academias de Portugal (AGAP). Estima-se que 65% da população activa seja sedentária, um número que justifica uma taxa ainda baixa de penetração dos ginásios privados em Portugal, que ronda os 5,7%, bem longe ainda da média europeia fixada nos 7,9%. “Para conseguirmos chegar à média, seriam necessários mais 200 mil praticantes nos próximos quatro anos”, diz o presidente da AGAP. Ainda assim, o sector dos privados em matéria da prática de exercício físico – cerca de 1400 empresas - , movimenta um volume de facturação de 450 milhões de euros e 10.000 postos de trabalho. Mas a verdade é que os incentivos fiscais poderiam fazer disparar o número de adeptos da prática desportiva à semelhança do que acontece nos países nórdicos. “Para o segmento das empresas que têm protocolos com as academias, por exemplo, e que através deles mobilizam os seus trabalhadores, - contribuindo assim para a produtividade -, deveria ser possível a dedução em sede de IRC”, exemplifica José Luís Costa. Ou deduções no próprio IRS, levando cada vez mais pessoas para a prática do exercício. “Isto leva-nos a uma questão recorrente nos debates que fazemos: mais impostos e menos saúde ou mais vale menos impostos e mais saúde, com todos s ganhos que daí advêm para todos?”, atira o presidente da AGAP. Para pôr Governo e deputados a pensar, e a decidir favoravelmente, sobre o tema, a AGAP prepara um pacote de documentos que serão apresentados em Setembro próximo, no início do novo ciclo político. Na certeza de que esta é uma equação onde todos ganham: colaboradores, empresas e consequentemente o país já que mais saúde e mais motivação geram, seguramente, mais produtividade e empenho. in expressoemprego

Dor no Joelho

Knee pain, Cycling, kinesio tape and Cold class III laser Now What?

The knee is a common site for injuries for cyclist. When you consider the amount of work it takes as we pedal around and around it's amazing that we use it to rehab knees in my office for people with a host of other injuries that are not cycling related. The knee is a complex biomechanical piece of machinery. When structures are not functioning properly, the knee will let you know with a nice dose of pain. There are many conditions and outside factors that can affect the knee. In this article, I have combined two patients with similar complaints, into one patient with a functional problem.
A patient presents to my office with bilateral knee pain that is present after riding his road or mountain bike. He has recently purchased his road bike to add to his training and the problem occurs soon after that. Review of his past medical history is non contributory and family history is benign as it relates to his present condition. After finishing his history I proceed to examine him and his physical exam is normal as well as vital signs. He is in his 20's, physically fit and has been riding for several years. He has recently started training harder. Range of motion is full in all planes, his arches and gait is normal as well. No excessive rotation is noted in his hip or knee. Leg length was assessed and there are no structural or functional changes noted. I performed several orthopedic tests to his back, hip, knee and ankles with no positive findings. I began to palpate (touch) his patella tendon just below his knee cap when the patients says "that's it doc, that's tender" I continue to feel around his knee and find no other finding. Next step, he has brought his bike and shoes so I take a look at his cleats and they are way off. The patient is basically riding on his toes, which is not good and his right cleat is rotated internally way too much. I then examined his position on the trainer and took some measurements and dropped a plumb line and his saddle was to low as well as to far forward etc. I have no idea how he was making that bike move forward. The best part he got a "free" bike fit with the purchase of his new bike. Needless to say he needed a proper bike fitting and some treatment for what looks like patellar tendonitis.
So, what are the indications that you might have this problem? Well first, the pain is just below your knee cap on the tendon that attaches your patella to a bump at the top of the shin called the tibial tuberosity (fig1). It can be at any point along this tendon. You may also have difficulty walking up and down stairs or notice the pain when you step off a curb. You can get swelling but this is not common and could mean you have some rupture of the tendon or fracture that needs further evaluation. This can occur at the patella or at the tibial tuberosity. The pain can occur when after a hard ride.
Why and how does this happen? Well for one, pushing a large gear for extended periods of time or doing long and hard climbs that can be made even worse if you are pushing a large gear. In addition, one should take into account the fact that people tend to jump into hard efforts or extended amounts of saddle time before their body has a chance to adapt to the change. That's why we have the 10% rule to let your tendons, ligaments, and bones adapt. There are patients who have improper recovery, not enough sleep, poor nutrition, or lack of recovery rides. Of course the bike fit can be a problem if the saddle is to low or if your cleats are not positioned properly. Also too much float can cause your knees to have to do too much work in stabilizing the area and this can lead to an increased tensile pressure at the patella tendon. Also, watch what you are doing off the bike (ie; heavy squats, kneeling for long periods of time, playing basketball, and riding can overload the area).
Okay, back to the patient, I made some quick bike adjustments and sent him to a great bike fitter named Chris at "The Bike Doctor" in Waldorf Maryland who made a few more adjustments to his position. In addition, I began to give him some treatment and recommendations based on my idea of the six pillars of recovery.

1. Awareness of state: monitor your overall health
2. Rest: Sleep, Naps, down time
3. Play: Make sure you have time for friends and family etc. Don't burn yourself out
4. Nutrition: Food and supplements
5. Physical: Chiropractic, physical therapy and massage
6. Psychological: Positive mindset, visualization and sports psycology

In this case we will focus on the Physical components of what we did with this patient. We used kinesio-tape as seen in fig 2. Kinesio-tape is used to take some of the pressure off the tendon and also aids in speeding up the healing process. Next, I used a low level laser or cold class III laser that will not heat or destroy tissue, but in fact speed up the healing process. I also performed some soft tissue work on the tendon and muscles of the knee. I adjusted(manipulated)the knee and ankle joints to make sure we had proper alignment and functional biomechanics occurring at the knee and ankle. I had the patient take some time off the bike and then worked him back on staying away from the hills and low cadence. I also had him perform ice massage to the area 3 times a day for 5 minutes, which is much quicker and better than using an ice pack for this condition. We made some diet recommendations and added a supplement to help with recovery. We also ordered some x-rays to make sure that the patella was not degenerating and to rule out some other possible issues. Other tests a sports doctor may order are an MRI, CT, and/or Bone Scan to further evaluate the knee and other conditions such as structural deviations or tears to soft tissue.

Another aspect of knee conditions I would like to point out concerns many younger athletes. A condition called Osgood-Schlatter's disease, that occurs mostly in young athletes and adolescence, where they experience marked pain in the knees. A hallmark of this condition is pain right on the tibial tuberosity, which is the bump on the shin. If a young athlete continues to exhibit persistent pain in the knees, he/she should consult a doctor and be evaluated for Osgood-Schlatter's disease.

In conclusion, my suggestion would be to follow these rules and stay out of my office:
1. Proper bike fit
2. Follow the 10% Rule
3. Good nutrition, such as eating plenty of fruits and vegetables
4. Proper recovery
5. Get help early and see a good sports Doctor

As I have mentioned before, I have used two different patient scenarios and have unfolded their conditions into one for the purpose of this article. After the proper bike fitting, and the treatment of adjusting, the application of kinesio-tape for tissue stabilization, and laser therapy, the cyclist responded quite well. The adjustment to his bike gave him a quick recovery due to the decreased stress put on his knees. I also suggested that stretching be included in his treatment in order to stabilize and help maintain his biomechanics. This included stretching of the gluts/piriformis muscle, the quads, the hamstrings, and the iliotibial band (ITB band) with a foam roller, in a side lying position. It is important to maintain flexibility and strength while riding, which can prevent further injury. In conjunction with the proper nutrition and essential recovery, the bilateral knee pain diminished considerably and he was able to get back on the bike and resume his rides better, with proper form, and more importantly, with less pain.

Ref.
1. Orthopaedic Testing; Gerarad, Janet A., Kleinfield, Steven L.; Churchhill Livngstone Inc.; 483-578.
2. Knee Pain and Disability; Caillet M.D., Rene; F.A. Davis Company; 3; 143-179

Fig.
1. This picture shows the knee with a black marker indicating location of the patellar tendon.
2. This is an example of the applying of Kinesio-tape for patellar tendonitis.

Altura do Selim

Technique: How to get your seat height right

By Nick Morgan

The Heel method (BikeRadar)

Setting the correct seat height would seem to be such a fundamental part of cycling that you would have thought the boffins had agreed long ago on the best method. But you’d be wrong.

One thing all the experts agree on however is that if you get the height wrong, the effects can be catastrophic. A brand new study suggests that setting the height too low can decrease time to exhaustion by as much as 12 per cent.

Consequently cyclists with limited time on their hands might actually get more out of a shorter session by lowering their seats to a sub-optimal level so as to make it harder.

It’s an interesting theory, but even knowing how to get it wrong presupposes that you know how to get it right, and many don’t. Read on to find out exactly how to do it.

1 The Heel method

This is the one every bike shop owner or gym assistant will tell you whenever you clamber onto the saddle. You place the heel of your shoe on the pedal and set the saddle height so your leg is straight at the bottom of the pedal cycle with the pelvis remaining in a horizontal position.

Despite this commonly heard method, there is virtually no scientific evidence to support it and it often leads to the saddle height being adjusted too low.

Professor Will Pelever of Mississippi University for Women has written several papers comparing methods for finding the best seat height and says, “The main problem is that this method does not take into account individual variations in femur, tibia and foot length.”

2 The 109% method A more robust method was developed by Hamley & Thomas in a 1967 paper. They experimented with different saddle heights and found that the ideal was achieved when the saddle was positioned at 109% of your inseam length when measuring from the pedal axle to the top of the seat height. Your inseam measurement is basically the length from your crotch to the floor. To calculate this, face a wall and put a thick-ish book between your legs as if it were a saddle. Ensuring that you are standing straight with your heels on the floor, mark a line along the top of the book edge touching the wall. The distance from the floor to the height of the mark is your inseam measurement. It’s best to measure it several times and take an average. This has proved an extremely popular method and is recommended by many top-level coaches. Yet a recent study by Professor Pelever found that it was inferior to the Holmes method (see below) both in terms of power output and economy. 3 The LeMond method This is a popular variation on the 109% method and pioneered by the three time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond. Also using inseam length as a guide, this formula calculates 88.3% of your inseam length and uses it to measure the distance from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat height. Interestingly, Pelever has shown that this often produces a different seat height from the 109% method and although it seems to work for many people, it may not be ideal for someone with particularly long femur bones.

4 The Holmes method

This was originally developed to reduce over-use injuries in cycling and takes a different approach entirely from the other three. It uses a device called a goniometer for measuring the angle of the knee joint at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Holmes recommends an angle of between 25 and 35 degrees and closer to 25 for those with a history of patella tendonitis. This may all sound a bit technical and if so it’s probably best to go with one of the two inseam methods, but you can pick up a goniometer for around £20 from medical suppliers. Pelever’s research has shown that setting your seat height based on a knee angle of 25 degrees outperforms all other methods (including an angle of 35 degrees). “Using a goniometer and a 25 degree angle is definitely the method I’d recommend,” he says. Don’t rely on simply feeling comfortable either. “If you’ve been pedalling at a much lower saddle height than is optimal, it may feel awkward in the beginning,” says Pelever. “However, as your body adapts (usually in two to three weeks) the new position will not only feel comfortable, but will improve performance in the long run.” Of course, if you still feel uncomfortable after a few weeks then you will need to make changes. It’s best to use the 25 degree knee angle as a starting place. Have someone watch from behind to ensure that your hips do not rock back and forth across the saddle due to over extension at the bottom of the stroke. If that is the case then the angle may need to be adjusted upwards slightly for comfort. “When I finish fitting someone on their bike, their knee angle is usually somewhere between 25 and 30 degrees, but much closer to 25 on most all occasions,” says Pelever.

Original do bikeradar.com

Dores nas pernas?

Qualquer atleta sabe o que é dores nas pernas...
Principalmente depois dos treinos tentar fazer as coisas banais(ir as compras/lavar loiça ... )

e o que acham disto?




Que invenção.

Mas isto parece que faz com que as pessoas sejam ainda mais sedentárias ? Ou não?