BENGALURU: From a minor niggle to a grave threat, injuries are always a matter of concern for sportspersons. With an aim to focus on sports injuries and create awareness on the issue, Global Sports Injury Conclave 2020 was held on Saturday in the city, wherein sports and fitness professionals like Jonty Rhodes, Suniel Shetty and Lakshmipathy Balaji came together with the vision of creating an injury-free ecosystem.
The event included panel discussions on subjects such as orthopeedics, diet and biomechanics. Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes emphasised on the need for practice of the right technique, and said a strong foundation is required for a player to get back from injuries. “There’s an entire ecosystem of young and potential players for most sports in India. By the time they reach the international level, they also take a massive leap in training, which requires a really good foundation. There is no shortcut to recovery,” he said, adding that the conclave aims to set up an ecosystem for sporting bodies to educate the athletes.
Former Indian cricketer Lakshmipathy Balaji reflected on his lower back injury, which he suffered in 2004 and which kept him out of cricket for a long period. Describing the stress fracture as excruciatingly painful and a challenging phase, he said sports medicine has seen a massive growth over the recent past. “Any job which requires outdoor activity will inflict stress on some level, but realisation about how to reduce it is crucial. Injuries cannot be avoided, but they can be delayed in sports because of factors such as age. If the body is physically well, then it has a positive impact on the mental aspect as well,” he said, pointing out that mental wellness should be imbibed at the grassroots levels. “I feel there is a big gap in the country in this aspect,” Balaji added.
Actor Suniel Shetty, who is also the co-founder of Mission Fit India, stressed on the importance of such events, since the subject hasn’t been addressed on a bigger platform. He cited the Indian cricket team as an example to talk about how outlook on mental health has changed positively among the Indian sports fraternity. He added, “I think with the emergence of sportsmen like Virat Kohli, the entire mindset of the team has changed. Their recent bounce-back after a massive loss takes a lot of mental strength. Mental coaches play a very big hand and we need to start exploring that within our ecosystem.”