ANABOLIC androgenic steroids commonly known as steroids are used by many people in the hopes of increasing their muscle bulk. And though at first they are successful, it are the many side effects of these steroids that the people using them should aware of.
Androgens are steroid hormones are not only primarily secreted by the testis but also by the adrenal glands and ovaries. Testosterone is the principal androgen and is responsible for the development of the primary sexual characteristics in uterus and secondary sexual characteristic around the time of puberty and contributes to increase in height and muscle bulk.
The use of anabolic steroid in certain sports, particularly power sports such as weightlifting, power lifting, sprinting and throwing, is wide spread, as is their use by body builders. While the incidence of anabolic steroid use is highest in elite athletes, there is a disturbingly high incidence among recreational and high school athletes. This may be related to a desire to increase sporting performance or to improve body image.
Anabolic steroids users follow two regimes; a pyramidal regime which commence with a low daily dose and gradually increases to high dose. And there’s the stacking regime, in which several different types of anabolic steroids, oral or injectable are taken simultaneously.
Side effects of anabolic steroid usage are extremely common and can be particularly significant in adolescent. Anabolic steroids may accelerate the skeletal and muscle growth. However, premature closure of epiphysial plate may result in short height.
Steroids also have adverse effects on liver, skin, blood pressure, immunity, skin and on the top of that it also severely produces psychological effects.
Livers of as many as 80 per cent individuals using steroids have developed disorders, including hyperbilirubinemia (increased bilirubin) and elevated liver enzymes that leads to obstruction of bile canals that is followed by jaundice. These steroids can also lead to other liver abnormalities such as peliosis hepatis (blood filled cysts in the liver), benign and malignant tumour.
Lipids changes in lipid profiles are commonly seen with anabolic steroid usage, lowered levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and raised levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are seen. A lowered HDL and LDL ratio is a risk factor of coronary heart disease.
Hypertension raised blood pressure is commonly seen in association with anabolic steroid usage. The elevation of blood pressure maybe secondary to sodium and water retention, isolated cases of myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular accident have been reported in association with anabolic steroid use. There is a serious concern about the possible long-term sequel of anabolic steroid use, in particular, the possibility of an increased coronary artery disease in light of the persistent findings of elevated blood pressure, decreased HDL levels and increased LDL levels.
Skin changes are common with anabolic steroid usage and are related to excessive sebum production. These changes include acne, rosacea, sebaceous cyst, frunculosis, folliculitis and increased body and facial hair.
Psychological effects are irritability, mood swings, change in libido (sexual desire) and increased aggression are common with anabolic steroid usage. It would appear that anabolic steroid may also become both psychologically and physically addictive, with drawl may lead to depression, fatigue, decreased sex drive, insomnia (less sleep) and anorexia (decreased appetite).
Tennis elbow
TENNIS elbow is one of the most common problems found among racquet sport athletes and occurs in over 50 per cent of tennis players at one time or another in their careers. Although labelled a tennis complaint, it can occur in the home or the work place or in any action where the elbow is constantly bending while the hand is gripping e.g. painting the ceiling with a roller type brush, canoeing, kayaking, badminton, baseball pitching, tenpin bowling, even fly-fishing.
Tennis elbow injury is an eponym name of lateral elbow pain and this is a pathological condition at the common extensor origin on the lateral forearm. The main cause of lateral elbow pain is believed to be the result of micro trauma, the overuse generated by the impact between racquet and ball, resistance against twisting the racquet and the vibrations that are transferred to the arm.
There are many predisposing factors that lead to tennis elbow for e.g. poor conditioning, wrong technique, and unsuitable equipment like racquet, ball, shoes and playing surface. If you buy proper equipment then there is a less chances of getting tennis elbow. A safe tennis racquet should have a large sweet spot, (is an area on the string bed where the racquet bounce is maximum), low moment (is the turning force drawing the racquet head down when you hold the racquet parallel to the ground), high polar moment (is the racquet’s rotational inertia about its longitudinal axis), low torque, good shock and vibration absorber, not stiff, not low weight, not heavy head, and should have easy control.
There are few racquet specifications which a tennis player should know before he buys a racquet. Racquet should be made up of graphite, composite or titanium. Titanium racquets are acceptable choice for the beginners. The racquet should not be less than 300 grams. The length of racquet is the distance from the bottom of the handle to the top of the head. A standard racquet measures 27 inch, less than this size is small and more than this size would be a large racquet to hold and these are 28 and 29 inches, racquet head size varies from mid size (up to 94 square inches) mid plus, (95 to 103 square inches) over size (104 to 117 square inches) and super over size (118 to 135 square inches). Beginners really like the over sized and even super over size, because it offers a large sweet spot, but I believe that best and safer head size is mid plus.
Good string material is of natural or synthetic gut; string size should be thinner with gauge number 16 or 17. Racquet beam (is the area on either side of the racquet head) should be flat with cross section lesser than 17 mm.
Racquet grip size plays an important role in tennis elbow, a good grip size is by holding the eastern fore hand grip, (the palm is placed against the same level as the string face) player should be able to fit the index finger of the non-hitting hand in the space between the ring finger and palm. If there isn’t enough room for the index finger, the grip is too small, if there is more space between the finger and the palm, the grip is to big.
Tennis balls too play an important part in this injury. There are two types of tennis balls, balls made for hard court and balls made for soft (clay) court. As a general rule each tennis ball is good for about an hour of playing time before they should be replaced. After this period of time gradually the ball becomes heavier and looses their elasticity that increases the shock on the racquet and players arm.
A fresh tennis ball bounces 53 to 58 inches when dropped from a height of 100 inches onto a concrete slab. It is always important to use a proper type of ball according to the playing surface, never play with the dead balls because they produce more shock and jar on the player’s upper extremity, never play in wet grounds as it dampens the ball and causes it to become heavy.
So in short we can decrease the incidence of tennis elbow to minimum only by merely buying good equipment. — Dr Umer Ahsan
Sporting shoes
HUNDREDS of different models of sporting shoes are available in the market, but it is you who has to find out which one suits you the best. It is you who has to decide if it’s a running shoe you’re buying or football boots or ski boots.
The optimum shoe for a runner is one that matches the runner’s specific mechanical features; several features of shoes may affect foot function. The first part of the shoe to be considered is the heel counter, the upper rear part of the shoe. The heel counter should be made up of rigid, firm plastic to assist in rear foot stability. Although there is evidence that the heel counter may not control rear foot motion, it is thought to be important for the stability and durability of the shoe.
Fore-foot flexibility must be adequate to allow easy motion of the foot flexing at toe off. With a rigid sole, the calf muscle may need to perform extra work in order to plantar flex the foot during propulsion
The mid-sole of the shoe is probably the most important feature. Mid-soles are usually made up of a material that is light and a good shock absorber. The most important feature of the mid-sole is that it should not be too hard or too soft; mid-soles that are too soft permit excess mobility.
Runners requiring control of excessive motion should use a mid-sole of dual density, which is harder on the medial aspect of the foot. Runners requiring extra shock absorption should choose a shoe with a soft mid-sole that still provides lateral stability. Lastly, the shape of the shoe, straight or curved may offer a range of shoes to fit an individual and give comfort to different foot types. However, at the same time, there is no evidence to support the commonly held view that the shape of the shoe influences foot function.
Football boots require all the features of a good running shoe in addition to features that will allow kicking and rapid changes in direction, particularly on a soft surface. The construction of many types of football boots provides inadequate support for the lower limb. The ideal football boot should be of adequate foot depth in the upper, have a rigid heel counter, have sufficient fore foot flexibility, have a wide sole and be slightly curved in shape.
So if you want to buy a shoe that fits you best, you need to first sort it out in which category you fits in. Do you a flat foot? Do you have high-arch foot or you have normal foot. For the people with normal foot, you should prefer the shoe with rigid heel counter; flexible fore foot, intermediate mid sole density and it should be slightly curved in shape. For the flat foot people the best shoe would be with rigid heel counter, flexible fore foot, mid sole with hard dual density and the shape of the shoe should be more straight or slightly curved. High arched foot people should buy a shoe of rigid heel counter, flexible fore foot; soft mid sole density and shape of the shoe should be of curved or slightly curved. — DrUmer Ahsan
ANABOLIC androgenic steroids commonly known as steroids are used by many people in the hopes of increasing their muscle bulk. And though at first they are successful, it are the many side effects of these steroids that the people using them should aware of.
