Are you Suffering from Recurring Sports Injuries?
Believe it or not, it is only 1% of our genes that make us absolutely unique and completely different to our fellow human beings. This implies that, in terms of our DNA, all humans are 99% similar. Disappointed? Don’t be, it is the variations in this 1% that make you distinctly different in traits such as appearance, behaviour, disease susceptibility, or your response to medications.
Your genes are the instructions for how you build, regulate and maintain your body. These genes determine the way your body responds to food, exercise, stress and toxins. The opposite is also true, complex interactions between your genes and your lifestyle habits may alter the expression of these genes, making you more susceptible to injuries or certain disease conditions.
Are you at risk?
Your gene results will reflect variations in certain biological areas that impact how you respond to training. It reveals your structural integrity of your soft tissue, your muscles, ligaments and tendons. It will show your tendency towards inflammation and oxidative stress. Your training intensity, frequency and duration may cause inflammation and increase your risks for injury.
Potential for Endurance Sport
Your genes will reveal your cardiopulmonary capacity, in other words how your body responds to endurance training. Do you adapt quickly, or will it take a little longer for you to increase your cardiovascular fitness? Are you a Bruce Fordyce or the tortoise? Remember the tortoise also finished the race. Understanding your potential for endurance training may make you think twice about that 42km race and may make you stick to the fun runs. However, remember Albert Einstein’s words, “Genius is 1% talent and 99% percent hard work”. With hard work anything is possible, but knowing your potential can alter your approach and that may save you a lot of pain and suffering
Potential for Strength and Power Sport
So, you are not cut out for the Comrades, I bet there was a sigh of relief. You may not need a gene test to tell you that, but if you are still trying things on the sports field or in the gym and feel you are getting nowhere then the gene test is the quick and easy way to see where you should put your focus.
What to do with that lingering injury?
If you are struggling with an injury that doesn’t want to go away and you have taken time out, done some rehab and still don’t seem to shake it. Consider the following:
1. Have you had a sudden change in intensity or frequency of your training programme?
2. Are you wearing the right gear?
3. Are you always training in the same environment, for example, if you run, do you always run the same route?
4. Do you give your body enough time to recover?
5. Have you corrected your biomechanics after a previous injury? Remember two injuries totally unrelated are still affecting the same body, if you have not dealt with one completely it may predispose you to other injuries.
6. Are you eating to help your body recover, or are you just thinking about food as fuel?
If you have tried it all, then consider the gene test, it will reveal how much recovering time you need, your risks for inflammation, your need for certain foods, and your blueprint for how and when to train.
What Now?
Here’s the thing, we all have capacity and potential to participate in activities. You just have to find the things you love to do. Most of us have a combination of endurance and power genes, that doesn’t mean you should give up on your sport goals. Knowledge of your genetic profile allows a more efficient approach to your personal health and wellness.
I am a qualified Nutrigenomics practitioner. Nutrigenomics is the scientific study of the interaction between nutrition, environment, exercise and genes, especially with regard to the prevention or treatment of disease.