National Survey by Chi Herbal Finds 90% of Endurance Athletes Will Injure Themselves This Year
Chi Herbal, in conjunction with Active. com, conducted a nationwide survey of over 500 competitive runners, cyclists, and triathletes that found 9 out 10 sustained injury in a given year. Considering factors such as age, level of competition, warm up routines and money spent on nutrition, supplements and equipment, the survey revealed intriguing findings about injuries and injury prevention.
Sudbury, MA (PRWEB) April 4, 2006
The Chi Herbal Injury Index just released found that 9 out of 10 competitive runners, cyclists and triathletes sustained injury last year. Surprisingly, the injury rate remained constant regardless of age, gender, injury prevention strategies and spending on equipment and nutrition. Even those who spent more than 20 minutes daily on injury prevention sustained injuries 90 percent of the time.
Sponsored by Chi Herbal (http://www. chiherbal. com), a provider of time-tested, natural products that help athletes speed recovery, prevent injury, and maintain a healthy condition, and Active. com, one of the Web's most popular resources for active lifestyles, the Chi Herbal Injury Index surveyed 510 competitive athletes nationwide. Paramount to a successful year is good health, but as endurance athletes ramp up their spring training for the season ahead, the odds are against making it through the season without some sort of problem: of athletes surveyed, 24 percent missed more than a month last year because of injury, with 50 percent missing two weeks or more.
Endurance training is a mental and physical challenge, repetitive by nature. The stress on particular joints, tendons, muscles and ligaments is analogous to folding a piece of paper on the same line several hundred times. Eventually the paper will tear along that line. According to the survey, athletes most often reported pain in their knees (49 percent), lower back (38 percent) and hips (26 percent). Notably, athletes reported getting injured despite 70 percent stretching before and 79 percent stretching after training.
“Good shoes and equipment, sound nutrition, proper stretching are important, but not the only keys to injury prevention, especially given the daily stress competitive endurance athletes put on their joints and muscles," says Rob Lucier, cofounder, Chi Herbal. “Chi Herbal’s formulas help joints and muscles recover from stress quickly and effectively. Our completely natural formulas have been used in East Asia for centuries and now by top athletes here in the U. S.”
Chi Herbal’s topical products improve and balance a person’s Chi (pronounced chee), an East Asian term for the life energy that flows through the body. When Chi moves smoothly the body stays balanced, readily heals and functions optimally. Blocked or stagnant Chi decreases ability, limits recovery and reduces strength, often resulting in inflammation, pain or injury.
Extreme repetitive use or a shock to the body such as a sprain or muscle pull causes micro-tears, ruptures and other stressors that disrupt blood and Chi circulation. Chi Herbal topical formulas harmonize these stresses by increasing circulation and oxygenation and removing toxins, thereby decreasing swelling and pain and increasing function and strength. As a result, the unblocked energy channels (meridians) enable quicker recovery from daily strains or injury.
“Last summer I sustained a calf injury that sidelined me for nearly a month. Initially, I suspected it was simply a calf strain, but after more than a week of severe pain I needed something else. I tried the Athletic Herbal Wrap (http://www. chiherbal. com/athleticwrap. htm). The next day nearly all pain in my calf subsided and I began training on my bike. I was running within a week and have been virtually pain free since,” says Jason Johnson, marathoner, triathlete and Director of Business Development, Active Marketing Group. “Chi Herbal products give athletes a better way to recover quickly and prevent injuries to their joints and muscles so they can stay healthy through an entire season.”
Visit the Chi Herbal Injury Index (http://www. chiherbal. com/chi-herbal-injury-index. htm) for more detailed information.
About Chi Herbal
Founded in 2004 in Sudbury, MA, Chi Herbal provides all natural, time-tested herbal formulas for triathletes, marathoners, cyclist and other elite athletes to help recover faster, prevent injury and maintain a healthy condition longer. Made from the highest quality herbs, Chi Herbal formulas include Foot Energy Spray (http://www. chiherbal. com/footenergyspray) to reduce fatigue and soreness, the Athletic Herbal Wrap (http://www. chiherbal. com/athleticwrap. htm) for use with injuries, chronic pain, inflammation, strains and pulls, and the Herbal Harmonizing Bath (http://www. chiherbal. com/harmonizingbath. htm) for overall recovery after strenuous training. Chi Herbal products are available at www. chiherbal. com and other retailers.
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