[Health and wellness] Be careful, skipping rope improperly can also lead to fractures! Skipping rope to lose weight should pay attention to scientific methods

Source: China Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine Author: Sun Qian, Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Rope skipping can enhance various functions of the body, shape the body and reduce fat. It is simple to operate and can meet the needs of exercise in a small space. However, even the best exercise must pay attention to the method and method. If the exercise is not done properly, it will be harmful.

Recently, at the sports injury specialist clinic of the Orthopedics Department of Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Deputy Chief Physician Yuan Bin has received a number of patients with joint injuries caused by skipping rope or improper exercise. One of the patients, Ms. Zhang, even suffered a lower leg fracture.

Yuan Bin introduced that the patient, Ms. Zhang, was in her early 40s and slightly overweight. When she came to see the doctor, she complained of pain in the lower front third of her calf. It was fine when she walked occasionally, but if she walked more than 2,000 steps or walked up and down stairs frequently, the pain in her calf would become more obvious. But after a night's rest, the pain was relieved. This situation had been repeated for more than two weeks.

After inquiring about the medical history, it was learned that when Ms. Zhang was practicing skipping rope with her child, she couldn't help but jump with him for three days. She felt fine at the time, but after a day or two, her calves began to hurt, and the pain gradually worsened.

Sports injuries are closely related to excess weight

Based on clinical experience, Yuan Bin considered that Ms. Zhang's leg pain was likely related to skipping rope, so he suggested that she undergo an MRI. The results showed a clearly visible crack in the calf bone, which was also known as a fracture line. The diagnosis was a stress fracture, also known as a fatigue fracture.

"I only jump more than 200 times at a time. The amount of exercise is not too much. How could I have broken a bone?" Ms. Zhang found it unbelievable.

"This situation is related to many factors, including improper exercise and overweight," said Yuan Bin.

Body mass index (BMI) is an important standard commonly used internationally to measure the degree of obesity and health of the human body. According to the standards set by the World Health Organization, Asians are considered overweight if their BMI is higher than 22.9. Ms. Zhang is 1.60 meters tall, weighs 65 kilograms, and has a BMI of 25.39. Her weight is overweight, and the pressure on her knees and ankles is higher than that of people with normal weight. In addition, rope skipping puts a lot of pressure on the knees and bones. Ms. Zhang has not exercised for a long time, and her muscle strength has declined. The sudden exercise intensity exceeds the tolerance limit of the bones, causing this kind of hidden fracture that is not easy to find.

"If bone contusion occurs in the knee joint, it can generally heal with two or three months of rest and treatment. However, the blood supply to the middle and lower parts of the calf is poor, and fatigue fractures are relatively difficult to heal. Our department received a similar case last year, and it took more than six months of treatment before recovery," Yuan Bin introduced.

Yuan Bin suggested that Ms. Zhang reduce her activities in her daily life, walk as little as possible, walk with crutches as much as possible, and reduce weight; take Chinese and Western medicine for symptomatic treatment, which can be taken orally and applied externally, and cooperate with rehabilitation treatment in the later stage. Check the MRI once a month to observe the condition of the bone contusion. If it is still difficult to heal, minimally invasive surgery may be required in the end.

Rope skipping to lose weight should pay attention to scientific methods

More and more people are doing exercise and fitness, and many of them are checking in to challenge rope skipping to lose weight. Yuan Bin said that rope skipping is an aerobic exercise that can effectively burn fat, enhance muscle endurance, and fully exercise the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. However, people who have not exercised for a long time and are overweight are not suitable for using rope skipping to lose weight right after starting to exercise, as it is easy to cause health and safety hazards, especially when rope skipping has a relatively large impact on the bones of the lower limbs, and a little carelessness can cause sports injuries. If overweight people want to lose weight through exercise, they should pay attention to making preparations in all aspects, and pay attention to gradual progress and scientific methods.

First of all, you should adjust your eating habits and lose a certain amount of weight through good eating habits.

Secondly, when choosing an exercise method, stationary cycling or swimming is the first choice. The buoyancy of the bicycle seat or water can reduce the impact of body weight on the joints.

When your weight returns to a normal BMI range, you can consider jumping exercises. But don't rush into it. Don't just pick up the rope and start exercising. You can try to do a certain number of tiptoe heel raises every day, and then gradually increase the number of rope jumps you do every day.

Finally, I would like to remind all sports enthusiasts and friends who want to lose weight through exercise that exercise is for health. Please pay attention to safe, effective and diversified exercise methods to minimize exercise risks.