YOGA IN SPORTS MEDICINE

Conventional yoga practices are beneficial to avoid sports injuries and add general flexibility to the body. Stretching the injured muscles remains an important routine for sometime after you have recovered from the sports injury, to prevent any danger of the muscles becoming tight and then being re-injured. Yoga is useful to rehabilitate from sports injuries. Stable autonomic nervous system equilibrium, with a tendency toward parasympathetic nervous system dominance.

Physiological Benefits of Yoga

• Pulse rate, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure (of special significance for hypo reactors) decreases.
• Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) increases
• EMG – alpha waves increase (theta, delta and beta waves also increases (respiratory amplitude and smoothness increase, tidal volume increases, vital capacity increases, breath-holding time increases)
• Gastrointestinal function and endocrine function normalizes
• Excretory functions, posture improves
• Muscular skeletal flexibility and joint range of motion increase
• Strength and resiliency increase
• Endurance, energy level and immunity increases
• Weight normalizes
• Sleep improves
• Pain decreases

Psychological Benefits

• Somatic and kinesthetic awareness increase
• Mood improves and subjective well being increases
• Social adjustment, self-acceptance and self-actualization increase
• Hostility, anxiety and depression decreases
• Psychomotor functions improve
• Grip strength increases
• Eye-hand coordination, choice reaction time, dexterity and fine skills improves
• Steadiness, depth perception balance and integrated functioning of body parts improve.
• Attention. Concentration, Memory, Learning efficiency. Symbol coding, Flicker fusion frequency improves

Biochemical effects
The biochemical profile improves, indicating an anti stress and antioxidant effect, important in the prevention of degenerative diseases.

• Glucose, Sodium decreases.
• HDL cholesterol, cholinesterase increases
• LDL, VLDL, triglycerides, total cholesterol, catecholamines decreases
• ATPase, hematocrit, hemoglobin, lymphocyte increases
• Total white blood cell count decreases
• Thyroxin, vitamin C, total serum protein increases Research study on Yoga on Tennis (Ravi Kiran Tennis Foundation, Hyderabad) proved that Yoga has better physiological and psychological advantage over stretching exercises.

YOGA COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE

Yoga Exercise – Conventional exercise
Parasympathetic nervous system dominates - Sympathetic nervous system dominates
Sub cortical regions of brain dominate - Cortical regions of brain dominate
Slow dynamic and static movements - Rapid forceful movements
Normalization of muscle tone - Increased muscle tension
Low risk of injuring muscles and ligaments - Higher risk of injuring muscles and ligaments
Low caloric consumption - Moderate to high caloric consumption
Effort is minimized, relaxed - Effort is maximized
Energizing (breathing kept natural or controlled) - Fatiguing (breathing is taxed)
Balanced activity of opposing muscle groups - Imbalanced activity of opposing muscle groups
Noncompetitive, process-oriented - Competitive, goal-oriented