07 Mar 2017

Injuries in sport can be an impediment to any sport loving nation.
And who will ever forget the year 2012 when Batswana were pinning their hopes on Zebras’ speedy winger, Joel Mogorosi, who however had to be dropped from the national team ahead of 2012 AFCON finals after sustaining an arm injury during the Zebras training camp in Cameroon?

Last year at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, injury denied Batswana a podium finish after the country’s finest 400-metre runner, Baboloki Thebe could not make it to the track due to a recurring injury.

All these incidences are a real and present danger to sport, hence Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) found it imperative to invite sports science and medicine gurus to impart knowledge in sport science and medicine with local technicians in a two days symposium.

On the sidelines of the symposium, United States of America, doctor, who specialises in chiropractic, strength and condition, Dr Phillip Claussen and has consulted some of Botswana top athletes on Thursday said Botswana had great athletes, but there must be a robust system to develop them.

“I managed to meet some of them, but we were not working only on physical stuff with the athletes. We were also doing metric training, plyometric, nutrition, strength conditioning, flexibility, and injury prevention,” he said.
Dr Claussen said he believed that the programme alone could increase the whole athletic level and prevent injuries and that Batswana athletes could ultimately finish at the podium.

Further, he said some of the findings he made on the athletes were that they  sustained injuries a long time ago, adding that some of them would have to undergo secondary rehabilitation, given that they had been straining their injured bodies.
He said they would also need a specialised training to be able to stabilise joints and ensure more flexibility, adding that such would help them to return to their true potential in the world of sport.

However, Dr Claussen, who has been a chief physician for the Bahamas Olympic team since 2008, Olympic Games in Beijing said his mission was to continue assessing Batswana athletes in future so that they can continue living a healthy life.

The BNSC sports development director-technical, Bobby Gaseitsiwe said   Dr Claussen had been dealing with Bahamas team as well as helping American football team as a strength conditioning expert.

Gaseitsiwe said BNSC strongly believes that Dr Claussen could capacitate their physiotherapists by sharing with them the modern methods as to how they could help the athletes recover quickly.
Furthermore, he said they found it befitting to invite Dr Claussen after realising that most of Botswana athletes were nursing injuries.

“Sometimes we get shocked at the international compettions, immediately when we are told by medical experts that our athletes have been nursing an  injury for a long time.
Sometimes our athletes conceal their injuries so that they can make it to the national team,” he said.
However, Gaseitsiwe said Dr Claussen’s findings were that some of the elite  athletes had been injured for a long time, adding that he was happy that the doctor was in a position to help the country come up with solutions.

Conversely, 400-metre runner, Karabo Sibanda said all along he had a problem with a harm-string, but after extensive assessment by Dr Claussen, the findings were that his upper body was tense, and his pelvic bone was out of position.

“He was working on my back because they both work with hamstring and neck, therefore he was concentrating more on that area, “he said.
Furthermore, he said the doctor advised him to be cautious with diet, adding that he was told that as an athlete he should have six meals in a day.
“He said we should consume 60 per-cent of proteins, 30 per-cent carbohydrates, and  10 per-cent  of fat.

He said we should eat chicken and turkey because they had a lot of proteins, as well as eating sea foods and egg white,” he said. ENDS