Las Angeles Lakers Injured List
- Walton, Fisher, Gasol - Is This A Trend?
by Dr. Kareem Samhouri author of Double Edged Fat Loss

The L.A. Lakers have had a string of injured players. I guess the question that everyone is asking themselves is, "Could all of these injuries be a coincidence or does this have anything to do with their training method?"

Walton's strained right hamstring, Fisher's partially torn tendon in his right foot, and Gasol's sprained left ankle could all be happening by pure coincidence. However, it is more likely that the L.A. Lakers have yet to integrate "proprioceptive training" into their routines. You see, by training specifically for 'proprioception,' or 'position sense,' you can greatly reduce the risk of re-injury, thereby creating a much healthier team.

Proprioceptive training is a fancy way of saying that you are training your nervous system to learn how to respond to the position your body is in as rapidly as possible. How do you think that someone avoids an injury when they turn an ankle? Sometimes, it's possible to recover. If you specifically train with the intention of building proprioception, you can have greater control over this recovery opportunity immediately preceding an injury. If you learn to react more quickly, through enhanced proprioception, you will be able to stabilize your joint through equal and symmetrical muscular tension, thereby reducing the chance of an avulsed tendon, sprained ligament, and/or muscular strain.

Typically, following any injury, we immediately lose our proprioceptors. This is part of the overall 'protection phase' following injury, where the biggest and broadest muscles are recruited to assist the injured area. As a result of being out of position, so to speak, your body learns this new, altered pattern of movement. Without specifically training your body to respond to its natural position once again, you will be greatly increasing your risk the next time you turn your ankle, reach for an object overhead, or take a quick step. Through better knowledge of our bodies ("body scheme awareness") most injuries can be avoided.

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