Osasuna's Hugo Viana undergoes surgery on broken bone in foot

VALENICA, Spain: Osasuna midfielder Hugo Viana underwent successful surgery Tuesday on a broken bone in his right foot.

The Portugal midfielder broke the fifth metatarsal bone Sunday in his first preseason practice session after joining from Valencia on a one-year loan deal.

Viana is expected to miss three to four months.

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SEVILLA, Spain (AP) — Sevilla defender Javi Navarro will miss the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup because of an ankle injury.

Sevilla team doctor Adolfo Munoz said Tuesday that the Spain centerback will continue with light aerobic workout sessions and seek treatment from a specialist doctor in Barcelona.

Navarro has been playing with an injured right ankle since the end of last season, when Sevilla successfully defended its UEFA Cup and won its fourth Copa del Rey trophy.

Sevilla hosts Real Madrid on Aug. 11 in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup, which pits the Copa del Rey holder against the Spanish league champion. The second leg is at Madrid on Aug. 19.

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/24/sports/EU-SPT-SOC-Spanish-Briefs.php

Lazy children risk broken bones

Children who do not take enough exercise are in danger of suffering broken bones in later life, according to a study.

Many are failing to build up their skeleton during a vital two-year window before puberty, which is critical to building healthy bones.

Researchers in Canada have found children have the greatest increase in bone mineral after the growth spurt just before puberty.

In girls this tends to be between 10 and 12 and in boys it is from 13 to 15.

Extra effort to exercise during this time can make a big difference, say researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, who are studying 383 children.

Research co-ordinator Heather McKay said: "If we can increase bone mass by 10% by adulthood, we can decrease the incidence of fractures by 50%."

The young volunteers took part in a circuit training programme lasting 10 minutes just three times a week.

Children in this group have to skip and do box jumps, side-to-side jumps and other high-impact exercises.

Other children spend the same amount of time doing stretches and warm ups.

After a year, the girls doing circuit training had amassed an extra 2% of bone mineral compared with the stretchers.

After two years they were ahead by 5%, it is reported in New Scientist.

'Banking' bones

The results on boys are still being analysed.

People lose a quarter of their bone mass as they age.

Whether this weakens our bones largely depends on how much we build them up in childhood.

Experts believe changes need to be made to the way physical education is taught in schools.

The National Osteoporosis Society (NOS) believes these findings need to be taken on board by parents and children.

A spokesman said: "The NOS is concerned about the type of physical activity that children are getting, often with too little emphasis being put into weight bearing exercises such as running, skipping and jumping.

"The NOS would like every child to get the right level of physical activity and put "bone in the bank" for later in life.

"Many children need to be more physically active and one of the ways of tackling the huge problem of osteoporosis is to encourage youngsters to increase peak bone mass by taking enough of the right type of exercise with a well-balanced calcium rich diet."

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1751664.stm

Davids sidelined with broken leg

Monday, 23 July 02:59 AET - Ajax midfielder Edgar Davids will be out of action for three months after breaking his leg in a pre-season friendly.

Davids broke his shin bone in the early stages of the match against Go Ahead Eagles in Deventer on Saturday.

The game, being played at the Eerste Divisie club's ground, was abandoned after 33 minutes due to crowd trouble.

Davids resigned for Ajax, the club with whom he started his career, in January 2007 from Tottenham and helped the Amsterdam side to the Dutch Cup at the end of last season.

Source: http://au.setanta.com/portal/article/football?open&articleid=45b31dea25b71e5880257320005bf5e9

Caring For A Cast

There are 2 types of casts that may be used to mend a broken (fractured) bone.

Plaster of Paris Cast

It takes about 2-3 days for plaster to dry after the cast has been put on. While your cast is drying, handle it with care. Rest your cast on soft surfaces only, or use a pillow. Do not rest your cast on the floor, table or desk. Do not walk on a walking cast until it is dry!

Water or moisture will cause your cast to break down, become soft or crack. Once it is wet, it will not harden again! A cast that is soft or cracked may not hold the bone(s) in place and may need to be replaced or reinforced.

Fiberglass Cast

The fiberglass cast is lighter and tougher than plaster. Do not get your cast wet. The fiberglass repels water on the outside of the cast but the padding on the inside is the same as in the plaster cast. If it gets wet, the skin under it can blister and break down. If the outside of the cast becomes dirty, use a damp cloth and mild soap to clean it.

Rest your limb on a pillow. To prevent the heel and other areas from developing sores under the cast (if you have a leg cast), it is important to rest your cast on a pillow, with the heel hanging freely over the edge. Support should be the same along the length of the limb with the cast - not at just one spot.

For all new fractures of any limb it is important to raise the limb above the heart for the first 2-3 days whenever possible. This will help to decrease pain and swelling.

Raise your limb if at any time you notice that your toes or fingers :

* are more swollen
* are a bluish colour
* feel numb or tingle (pins and needles)

Normal colour and feeling should return after a short period of time (at least 20 minutes). If this does not help, call your healthcare provider. Wiggling your fingers or toes now and then while in a cast is important. It helps stimulate blood flow and can help decrease the swelling. If there is increasing pain with moving the fingers or toes the cast may be too tight and need to be opened. In this case, go to the Emergency Department.

Bruising is normal, even if the bruising is not in the same area as your fracture. When a bone breaks, it bleeds. The blood may go down your limb by gravity. For example, if you break your arm you may notice that your hand is bruised.

Crutches or Sling

If you have been asked to use crutches or a sling, please do so. If you have been told not to walk on your cast, do not. The doctor often tells you not to walk on your cast because the break (fracture) is not stable. This means the bones could move out of alignment and you could need an operation to set it back into position.

Bathing in a Cast

Bathing in both types of casts is a challenge. You should not shower, as it is hard to control any water dripping into the cast.

Keep the Cast Protected

Use supplies from home:

1. Cover it with a towel (use elastic bands to hold it in place).
2. Cover the whole limb with a plastic bag.
3. Seal the upper edge with tape (can be duct tape but watch for skin irritation).

Buy new supplies:
A bath sleeve to cover casts may be purchased at a medical supply store. (Not recommended as it does not fit children well).

No matter what you use to protect the cast, remember to keep the limb/cast out of the water. Neither method allows the cast to be put in water.

Care for Your Cast

Do not modify (change) your cast in any way. If you remove padding or cut away pieces of your cast the position of the bones could change. The padding is there to protect your skin when the cast is being removed.

Do Not Put Anything Into Your Cast

Any object placed into your cast can irritate or create a sore inside the cast.

Casts are now padded with a material that has greatly improved the problem of itchiness. This padding helps repel moisture such as perspiration (sweat) and also allows better flow of air to the skin. If you have an itch under your cast, use a hair dryer on a cool setting to blow air down your cast. This often will stop the itch.

Contact the Doctor Looking After You or Go To the Emergency Department if You Have:

* An unusual or foul smell coming from within your cast
* A new stain on your cast caused by fluids that have collected from inside your cast
* A fever
* New pain that is in only one spot under your cast
* Noticed your toes and fingers are disappearing into your cast (the cast may be loose and the bones may shift)
* Numbness, tingling (pins and needles) or you cannot move your fingers or toes after you have raised the cast above your heart for at least 20 minutes

Disclaimer

Reviewed by Alberta clinical experts. Brought to you by HealthLink Alberta. Copyright

This material is designed for information purposes only. It should not be used in place of medical advice, instruction and/or treatment. If you have specific questions, please consult your doctor or appropriate health care professional.