KUALA LUMPUR: If you are thinking of putting on those running shoes for a jog around the park this afternoon, think again.
Eighty per cent of Malaysians are not “designed” for running due to a variety of conditions such as bone structure, said Malaysian Physiotherapy Association (MPA) president Dr Balwant Singh Bains.
Thus, many students get injured when they take part in school sports which usually involve running and cross-country activities, he said.
“Children are not conditioned to run. It is important to screen them for any physical conditions that might cause injuries,” he said after Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin launched a national campaign by the MPA called “Invest Time on Your Health – 30 mins a day” here yesterday.
Healthy lifestyle: A family jogging around the Amcorp Mall lake in Petaling Jaya yesterday.
While most injuries are not disabling, Dr Balwant said they can cause strain and children’s complaints of pain usually fall on deaf ears.
He said that he was not against running but stressed that it was important to be screened by a physiotherapist before starting an exercise regime.
“For adults, jogging is the first thing that comes to mind when a doctor recommends exercise,” he said, adding that ageing could leave weak points in our bodies.
“A physiotherapist can recommend a suitable training regime which will not affect the weak areas,” he said.
Alternatives include swimming, cycling and other low impact activities such as step exercises, Dr Balwant added.
A sports physician, who declined to be named, said Malaysians should not get the idea that running is bad.
“In fact, Malaysians are not running enough,” he said.
However, he agreed that people should be screened for problems that could be aggravated by running.
He said those who are just getting into running should use proper running shoes and not over-exert themselves.
Dr Balwant also said that physiotherapists could be posted to schools to open new avenues for the profession.
“We are producing far too many physiotherapists although we had too little a few years ago.
“We currently have one physiotherapist to 1,700 people, compared to one physiotherapist to 4,000 people in the US and Canada,” he said.
He also called on the Government to reduce the number of licences given to new colleges offering physiotherapy courses.
Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, urged physiotherapists to promote a healthy lifestyle and early prevention of disease, adding that their role had changed from just identifying and treating injuries.
“One good example is by preventing childhood obesity. This is because we know that obese children are at greater risks of suffering a multitude of health problems ranging from cardiovascular to muscular skeletal problems,” he added.
Not ‘designed’ for running
What a complete bullshit... if he had said Malaysians are lazy he had been closer to the truth...
ReplyDeleteI read some years back the University of KL had done research in which they claim praying 5 times a day is good for athletes. If so, why don't the Malaysians get plenty of gold medals in the Olympic Games? Answer: they're lazy.