The National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season started October 28, and, around the same time, collegiate and other league seasons got underway. With the start of so much league play, athletes of all ages and abilities are likely to get inspired to play more basketball. For Vasili Gatsinaris, doctor of chiropractic, Fenzian practitioner and founder of Next Level Wellness Center in Irvine, Calif., this means he will be treating sports injuries. Gatsinaris prefers that players avoid injuries in the first place and today provides three pointers for preventing basketball-related injury, plus two points of advice for returning to pain-free game form as soon as possible if injuries do occur.
According to a website posting by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, “Basketball is the leading cause of all sports-related injuries. Each year, children aged 5 to 14 years have more than 407,000 muscle and bone injuries while playing basketball.”
Gatsinaris has treated numerous professional basketball players, including several from the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trailblazers, Utah Jazz and the Philadelphia 76ers, just to name a few. He also treats players from the D-League, the American Basketball Association (ABA) and collegiate players from throughout Southern California. Gatsinaris incorporates the Fenzian Treatment System and Active Release Technique (ART) in the players’ sports training.
“Dr. Gatsinaris treated my knee pain just before I went to play for the Kings,” says Patrick Sanders, who played with Sacramento in the summer league. “If not for Fenzian and ART, I would not have played as well as I did for the Kings. I’m feeling great and in top physical condition.”
Shavlik Randolph of the Portland Trailblazers also was treated by Dr. Gatsinaris during the pre-season, “I feel so much better after I get Fenzian and ART. I wish I could see Dr. Gatsinaris every day!” Randolph said.
According to Gatsinaris, most basketball injuries are cumulative, meaning they are caused by overuse. Some injuries are acute or traumatic. Overuse injuries occur over time due to stress on the muscles, joints and soft tissues. Overuse injuries begin as small, nagging aches or pain, and can become debilitating when left untreated. The three most common cumulative basketball injuries are knee, ankle injuries or Achilles tendonitis, and low back pain.
Three Injury Prevent Pointers
“Properly stretching all the muscles of the body before practices and games is extremely important for all athletes, especially basketball players,” says Gatsinaris. “However, basketball players specifically need to focus on stretching and warming up their gluteus muscles, quadriceps muscles and lower leg muscles.”
Gatsinaris suggests that basketball players perform the following exercises before every practice and every game to help prevent injuries:
l . Gluteus maximus strengthening. While lying on your back with your knees bent, raise your hips off the floor and hold for 2 seconds. You should feel your gluteus maximus muscle tightening up. If you feel it more in your hamstrings or low back, then your glut muscles aren’t firing enough. Repeat this ten times
2. Split squats. With one leg forward and the other leg behind, bend your front knee 90 degrees. Your back knee should touch the ground. Hold for one second and repeat on the other leg. Repeat this ten times.
3. Psoas stretch. Lie face down on a bed or table with one leg on the ground and the other flat on the table, parallel to the edge of the bed. Prop yourself up on your elbows, and move the grounded foot as far forward as possible. Grab the foot that is on the table and bend it toward you. You should feel a good stretch from the front part of your hip flexor all the way to your knee. Repeat on each leg, and hold for 30 seconds.
Two Points of Healing Advice
Gatsinaris adds that, when players get injured, they need to start treatment as soon as possible.
“Hoping or waiting for injuries to resolve without treatment can prolong injuries, lead to additional injuries or lead to surgeries,” Gatsinaris says. “Restoring mobility is key. Most people will apply the RICE methodology–rest, ice, compression and elevation of an injured area. This is your standard procedure that may mean the player will sit out a long time while healing. I recommend two new techniques, Fenzian Treatment System and ART, which are now used to eliminate pain and speed healing to return players to active status relatively quickly, sometimes within just a few visits.”
Fenzian and ART are commonly used in the professional sports arena and can provide immediate relief of pain and a faster injury resolution. ART is a soft tissue system that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. It is a highly effective treatment that works specifically on treating tight muscles that can cause a lot of the injuries we see in basketball.
Fenzian is a device used for pain management. The Fenzian Treatment system is the result of more than 50 years of research and development in clinical applications. It is supported by ongoing clinical trials and is used by colleges and universities, professional athletic programs and healthcare facilities worldwide. The Fenzian handheld device and a trained practitioner work in concert to provide pain relief. The battery operated device is placed on the patient’s skin to deliver painless, biphasic electrical impulses. The Federal Drug Administration has approved the Fenzian Treatment System for chronic intractable pain.
Gatsinaris offers a free booklet listing “5 Untold Pain Relief Secrets” for eliminating body pain. The treatments available at Next Level Wellness Center are the latest, state-of-the-art methods. They include Active Release Technique, Active Isolated Stretching, Fenzian Treatment and Orthotic 3Dimensional Foot/Gait analysis.
About Dr. Vasili John Gatsinaris
Dr. Vasili Gatsinaris is a chiropractor, sports trainer and founder of Next Level Wellness Center in Irvine. He is a Southern California native who graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. He received his Doctorate degree from Los Angeles Chiropractic College. Gatsinaris is one of 40 certified Fenzian Treatment System practitioners in the United States and one of three in Southern California. He is a certified Active Release Technique (ART) provider and is Active Isolated Stretching (AIS) certified. Gatsinaris also is a Titleist Certified Golf Instructor. He has treated numerous professional, collegiate and amateur athletes.
About Next Level Wellness Center
Next Level Wellness Center is local at 17811 Skypark Circle, Suite E in Irvine, Calif. 92614. Next Level Wellness also offers a Pilates studio, massage and personal training services. For more information visit www.nextlevelwellnesscenter.com or call 949-263-9003
