Another health warning for those players who lay out a lot and regularly lose skin on elbows and/or knees.
Thought I'd mention it since it's something that has affected me (very mildly) over the last couple of years or so, has affected other old players I know to more far more serious degrees, and may be puzzling or worrying someone out there who ought to seek treatment. Repeatedly damaging the same site can lead to a localized form of psoriasis called the Koebner Phenomenon: "psoriasis developing as a result of trauma (scratches, earrings, surgical incisions and areas of friction such as rings, watches)". http://www.psoriasis.org.au/koebner.htm http://psorsite.com/docs/koebner.html Daily treatment with Dobovet ointment or similar keeps it at bay - but unlike 'Layers nipple' it can spread all the way up your arm if you don't catch it (and I don't mean the disk!), and it's very difficult (if not impossible) to totally rid yourself of. Maybe it will help someone out there, maybe it won't - but it might help future generations if we started compiling a list of these Ultimate-specific conditions on the UKUA website. If you want to discuss feel free to email me. Bear #1 Thundering Herd PS Before someone says it (Jack being my prime suspect)- yes 98% of the layouts were on Offence!!! PPS See some of you at MT2, my first Tour in 2 years :-) -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ben Blackman Sent: 01 April 2006 10:48 To: [email protected] Subject: [BD] Health Warning BD, I'd like to bring to your attention the plight of a couple of my American ultimate-playing friends. An increasingly common medical condition, triacylglycerilic mastitis (TM), or 'layer's nipple' has been affecting male players in the states for several years now (Female players almost never suffer from the condition, because of the protection afforded by a sports brassiere). It is a tender condition, resulting in reddening and swelling of the mastal region. TM is caused when mud makes contact with the mastal area's absorbent skin pores under pressure, such as in a layout situation; differing from the repeated friction of runner's nipple. Ultimate players are most at risk of all sportsmen, because of their frequent, high impact contact between the ground and their torso, and their tendency to have a relatively low upper-body muscle mass. Rugby players have seldom complained about it in the past, as their greater pectoral muscular integrity leaves them less susceptible. TM is not incurable. A combination of antibiotics and massage can alleviate the condition, and invasive surgery is not usually required. So how can the condition be avoided? My American friend's email cites Dr. Martha Fu Liu of the University of Wisconsin's 3 primary strategies for precluding TM. 1. The simplest, though not most effective, trick is to cover the nipple with a cross of electrical tape. This can form a stopgap prevention until one or both of the other two TM solutions can be applied. 2. Players may want to purchase a male sports brassiere to give more dependable protection against the condition. These are readily available over the counter in most sports shops, eg. JJB or JD sports. 3. The only long term solution is to increase your pectoral muscular integrity. This can be done by performing exercises such as running into foam pads and performing one-armed pushups, and is helped by snacking on leguminous proteins such as butter beans. Just thought I'd let you guys know so you can protect yourselves, good luck with it. I'll certainly be applying a combination of all three techniques, as TM doesn't sound all that pleasant. Have a good Easter Britdisc, Beej Durham #77 (My views, not those of my club) _________________________________________________________________ Are you using the latest version of MSN Messenger? Download MSN Messenger 7.5 today! http://join.msn.com/messenger/overview __________________________________________________ BritDisc mailing list [email protected] http://zion.ranulf.net/mailman/listinfo/britdisc Staying informed - http://www.ukultimate.com/informed.asp __________________________________________________ BritDisc mailing list [email protected] http://ai.ranulf.net:8080/mailman/listinfo/britdisc Staying informed - http://www.ukultimate.com/informed.asp
