The influenza virus affects millions of people each year. It also accounts for tens of thousands of deaths primarily among elderly, infirm patients and children with chronic illnesses. It also has tremendous impact on productivity in the workplace. Recently, that impact became evident by the direct effect of the influenza virus on the Boston Red Sox lineup.
There are multiple types of the influenza virus that can change their genetic footprint. These changes make immunization a challenging guessing game each year to predict what strains will have the most impact.
Immunization consists of administering a weakened form of the virus allowing the immune system to build up antibodies against a potential infection. Infections can spread quickly among individuals living in close proximity, such as in dormitories.
Typical symptoms include: fever, cough, nasal congestion, nausea, vomiting, joint pain and headache. These symptoms can persist for days or weeks. Treatment is best described as symptomatic with fluid replacement to avoid dehydration and medications to bring down a fever. More recently, antiviral medications are helpful if they are taken soon enough.
Flu season in the United States extends from October to May with peak frequency in February. Unfortunately, baseball spring training begins at the height of flu season and precautions need to be taken to avoid spread if an individual athlete begins to show symptoms.
Like many workers, baseball players are afraid that they may be risking their positions and may force themselves to come to work when ill. This puts other team members at risk.
Clearly the initially-infected athlete was not identified and isolated on the Boston Red Sox team. This has led to numerous players missing time in the starting lineup. Sanitizing locker rooms and avoiding excessive personal contact will avoid prolongation and recurrence.
An outbreak of influenza can slow workplace productivity, even in professional sports.
Dr. Alessi is a neurologist in Norwich and serves as an on-air contributor for ESPN. He is director of UConn NeuroSport and can be reached at agalessi@uchc.edu
Mental training an important part of recovery
Recovery from an injury or illness of any type can be challenging. It is especially difficult for an athlete who is accustomed to performing at a high level. Incorporating a regimen of mental training can speed recovery and possibly even improve pre-injury performance.
The concept of neuroplasticity involves the ability of the human brain to recover after injury. This is most commonly seen after a stroke or traumatic brain injury. Early rehabilitation will limit the extent of permanent damage by allowing new pathways to compensate for those that were injured.
One of the biggest challenges when going through rehabilitation is that suddenly a patient will have time available that they did not have before. That time element must be managed carefully in a positive sense or it can lead to depression, anxiety and slowed or incomplete recovery.
Mature athletes accept that injury is part of sports and rehabilitation is part of the experience. These athletes often return to successful careers. Unfortunately, some athletes are consumed by the injury and never return.
Among the most notable success stories are those of Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson, who both returned from serious injuries to have great seasons.
The key elements to the mental aspect of injury recovery include: setting realistic goals, positive self-talk, relaxation and visualization. The visualization component is the most intriguing and difficult.
Visualizing a task in great detail can activate neural pathways from the visual cortex to the motor strip of the human brain. This has been confirmed in recent studies performed with functional MRI imaging. The regular practice of visualizing the throwing motion in detail after a shoulder injury has proven to shorten recovery when the physical ability returns.
The mental aspects of recovery from any injury should not be ignored.
Dr. Alessi is a neurologist in Norwich and serves as an on-air contributor for ESPN. He is director of UConn NeuroSport and can be reached at agalessi@uchc.edu
The concept of neuroplasticity involves the ability of the human brain to recover after injury. This is most commonly seen after a stroke or traumatic brain injury. Early rehabilitation will limit the extent of permanent damage by allowing new pathways to compensate for those that were injured.
One of the biggest challenges when going through rehabilitation is that suddenly a patient will have time available that they did not have before. That time element must be managed carefully in a positive sense or it can lead to depression, anxiety and slowed or incomplete recovery.
Mature athletes accept that injury is part of sports and rehabilitation is part of the experience. These athletes often return to successful careers. Unfortunately, some athletes are consumed by the injury and never return.
Among the most notable success stories are those of Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson, who both returned from serious injuries to have great seasons.
The key elements to the mental aspect of injury recovery include: setting realistic goals, positive self-talk, relaxation and visualization. The visualization component is the most intriguing and difficult.
Visualizing a task in great detail can activate neural pathways from the visual cortex to the motor strip of the human brain. This has been confirmed in recent studies performed with functional MRI imaging. The regular practice of visualizing the throwing motion in detail after a shoulder injury has proven to shorten recovery when the physical ability returns.
The mental aspects of recovery from any injury should not be ignored.
Dr. Alessi is a neurologist in Norwich and serves as an on-air contributor for ESPN. He is director of UConn NeuroSport and can be reached at agalessi@uchc.edu
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