SHENZHEN has witnessed an increasing number of residents playing Frisbee in recent years, but some careless citizens have broken their anterior cruciate ligament while playing the flying disc.

Liu Haifeng, a doctor with the Second People’s Hospital of Shenzhen, reminded that Frisbee enthusiasts can first assess their cardiorespiratory function, muscle strength, joint flexibility and whether there are warning signs in the body before playing the sport. Warm-ups to mobilize the body’s flexibility are also necessary, Shenzhen Evening News reported yesterday.

“In the last two weeks, I received two patients who suffered anterior cruciate ligament rupture due to playing Frisbee,” said Liu, chief physician of the Sports Medicine Department of the Second People’s Hospital of Shenzhen.

According to Liu, participants need to frequently stretch and bend their elbows when playing Frisbee. After a long time, there may be minor damage to tendons and bone attachment points, which results in pain.

Liu suggested that before playing Frisbee, citizens should warm up for 10 to 20 minutes to fully mobilize body flexibility, as well as open up shoulders and stretch knees and ankles slowly.

A Frisbee enthusiast surnamed Zhong told the News that he seldom saw people playing Frisbee in previous years, but this year, especially recently, more people have been seen playing the flying disc in the city’s parks and soccer fields.

Wang Nianfei, head of the Shenzhen Flying Disc Association, said that since the beginning of this year, both the number of people playing Frisbee and the sales of flying disc equipment have risen sharply.

Wang added that the sport is not demanding in terms of venues and equipment. It can be played in small squares, near flower beds and even on small roads in a community. However, most of the players have not received professional training.

In case of acute sprain during sports, the doctor recommends the “RICE” principle, or Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation, for emergency treatment.

An initial resting period serves as a measure to prevent further progression of the injury. Ice is applied to reduce pain and blood flow. Compression, which can be applied with elastic bandage wraps, aims to prevent swelling and excess interstitial fluid accumulation.

Elevation aims also at reducing pain and swelling as well as preventing excessive interstitial fluid accumulation by raising the injured limb above the level of the heart.  (Zhang Yu)