Injury management has become a buzzword in the face-paced world of sports. Injuries are something which every athlete has to contend with during one’s career. They are part and parcel of the deal, but its management is of key importance.
On Friday, the future of athletic performance and injury management was in focus at a seminar ‘Role of Sports Medicine and Sports Psychology in Competitive Sports’ organised by Maturi Sports Foundation at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad.
Maturi Sports Foundation is founded by former National boxing champion and retired AIBA international judge and referee M Venkatesham.
Amarnath, president of Hyderabad Cricket Association, formally inaugurated the seminar. In his address, he said that it was a wonderful gesture on part of Venkatesham to organise such a conference which would do a world of good to sportspersons.
“This is exactly the reason why the HCA has instantly accepted the request to host this seminar here at the cricket stadium,” he said.
The speakers included Dr Kishore Gangangari, Tanya Maturi, Prof Rajesh Kumar, Dr Y Emmanuel S Kumar and Dr Krishna Ranga Rao. The event brought together a multi-disciplinary cohort of clinicians, trainers, and sports scientists to unveil a modernized “playbook” for elite athlete care.
Dr Kishore Gangangari, PhD from the City University of New York, came up with the PPR Framework (Performance, Prevention, and Recovery). Aligning clinical care, training, and return‑to‑play decisions around these pillars improves outcomes, reduces downtime, and sustains athlete availability.
Dr Gangangari urged the elite sports organizations to move away from “siloed” departments where doctors and coaches rarely speak. He also touched upon the subjects of evidence-based injury prevention & recovery, wherein, screening, load management, biomechanics correction, and recovery hygiene significantly reduce injury risk.
He reminded the audience that nutrition, hydration, psychological support, and anti-doping compliance are integral to sustaining long-term careers. Addressing mental health, fueling strategies, and ethical standards ensures athletes thrive both physically and mentally.
Tanya Maturi, a graduate in neuroscience and psychology from Australian and presently with a London-based working for Gene Technology, emphasised the need of “growth mentality” in sportspersons, as opposed to having a “fixed mentality”, noting that the positive thoughts lead to positive emotions, which in turn lead to positive behaviors culminating in better performance.
Tanya also gave some practical pointer to developing the “growth mentality” by cognitive behavioral therapy, which includes three steps. Step 1: catch the thought (see the negative thought). Step 2: change the thought (choose a better thought), and lastly, Step 3: release the thought (let it go and move on).
