Pakistan needs to invest in its athletes' fitness, conditioning: UK doctor

LONDON: Pakistan needs to invest heavily in the fitness and conditioning of its sports stars in order to obtain better and more predictable results, says a leading British-Pakistani orthopaedic surgeon.

Dr Atif A. Malik — a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon who works at Milton Keynes NHS Hospital — has treated sports stars over the years during his practice as a sports doctor for the Commonwealth Games and London Olympics, as well as working with stars such as Neymar, Hulk, Mata, Suarez, and De Gea.

With a private practice at the Saxon Clinic in London and Manchester, Malik has also acted as a club doctor for the London Skolars rugby team and, recently, operated on former England cricketer Monty Panesar's ankle when he sustained an injury during Dancing on Ice practice sessions.

The surgeon noted that some of the most common injuries for players are the hamstring, knee, and ankle injuries.

“As a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, I have worked as a sports doctor for various sports such as football, rugby and cricket. The injury pattern for each sport is different, although there are often re-occurring themes," he said.

Talking about the Pakistani cricket team where unfit and injured players are reasonably common, Malik said that pre-preparation and a focus on fitness and conditioning are crucial.

He said the battle to win starts months before a player enters the ground, with careful consideration of every aspect of their daily routine, including sleeping, nutrition, and teamwork. He linked this to his preparation when completing surgery on his patients.

“When I start any operation, I prepare beforehand and ensure that I have all the tools that I need for my surgery. Not only that, I make sure I get a good night’s rest to be in the right physical and mental state before the surgery.

"These principles can be applied to any athlete and with some of the national teams I have worked with the degree of pre-planning and preparation is phenomenal to see”.

Given the Pakistani nation's emotional attachment to their cricket team, often with the whole country praying for their success, he said it is important for the team managers to facilitate a professional and contemporary approach to support their players in their fitness.

“Every player needs an individual preparation regime and fitness programme with every aspect of their daily life mapped out and monitored.

"This includes nutrition, conditioning work, stamina and body fat measurement together with the use of sports psychologists to mentally prepare players before matches. This is before they can think about working on their sport specific training.

"Each individual player will require a custom-made plan. The muscles strength and conditioning for a batsman will be completely different to that used by a fast bowler,” said Dr Atif.

Malik added that in the West, the focus on physical fitness and preparedness has increased dramatically over the last 15 to 20 years, especially given the advent of technology and the use of innovations such as video analysis, digital modelling, and wearable monitors.