Yao Ming was born on September 12, 1980. He is currently the start "center" for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association. As of today, he is the tallest active person in the NBA today, standing at a towering 7ft 6i
n. Most of Yao's life has been devoted to playing basketball. After dominating most of the Chinese Basketball Association, he committed to the 2002 NBA draft. He was then selected "Number 1" overall by the Houston Rockets. The marriage of Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets went especially well. Although they have yet to advance past the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs, Yao has made the NBA all-star team for all of his seven years in the league. With his staggering height and physical build, his body has been prone to numerous injuries since he joined the league. Yao's first injury came in 2005, when he developed osteomyelitis in the big toe of his left foot. His next injury came on December 23, 2006, when he broke his right knee attempting to block a shot. The next injury occurred on February 26, 2008 when he suffered a stress fracture in his left foot. The final injury occurred during the 2nd round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs, this time it was thought to be a simple sprain, but further tests showed a hairline fracture in the same ailing left foot. (Doctors presumed that it could be career ending) With all of this injury time, Yao Ming is still the most recognized Chinese athletes in the world. With a healthy body, Yao averages a solid "20/10" = 20 pts / 10 rebs per game. Lets look at the injury more in-depth.
What is a hairline fracture? Wiki Article
It is a small sliver or crack in the bone. It typically occurs in weight-bearing bones, such as the tibia (bones of the lower leg) and mostly bones of the foot. It is an extremely common sporting injury.
What causes the hairline fracture?
Bones are constantly attempting to remodel and repair themselves, especially where alot of stress is applied to the bone. If enough stress is continually applied, then it will exhaust the capacity of the bone to remodel.
Treatment:
Rest is the key method in treating hairline fractures.
Prevention:
One method to avoiding stress fractures, is to apply more pressure than normal. Doing this, allows the bone to condition itself to the added stress, and to eventually make the bone stronger. Most long-distance runners are told to increase their distance by 10%, to prepare the bone for the added length in marathons / distance races.
Eating healthy is also a great way to prevent bone decay. (Link to Healthy eating for kids)
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