Science, Pseudoscience And Superstition At The Olympics

Picture by Greg Martin

If you stayed up to watch the opening ceremony of the XXXIII Olympic Games in Paris, you would have witnessed the historic boat parade down the River Seine. This display was the first time the Olympic opening ceremony was staged outside the main stadium, making it the biggest ever launch for the greatest sports show on earth.

Alas, that gamble made 300,000 people who lined the river banks very wet from the torrential rain as the athletes went past the Effiel Towel, the Lourve and the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Other than watching the games, I will be watching the athletes who continue to blend proven, unproven and even disproven strategies at the games. 

It may have all started in Beijing, 2008 when Kinesio Taping donated more than 50,000 rolls of kinesio tape to athletes and sports teams at that Olympic games. You would see kinesio tape on body parts of athletes in many televised sports especially beach volleyball (pictured below) and track and field (pictured above). That exposure catapulted Kinesio Taping to the big time. 

Many subsequent studies showed no evidence of 'improved lymphatic drainage', no decreased risk of injuries etc. But most if not all of the reviews and meta-analyses were done by researchers not trained in the correct taping techniques. Some researchers outright rejected offers to show them the proper taping techniques. 

Of course there were many research papers showing Kinesio taping works if done correctly. These were conducted by researchers who have learnt the correct taping techniques.

In 2016, Michael Phelps 'poisoned' the pseudoscience well with large purple bruises across his back and shoulders while adding 5 gold medals to his haul. Cupping therapy was the next big thing for recovery as demonstrated by Phelps, who later launched his own cupping device in 2023. 

Also popular are cold (ice) water immersions for recovery. Mo Farah, the British Olympic gold medalist who famously won 4 gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres made cold water immersions a regular part of his recovery as he was convinced that it would reduce inflammation. The opposite was true since cold water immersions after hard exercise suppressed signaling pathways associated with recovery for several days. At best, it is just perceived benefits on muscle soreness, although it does help reduce pain.

Other than pseudoscience (termed by Novella, 2016), there are are undertones of superstition too. If you watch Rafa Nadal's  rituals (above) like how he places his bottles with labels facing the sides he plays and always letting his opponent cross the net first during changovers etc.

Sha'carri Richardson, who won the 100m at last year's world track and field championships always prays and acknowledges with her fingers before the start (pictured above).

We know that rituals and superstitions do not work to make one run faster, jump higher or throw further. They may however, give athletes a form of control and subsequently confer a performance advantage. 

Having worked with athletes and going to 2 Olympics in the past, I can say that elite athletes are a stubborn lot. They have immense determination and will not quit even when sick or injured. I will not mention some of Team Singapore athlete's rituals and superstitions.

Definitely true that science, pseudoscience and superstitution are connected at the highest sporting levels. Pseudoscience is lucrative and thriving as it extends into society with tik tok health experts/ gurus, fitness influencers and snake oil salesmen. They will not have a nuanced understanding of the science nor their audiences' best interests at heart. 

Of course there are also athletes who are also driven by data, power output stroke rate, stride length and other metrics that can be recorded with modern technology. 

Our clinics will try, through our practice, readings and treating our patients, to sort out the science from the pseudoscience and we'll let you know.

Let's watch the Olympic Games!

Reference

Novella S. (2016). Cupping- Olympic Pseudoscience. Science-Based Medicine (August 10). Online at https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/cupping-olympic-pseudoscience/

Post Competition Blues

Picture by Getty images from Express

I was reading an online newspaper article in the Guardian (it's also in today's Sunday Times) about how Rafael Nadal was asked whether he would sign up for a magical new foot if it meant losing this year's French Open final. 

"I would prefer to lose the final without a doubt, a new foot would allow me to be more happy in my day-to-day life" he added. 

Injury ravaged Nadal fractured his rib about two months ago, so making this final at Roland Garros already seemed like a miracle. He also has chronic left foot ailment, Mueller-Weiss syndrome (osteonecrosis of the navicular bone), but has consistently dug deep to raise his game and win when it mattered.

Nadal knows that winning is lovely and it gives you a real high, but right after that high there is a big low. Life goes on and life is much more important than whatever title, personal record or victory. The term for this is "arrival fallacy", coined by Tal Ben-Shahar (Harvard Psychology lecturer) which refers to the false belief that once you accomplished a particular goal you will attain a sense of lasting gratification.

I was treating national cyclist Luo Yiwei (above) earlier this week, after she won a silver medal at the recent SEA Games in Hanoi. We discussed about how, once the race day euphoria wears off and our hard earned medals begin to collect dust in our display cupboards, we may be wondering if that was all?

This creeping sense of anti climax that you feel after a race that you've spent months preparing for, is often referred to as post race blues. (I recall feeling like this as well after my GCE 'A' levels. I told myself I'll be out celebrating once the exams were done but it instead felt like a big let down).

Post competition blues is not even tied to race performance. If anything, one can be more prone to post race blues after running the race of your life. When you perform badly, it's easier to ask yourself what went wrong and why and how you can train and race better next time. You can console yourself that next time you will do better.

It is generally more common in amateur athletes than in professional athletes. The pros have to decide when they should retire or whether they should continue to try and make a living as an athlete. This answers the 'is that all?' question as to why they keep going since they are still making a living. 

Not true for the competitive amateur runner who may have to put in 100 km training weeks and utimately has little to show for it other than bragging rights, a medal and a higher chance of a running injury.

Some of my patients who are competitive amateurs say the best 'cure' for post race blues is to simply sign up for another event and set new goals and targets. 

I have felt all that before, when training loses its appeal. For those feeling the post competition blues, I will say that you can definitely indulge in some brooding. Even when I've raced well after a big race, there's always a question of what am I going to do (that's definitely before having kids) in the days after without any concern about getting any training done.

It's a strange feeling not having to train since I've set up, planned, prepared and trained for months and years leading to the big race. It has been my entire life, outside my family and friends.

However, I always say to the athletes that I treat that post race glory is fleeting. I have definitely experienced getting slower in my Saturday rides as I age. It's like there is this invisible hand pulling me backwards when I ride with the younger riders.

That's when I realize that I have to shift my focus. I tell myself to become the best physiotherapist I can be, since I can't be the best athlete I can be anymore. 

Find a way to incorporate what you have learned from your marathon, cycling or football training into your daily life. Apply the same organization, focus, structure and goal setting to your everyday tasks. Then you will find that life and running (or other sporting goals you once had) will be just as exciting and fulfilling.

A younger Rafael Nadal and I at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

What Time is It?

It's French Open Time. For all you tennis fans out there, the French Open kicks off tonight. It looks like an intriging two weeks up ahead as the French Open is billed as the most challenging among all the grand slams. Why most challenging, you may ask? Well, it's a time when the ubiquitous power games on both the men's ATP and women's WTA tour take a back seat to strategy, guile and court craft. The rallies are long, matches longer and only the mentally tough can win the utimate prize. Hosted in Paris at the Stade de Roland Garros, one of the most romantic cities in the world, the French Open runs from 24th May to 7th June this year.

I'd still say the big favorite for the French Open remains Rafael Nadal. How can you pick against arguably the greatest clay court player in the history of tennis who'll be gunning for a record setting 5th consecutive title (to overtake Bjorn Borg).

Well, there's Roger, some will no doubt say. Roger Federer accomplished what no other player this year has, he played spectacularly to beat Nadal in straight sets last Sunday to win the ATP Masters Madrid Open (see photo above). For Federer to beat Nadal is rare enough as he'd lost their previous five finals (previously all matches head to head is 13-6, in Nadal's favor, 9-1 on clay, including 11-4 in finals). But to do so on clay is an enormous achievement for Federer.

However, before you start to think that the tide has turned and that Federer has regained his status as the man to beat, it must be pointed out that the last time Nadal lost a final on clay, it was also to Federer, in Hamburg 2007, and only a few weeks later, he went on to beat Federer in the final of the French Open. Moreover, at this Madrid Open which is a new clay court event on the calender this year, it obviously has a faster surface than Paris (which suits Federer's game more) and cannot be compared with the French Open.

Nadal came into last Sunday’s final less than 24 hours after spending a record- breaking 4 hours 3 minutes on court in the semis against Novak Djokovic. The match is believed to be the longest best-of-three sets singles match on the ATP World Tour in the Open Era (since 1968). Not to take anything away from Federer, who played an excellent clay match against his fiercest rival. He was able to take advantage of Nadal’s heavy legs and prolific unforced errors. He kept a cool head, which has not always been the case for the Swiss maestro recently. He truly earned the win and will now head into the French Open next week with buckets of confidence.

Nadal mostly staggered through that match. His legendary focus on big points was absent. He went 0/4 on break points against Federer in the match and saved neither of the two break points Federer had against him. Nadal's backhand was often short and tired looking and he could not find his range on the forehand wing. Federer, who obviously noticed that Nadal was struggling with his movement, used the drop shot to great effect. His tactics were simply exceptional throughout the match. Besides these two great players, other challengers in the men's field will include Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer and maybe Andy Murray.

For the ladies, the draw looks wide open with a few likely ones challenging for the honors. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Jelena Jankovic, Elena Dementieva and Ana Ivanovic are the usual suspects though the latter and who is a former World No 1 and defending champion hasn't been playing well recently. After losing in the 3rd round at the Australian Open, Ana has managed only 2 quarterfinal appearances to date so far and pulled out of the Madrid Open last week with a knee injury. The Williams sisters Venus and Serena haven't done so well in Paris recently, but you can never count them out especially in grand slam events. My guess for the win? Dinara Safina, yes Marat's little sister, who is having a super stellar season so far. The current World No. 1 was runners-up at this year's Australian Open (and also last year's French Open). She's the one in ominous form recently and has won back to back clay court titles in Rome and Madrid.

Who will I be rooting for? Rafa of course. I had the honor of taking a picture with him at the Beijing Olympics last year and he was really humble and obliging. But, here's the clincher, Rafa has never lost in Paris, going 28-0 in Paris since first winning there in 2005. He has never even been pushed to a 5th set there so far. In fact, he didn't lose a single set in last's year's run to the title. This year will will be tougher though given he has a tough draw. But in Paris, he's still the man to beat.