Round 2 Of The Speedway Season As The Riders Head To Finland
Copyright (c) 2015 Kevin Briggs
On Saturday the world's best riders will descend on the Ratina Stadium in Finland for the second round of the Speedway season.
The first round in Warsaw saw Matej Zagar take first place with 2 wins from his 3 rides and a total of 8 points, with Britain's Chris Harris taking second place. World Speedway Champion Tai Woffinden took seventh place overall and 5 points.
This weekend will see the second speedway grand prix to be hosted in Finland. The Ratina Stadium is an all-purpose stadium with a seating capacity of 16,800 people and was built in 1965. It is primarily a football stadium, the home of Tampere United as well as hosting the National Team but this weekend the pitch with be replaced with shale ready for practice on Friday before the big race day on Saturday.
Wearing the right equipment
Regardless of your sport it is important to wear the right equipment to protect yourself against injury. You would never take your mountain bike out without wearing a helmet, so when considering speedway there is a whole host of additional protective gear you need to consider from a rigid knee brace to protective clothing to chest and back protectors and of course your helmet.
When it comes to extreme sports prevention is always better than cure as some injuries can be career threatening which is something none of us wish to experience. Before you get started in a new sport you should research the protective clothing available and talk to other people in the sport so that you can be fully covered.
Carbon fibre knee bracing
One key piece of protective equipment is that of a rigid knee brace which, as the name suggests, protects the knee from injury. In extreme sports such as speedway a fall or crash can impact on the knee joint resulting in serious ligament damage.
Ligament damage varies in its severity with three different grades. A grade 1 is the least serious but can be painful and the joint become inflamed but you should be back to full fitness following a few weeks of rest. A grade result in instability and again will put you out of action for a while but is largely self-limiting and with some strengthening exercises and physio you will be back to action after about 6 weeks or so. A grade three is basically a rupture or tear of the ligament which is common following a crash or fall in speedway and will typically require surgery and up to a year on the sidelines.
The use of a carbon fibre rigid knee brace can help to minimise the risk of damage sustained to the knee joint following a bad crash. The material is lightweight and strong and is designed to withstand high impact by transferring the forces away from the joint.
The use of a rigid knee brace is now seen both as a prophylactic measure and a post injury one, with World Speedway Champion 2013 Tai Woffinden wearing a rigid knee brace.
About the Author
Kevin Briggs writes blogs and articles for the Össur Webshop and is an extreme sports enthusiast who knows the importance of using a rigid knee brace http://www.ctikneebraces.co.uk/options to protect against ligament damage, having suffered a number of knee injuries over the years. Original Article: Round 2 of the Speedway season as the riders head to Finland http://www.ctikneebraces.co.uk/Pages/15570?NewsID=4663
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