Whether your favorite Olympic athlete is celebrating the thrill of victory or suffering the agony of defeat, he or she is now concentrating on recovery from intense exercise — and perhaps an injury that occurred as part of his or her competition.
Across a wide range of sports, intense exercise produces high mechanical forces, potentially leading to muscle damage, soreness, inflammation and loss of muscle function. A 52-week analysis of elite adolescent athletes by Rosen et al. (“High Injury Burden in Elite Adolescent Athletes: A 52-Week Prospective Study”) found that among all athletes, 57.4% reported at least one new injury, and the one-year prevalence of injury was 91.6%. Optimal nutrition, including whey protein, can build muscle to minimize injury and speed healing.