Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Special athletes

In Vitoria-Gasteiz there is a Municipal Sports Medicine service. Until recently, federated athletes have performed there, but now they have started work sessions for people who are sick and who are benefited by the sport.

There are family doctors in the Sports Medicine Service of Mendiakutia, but family doctors of those who practice sports. The municipal service, originally prepared for the federated athletes of Vitoria-Gasteiz, is also a meeting place for people who, in recent times, do not seem to be very good sportsmen and women. They arrive here through Osakidetza after the family doctor has diagnosed a disease. The Sports Medicine Service examines the cases one by one and prescribes physical exercise.

Juan Gandía, Director of the Sports Medicine ServiceThe main idea
is that people do physical activity for the rest of their lives, so that they do not stop doing sports. The challenge was, above all, to integrate people with some pathology, because it costs more to these people to do sports. The point was to see if we were able to include people with any chronic pathology in this type of programs, since it is evident that physical exercise helps to control the disease.

Juan Luis Zunzunegui, doctor of the Sports Medicine Service Let’s say
we knew what we wanted, but as it happens in these cases, we did not know very clearly what it would be like to move from theory to practice. We had scientific knowledge, we had clear ideas, but we needed to put them into practice. In quotes, we had to work with a few special athletes. I came from professional sport, a high-level sports world, and I wanted to tackle a new challenge. I wanted to work with patients with chronic pathologies. For what reason? Because I knew that doing sports activity on a regular basis could produce a great benefit.

The groups are small, with 8-10 people, to support the group atmosphere and group dynamics. The groups are small, so that the monitors have more accurate knowledge of the athletes, and the athletes can trust the monitor. The groups are small, they are equipped with tailor-made exercises. Teams are formed according to the problem. There are groups of people with obesity problems, with low back pain, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, diabetic groups... and more in the future.

Juan Luis Zunzunegui, doctor at the Sports Medicine Service
We are considering the possibility of starting to work with people who have overcome cancer, people with depression and other psychiatric problems, people with chronic lung disease. We also want to work with people who have heart problems, people who have had a heart operation or a transplant. In fact, these people are discharged and clinically well, but then they need rehabilitation, physical activity. We would go in there and teach them the most appropriate types of exercise for them.

The duration of the programs of Mendiakutia is one academic year. From there, with what they have learned during the course, with the instructions given to them, it is the responsibility of each of them to practice sports.

For me it’s the second quarter, but I’ve been there for several years. There’s a big difference; for me, if there was a chance all year long, better.

Much lighter than that. When I came, I had vertigo and I wasn't moving. Now, I'm alone, no sticks, and I used to use it before.

Juan Luis Zunzunegui, Doctor of the Sports Medicine Service The level of
satisfaction is very high. The number of people who come also indicates this, well above the participation averages that I have previously known in similar initiatives. Then we also perform medical and physical checks during the program, where we clearly see that there is physical influence, physical improvement.

Many federated athletes, seeking to improve their performance, also tend to turn to this place. In fact, since the launch of the municipal service, they have been in charge of training athletes, preparing trainings to improve their performance.
There are not a few elite athletes who have entered this place for hours, and the walls of the center are witnesses. since its opening in 1981, it has been a pioneer in various fields.

Juan Gandía, Director of the Sports Medicine Service
We were lucky enough to install a system to study the gases produced by breathing in oxygen, because then this was not done here. We also installed a couple of tools to measure lactic acid, which did not even exist, so we pioneered these techniques to control the performance of athletes with measurements of lactic acids.
And we also opened up some lines of research. in 1985, four years after its opening, taking advantage of an expedition of Arabian mountaineers, we built a physiology laboratory of height. It was in the first 8,000 uploaded by Juanito Oiartzun, in Cho Oyu. at 5,000 meters we managed to build a metal cabin. Among other things, we had a gas analysis system, a spectrophotometer for studies, a bicycle for oxygen consumption, stress tests in height, and the truth is that the research was pioneering because this had never been done in Spain before.

Most of the time of the two doctors, physiotherapists, monitors and 6 nurses working in the Sports Medicine Service is dedicated to solving the problems of athletes, but there has been no interruption in the research work.

Juan Gandía, Director of the Sports Medicine Service
For the past five years I have been conducting research on tendon diseases. In fact, it is an issue that causes many problems to athletes, often more serious than other problems that attract more attention, such as a player breaking the cruciate ligament. This is usually easier to fix than a chronic Achilles tendon problem. We also have studies on the pathology of the foot, carried out with a system for the study of the foot. And it remains to be seen what impact this research can have on the design of insoles or prostheses that can solve the problems of athletes.

The design of trainings for athletes, the research work, and the placement of a remedy in case of illness or injury have been the main tasks of the Sports Medicine Service of Vitoria-Gasteiz to date. Without giving up on them, it seems that in the future they will have to divide their time with teams of special athletes.