In the September 2010 edition of the magazine, Nash refers to Dr. Cox’s straightforward, but effective example of beating stress: “Just breathe.”

Chair of the SportMedBC Board of Directors, Dr. David Cox has served as a Sport Psychologist for many of Canada’s provincial and national sports organizations, including the Canadian Olympic team.

More on David Cox.

Dr. Cox assisted the national basketball team during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. According to Nash, Cox helped the team with their mental approach to games, explaining that “when people get nervous, they tend to hold their breath.” Nash says, “in order to focus, we’d remind each other to breathe normally and to take deep breaths when we were feeling a lot of pressure.”

Full Nash article.

Nash goes on to write that since those Olympic Games, he’s kept that advice in mind when dealing with various situations, both on and off the court.

Photo: Getty Images

The three-hour operation was performed by Nationals team doctor Wiemi Douoguih and orthopedist Dr. Lewis Youcum in Los Angeles.  

Rizzo said, “everything went very smoothly and the reports were very good. He’ll start his rehab in a couple of days and we’re very confident he will come back strong from this surgery.

I really feel this is just a blip in what is going to be an outstanding career for Stephen.”

Strasburg’s ulnar collateral ligament was replaced by a tendon from his thigh. The 22-year-old will start his rehab close to his home in San Diego.

Full story

It will certainly be a long road to recovery for Strasburg, as he could be on the shelf for up to 18 months.

Dozens of pitchers have made triumphant returns after Tommy John surgery. Tim Hudson, Francisco Liriano, AJ Burnett, and Ryan Dempster of Gibsons, British Columbia are just some of the big names that have made successful returns.   

Strasburg was the first overall selection in the 2009 amateur draft. He signed for a record $15.1 million.

He had a 5-3 record with a 2.91 ERA, striking out 92 in 12 starts.

Photo: Associated Press

Azarenka suffered a mild concussion prior to Wednesday’s match when she fell and hit her head during warm-up.

The Belarusian tried to fight through her match on a humid day three at Flushing Meadows. However, trailing Gisela Dulko 5-1 in the first set, Azarenka collapsed to the ground.   

The 21-year-old released a statement later in the day claiming her head injury (and not the heat), made her crumple to the ground.

“I was warming up in the gym prior to my match against Gisela Dulko when I fell while running a sprint,” I fell forward and hit my arm and head. I was checked by the medical team before I went on court and they were courtside for monitoring. I felt worse as the match went on, having a headache and feeling dizzy. I also started having trouble seeing and felt weak before I fell.”

Azarenka looked to have some difficulty throughout the match, at one point, even kneeling down.

When Azarenka fell, a medical team rushed to the court. With umbrellas protecting her from the sun and an ice-pack on her neck, Azarenka was helped into a wheelchair and taken to hospital.

- with files from the Associated Press

Photo: Associated Press

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) had already dished out a one-month ban to the former Manchester United assistant for the same offence. Queiroz was also fined 1,000 Euro’s (€) after he was found to have acted aggressively towards drug testers.

Times will be tough for the Portuguese as they open their Euro 2012 qualification on Friday, September 3^rd without Queiroz and star forward Cristiano Ronaldo (ankle).

Unless the ruling is overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the 57-year-old will miss both matches in September (Cyprus and Norway), along with two October fixtures against Denmark and Iceland.

Full story.

Photo: Getty Images

Portugal will be without forward Cristiano Ronaldo for their opening matches against Cyprus and Norway after the star suffered an ankle injury in Real Madrid’s scoreless draw in their league opener against Mallorca.

Ronaldo is expected to miss at least three weeks, as he won’t be fit for one league game along with Real’s first Champions League match vs. Ajax.

Meanwhile, it’s familiar news for Dutch striker Robin van Persie, as he’s set to miss “a few weeks” after twisting his ankle.

He suffered the injury in Arsenal’s 2-1 victory at Blackburn. He’ll miss the Netherlands two qualifiers against San Marino and Finland.

Van Persie is no stranger to injury, as he missed five months last season after suffering ankle ligament damage.

RVP’s loss is Ruud van Nistelrooy’s gain, with the 34 year-old getting recalled into the Dutch set-up for the first time in two years.

France, already shorthanded due to suspensions, face an even tougher challenge as holding midfielder Lassana Diarra has been ruled out of matches against Belarus and Bosnia.

He played the entire match for Real Madrid on Sunday, but was found to be suffering from problems to his right leg post-match.

Next, Ireland’s hopes took a hit when they were informed that winger Damien Duff would miss at least one qualifier due to a calf problem.

As for England, manager Fabio Capello could be in even more trouble if his squad can’t get through a couple of qualifiers without a trio of their stars.

With the Three Lions looking to regroup from a miserable 2010 World Cup, England faces a terrible injury crisis as they’ll meet both Bulgaria and Switzerland without Chelsea pair John Terry and Frank Lampard, as well as lanky Tottenham striker Peter Crouch.

The former England captain will miss with a hamstring problem, while midfielder Lampard will undergo a “minor” hernia operation.

Crouch’s back problem isn’t thought to be serious, but it is enough to keep him out of England’s opening Euro 2012 fixtures.

Photo: Getty Images

Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said an MRI on the right elbow revealed a “significant tear.”

Strasburg will look to get a second opinion, but Nationals management is expecting the young right-hander will need the operation. An operation which requires 12 to 18 months of rehab.

Strasburg was pulled from last Saturday’s game in Philadelphia after he grimaced in pain after throwing a changeup to Phillies right fielder Domonic Brown. The Nationals originally called the injury a strained flexor tendon in the forearm, but an MRI taken Sunday raised enough questions for the Nationals to order a more extensive MRI.

Strasburg was the first overall selection in 2009, signing a record $15.1-million contract last year. In his major league debut in June, he struck out 14 batters.

But Strasburg has suffered from injuries this season. The Nationals put him on the disabled list last month because of inflammation in his right shoulder. In all, he only made three starts after coming off the DL.

Full story.

Nearly two-hundred major leaguers (mostly pitchers) have had Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction (UCLR), or as it’s commonly known, Tommy John surgery. The surgery is named after (unsurprisingly) Tommy John, a pitcher who became the first professional athlete to successfully undergo the operation. Dr. Frank Jobe performed the surgery in 1974.  

More details on Tommy John surgery.

Seen as a career saving procedure, Tommy John surgery is believed to be one of the major advancements in sports medicine in the last quarter century.

- with files from the Associated Press

Photo: mlb.com

Canada’s largest doctors group says the sport is dangerous and it puts fighters at risk of severe head trauma and other injuries that could have lifelong effects.

Outgoing CMA president Dr. Anne Doig said a physician’s responsibility is to promote healthy living.

“We are concerned when people engage in activities, the sole purpose of which is to pummel, kick, punch, scratch — whatever methods they use — until either somebody is seriously hurt or injured or somebody cries uncle and submits,” Doig told a news briefing at the Niagara Falls, Ont., meeting.

“This is an activity that leads to serious issues, including damage to people’s brains, and we must speak out against that,” she said.

In January 2010, Vancouver city council voted in favour of a two-year, MMA event trial run. Just recently, the province of Ontario voted to sanction fight cards beginning in 2011.

In all, seven Canadian provinces allow mixed martial arts events.

- with files from the Canadian Press

Photo: Getty Images

The left-hander has a partially torn ligament in his right elbow and will miss the remainder of the 2010 season.

He’s played with pain for the last two months, seeking treatment and icing his arm regularly. Weir originally thought he was suffering from tendinitis, but after mentioning his symptoms to a fellow professional, Weir was convinced to get an MRI.

Check out the full story.

He’s hoping to avoid surgery and a lengthy absence by using some alternative treatments. If that works out, Weir is hopeful to be ready for the 2011 PGA season.

Photo: Canadian Press

Defenceman Sami Salo suffered a torn Achilles tendon injury earlier this summer while playing floorball in his native Finland. The 35 year-old will be out of action for at least the next four-to-six months.

Click here for more on Achilles injuries.

Meanwhile, forward Alex Burrows suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder during the 2009-10 playoff run. Last season’s team leader in goals, Burrows is expected to miss the first month of the season.

Photo: Getty Images

After the recession forced construction to stop in late 2008, a new business plan was put in place. Add some new private funding and decreasing building costs, and the sport medicine and training facility could open in late 2011 / early 2012.

For more details, see Bruce Constantineau’s article.

Two of the top three sport medical executives from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games – Dr. Jack Taunton and Physiotherapist Rick Celebrini – will play senior leadership roles for the MultiSport Centre of Excellence.

Taunton (along with Dr. Doug Clement) is regarded as one of the founding leaders of the sport medicine field in Canada. He was Chief Medical Officer for Vancouver 2010. Meanwhile, Celebrini is an internationally-recognized sport physiotherapist who works with two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash (who sits on the athlete’s advisory board), along with other top professional athletes.

Photo: MultiSport Centre of Excellence