JOCK DOC

More than a nagging sprain

Q: I am 14 and twisted my right ankle playing soccer. I had X-rays in the emergency room and was told that I had a sprain and that nothing was broken. However, my ankle stayed sore and has only gotten a little better in the last two months. Last week I saw a sports medicine doctor who diagnosed a condition called osteochondritis dissecans. He said that this would need surgery and was the source of my ankle pain. I did not understand what was going on and wanted your opinion.

FITNESS

Get the most out of interval training

The words ''interval training'' can strike fear in the hearts of even the most athletic men and women. Alternating periods of high-intensity work with recovery may sound simple enough, but those intense bouts can leave the exerciser gasping for air.

GADGETS

UroClub could be a big hit

''What do you get the golfer who has everything?'' Aventura urologist Dr. Floyd Seskin asks. ``They don't have this.'' This is the UroClub, a portable urinal shaped like a standard 7 iron, for the golfer -- male, natch -- who has to go but not at the expense of blowing a shot.

Yoga: Ancient Indian practice has been turned on its head

You can do it in the air. Or by sea. You can do it if you're young. Or old. Or in 100-plus-degree rooms (Bikram yoga). Indeed, yoga -- the ancient Hindu practice for the mind, body and spirit -- has evolved from breathing exercises and meditative poses to physical therapy, aerial choreography to a new way to firm your face, calm your child or limber up while pregnant.

SWEAT EQUITY

This trainer's a real pain -- and proud of it

Edwin Lopez coins his Jungle Fitness class as ``Bring the Pain.'' ''We've had athletes in our classes who work out regularly and they are the first to tell us they feel the pain the next day,'' said Lopez, a physical fitness coordinator for a local SWAT academy.

FITNESS

Try some channel surfing for a good workout

I'll admit it: The first thought on my mind when I walk into the gym in the morning isn't a game plan for the day's workout. It's how can I snag a treadmill or elliptical near the television tuned to the Today show.

JOCK DOC

Elbow pain could have many causes

Q: I have a 12-year-old son who had pain in his right elbow while pitching. He saw a chiropractor, who told him that he had tendonitis and to rest the elbow. He rested it for about two months and went back to throw and the pain came back. His doctor again told him to rest it. Does tendonitis sound like the right diagnosis and rest the right treatment? What else should he be doing now that he has stopped throwing?

BODY BY YOU

Mixing work and play's a fine exercise

Body: Jeff Brown, 27, sports director of the Miami Sports & Social Club, six foot, 168 pounds. Pedal power: ``I try and commute on my bike as much as possible. I live in South Miami and my office is there, too, so I bike to my office. I love to bike. My bike is a piece of crap, but I'll bike on anything."

INJURIES

Shouldering a heavy load, all with the click of a mouse

I could blame the weightlifting -- the bench presses and overhead military lifts that put the shoulder under pressure. I could blame the arm-twisting I get three times a week from my aikido buddies.

FITNESS

You can work that body at work

Exercising at your desk won't make you an athlete, but it might keep you alive, experts say. 'If your goal is to get protection from `all-cause mortality,' it's fine,'' says Ethel Frese, associate professor of physical therapy with St. Louis University.

FITNESS

Do the (new) math on federal exercise guidelines

The federal government released a new set of exercise guidelines, and the basic recommendation was straightforward: Thirty minutes a day, five days a week, at a moderate effort, for basic health; double that and/or make it more intense for more significant health and fitness benefits.

JOCK DOC

Help for the pain in runner's hip

Q. I have been training for a marathon and have developed pain on the outside part of my hips. My right hip hurts more than my left. The pain usually is worse when I start to run but improves while I am running. When I sit down after my workout it is really stiff and sore when I get up. I do not want to give up my training and wondered what should I do.

FITNESS

South Florida fitness on the cheap

A zesty Zumba class. Dancing like the stars. A round-up of free and inexpensive ways to get your workout.

REVIEW

She's banking on India's ancient cures

Three years ago, Cookie Tello, a Miami banker, had a sciatic condition that stumped her doctors. A friend told her about Ayurvedic medicine, India's 5,000-year-old art of healing. After some research, she decided to try it.

JOCK DOC

Overuse injuries plague gymnasts

Q: I fell in love with gymnastics during the Olympics and wondered what are the most common injuries that gymnasts face? A. The most common gymnastics injuries are overuse caused by chronic repetitive stress. The peak time for new injuries occurs at the beginning of the training season.

OBESITY

Erecting roadblocks to weight loss

Let's be honest -- most of us are able to exercise, we just choose not to. We set up our own roadblocks that undermine whatever intentions we may have to be physically active.

FITNESS

At any age, it makes sense to keep your balance

There are times in your life when feeling a little off-balance may actually be a good thing. Although there are some changes you can't avoid as you get older, including deterioration of your hearing, vision and coordination, research suggests that it's worth taking steps -- even risking a few missteps -- to slow the decline in your balance.

BODY BY YOU

She's sculpting the perfect figure

Body: Kristal Richardson, 32, Pinecrest personal trainer and professional figure competitor, 5-feet-6, 135 pounds What she does: ``In the bodybuilding industry, there are three levels. Figure is the most feminine; they're looking for symmetry, tone, not too much muscle, but a balance . . . we do posing -- not bicep shots, but feminine posing to show off the lines and symmetry and condition. It's more than a bikini contest . . . but we do wear sparkly pretty suits.''

JOCK DOC

Treating Achilles tendon pain

Q: I am a basketball player who likes to play three or four days a week with friends. I have had pain in my left Achilles tendon for a couple of months. Initially it was just sore when I started to play but improved while I played. Recently it has been hurting all the time while I play. I tried resting it for a couple of weeks but as soon as I went back it came right back.

JEFF CONINE

Former Marlin Jeff Conine to get ultimate test at Ironman triathlon

Jeff Conine faced physical challenges with the Marlins, but those pale to what he will endure Saturday in the Ironman World Championship.

Bike Miami hopes to gauge and stoke interest in city cycling

Miami leaders have ambitious plans to turn the city into a bicycle-friendly metropolis.

SWEAT EQUITY

She's got the mother of all workouts

Naomi Lowit had her first baby, Sophia, 18 months ago. ''I know how hard it is to get back in shape.'' So Lowit designed a class for moms just like her -- and sympathetic dads like hubby William Weyrowski -- at her studio, Nomi Pilates in North Miami (there's a Fort Lauderdale branch, too).

EXERCISE

A good fitness tool for techies

Fitness-oriented techies should try Polar's new training computers

SPORTS INJURIES

More young athletes suffering from overtraining

Tommy John surgeries are becoming more common in high schoolers; doctors say kids need to cross train and take time off.

NUTRITION

College cramming packs on the pounds

You don't have to gain weight in college. Here's how to fight that bulge.

JOCK DOC

Persistent pain needs closer look

Q: I am a 55-year-old man who fell while skiing and injured my right shoulder. It hurt a lot but I was able to keep skiing. It still bothered me when I got home, although my family doctor did an X-ray and nothing was broken or out of place.

PRESS PLAY

'Dance and Be Fit' helps tone your body

Dance and be Fit: Latin Groove can add spice to any workout routine with merengue, salsa and rumba moves in two 20-minute programs designed to tone your body from head to toe.

BODY BY YOU

Hope floats: Cancer survivor joins rowing team

Body: Martha Martin, 48, Coconut Grove resident, 5-feet-5, 140 pounds. Her workout: ``I take a spinning class once a week, work out on my treadmill twice a week and I paddle with a dragon boat team twice a week. Have you ever heard of dragon boating? The sport is 2,000 years old and it came to Miami from China only about five or six years ago.''

RESEARCH

Massage helps recovery at cellular level

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps got a massage twice a day in Beijing. His teammate, Dara Torres, had two massage therapists on stand-by.

JOCK DOC

Shoulder injury still smarting

Q: I dislocated my left shoulder while wrestling. It popped back by itself. I rested it for about a week, it felt fine, so I returned to wrestling. However, the shoulder still feels like it slips in and out of place and still hurts.

PRESS PLAY

'Yoga for Beginners' offers best of both worlds

Yoga for Beginners with Desi Bartlett combines Solar and Lunar practices to offer the best of both worlds. Solar builds strength, endurance and flexibility, while Lunar incorporates slower, deeper stretches to nourish muscles and joints. $14.99 at

SoBe yoga teacher's classes are hot

John Elliott doesn't wear combat fatigues with boots and a brown T-shirt, yet this instructor has all the characteristics of a fitness drill sergeant.

Fit to serve: Presidential health gets a thorough checkup

If that 3 a.m. call rings in the White House after Jan. 20, much has been made over which candidate would have the wisdom and experience to handle it.

SWEAT EQUITY

Need a quick fix? Here's 3 back-to-back workouts

Ysaac Kaplan, aka ''Professor Fit,'' issued an enticing challenge when he read a previous Sweat Equity column on an abdominals class: ''We have an abs class that attracts teenagers from all of the surrounding schools,'' said Kaplan, a fitness instructor at the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center in North Miami Beach. ``This is only a 15-minute class and you should see how these teenagers flock in. I've never seen so many kids gather together to do exercise without their parents making them...

He's on the run-up to championships

John A. Walker, 42 Barry University's general counsel and vice president for human resources Walker will represent the United States on Team USA for the Duathlon World Championships in Rimini, Italy, on Sunday. For Walker, it's a homecoming of sorts.

JOCKDOC

Gotta dance -- but it hurts

Q: I am a 21-year-old dancer who has had a two-year history of pain in my lower legs when I dance. I also get numbness on the top of my feet. After a couple of minutes the pain and numbness become unbearable and I cannot dance. I saw a neurologist, who said I had no nerve damage. I have had X-rays and MRI scans of both of my legs, which were normal. I tried physical therapy and it didn't help. What else should I do?

PRESS PLAY

Fusion of dance and Pilates helps achieve lean look

Pure Barre, a fusion of dance and Pilates, begins with a warmup and light toning exercises before taking you through moves to target your legs, butt and abs to help you achieve the lean look of a dancer. $19.95 at www.purebarre.com.

BODY BY YOU

Spanish teacher gets a real kick out of teamwork

Body: Florencia Orejuela, 52, a teacher who lives in Pembroke Pines, 5-feet-4, 130 pounds. Her workout: She plays soccer in a Broward County league for women, ages 30 and up. ``I love it. I can't wait for Friday so I can practice my soccer and scream and yell and run.''

JOCK DOC

Hydration tips for athletes

Q: High school football has started and the athletes are training in hot, humid conditions. Do you have any advice as to proper fluid intake to prevent problems with dehydration and heat-related illnesses?