The holy month in Pakistan has its own patterns: work is relaxed, charity is abundant and patience in short supply. Another recurring feature is the surge in sporting activity, running late into the night, with padel now joining long-established Ramazan fixtures such as cricket, volleyball and futsal.

Those getting caught up in the excitement often include people who have spent the past 11 months largely sedentary.

As a regular player — balancing volleyball and football alongside cricket — I can attest to the increase in frequency of matches and the intensity that comes with it. This is particularly visible during small tourneys — I had played three volleyball tournaments by the time this went to print — where the competitive spirit tends to take over and people end up jumping higher, hitting harder and diving farther than they usually would. I know I have also been pushing myself despite the recurring, albeit manageable, pain in my wrist and persistent stiffness in several fingers.

This results in more-than-usual strain on a body that is already less hydrated and sleep-deprived from fasting. The question, then, is whether Ramazan and injury risk are meaningfully connected.

>Every year during the holy month, thousands of Pakistanis dust off their racquets, lace up their trainers and head to the nearest padel or volleyball court or cricket ground. The spirit is willing, but the body may not be ready…

NOT THE FAST, BUT THE GAP

The first thing every specialist Eos spoke to was keen to establish is that fasting itself is not the direct culprit.

“Basically, there is no such rise in sports injuries specifically because of fasting,” says Professor Badaruddin Sahito, an orthopaedic surgeon at the Civil Hospital, Karachi. Dr Mansoor Ali Khan, the chair of the orthopaedic department at Aga Khan University Hospital, echoes this: “Injuries are not directly related to fasting,” he tells Eos.

The real issue, they agree, is the sudden and dramatic increase in........

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