How to Avoid Sports Injuries

While "warming up" before the championship football game or our afternoon jog is a must to help avoid Sports Injuries, there are many other precautionary steps that we could take.  A comprehensive approach can be the key for prolonged sports fitness, while keeping our bodies strong and flexible to help meet the demands of whatever sports activities that we undertake.  

Let's start with the basics:

The Warm Up

A critical need to help avoid sports injuries is The Warm-Up.  How vigorous your sports activity is will determine the recommended time to properly warm up your body.  A typical warm-up session could be 5-10 minutes, and should involve gently stretching, and increasing the blood flow to the muscles throughout the body, and then build the warm-up to a more brisk pace through light to medium cardio. A proper warm-up will allow for increase body flexibility of joints and muscle fibers, which will help help mitigate the risk of pulling or straining a muscle or incurring a painful joint injury. 

Technique Rules!

Doing a sport activity, such as weight lifting, working out quickly and unfocused, rather than with purposeful and proper technique, has caused many strained or torn muscles.  Methodical technique rules the day with regard to minimizing sports injuries, and is a must to ensure your desired results.  If you don't know a proper technique for any sports activity, simply ask a qualified sports medicine expert or trainer. Most gyms have certified trainers on hand just for this purpose.  They are there to help.  Remember...  "A perfect game requires perfect practice".

Crawl before you fly

Whether you are a sports beginner or a top professional, learn to listen to your body.  The only way to get better, stronger, and faster is to push yourself.  However, there's a big difference in taking that extra step or cranking out that last rep. verses hitting it so hard that your body starts to break down. Increased fitness and improved results take time and consistency to achieve, but when a shoulder or hip or knee starts sending your pain signals (or "something is not right" signals), maybe it's time to cool off to train for another day.  So, test yourself and push yourself.  Unless you are training to become an elite athlete, just don't go all for broke, especially at the beginning of your fitness journey, and always under doctor consultation.

Correct Equipment

Virtually all sports requires some form of equipment, with some sports requiring more equipments than others. Even sports activities such as jogging requires quality running shoes, and even apparel that 'breathes" and doesn't chafe.  On the other end of the spectrum is football, that requires a full body of equipment (certified helmet shoulder pads, mouthpiece, knee, thigh, and butt pads, quality cleats, and other items depending your your position.  Any of these pieces could be the weak link the chain, so select quality equipment to help avoid injury to the most vulnerable parts of the body.

Liquify

Water is absolutely your best friend to help avoid sports injuries, and helps keep you in peak performance during your strenuous sports actively.  Taking in enough fluids is vital to your body's wellbeing, and is necessary to your muscles' recuperatory stage after a killer workout or after a demanding match.

Cool it Down

Like the warm-up, but in reverse, the cool-down is essential to complete your sports activity.  A 5-10 minutes cool-down would include a more gentle exercise, like walking and stretching, and allows for the heart to return to its normal rate. It also lengthen the muscles, to help alleviate some of their bulkiness and tightness. Additionally, a proper cool-down allows the body to remove the bad waste-products created during the workout, and replaces them with oxygen and needed nutrients.

Modify your Intake

You want better performance on and off the field?  Change your diet, and of course no smoking.  Simple as that.  A good engine does not work so well with a poor source of energy, right?  So, eat your greens and fruits, and make sure you are getting sufficient protein, especially if you are strength training.  Keep it natural and healthy.  Stay away for the processed foods, which can be heavy on sodium, fats, preservatives, and sugars with minimal nutritional benefits. 

Get your Zzzz...

Help ensure that your body recuperates and heals from a day of hard activities by getting sufficient sleep - every night!  This is the main time when your muscles have a chance to mend themselves and get stronger. Besides all the health benefits to a good night's sleep (7.5 - 8 hrs for an adult), it also allows for higher productivity during the day.  Here's to your Zzzz, and start getting better:

• Daytime Performance

• Muscle Recuperation

• Brain Function

• Emotional Outlook

• Safety & Alertness

Disclaimer:  This information has been provided by Dr. Kevin Crawford, Lubbock Sports Medicine as general information only. It is not intended for any patient or specific situation.  Exercise with care and under a doctor's supervision.

Dr. Kevin Crawford, MD
Lubbock Sports Medicine
4110 22nd Place Lubbock, TX 79410
Tel. (806) 792-4329