Bone Strengthening To Avoid Sport Injuries

Fractures are among the most common sports injuries that affect many athletes. There are many measures to help reduce these types of injuries. Depending on the severity of the injury, fractures can take up to several months to heal. Fractures and dislocations can be signs of lack of or poor conditioning. The body requires regular exercises to help strengthen the muscles and bones. A good physical conditioning is one that increases muscle flexibility while helping to avoid injuries.

For many people in general, bone and muscle strengthening exercises are not a priority in their work out schedule. Bone conditioning is viewed as more appropriate for those in contact sports or in bodybuilding. Bone-strengthening exercises involve stretching out muscles and strengthening bones with resistance-offering exercises. These exercises help increase fitness and strength. Here are a few such exercises to try;

§  Own body weight exercise- These exercises involve strengthening your muscles by using your own weight against gravity resistance. They include push-ups, pull-ups, and abdominal exercises. The exercises not only increase the bone density but also increase flexibility.

§  Free weight exercise- they include the use of weights such as dumbbells, ankle and wrist weights and weight lifting chains. These weights are not fixed but they also offer resistance to help build bone strength.

§  Machine weight exercises - fixed machines offer great resistance. Use of hydraulics and weight stacks can help in strengthening the legs and shoulder muscles and bones.

You can improve your speed, strength, muscle endurance and agility with such strengthening exercise techniques.  If done correctly, you can prevent many sports injuries associated with tendon and ligament tear, muscle exhaustion and bone fractures. There are other strengthening exercise techniques if you do not have access to free or machine weights. Activities such as hiking, dancing, stair climbing and running will also achieve the same effect. They will increase the strength of the core and flexibility.

Bone-strengthening exercises are important to your health but should be done with care. Done with poor technique, they could lead to significant injuries under certain circumstances. To achieve the best results;

·      Rest- it gives your body time to rest and heal. Take a break from exercises and always ensure you get enough sleep. Proper rest assists muscles to relax and grow. You also get renewed energy for the following day’s work out.

·      Avoid high impact exercises when injured- high impact exercises should be avoided when in pain, injured or recovering from a sports injury. Start with light weights or low impact exercises as you build your way up to heavier weights.

·      Stretch- be sure to warm up before doing these exercises and stretch after.

·      Use proper technique- for weightlifting, there is a proper way to lift weights and avoid lower back injuries. This is not just in weightlifting. There is a proper way to achieving maximum benefits from bone strengthening and other exercises. Make sure you are doing it correctly - every time. Hire a professional trainer to help ensure you understand proper exercise techniques.

Most sports require strength and muscle endurance. Follow the above tips to achieve improved bone density and help avoid injuries.

Remember to live life to its Fullest

Dr. Kevin Crawford

4110 22nd Place Lubbock, TX 79410

(806) 792-4329

Disclaimer:  This information is provided as an educational service only, and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.  Anyone seeking specific medical advice or assistance should consult his or her doctor or orthopedic surgeon.

6 Benefits of Regular Exercise for Athletes

Professional athletes involved in vigorous sports such as swimming, football, rugby, running, boxing, skiing, snowboarding, and gymnastics adapt highly specialized exercise routines. Even for moderate athletes, it's important to partake in at least 30 minutes per day to engage in more vigorous, yet proper exercises. Failure to exercise smart on a regular basis can be disastrous for professional or highly active sportsmen/women. Exercising has numerous mental and physical health benefits for athletes.

These benefits include the following:

      1.     Flexibility

Flexibility is a key factor in sports. All athletes should consider incorporating exercising programs in their lifestyles to improve their flexibility. Having better flexibility can help in preventing minor, mild or even severe sports injuries. Improved flexibility will also boost your movement, performances, and productivity as an athlete. Many professional athletes have found themselves on the sidelines after suffering from unnecessary sports injuries including ankle, shoulder, hip flexor, neck, knee, and hamstring injuries due to poor flexibility.

2.     Endurance

The majority of sports activities require participants to have a certain degree of endurance. It is imperative for those in sports such as volleyball, soccer, football, basketball, rugby or swimming to engage in muscular and cardio endurance exercises on a regular basis. The beauty of such exercises is that they boost your endurance, leading to high energy levels, strong bones/muscles, and better performance. Lack of endurance can impact a sports career negatively, and cause an athlete to become "gassed", with minimal ability for quick recovery.

3.     Promotes weight regulating

Exercising can help athletes to maintain the required weight. Many sports activities such as boxing and MMA require certain weight levels for weight divisions, but weight management also helps with an athlete's overall efficiency, quickness and strength. Exercises can boost your weight loss effort significantly. Along with the correct diet, regular exercises can help you solve all your underweight or overweight issues effectively.

4.     Increased Muscle Mass

Engaging in strength training exercises such as weight lifting, bench press, pull-ups, and squats can help you develop increased muscle mass within a short period of time. Strength training also helps in increasing flexibility, improving ligaments/muscles/tendons strength, and improving your metabolic rate. Improved strength improves an athlete's performance in virtually all sports activities such as rugby, soccer, volleyball, swimming and football, among others.

5.     Boosts relaxation

Exercises can help in promoting relaxation and improving your sleep patterns significantly. Athletes need to rest properly in order to boost their energy levels, rebuild their bodies, and help prevent sports injuries. Relaxation plays a vital role in boosting your self-confidence, self-esteem, and performances. Fatigue, exhaustion and overworking your muscles can lead to numerous sports injuries, poor results, and reduced performances for athletes.

6.     Exercise boosts energy

Athletes who exercise regularly perform much better than those who don’t. Some sports activities such as football, rugby, soccer, swimming, and skiing require high endurance, agility and strength. Engaging in regular physical fitness exercises can boost an athletes energy levels tremendously, leading to better performances and results. Low energy levels can destroy an athlete’s career quicker than it started.

The bottom line is that every athlete should incorporate regular exercises in their lifestyles for efficiency, flexibility, agility, endurance, mood lifting, strength, and stress-relieving purposes. 

Remember to live life to its Fullest

Dr. Kevin Crawford

4110 22nd Place Lubbock, TX 79410

(806) 792-4329

Disclaimer:  This information is provided as an educational service only, and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.  Anyone seeking specific medical advice or assistance should consult his or her doctor or orthopedic surgeon.