From shoulder injuries and tennis elbow to hamstring strains and ACL tears, playing sports comes with a risk of getting injured. When you participate in athletic activities, it’s important to protect yourself from injuries, so you don’t end up with chronic pain. Following these sports medicine tips can help you reduce your risk of dealing with injuries.
Stretching
Stretching is an easy way to prevent sports injuries. You should do stretches that help keep your muscles and joints flexible, which protects them from tears, strains, and other types of injuries. Plan on doing a series of stretches before participating in any kind of athletic activity, as well as afterwards in order to help your muscles recover. You should also be stretching as part of a regular workout routine. A few stretching exercises to consider including in your workout routine or warm-up and cool-down routines include standing quad stretches, forward and side lunges, shoulder stretches, and triceps stretches.
Creating a Comprehensive Fitness Plan
As part of keeping your body in good condition for sports, it’s important to follow a fitness plan. Your plan should include different types of activities and exercises, such as strength training, cardio exercises, and stretches for flexibility. Using a well-rounded approach to fitness helps keep your joints, muscles, tendons, and other bodily structures strong and flexible, reducing the risk of damage while playing sports.
Focusing on Different Muscle Groups
Building up one group of muscles might help you perform in your particular sport, but don’t overlook your other muscles. Keeping all of your muscles in good shape helps protect them from injuries. While doing workouts, shift your focus to different groups of muscles. This helps ensure that all muscle groups benefit from workouts and helps you improve your flexibility and coordination overall.
Staying Hydrated
Staying hydrated while playing sports is an important part of preventing injuries. If you become dehydrated while playing, your muscles become more tense. This can increase the risk of ending up with torn or strained muscles. Making sure you have plenty of water to drink while you’re physically active helps keep your muscles more flexible, leading to a lower risk of injuries.
Using the Right Equipment and Protective Gear
Whether you play contact or non-contact sports, you should always use the right types of equipment and protective gear, such as helmets, knee pads, or mouth guards. These items help protect you from potentially severe injuries that can occur, especially in rougher sports, such as football. In addition to protective gear, make sure you’re wearing shoes that offer support.
Following Proper Playing Techniques
Depending on the sport you play, make sure you’re following the proper techniques. For example, practice doing jumps and pivots safely if you play basketball or making throws without straining your arm if you play football or baseball. Becoming familiar with proper playing techniques and practicing these on a regular basis can significantly lower your risk of sports injuries.
If you need treatment for a sports injury, please contact us to set up an appointment. Our Pasadena orthopedics team can help you determine the right kind of treatment for relief from pain and other symptoms, so you can get back to your favorite sports activities.