Have you ever gotten an injury while doing some sort of exercise? Here is a list of 7 tips that can be your guide for Injury Prevention.
Know your limitations
Train smart, stay within your boundaries, ask for a spot when you are unsure, and follow proper training protocols. Respect your body- it is speaking to you for a reason.
Proper Nutrition and Hydration
Fuel your body with productive nutrient-dense foods creating an optimal environment for your body to perform. Limiting sugars, processed foods, and inflammatory oils while increasing your intake of whole foods, veggies, fruits, and plant and animal-based proteins is a great place to start.
Hydration requirements vary for each sport/activity, as a baseline consumes 2-3liters of water per day. Is water boring to you? Add beneficial electrolytes just be sure they do not have any added sugars. Consume “a liter before lunch” and the rest is easy.
Strengthen
Identify muscular imbalances and work on them! If you are unsure of these have a licensed physical therapist perform a thorough evaluation to learn how your body works in homeostasis. There are many ways to strengthen muscles each with a unique protocol.
Some examples include:
- Hypertrophy (muscle mass gains).
- Power (to push/lift a load, powerlifting, home projects, etc.)
- Endurance (marathons, ironmans)
- Sprints (short distance track, soccer, football, speed skating, tennis, and more).
- Lean and strong for aesthetics, overall health, and longevity.
Lengthen
The body requires length as well as strength! Without the proper length of muscle tissue peak contraction, performance and capacity may not be achieved.
Practicing muscle lengthening/stretching as well as performing joint mobility will prevent injuries, and increase blood flow and range of motion, while decreasing aches, pains, and tension, including those of muscles and tendons.
Stabilize
Every sport, every profession, and every identity requires stabilization! If we do not have stabilization starting from the deep layers of the core, not just the six-pack abs, significant injuries may occur. If you are looking for more power out of your golf swing, balance in your yoga practice, or a decrease in low back pain and increase in posture endurance, start with stabilization of the core!
The core encompasses muscles on the front of your body (transverse abdominals + rectus abdominals), sides of your body (internal + external obliques) posterior body (multifidus +erector spine), and top and bottom of your center (diaphragm + pelvic floor). Each of these muscles, when contracted in the proper sequence, supports the epicenter of your body; therefore, minimizing load, strain, and poor body mechanics to your spine, and upper and lower extremities.
Cross Train
To prevent overuse injuries. For example, if you are a runner try yoga or martial arts, if you play football try pilates, the sport/ physical activity is not as important as varying the muscles in which you train. Perform lateral motions such as banded walks or rollerblading if you participate in a forward plane sport such as soccer or cycling. Movement variation will increase muscle resiliency, and pliability, and decrease recovery time.
Rest and Recover
The body requires sleep, varying amounts for each individual; however, it is undeniable and scientifically studied that sleep is required of the body and mind for optimal recovery. Think of sleep as a skill, the more you practice the better you will become at it. Proper sleep and sleep hygiene may lead to an increase in mitochondria (the Duracell battery power cells of our body) and decreased oxidative stress. Rest is productive- not a waste of time.
Your body needs more than basic conditioning and exercise to be at its best for peak performance and productivity.
Another way to “prehab” or actively participate in injury prevention is by working with a skilled manual physical therapist utilizing services such as manual soft tissue mobilization, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), Graston/ IASTM (instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization); cupping, as well as joint mobilization and manipulation. Take your skills and body to the next level as a weekend warrior, mom, or professional athlete!
Recovering from an injury or preparing for your next season’s sports?
Do not wait to address your chronic low back pain, “tech neck”, from daily computer and cell phone use, post-surgical pain pre/postnatal aches, overuse injuries, and muscular imbalances.
Contact us to set up your 1:1 physical therapy evaluation or if you want to learn more about Injury Prevention. Receive treatment for your individualized findings while setting personalized goals.
You must be logged in to post a comment.