If you play a sport sustaining an injury from time to time is inevitable. Still, there are ways you can prevent sports injuries and best practices to use to help you recover more quickly. Read on to find out more about common sports injuries and how you can prevent them in your sport.
Different sports have different movements, strains, and techniques which need to be learned if you want to avoid sports injuries. Tennis requires a rotation of the hips and shoulders, while football requires flexibility in the ankles and leg muscles, and basketball stresses arm muscles.
Not only do you need to warm up, but you need to warm up in the right way. Mimicking the movements of your favourite sport ten or fifteen miniature before you play helps to warm the muscles and create flexibility in the joints. These factors are crucial to avoiding sports injuries.
If you have suffered a bad sports injury in the past, you will know the importance of wearing the correct shoes, supports, and headgear. Chances are your injury was caused by a combination of improper warm-up techniques, along with improper equipment. Both contribute to injuries.
Choose your sports equipment carefully and test it out before you use it for the first time. If you run a lot in your sport, try to use a similar pair of shoes when you train so that you are comfortable and supported on the field. When you find the right gear, buy a few pairs of them.
When you sustain an injury in your sport, you need to make the right choices to ensure that you recover and return stronger. If you try to play through an injury or you return to your sport too quickly, you risk preventing your injury from recovering as well as risking further injuries as well.
Nobody wants to sustain an injury; it puts you on the sidelines and means you have weeks of recovery ahead of you, but now is the time for patience. Give yourself muscles or joints plenty of rest and time to recover. Exercise moderately and come back when you know you are ready.
Warming down is just as important as warming up. When we warm up, we increase blood flow to the muscles and flex the joints in a similar way to the sport we are about to play. All of this helps to warm the muscles, so they don’t stretch and tear when we play a sport from a standing start.
When we walk off the field – having secured a victory – it’s all too easy to head off with the team and celebrate, but don’t forget to warm down. Warming down allows your heart rate to return to normal and for blood flow to regulate. This prevents your body from ceasing up and slowing recovery.
It’s important not to return to your sport too soon, but it’s also important not to nurse your injury for too long either. When you are ready, return to training slowly and gradually. Talk to your physiotherapist to find out when is best to start returning to your training and then your sport.
Suffering from a sports injury? At Essex Physiotherapy Clinic, we are trained and qualified experts in physiotherapy for sports, knee pain, frozen shoulder, stress management as well as relaxation therapy. Contact us today.
