The snow has melted, the birds are chirping, and sunny days spent at the baseball diamond or lacrosse field are just beginning to return. During this seasonal transition when you’re itching to get outside and active, it’s important to have some awareness of sports injury prevention. After all, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and nowhere is this old adage truer than in sports.
The Most Common Sports Injuries and How to Avoid Them
Everyone, from the newbie athletes to well-conditioned weekend warriors, can suffer a sports injury, so it’s important to take a look at what causes these injuries and how to avoid them.
- Lack of physical conditioning: If you aren’t in shape and you’re trying to play defensive tackle, think again. Being in good physical shape for the physical activity you’re going to undertake is first and foremost in preventing injury. Start low, and go slow with the new sport you’re taking on. Make sure your muscles, ligaments, and tendons are ready and flexible enough to perform the sport you plan to take on.
- Overtraining: On the other hand, too much training with too little rest in between can lead to injury as well. With this lack of sufficient recovery time coupled with amplified training intensity, you are bound to injure yourself in some way. Signs of overtraining include the inability to perform a physical activity with correct technique.
- Improper warm-up: Your muscles and joints need to be prepared for exercise, to increase both body temperature and blood circulation to the muscles. A 15-20 minute warm-up can include stretching and cardiovascular exercises to prevent injuries and increase performance levels.
- Poor technique: If you perform any exercise or sport repetitively and with bad technique, you’re bound for injury. To avoid repeatedly performing physical activities with incorrect technique, make sure you have a professional coach or trainer correct your form from the outset, and ensure you’re wearing the appropriate clothing, shoes, and equipment.
- Impact: It’s hard to avoid, but direct impact (coming into hard contact with another person or object) is one of the most common sports injuries, especially in contact sports like football, boxing, or soccer. Your main defense against impact is by wearing protective clothing, if possible, and learning the correct technique and form for your sport.
Contact us at Unruh Spine Centers for an appointment with our Santa Clarita chiropractors at (661) 288-0022.
