How to Reduce Your Risk of Sports Injuries
The Bottom Line:
Every sport has the possibility of injuries. Generally speaking, the more contact there is in a sport, the higher the likelihood of an injury. The majority of injuries, however, are the result of overuse. Fortunately, in most cases, the positive aspects of playing sports outweigh the risks of harm.
Why it Matters:
While there is always a chance of an injury occurring, it is reassuring to know that most sports injuries are preventable with a few things kept in mind. Here are a few of our suggestions on how to prevent sports injuries.
1. Warm Up - Making sure you are warmed up before beginning any exercise is one of the lea-ding ways to prevent a sports injury. This can include performing a fair amount of cardiovascular activity like jogging, skipping, and jumping jacks to promote blood flow throughout the whole body. Following this, try some stretches that mimic the motions of the sport you will be playing.
2. Cross Train - Rather than focusing on a single sort of exercise, try to incorporate a variety of different activities into your fitness routine. Adopting training that utilizes a range of low-impact exercises can help avoid overuse injuries simply by encouraging your body to engage a wide range of muscle groups without overworking any specific group of muscles. It is also recommen-ded to include full-body strength training a couple of times each week to maintain muscular health.
3. Train with purpose. Understand your movement deficits and your "weakest link" and work to improve them. A chain is only as strong as the weakest link! Dr. Drees specializes in movement assessments and will be able to provide immediate feedback on how to improve your performance and reduce risk of injury.
4. Rest - This one may seem like it is a given, but for many athletes, it is something that they frequently overlook. This includes resting during exercise and taking specific days off to rest from activity altogether. You must allow your body time to rest and recuperate to perform at its best.
Next Steps:
Preventing a sports injury from happening can seem like a futile effort, but with a chiropractor on your team, it is very simple! We love helping people stay active in their favorite sports while also reducing the risk of injury.
Science Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/overuse-injury/art-20045875?p=1
