Sports related injuries are common in any physical and athletic activity. They can happen by accident or overcharge but nevertheless it’s important to keep any injury into account in order to get a correct diagnostic and obtain proper treatment by your corresponding doctor.
Nevertheless, the most important issue is to avoid injuries, so we can have a better sense of wellbeing and a healthier, more active life.
Preventing sports related injuries depends on a series of factors, such as;
- Complete medical check-up before competitions.
- Adequate physical preparation.
- Adequate use of the proper equipment such as footwear, protection gear, helmet and so on.
- Abide by the rules of each competition and do not try to overdo yourself.
- Correct diet and constant hydration.
- Getting the correct amount of exercise, not overdoing yourself and and especially lifting only the right amount if we’re talking of sports such as crossfit or weight-lifting.
- Always remember to warm-up and gradually build resistance when preparing for a competition: exertion can lead to muscle or skeletal injury.
The first line of defense in avoiding injuries is to be well prepared before performing any physical activity or exercise. Athletes must decide on the right training and fully understand – with the help or their coach – how to balance different training options during a session. Always take into account factors such as frequency (how often should you exercise), intensity (how demanding should your training be), volume (amount of exercise during a work-out), and density (relation between training periods and resting periods).
All training and exercise should be focused on a goal, but to get there, training loads must escalate progressively in a customized way.
Remember: even though two individuals of the same age, same physical characteristics and same preparation do the exact same training, it doesn’t mean they’ll progress the same way and show equal results.
¿Why warming up?
Warmup exercises are meant to prepare your body for physical activity while fulfilling two very important tasks: avoiding injury and improving performance. While resting, blood flow directed to your muscles is relatively low and your small blood vessels are contracted. During a greater activity your blood vessels widen allowing more blood to flow directly into your muscles which helps them brace for workout.
Physical activity generates more energy consumption which increases the heat on your body and muscles, allowing for better coordination and reducing injury probabilities. When starting a warm up you should first move large muscle groups in order to get more blood flowing; more specific muscular groups will be activated later on.
Always remember it’s essential to stretch different muscle groups. The last warmup phase is completely focused specifically on each discipline according to what sport you practice. It’s important to know that stretching shouldn’t be done intensively before warm up, doing the opposite can result in muscle tear.
After training or competing, cooldown exercises must be done to gradually restore your muscles back to a resting state, help them recover and prepare them for your next session.
Article written by:
Dr. Guillermo Azcona Romo
Sport Medicine Especialist
Santos de San Luis Pro Basket Ball Team Doctor
Phone: (444) 813 4048 ext. 215
