Five Tips to Prevent Sports-Related Injuries
Are you an athlete that plays sports or is involved in physical activity most days of the week? Do you know how to keep yourself safe both on and off the field? Sports injuries are one of the most common types of injuries that orthopedic surgeons handle. This type of injury is not restricted to kids, as adults are also pre-disposed to this. If you do not properly warm up, stretch, or take care of your body, you may be at risk of sports-related injuries that cause you to need to see an orthopedic surgeon in Deltona. There are a few tips to follow to prevent sports-related injuries from occurring when you are exerting physical energy and practicing your sport.
Warm Up and Stretch
Warming up helps your muscles absorbs quick movements and it increases your core temperature as well as increase blood flow to the muscles. Stretching increases muscles flexibility and joint mobility. You are advised to warm up before stretching as the reverse may result in an injury to cold and inactive muscles. Warm up may involve jogging, light walking, biking at a low intensity and others.
Get the Right Equipment
Ensure you use the right sporting equipment. Wearing the right shoes and athletic protection decreases your chances of getting sports injuries. Ill-fitted shoes affect your flexibility during sports thus making you highly susceptible to injuries.
Rest
Get enough rest when you are hurt. One of the mistakes people make during sports is to assume that resuming sporting activities even after been injured would aid them heal faster. The truth is that this only worsens your condition. Do not work through the pain. If you get hurt during sports, get healed before you start again. You may not need to wait till it is completely healed as excessive rest may also delay healing. You can resume slowly while using heat to relax tight muscles.
Cool Down
Remember to cool down after you practice or play a game. This will give your body a chance to rest and unwind. This involves performing the same activities you performed for warm up and stretching just before you started your activities.
Take Some Time Off
Even though you love playing your sport, you should give yourself breaks from time-to-time. When you give your body a chance to rest, you will have the opportunity to rest your muscles, which can prevent overuse injuries. This can also give you a time to re-center and ground your mind so that you can focus on the right techniques when you play.
These are a few tips you need to follow in order to stay safe when you are playing sports. To avoid sports-related injuries, you may want to talk with an orthopedic surgeon in Deltona that has experience dealing with sports injuries. Contact Florida Bone and Joint to talk with our sports injuries specialists today.