Whether you’re someone who works out at the gym, gets your workout at home, or plays competitive sports to stay fit, you always have the risk of injury when you’re physically active. Injuries like muscle tears, stress fractures, tendinitis, and shin splints are just a few of the injuries you can sustain while exercising.
While there’s always going to be the risk of injury when you exercise or play sports, you can take measures to protect yourself. Here’s a look at some exercises for injury protection, as well as some additional tips to follow to avoid being sidelined with an injury.
Great Exercises for Preventing Injuries
When it comes to exercises for injury prevention, stretching before any type of physical activity is critical. Stretching warms up your muscles and encourages flexibility. When you’re stretching, pay particular attention to your thighs, hips, and calves. If you feel any resistance or pain while stretching, be sure to talk to our pain management specialists.
Improving agility with focused exercises can also help you prevent injuries, especially if you’re involved in sports or other activities that require you to change direction quickly. Working to ensure your knees face outwards and stay over your ankles is critical. And try exercises that keep ankle stiffness away since it can hurt agility and result in injury.
If you do any jumping as part of your exercise routine or you play a sport that requires jumping, be sure to learn how to jump correctly. Allow your knees to bend when landing but avoid allowing them to buckle. Spring upwards, and make sure you land with your knees and feet facing straight ahead to prevent injury.
More Injury Protection Tips
Along with trying the previous exercises, you can take even more steps to prevent an injury. Some of our best tips include:
Work with a Personal Trainer
Personal trainers can help you get started safely if you’re new to exercise and ensure that you don’t have bad form or bad habits that may lead to injury. Even a few hours with a personal trainer can set you up for success and reduce the chance you hurt yourself when you work out.
Keep Up with Physicals
Be sure you’re keeping up with routine physicals. If you’re starting a new fitness program, see your doctor and make sure you’re in good health before you begin.
Increase Intensity Gradually
If you’re new to exercise or you’ve been sedentary for a few months, make sure you increase the intensity gradually. Don’t jump into it at full intensity. Throwing yourself into training that’s too intense can be unsustainable and harmful.
Dress for the Workout
Many injuries occur due to wearing the wrong shoes or clothing. Whether you’re biking, playing a sport, or working the weights at the gym, ensure you’re wearing the right footwear and clothing for your sport of choice. It’s important to ensure you have protection against overheating, impact, and strain.
Always Listen to Your Body
Probably the most important tip to remember is to always listen to your body. While workouts can be tough, you shouldn’t be left in pain. When you feel pain, your body is speaking to you. Back off and rest a bit. Pushing through pain will likely result in injury.
If you’ve sustained an injury and you’re working on getting back on track, contact Valley Orthopaedic Specialists today. We’ll help you set up an appointmentfor an assessment and work to get you taken care of quickly so you can resume your active life.