4 Tips To Help Prevent Sports Injury

by Besh T

A sports injury doctor on the sceneFollow these 4 tips to keep yourself in the game and to avoid sports related injuries. These particular tips apply to all sports. Soon, we will be featuring tips on how to avoid injuries in specific sports, but for now this article is going to focus on sports in general.

 

Sports injuries will effect every athelte at one point or another,

 

 

4. Pace yourself during training and at practice.

No matter what type of training you're doing, whether it's cardiovascular, strength, endurance, or even just fundamentals of your sport – it's important to pace yourself and ramp up slowly. It's much safer to gradually increase the intensity of your training rather than starting at full force. That doesn't mean you shouldn't test your limits. It's important to test your limits as an athlete to truly understand what your body is capable of, but you should work your way up to that in time.

 

 

3. Develop a warm-up routine and always stretch first.

You might be surprised how many athletes skip this part. People in less competitive leageus that don't have professional aspirations will often justify it with the reasoning that they're not playing nearly as hard as a pro would be, and they're just playing for fun. It doesn't matter what level you're playing at, or if you're just going for a jog, you should always stretch before any kind of physical activity. Your muscles need a chance to loosen, stretch and warm up to prevent injuries.

 

 

2. Take time to rest.

Rest is important when you're injured, but it's also a key factor in preventing injuries as well. If you're taking part in a workout routine, make sure it includes rest time for all of your muscles. This is an important part of gaining muscle, and it also stops you from overworking your joints and tendons. Continuing to work out on your rest days might feel like you're doing bonus work and you deserve a pat on the back, but that's not the case at all – you're actually preventing your muscles from properly healing and growing, and also increasing your chance of getting hurt. It's better to take your day's rest rather than risk an injury that could set you back weeks.

 

A football player lays on the field after a sports injury

 

 

1. Know your sport, know what can happen.

Certain sports will leave athletes predisposed to certain types of injuries. A famous example of this would be tennis elbow. The repetitive and forceful motion of swinging a tennis racquet leads to a common injury that most tennis players will experience at one point or another. Many ex NFL players will experience concussions and brain damage, because of the way they will run head first into 350 pound linebackers. The point is that all sports have their own types of injuries that are common, so it's wise to really understand your sport and what the most common risks are in order to train yourself to avoid them.

 

 

Final Thoughts on Preventing Injuries in Sports.

Following these tips doesn't guarantee you'll never get a sports injury because sometimes accidents happen no matter how prepared you are. Ask any serious athlete and they'll tell you that injuries are common, and a lot of them actually happen in training. Training injuries will likely come from overworking, whereas injuries that happen during the game are more likely to be things like broken bones or sprained ankles. In either case, make sure you take a look at the 5 Things To Do After Getting Injured to help your body heal as quickly and effectively as possible.

Images (c) Can Stock Photo


Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.