Photo by Hanson Lu on Unsplash
Not matter how fit, young or strong you are, you can still be vulnerable to injury. If the professionals can get hurt, so can you!
For beginner athletes or those that are taking on a new sport, we advise you take the time to learn how to reduce your risk of injury in sport before you go full steam ahead with your chosen activity. We’ve drawn up a few basic pointers – with insight from Dr Sachin Baba, Health in Motion founder and Sports Medicine Physician – to get you off on the right foot.
Tips on How to Reduce your Risk of Injury in Sport
Start Slowly
It’s a wise idea to warm up and get your body ready for the task ahead. A combination of static stretches (like stretching your arms) and dynamic stretches (like jumping jacks) can help kickstart your metabolic activity. That is, the heat created as a result of warming up, makes your connective tissues more flexible and less prone to injuries such as sprains.
Sleep is Not for the Weak!
There’s a strong relationship between lack of sleep and injury. Which makes sense when you consider the fact that your body builds and repairs itself during sleep.
This is why it’s a good idea to set aside different days for training different muscle groups, giving each group sufficient time to recover before using them again.
Overuse injuries, which are characterised by muscle or joint injuries, from repetitive trauma, are often seen in patients who do not follow this practice. So, don’t underestimate the value of a good night’s rest in preventing sports injuries.
It’s all in the Technique
Technique is not just about outperforming your competitors; it has also been developed for ensuring you don’t hurt yourself.
The correct technique in sports such as tennis or golf, can spell the difference developing a chronic injury or being pain-free. Take advice from the experts and learn their techniques so that you can continue with the sport you love most.
Don’t Push Through the Pain
If you play a lot of sports, then it’s likely that a coach or trainer, at some point, has encouraged you to push through the pain. This, however, is a dangerous attitude and definitely won’t help when it comes to preventing sports injuries.
Pain is there for a reason; it’s warning you that something is wrong and that you should stop what you’re doing immediately. Ignoring these signals can result in unnecessary damage.
Would you like to learn more about how to reduce your risk of injury in sport? Comment with your questions below and we’ll gladly answer them!
Do you have any painful joints or injuries that aren’t getting better with time? We, at Health in Motion, are sports orthopaedic specialists who specialise in the treatment of sports injuries, muscle pain, painful bones, joint injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Give us a call or email us at info@healthinmotion.durban to find out how we can help ease your pain.
Call Us
Health in Motion Ballito: 032 586 0020
Health in Motion Gateway: 031 492 1244
Health in Motion Umhlanga: 031 584 6185
Health in Motion Durban: 031 261 1215
