Tips for Preventing Overuse Injuries
Leading an active lifestyle has many beneficial purposes, from helping to maintain a healthy body weight to making life more enjoyable. That said, it’s important to avoid developing injuries that could reduce your activity and generate pain. Some of the most common sports injuries stem not from a sudden accident but from stress and overuse. To limit this possibility, our experienced and board certified orthopaedic surgeons offer tips to minimize the risk of developing an overuse injury:
Warm Up First – Never begin any athletic activity without warming up first. And note that there is a difference between static stretching and warming up—or dynamic stretching. Get your heart rate up with some jumping jacks or rope, a walk or light jog, forward lunges, and arm circles.
Hard Day, Easy Day – Rest is an essential component to making gains in your exercise regimen, whether you’re a runner, cyclist, baseball or basketball player, or weightlifter. For every intense workout day, make sure the following one is a light day or a rest day. Without recovery, your body can break down.
Increase Workouts Gradually – The cardiovascular system improves faster than the musculoskeletal system, so learning how to condition both of them appropriately can limit risk of injury and enhance your results. Be careful not to overstress ligaments, tendons, bones, joints, and muscles simply because you feel you can keep going.
Pain Is an Indicator – Pain comes in many flavors, and while not all kinds indicate that something is wrong, many types of discomfort are a warning. If the pain goes away soon after the workout or is relieved by warming up, you should be ok. Pain that lingers or causes reduced performance may be a sign of a developing injury.
For more tips on how to keep your body functioning in peak condition, check out our FAQs page or talk to one of our experienced orthopaedists today.