Sports and athletics are a great way to keep healthy, strengthen your body, and have something to work toward. For a lot of people, playing sports is an important activity that takes a lot of dedication and hard work to master. Unfortunately, with sports comes sports injuries, which can have lasting effects on your health, athletic performance, and even day-to-day functioning.
If you play a sport or are highly active, it’s important to take steps to reduce your risk of incurring injuries. Here are things you can do to prevent future sports injuries.
Warm-Up and Stretch
Before playing any sport or exercising, it is critical that you warm-up and stretch every time. Warm-ups help your body prepare for movements and pressure involved in sports play. Taking your body from rest to strenuous exercise within minutes is a recipe for disaster. If you want to avoid sports injuries, you must stretch your body and warm up before playing. This will prepare your body and reduce the chances of you overexerting and hurting yourself. Always remember to warm up and stretch every part of your body – including your feet and neck.
Wear the Correct Safety Gear
Whether you play lacrosse, football, or basketball, make sure to wear the right type of clothing, footwear, and safety gear every time you play. Not doing so will put you at risk of injuring yourself while playing. It is crucial that you wear safety gear when playing contact sports like football because the risk of you falling, being tackled, or being hit with blunt force is extremely high. The chance of injury is just as high in sports that require you to be quick on your feet, such as soccer. If you wear improper footwear, you run a great risk of injuring your feet or falling – not to mention the negative impact it will have on your athletic performance.
Gradually Increase Intensity
One of the biggest mistakes athletes make when playing a sport is increasing the intensity of physical activity too quickly. Even if you are in great shape, going from 0 to 100 in terms of intensity or from playing a sport one hour a week to playing every day is a bad idea. Your body needs to get used to changes incrementally. If you push your body too much too quickly, it will result in injuries.
Follow the Rules
No matter what sport you play, you’ve got to follow the rules. Being a good athlete means understanding and following rules and using strategies and techniques specific to your sport. If you don’t do this, you increase your risk of getting injured. Therefore, take the time to learn how to throw, kick, jump, and even run. The technique is critical to playing sports safely.
Orthopedic Care for Sports Injuries in Southwest Florida
Are you an athlete or participate in physical activities often? It is a good idea to have an orthopedic doctor on your side in case you ever suffer an injury. The experts at Joint Replacement Institute treat all types of sports-related injuries. Our orthopedic doctors not only treat you when you get injured, but they also provide preventive care and advice so you can avoid getting injured in the future.
Make an appointment today by calling (239) 261-2663 and find out how we can help you. You can also request an appointment online.
