Healthy Tips Video: Preventing Sports Injuries

Video Transcript

So summer is almost here, and the weather's getting better, so people start thinking more about being physically active. So let's spend a little time today talking about reducing your risk of injuries as you become more physically active. The first thing to consider is whether you're doing this more for competition or more for just your well-being and trying to get more physically active. Competitive sports are way different than sports or activities we're doing just for our own personal well-being.

If you're engaged in competitive sports, you're going to be pushing really hard. So you've got to be ready to go full speed when you hit the court or when you hit the field. So the first thing is you really need to be fit. There is no substitute for strength and conditioning on a regular basis before you try to hit the competitive field.

The second thing you need to make sure you do is warm up really well before you start your activity. There's an old saying in track and field that the shorter the event, the longer the warm-up should be. Short events are usually really intense, like sprints or jumps. So we really need to make sure our body is ready to go with that really fast, intense activity. So a good warm-up is essential for that.

The other thing to consider-- and this is not summer specific, and this is really important for youth sports-- is don't play one sport year round. There needs to be an off season. You should give your body a chance to recover at some point throughout the year. When we're playing the same sport year round, we really increase our risk of injury. And there's a lot of good information that suggests that when kids play several different sports, they actually develop better, and they become better athletes.

When we're talking about activity more for fitness, it's equally important to warm up before you do anything. Now, usually when we're going for fitness, we're not pushing ourselves quite as hard. So just a slower version of whatever you're going to eventually be doing is a good way to warm up.

If you're going to go out and play golf, don't jump on the first tee and start hitting the ball as hard as you can. Maybe start on the practice range. Hit a couple of buckets of balls. Start with some easy 9-irons, and work your way up through middle distance, longer irons. And get the woods out after that. Don't start swinging as hard as you can right off the bat.

Same would go for running. Start walking. Walk your way into a slow jog, and then jog your way into a slow run. It's a great way to warm up. The other thing about exercise for fitness is don't only be a weekend warrior. It's much better to do something every day, even if it's just a little bit.

The current recommendations are to get at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week. I would much rather you do that 30 minutes a day, five days a week than try to get 150 minutes of running on Saturday morning because you have time to do it. You're much more likely to get injured if you're doing that.

Then the last thing when we're considering exercise for fitness is listen to your body. It will tell you when it's time to push a little bit harder. It's also going to tell you when it's time to slow down. Listen to those cues, like a little bit of muscle pain, or if your joints are hurting some, or if you're just fatigued. Take a couple days, scale back on the activity, and recover before you go out the next day and push yourself very hard. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact me through our Lifestyle and Sports Medicine Clinic at 270-688-2110.