Sports rehab is no picnic. Getting an injured joint back into shape takes a lot of work and often a good bit of help. An injury itself is no fun either. The pain, stiffness and weakness of a damaged muscle of joint can interrupt not only your enjoyment of a favorite sport but the rest of your life as well. The best ways to avoid suffering through the rehabilitation process is to avoid the injury in the first place.
om sudden acceleration or deceleration, twisting motions or direct impact. Professional and collegiate athletes suffer these injuries but so do many average folks. Casual sport players, like weekend softball team members, can fall victim to all sorts of injuries. You can also get hurt just from being active. Many a pulled and torn muscle has resulted from aerobics classes and strength training workouts.
Working with a trainer may help you avoid injuries during you regular exercise routine. Personal training is an excellent way to learn techniques that do not put undue strain on joints. A trainer can help push you when you need and pull you back when you might otherwise overdo your workout. Your sport performance can also benefit from training. You may be able to improve your reaction time and control which helps keep you from being injured.
There are other ways to prevent injuries on your own. Stretching prior to activity and cooling down slowly afterwards are two of the best. Enjoying a thorough stretch will help warm up your muscles and make them more pliable. It increases the length of muscles and ligaments which, in turn increases the joints’ range of motion. Tight joints and muscles are more prone to tearing and stretching loosens them. Unfortunately, this portion of a workout is the one most often cut short or skipped entirely.
Another often overlooked preventative measure is nutrition. In Austin, one of the first recommendations of sports nutritionists is to hydrate more frequently. The body is about 60% water by weight and water is essential to every bodily system. Cool, not cold, water will help keep your body hydrated during activity which cuts down on cramping and other muscle problems. Good nutrition gives those muscles the fuel they need for performing well in any activity whether it’s a weekend of golf or professional football game.
A nutrition plan will help you use the food you eat to improve your performance and maintain your ideal weight. Weight plays an important role in preventing injuries, too. A lower body weight puts less stress on joints, particularly those in the lower body like injury-prone knees.
Even the best prevent plans sometimes fail. If you do sustain an injury, do not treat it lightly. Redness, tenderness, swelling and an inability to bear weight are all signals of a potentially serious injury. You may need the help of an Austin physical therapist if you experience any of these symptoms. Rehab may be a lot of work, but it is certainly better than living with a damaged joint or muscle. Make an appointment at a sports medicine clinic if suspect a sport-related injury.
About the Author: Todd Keating is an expert in the sports medicine and is an active athletic trainer and sports coach
