Injury Prevention

Playing to Win: Injury Prevention Is the Key

Whether you're an All-Pro running back or a weekend warrior, the goal is the same. You undoubtedly want to lower your chances of incurring an injury while participating in your favorite sport. Fortunately, there are some general rules for injury prevention that apply to all sports, which is important because sports scientists suggest injury rates could be reduced by 25 percent if athletes took appropriate preventative action.

The #1 Rule: Don't Overdo It
Studies have shown that your best direct injury predictor may be the amount of training you completed last month. Fatigued muscles do a poor job of protecting their associated connective tissues, increasing the risk of damage to bone, cartilage, tendons and ligaments. The point isn't to avoid exercise, but rather to appreciate that overdoing it can lead to injury, and that when your muscles are fatigued, they need rest. It's about knowing what your body can handle at any particular point in time.

If You Can Predict an Injury, You May Avoid an Injury
If you have been injured before, you are much more likely to get hurt again than an athlete who has been injury free. After recovery, if you re-establish your desired training load without modification to your biomechanics, your knees are likely to be injured again. The second predictor of injury is probably the number of consecutive days of training you carry out each week. Scientific studies strongly suggest that reducing the number of consecutive days of training can lower the risk of injury. Recovery time reduces injury rates by giving muscles and connective tissues an opportunity to restore and repair themselves between workouts.

Other Injury Prevention Tips
* Increase your consumption of carbohydrates during periods of heavy training.
* Match increases in training with increases in resting. (Rest is how the body regenerates.)
* Precede any increase in training load with an increase in strengthening.
* Treat even seemingly minor injuries very carefully to prevent them from becoming a big problem.
* If you experience pain when training, stop your training session immediately.
* Never train hard if you are stiff from the previous effort.
* Pay attention to hydration and nutrition (water before exercise, electrolyte drink during exercise and water after exercise).
* Use appropriate training surfaces.
* Introduce new activities gradually and make sure you are clear on how to perform them safely.
* Allow lots of time for warming up before your workout/activity and cooling off after your workout/activity.
* Monitor daily for signs of fatigue; if in doubt, ease off your workouts for a day or two.


I am available for sessions and consultation at The Mind-Body Fitness Studio. Appointments can be arranged by contacting me directly at (631) 880-2531.



DR. CREW