Did you know there are about 3.5 million injuries in children 14 or younger every year? A third of these injuries are sports-related.
Whether you have a child who plays sports or you play yourself, injury prevention is necessary to stay safe and have fun. This guide will discuss some tips you should follow. Continue reading to learn what they are.
Work With a Professional
Working with a personal trainer is a great way to prevent injury. A trainer has the knowledge and training to teach you how to play your sport and exercise without hurting yourself. A trainer can teach you good form, something you’ll always need to exercise safely.
You should also consider physical therapy injury prevention. A physical therapist can create a treatment plan to offer pain relief and rehabilitation to prevent further injury. Check out Sport Physiotherapy and Wellness for more information.
Have a Rest Day
Any good injury prevention plan should include a rest day. While exercise and playing sports offer a lot of great benefits, pushing yourself past the point of exhaustion can cause a lot of harm. With rest your muscle can’t recover properly.
If you don’t allow yourself some time to rest, your muscles won’t fully recover which is setting yourself up to get injured. You need a minimum of one day of rest per week. If you train for a specific sport, a minimum of a month off from training allows your body to recover from any overexertion. A lot of professional athletes will see a massage therapist or even visit sauna Sydney, both of which are not only relaxing but are known to help increase blood flow to the muscles speeding up the recovery process.
Wear the Right Gear
During any kind of physical activity, especially when you’re playing a sport, it’s important to wear the right gear. This will help protect vulnerable parts of your body from injury.
Comfortable clothes and sneakers are the right attire during a workout. Depending on the sport you play, protective gear is necessary. Helmets and padding will protect you in high-contact sports.
You should also wear the appropriate clothing to protect yourself from overheating.
Don’t Play When You’re in Pain
You know your body better than anyone. So, listening to it will keep you safe from injury. You’ll always be tired after a game, but being in pain can indicate you’re overexerting yourself.
Pain is a sign you need to take things a little easier. If you try to exercise or play through pain, you’ll most likely injure yourself. Take a shorter break now so you can avoid having to take a longer break after an injury.
Do the Right Pre and Post Game Exercises
Good injury prevention programs should also include appropriate pre and post-game exercises. Conditioning exercises are vital during practice and before games. These will increase muscle strength to prevent injury.
Post-game stretching exercises will help keep you flexible. This will improve your skills in your sport and prevent you from getting injured as well.
Injury Prevention Tips You Should Follow
If you follow the injury prevention tips in the guide above, you should be able to enjoy playing sports with minimal risks. Make sure you include a day of rest into your routine and work with a physical therapist to learn how to prevent pain and injury.
Check out some of the other health blogs on our website for more helpful tips.