5 ways to prevent sports injuries

Your sports require you to have strength and skill to excel in the game. Not only do you need to hone your technique, but you also need to be proactive about injury prevention to guarantee you’ll have the opportunity to compete.  Below we’ve listed five great ways athletes can prevent sports related injuries. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a great place to start.

1.      Condition – To stack the odds in your favor, it’s important to stay in shape year round. If your body is constantly in top form, you’re muscles are more likely to react in sync and your body move properly.  Your sport requires your muscles to be able to pivot and move at a moment’s notice. Conditioning prepares your body. (Source http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/sports-injury-prevention.aspx)

2.      Hydrate – If your body does not take in the proper amount of water in relationship to your exertion, you run the risk of dehydration. Not to mention, drinking more water can actually improve your performance as well as prevent injury. Renee Melton, MS, RD, LD, director of nutrition for Sensei, a developer of online and mobile weight loss and nutrition programs states, “If you start out dehydrated, you won’t get a good workout. You’ll get dizzy, lethargic, your muscles won’t work as well, you won’t feel as sharp mentally, and you’ll get cramps sooner.” (source: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/water-for-exercise-fitness?page=2)

source

3.      Ice – Proper recovery after exercise is just as important to injury prevention as what you do before exercise. Icing sore or heavily worked muscles will help speed recovery and reduce inflammations so you can get back out there and play the game. (source: http://sweatscience.com/ice-baths-for-recovery-15-minutes-at-10-c/)

source

4.      Don’t ignore pain – If your muscles and joints are sore, that’s one thing, but if you are in real pain, don’t play through. Pain is your body telling you that something is wrong. A twinged muscle can heal in a couple of days, but ignoring that twinged muscle could lead to a pull or a tear and derail a season.

5.      Wear technical compression gear – Aspaeris designed their shorts specifically to help the female athlete prevent ACL injuries and tears by guiding the wearing into proper posture. It is also a compression short that will help your muscle recovery post exercise.  (source: aspaerispivotshorts.com)

Stay in the game.

--

Injuring your ACL stinks, but you’re in good company. Everyday another 548 people suffer too. Are you injured? Have you been injured? I’d love to hear your story. Email me at Aspaeris@gmail.com and we’ll feature you on our blog!