Athletes put a lot of strain and pressure on their body as they train to be the best in their sport. Athletes are at risk of experiencing many sports-related injuries due to the extensive time practicing and playing sports. We have some injury prevention tips to help athletes stay on top of their game.
Manage Your Training Load
Training overload stresses your entire body. It’s important to practice load management. This means that you avoid intense highs and lows. It’s better to train regularly instead of jumping into something headfirst then stopping quickly for an extended period of time. Your body reacts to the way you train. If you suddenly stop training then jump right back in, your body must work harder to keep up with the changes.
Strech It
One of the best prevention tips is to stretch and warm up your body. This should become a habit. Mix both static and dynamic stretching to loosen your muscles. Hold each stretch for a small amount of time for static stretches. Jumping jacks and body movements are dynamic stretches. Stretching gets the body ready to play.
Beyond Stretching
A simple way to go beyond stretching is to warm up. This means you’re preparing your body for intense activity by doing a similar activity with less intensity. Start slow. You can warm up the tissues in your body with heat. Heat works in your connective tissues by creating physical changes. This makes your tissues more pliable.
Conversely, don’t overdo it. I’ve seen
Rest Up
When the mind is tired, the body is tired. It’s important to rest as much as possible after training. If you don’t sleep well, muscle fatigue takes over. This can add to injury. One of the most common injuries in young athletes involves overuse. This means the athlete plays too much and doesn’t rest enough.
Drink Water And Electrolytes
If you don’t hydrate properly, you risk cramping and/or heat-related illnesses. During hot and humid days, hydration is key to staying healthy. Athletes should always take breaks for water. The body loses water during training. Electrolytes and water are important to boost their health.
Use Proper Technique
When you’re not using the proper technique, extra stress is put on your body. Football players should always tackle the proper way to help avoid injury, baseball players should throw the ball using proper technique and runners on track should use the proper running techniques so they don’t put additional pressure on their joints. This is a rule that should never be bent. Even if athletes do it their own way a few times, they could injure themselves.
Cultivate Coordination
Many athletes are injured because small glitches in coordinating quick, powerful movements don’t respond to traumatic forces at the same time. This is either from fatigue or lack of development in the ski.. It’s important to create coordination to bring it all together. Athletes should challenge themselves with many different activities and sensations to improve coordination. Balance is also a part of this as it is a basic element of coordination. An athlete’s balance will improve as they continue to practice.
Play Smart
Athletes practice hard, but they should also practice smart. An athlete doesn’t have to be the most physically fit to play smart. They have to be clever with how the game is played. They must think before they do. When you make a precise effort to play, you don’t put as much strain on your body.
Get Help
Many athletes play until they’re in so much pain they can no longer continue. It’s important to recognize issues and get help before the injury becomes a problem. Chiropractic care can help prevent injuries. If you notice a limp, a pain that won’t go away or swelling, it’s important to contact a doctor. If joints give way, have consistent pain or don’t respond after a period of rest, it’s time to get help.