Avoiding Sports Injuries
While Southern Sports Medicine is a great place to come when injuries occur, we would all like to avoid injuries when possible. In order to do this I would suggest:
- Get a pre-season physical examination or a general physical to be sure you are fit for a chosen sport. This allows you to be sure there are no obvious physical problems or pre-existing conditions that would predispose you to injury. It also gives your physician an opportunity to see if any old injuries have not been completely rehabilitated or if you have an inadequate level of fitness for your proposed sport.
- Use protective equipment. Equipment can always decrease injuries in certain sports. Protective devices such as shin guards in Soccer and eye protection in racket sports are obvious protective devices that can be helpful. Equipment in contact sport should always be worn and worn appropriately.
- Don't play hurt. We do not recommend that our athletes or recreational athletes play with increased swelling or pain. This rarely helps them meet their rehabilitative goals and can delay their return to sports.
- Aim for a steady, gradual increase in your fitness level. We know that a conditioned athlete is less likely to sustain injury. The rule of thumb that I sometimes use is to increase one's endurance capacity about 10% per week when increasing your fitness level. This is especially true for athletes who are trying to increase mileage as a runner or in duration and intensity of exercise with weights.
- Always include a warm-up session and stretching before exercising. A warm-up routine can help protect joint flexibility and stretching your muscles may prevent strains and other injuries.
Douglas Rouse, M.D.
Southern Sports Medicine
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