INJURIES THAT OCCUR DURING EXERCISE

Injuries are common among physically active people. Most sports injuries are due to either traumatic injury or overuse and can be avoided by proper conditioning, training and equipment.

To prevent injuries  that occur during exercise, it  helps to do these;

·         Warm up before exercise. Cold, stiff muscles and ligaments are more susceptible to injury. Cool down and stretch after activities. For the first five minutes of your exercise routine, start out slowly and easily so your muscles have a chance to warm up.

·         Increase the intensity and duration of activities and exercise gradually. As your fitness level improves, you will be able to do increasingly strenuous exercise without injury.

·         Use proper sports techniques and equipment. For example , wear supportive, well-cushioned shoes for running, aerobics, and walking, use a two-handed tennis backhand stroke, wear protective pads for roller-skating. Make sure that your bicycle’s seat and handlebars are adjusted properly for your body.

·         Alternate hard workouts with easier ones to let your body rest. For example, if you run, alternate long or hard runs with shorter or easier ones. If you lift weights, don’t work the same muscles two days in a row.

·         Do several activities to rest your muscles. Alternate days of walking with biking, or swimming.

·         Don’t ignore aches and pains. A few days of reduced activity, rest, or ice when you feel the first twinge of pain may help you avoid more serious problems.

·         Keep the rest of your body fit by cross-training with activities that don’t stress the injured area. For example, swimming or biking for sore ankles or feet, walking or biking for sore shoulders or elbows.

·         Resume your regular activity gradually. Start with a slow, easy pace and increase only if you have no pain.

·         Break your exercises down into components. If you can throw a ball a short distance without pain, try increasing the distance. If you can walk comfortably, try jogging. If you can jog without pain, try running.

A person can sustain a fracture during exercise due to repeated overuse of muscles. This is called a stress fracture and are common during intensive training for sports like basketball, running etc. The main symptom is persistent foot pain and tenderness that increases during use. There may be no visible swelling.

STRAINS AND SPRAINS

A strain is an injury caused by overstretching a muscle. A sprain on the other hand is an injury to the muscle and the ligaments, tendons or soft tissues around a joint. These two injuries cause pain and swelling. Unless a broken bone is obvious, it may be difficult to tell if an injury is a strain or sprain. Rapid swelling often indicates a more serious injury. You may have a severe sprain if ;

·         The injured area is visibly swollen.

·         The injured area is twisted or bent out of shape or a bone is poking out of the skin.

·         The injured area is black and blue.

·         The pain from the injury prevents normal use of the limb such as walking.