Preventing Injuries

 

 

 

Fitness activities are supposed to be good for you, but sometimes things go wrong and you might actually get injured while you are exercising. Most sports and overuse injuries are more annoying than life-threatening, although some can actually be severe or chronic enough that you might have to give up one activity and substitute another, perhaps you'll switch to Power Walking instead of running, low-impact aerobics instead of kickboxing, and so on. 

 

Although there is no guaranteed method to keep you injury-free, there are precautions that you can take to minimize your risks. Anyone, even the most highly trained athlete, can sustain an injury on any give day, seemingly without explanation. However, if you take the time to learn your body and train it well, you are much less likely to be thwarted by aches, pains, strains, and sprains. Choosing a sport or activity that suits your body type and build helps to prevent injury.

 

Common Athletic Injuries:

 

The Smart Guide to Sports Medicine offers a list of some common athletic injuries. Here's what they mean in lay terms:

BONE SPUR - A calcium deposit on the bone, particularly on the heels, although it can happen on any bone. Scientists believe bone spurs occur when the body tries to heal itself after a trauma by replacing bone. The growth is usually small and often undetected. Areas prone to bone spurs are the hips, knees, shoulders, neck and spine. Often bone spurs are found on the heel as a result of unusual stress to muscles and tissue there. Bone spurs can compress adjacent nerves; blood vessels and soft tissue resulting in symptoms ranging from minor pain, numbness to gross sensory loss and  muscular atrophy. 

 

BRUISE - Discoloration of the skin caused by broken blood vessels. A bone bruise is a deep bruise accompanied by deep-tissue tenderness.


BURSITIS - There are bursa all over the body - in the shoulder, the knee, the elbow, anywhere there is a major prominence in the bone. Basically, bursa sacs allow the skin to slide over the bony prominence. For instance, the skin on the hand is pretty close to the bone; if it weren't you couldn't get a firm grip on things. You can think of the bursa as an empty balloon with a drop of oil in it - one side of the balloon is attached to the bony surface and the other to the underside of the surface of the skin and it slides. The prefix "itis" means inflammation, so the word "bursitis" simply means inflammation of a bursa.

CHONDROMALACIA - A roughening under the kneecap where the cartilage is thinning out and tearing. It sounds like walking on gravel when the knee is bending. The injury is common among girls aged 10 - 20 years. Correct rehabilitation is essential for this injury along with taping. Do not ignore this injury because if it gets very bad it is extremely difficult to treat because of increased tendency for knouch knee. Click here to learn more about symptoms, causes and treatment of Chondromalacia.

CONTUSION - A contusion is considered a direct blow or blunt injury that does not interrupt the skin. Typically there is a bruise at the site of contusion from injury to the blood vessels. There are two types of contusion:

Intra-muscular which is a tearing of the muscle within the sheath that surrounds it. This means that the initial bleeding may stop early (within hours) because of increased pressure within the muscle however the fluid is unable to escape as the muscle sheath prevents it. The result is considerable loss of function and pain which can take days or weeks to recover. You are not likely to see any bruising come out with this type - especially in the early stages.

Inter-muscular which is a tearing of the muscle and part of the sheath surrounding it. This means that the initial bleeding will take longer to stop especially if you do not ice it. However recovery is often faster than intra-muscular as the blood and fluids can flow away from the site of injury. You are more likely to see bruising come out with this one.

Home Care Ideas for treating bone spur

Get a proper diagnosis for the growth you have found.

Decide whether to treat the spur once your doctor diagnoses it. You may choose not to treat the spur if it is not painful and does not interfere with daily living.

Ask your doctor about rest, anti-inflammatory drugs or physical therapy if the spur is creating problems for you. These non-invasive treatments are usually effective in treating the bone spur.

Consider surgery if the spur is creating serious physical problems, such as prohibiting walking, and the spur is not responding to other forms of treatment. Surgery to remove spurs is rare.

Take steps to delay the progression of arthritis if your doctor diagnoses that disease. You can do your part by maintaining a healthy weight and keeping your joints flexible with low-impact exercises like swimming.

A good approach is always to aim for rebuilding the capillary walls, strengthening them against future bruising. The best nutritional substances for strengthening capillary walls are Vitamin C and bioflavanoids found in oranges and other citrus fruits or nutritional supplements. Vitamin C and bioflavanoids are produced together in citrus fruits and should be taken together as supplements.

DISLOCATION - A joint injury in which the bones that are supposed to be connected by cartilage are offset from their normal positions.

FRACTURE - A milder way of saying "break". A compound fracture is one in which broken bone pierces the skin. Stress fractures are "cracks" rather than "breaks" in the bone and are caused by excessive impact.

 

LACERATION - A cut in the skin.

 

PLANTAR FASCITIS - Pain in the arch caused by an inflammation of the connective tissue between the heel and the ball of the foot.

 

SESAMOIDITIS - Inflammation of even fractures of the metatarsal bones under the forefoot.

 

SHIN SPLINTS - Inflammation of the muscles and tendons of the shins.

 

SPRAIN AND STRAIN - Related injuries that involve stretching, tearing, or even rupturing soft tissue such as ligaments, tendons, and muscle fibers. Sprains happen to ligaments that connect bones to bones. Tendons connect muscles to bones. Doctors categorize these injuries as follows: Grade I is a relatively mild injury involving one quarter or less of the affected muscle fibers. Grade II is a tear of one quarter to three quarters of the fibers. Grade III is a total rupture of the fibers.

 

SUBUNGUAL HEMATOMA - Discoloration under the toenail gauzed by bleeding.

 

TENDONITIS - An inflammation or tenderness of the ropy tendon tissue connecting muscle to bone. This goes by various specialty names. Tennis players, for example, refer to tendonitis of the elbow as "tennis elbow", basketball players refer to tendonitis of the knee as "jumper's knee."

WF fitness experts have carefully drafted a list of common injuries to help you gain complete insight into causes, symptoms and treatment of common injuries click here to know more.

 

Precautions to prevent injury:

The factors that you should consider to prevent injury are: stretching and strengthening, training and coaching, and equipment and facilities.

 

Stretching and strengthening
To perform your sport at maximum efficiency, you need to prepare by lengthening and toning your muscles and building strength. Each time you use a muscle, it becomes slightly "injured" and shortens in the "healing" process. Stretching counteracts this natural shortening. Regardless of your level of strength, stretching will help your muscles to resist stress. Stretch and warm-up exercises also increase the temperature of your muscles and gradually prepare them for harder work (For a complete list of stretching exercises with instructions log on to WF Flexibility Exercises)

Strength Training improves your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and even your bones. The key to becoming strong is to work your body to its safe capacity. You can train for a specific sport by using weights or the objects that you use when you play-such as a tennis racket or golf club. Focus on building strong muscles around the joints that receive the most strain in your sport.

 

Training and coaching
 Knowing the correct way to perform an activity is an excellent defense against injury. A good instructor has the experience and knowledge to observe your movements with a perspective you can never have. Video equipment can also be helpful for giving you feedback.

 

Many people learn about sports and other physical activities from books, magazine articles, and training manuals. If this is your only option, try to associate with trainers who can give you tips based on their experience or education, and ask them to observe your movements to gain a different viewpoint.

Equipment and facilities
 Poor equipment and inadequate facilities can sabotage your safety. There is a wide selection of equipment from which to choose. Magazines devoted to individual sports abound, as do feature articles and advertisements that will tell you what is being manufactured. Buy the best equipment you can afford and make sure that you are paying for quality of materials and workmanship, not just fashion and frills.

 

Where your perform is as important as how. You should consider the following variables.

  • Surface: A good, resilient surface can help cushion the shock that travels through the joints and spine each time your feet make contact with the ground. Indoors, look for a sprung wood floor in aerobics areas and tracks. Outdoors, choose grass, composition, clay, or manmade tracks for your workouts. The urban athlete can compensate for concrete surfaces to a certain extent by choosing shoes with extra cushioning.

  • Temperature and air quality: Take the temperature into consideration when you plan your workouts. Muscles that are cold pull more easily. In winter, wear layered clothing and take a longer time to warm up and stretch. try to avoid extremes in temperature, making seasonal adjustments when necessary. Exertion during the heat of a summer day can lead to heat stroke or dehydration. Drink plenty of water, wear "breathable" clothing, and cover your head. Especially in urban areas, check the weather reports on air quality and pollution level.

  • Lighting and space: Good lighting is essential. If you can't see something adequately, you might trip over it or run into it. Space is equally important. Investigate the activity area itself and note factors such as pool depth and length, and fences around playing fields. 


Treatments:

Consult a doctor immediately if you sustain a serious injury. Milder injuries might heal by themselves, but see a doctor if the pain persists after a few days. Immediate treatment for injuries should follow the acronym RICE.


Rest the injured area.

Ice the injured area with ice in a towel to prevent swelling.

Compress the injured area if possible with a towel or bandage to prevent swelling. 

Elevate the injured area above the level of the heart to help drain fluid that might collect.

Once the injured area begins to heal, and the pain subsides, try working gradually and gently back into activity by doing M.S.A. techniques. M.S.A. stands for movement, strength, and alternate activities. 

M --- Movement - Work at establishing a full range of motion as soon as possible after an injury. This will help maintain flexibility during healing and prevent the scar tissue formed by the injury from limiting future performance. 

S --- Strength - Gradually strengthen the injured area once the inflammation is controlled and a range of motion is re-established. 

A --- Alternate Activities - Do regular exercise using activities that do not strain the injured part. This should be started a few days after the injury, even though the injured part is still healing.


Practice safety first, to prevent injury.

 

Common injuries Vs Sports

The most common injuries and complaints for various activities follow:

AEROBICS - Plantar fascitis, shin splints, stress fractures, lower-back pain, Achilles tendonitis, calf strains, sesamoiditis.

BASKETBALL - Dislocated or fractured fingers, stress fractures, shin splints, tendonitis of the Achilles, plantar fascists, jumper's knee, ankle sprains.

BICYCLING - Pulled hamstrings, knee and ankle pains and strains, handlebar palsy, genital discomfort, cervical and lower-lumbar vertebral pain.

IN-LINE SKATING - Sprains, fractures, miscellaneous scrapes, head injuries, dislocation of the wrists, knees, or elbows.

SWIMMING - Rotator cuff tendonitis and tears, swimmer's ear (water trapped in the ear canal).

TENNIS - Plantar fascitis, ankle sprains, tennis elbow, tennis toe, shin splints, stress fractures, blisters.

 

You can't make yourself younger, and you probably won't change your gender, but as you rev up your activity level and shed extra pounds, your odds of getting hurt will decrease. A solid and sound fitness program - If you begin slowly, rev up gradually, and avoid the temptation to overdo it-will decrease your chances of injury. If you do get injured, the severity is likely to be less and your recovery is likely to be faster if you have a stronger body to begin with.

 

For more on prevention of sports injury, Click here.