Sports injury prevention
Sport is universally recognised as an effective way to keep in shape for most people, and a great start on the road to a healthy lifestyle. However, organised sports and activities can also sometimes have adverse effects in the form of injury.
A study of Australians who were admitted to hospital between 2004 and 2005 after being injured in sport identified the most common sporting activities leading to injury. These included: Australian football; basketball; soccer; netball; rugby; and cycling. Rollerblading and skateboarding were also common injury-causing culprits among children.
With research warning that children who experience sporting injuries are at a higher risk of suffering from re-injury in the long term, it’s important to take some sensible precautions to avoid injury in the first place. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your fitness programme while preventing injury.
Avoiding dehydration and overheating
Drink plenty of fluids. Whatever sport you play, it is essential to maintain your fluid levels to avoid dehydration. If you become dehydrated you’ll not be able to regulate your body temperature as effectively, which means that you’ll risk overheating (hyperthermia). Dehydration will also adversely affect your performance, as your blood volume will be reduced and you’ll be less able to deliver oxygen to your
working muscles.
Don’t rely on your thirst as an indicator of dehydration, but try to drink consistently before and during your sporting activity. Continuing to drink after
you have finished will ensure that weight lost through fluid depletion is replaced. Remember that alcohol and any drinks containing caffeine can lead to increased dehydration.
Acclimatise to the conditions
Try to be acclimatised to the area and conditions where you participate in physical activities. This helps to ensure your body is equipped to handle the conditions. For example, you may be particularly vulnerable to the heat at the start of summer when you’re not used to it. Your body can adapt to exercising in warm conditions, making you more able to cope with the heat, but this takes a few weeks. One of the ways it does this is to get you to start sweating sooner. This means that even when you are fully acclimatised, it is important to drink enough to avoid dehydration.
Use sun protection
If you are outdoors, always remember to use adequate sun protection, and try to avoid scheduling activities between 10am and 2 pm, the hottest part of the day.
Wear appropriate clothing
There is no benefit to exercising when you are dehydrated or have hyperthermia. So always wear appropriate clothing, which should be light and
permits your sweat to evaporate freely. Sweat only cools you when it evaporates off your body.
Conversely, don’t deliberately wear excessive clothing that may cause you to overheat. If you do, you will lose even more body fluid unnecessarily, which can have an adverse effect and must be fully replaced. Sweating excessively does not help you to lose more fat, and in hot conditions the weight difference before and after a bout of exercise is mainly body fluid, all of which must be replaced
for you to maintain a healthy state.
Warming up, cooling down
You can help to reduce the risk of a serious sporting injury by warming up before exercise and taking time to cool down after your activity. A warm up should consist of some gentle aerobic activity, such as cycling or jogging, to gradually warm your muscles. This should last for 5 to 15 minutes, depending on how strenuous your main exercise will be. It should also gradually increase in intensity until you have a slight sweat.
Stretching as part of your warm up helps to promote blood flow to your muscles, increasing flexibility and reducing the chance of getting a new injury
or aggravating an old one. Remember, though, to stretch only when your muscles are warm. Involve all the muscle groups you will be using in your activity.
Progress gradually
Try not to overdo it when beginning a new activity: build on your fitness levels and set goals. Knowing your limits means you have less chance of
sustaining a sporting injury — a lack of fitness increases your chance of experiencing a pulled muscle or heat-related injury such as heat exhaustion. Attempting to do too much, when your body is not conditioned for it, will also increase your risk of an overuse injury.
The right equipment
No matter which sport you play, the correct footwear is essential to absorb the impact of movement as well as provide adequate support for your ankles and feet. This is especially important in sports where knee and ankle injuries are common, such as netball and football.
To help avoid injury, protective equipment such as knee and elbow pads, helmets, mouthguards, gloves or shin pads may be helpful in many contact sports or sports where there is a risk of impact with another player, the ground or a piece of equipment. Eye protection is particularly important when playing games such as squash.
Sport is universally recognised as an effective way to keep in shape for most people, and a great start on the road to a healthy lifestyle. However, organised sports and activities can also sometimes have adverse effects in the form of injury.
A study of Australians who were admitted to hospital between 2004 and 2005 after being injured in sport identified the most common sporting activities leading to injury. These included: Australian football; basketball; soccer; netball; rugby; and cycling. Rollerblading and skateboarding were also common injury-causing culprits among children.
With research warning that children who experience sporting injuries are at a higher risk of suffering from re-injury in the long term, it’s important to take some sensible precautions to avoid injury in the first place. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your fitness programme while preventing injury.
Avoiding dehydration and overheating
Drink plenty of fluids. Whatever sport you play, it is essential to maintain your fluid levels to avoid dehydration. If you become dehydrated you’ll not be able to regulate your body temperature as effectively, which means that you’ll risk overheating (hyperthermia). Dehydration will also adversely affect your performance, as your blood volume will be reduced and you’ll be less able to deliver oxygen to your
working muscles.
Don’t rely on your thirst as an indicator of dehydration, but try to drink consistently before and during your sporting activity. Continuing to drink after
you have finished will ensure that weight lost through fluid depletion is replaced. Remember that alcohol and any drinks containing caffeine can lead to increased dehydration.
Acclimatise to the conditions
Try to be acclimatised to the area and conditions where you participate in physical activities. This helps to ensure your body is equipped to handle the conditions. For example, you may be particularly vulnerable to the heat at the start of summer when you’re not used to it. Your body can adapt to exercising in warm conditions, making you more able to cope with the heat, but this takes a few weeks. One of the ways it does this is to get you to start sweating sooner. This means that even when you are fully acclimatised, it is important to drink enough to avoid dehydration.
Use sun protection
If you are outdoors, always remember to use adequate sun protection, and try to avoid scheduling activities between 10am and 2 pm, the hottest part of the day.
Wear appropriate clothing
There is no benefit to exercising when you are dehydrated or have hyperthermia. So always wear appropriate clothing, which should be light and
permits your sweat to evaporate freely. Sweat only cools you when it evaporates off your body.
Conversely, don’t deliberately wear excessive clothing that may cause you to overheat. If you do, you will lose even more body fluid unnecessarily, which can have an adverse effect and must be fully replaced. Sweating excessively does not help you to lose more fat, and in hot conditions the weight difference before and after a bout of exercise is mainly body fluid, all of which must be replaced
for you to maintain a healthy state.
Warming up, cooling down
You can help to reduce the risk of a serious sporting injury by warming up before exercise and taking time to cool down after your activity. A warm up should consist of some gentle aerobic activity, such as cycling or jogging, to gradually warm your muscles. This should last for 5 to 15 minutes, depending on how strenuous your main exercise will be. It should also gradually increase in intensity until you have a slight sweat.
Stretching as part of your warm up helps to promote blood flow to your muscles, increasing flexibility and reducing the chance of getting a new injury
or aggravating an old one. Remember, though, to stretch only when your muscles are warm. Involve all the muscle groups you will be using in your activity.
Progress gradually
Try not to overdo it when beginning a new activity: build on your fitness levels and set goals. Knowing your limits means you have less chance of
sustaining a sporting injury — a lack of fitness increases your chance of experiencing a pulled muscle or heat-related injury such as heat exhaustion. Attempting to do too much, when your body is not conditioned for it, will also increase your risk of an overuse injury.
The right equipment
No matter which sport you play, the correct footwear is essential to absorb the impact of movement as well as provide adequate support for your ankles and feet. This is especially important in sports where knee and ankle injuries are common, such as netball and football.
To help avoid injury, protective equipment such as knee and elbow pads, helmets, mouthguards, gloves or shin pads may be helpful in many contact sports or sports where there is a risk of impact with another player, the ground or a piece of equipment. Eye protection is particularly important when playing games such as squash.