15-tips-for-prevention-injuries-during-exercise.
According to a study (2015), The University of California 21.6 percentage of GYM enthusiasts who are injured during Strenght Training and 78.4 percentage of Track & Field athletes experience injuries from stress factors and tendinitis of muscle tears and shin pains.
While exercise injuries are common when starting out, but in this article, I will tell you the top 15 injury prevention tips you can do to help avoid them.
Causes of Injury
99% of our injuries during exercise are the result of our own carelessness and violation of the basic principles of exercise.
Injury may occur due to incorrect form and or technique, ‘too much too soon’ approach, low level of experience, medical history.
Besides this low fitness level combined with overtraining, inadequate recovery time, lack of proper nutrition, insufficient or no warm-up/cool-down, etc.
Poor concentration, adverse environment, failure to understand also signs of injury.
Injury may also occur due to malfunctioning of exercise equipment, cluttered gym, etc.
The Top 15 Tips For Injury Prevention
Injury is largely preventable if anyone follow these guidelines –
(i) Purchase good quality equipment, training apparel including shoes.
(ii) Never ignore warm-up and cool-down.
(iii) Use proper form and technique.
Read more: 9 Direct Benefits Of Regular Exercise
(iv) Follow the basic principles of exercise.
(v) Get assistance from a spotter in case of lifting heavyweights.
(vi) Focus your mind on the exercise, especially during high-intensity exercise. The focus of mind not only protects you against injury, but it also enhances your performance.
(vii) Take sufficient precautions against the extreme environment (heat, cold).
(viii) Take proper nutrition. For example, a lack of required protein may impair muscle growth and its repair.
(ix) Slight discomfort or agony during exercise is OK and desirable. However, any kind of joint or muscular pain should be treated as a signal to stop or slow down.
(x) When you resume exercise after a long gap, start from a lower degree of intensity/volume and gradually reach the standard you had achieved when you had left training.
(xi) Avoid jerky movements in weight training. All movements should be at a controlled, slow, smooth pace.
(xii) Stop exercise at once on warning signs of dizziness, acute fatigue, mental confusion.
(xiii) Flexibility prevents injury. Do include flexibility in your exercise session.
(xiv) In the case of long-duration (more than 30-40 minutes) exercise, hydrate yourself well at frequent intervals.
(xv) In case of an injury, don’t deny your injury. Discontinue exercise and seek proper medical help to avoid further worsening of the injury.
Injury Prevention Management with RICE
In case of injury apply the principle of RICE. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)
Rest – Give rest to the injured part.
Ice – Apply ice to the injured area. Cooling by ice decreases swelling of the affected part. Ice can be applied for 10-15 minutes at intervals of 30-40 minutes.
Compression – Compress the affected area with a firm but not too tight elastic bandage.
Elevation – During the first 24-72 hrs elevation of the affected part helps in checking swelling by reducing the blood flow.
Remember, RICE is a first aid only. Don’t hesitate to consult a doctor in case your injury prolongs.
Injury of any part of the body does not necessarily mean complete abandonment of exercise. Unless medically advised otherwise, one can exercise one’s unaffected body parts.
For example, if your shoulders are injured, there is no reason why you cannot exercise your legs, abdominal muscles, forearms.
Listen To Your Body
Don't overtrain yourself
Overtraining is generally caused by our ‘too much too soon’ approach to exercise. Inappropriately high levels of intensity or volume of exercise, or both combined together, and insufficient recovery time lead to overtraining. Neglect of proper nutrition is another significant factor that contributes to this phenomenon. One important sign of overtraining is that despite regular training, gains are stopped at a point, and even worse, performance starts to decline. Other psychosomatic symptoms of overtraining are –
- Chronic muscle soreness/ joint pain, unduly nagging fatigue
- a stress-induced injury like tiny fractures
- Lack of enthusiasm for work out
- Lack of concentration
- Irritability
- Sleep disorders
- The decrease in lean body mass (decrease in muscle mass)
- Decrease appetite
- Lowered immunity level
- Frequent cold-like symptoms
- Altered blood pressure
- Altered resting heart rate (RHR)
Rest is the key to success
An increase of more than 5 beats per minute above your normal may be an indication that you have done too much exercise on the previous day.
So, the next day either do little training or simply take a rest.
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