Avoiding injury whilst fulfilling New Years resolutions
It’s vitally important to be physically active, but also to avoid injuries as they can be a major setback to leading an active lifestyle. This seems particularly relevant this time of year when there are New Years resolutions to get back on the bike, start golf, kayaking, twilight tennis and complete a half marathon!
However if you are sedentary or coming from a relatively inactive state, it’s important for exercise intensity to be progressive; otherwise the risk for injury increases.
Common injuries seen include joint inflammation, muscle tears, and ligament sprains. Most injuries can be managed with chiropractic, with lower force techniques being utilised whilst the acute symptoms subside.
It’s important for new or returning athletes to be realistic. For starters, don’t expect your body to adapt immediately to intense activities. If you have been inactive for a long period of time, your body will not be prepared for physical challenges without initial conditioning.
A warm up is a simple, yet neglected way to avoid injuries. 8-10 minutes of walking or light running, combined with some dynamic stretching is a great general way to prepare your body.
Be realistic and plan ahead for a new sport or activity. Choose something than supports your current fitness level, or be prepared to undertake a pre-sport training phase (just like pre-season) to improve muscular strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness.
It is important to prepare your body with a base fitness and address any niggles to prevent injury.
- Assessment of Your Body Mechanics/Movements – Your ability to do simple functional activities like walk, sit, stand and perform the skills of your chosen activity give us a lot of insight into the overall function of your body.
- Home Exercise Programs – Once we have reduced your pain, inflammation and discomfort, we can discuss a rehabilitation program for you to restore your joint range of motion and muscle strength. This will help you maintain your results.
- Treatment Techniques – Chiropractic techniques include hands on therapy, home exercises, taping, ultrasound, hot and cold therapy, stretching, advice on activity modification and much more; to deal with the vast different types of injuries.
- Returning to sport after a previous injury – A chiropractor can address any musculoskeletal issues, and give advice on how to avoid new injuries, and manage any previous injuries.
Regardless of your age or activity level, a chiropractor can help manage and prevent injuries, improve sporting performance and ensure that your whole body is functioning at it’s best - on and off the sporting ground.
