During training, some people find they are more prone to injury than others or even the opposite. We are all different but there are some preventive actions you can take to keep yourself on track and prevent injury.
When you are on a roll with your training schedule, the last thing you need is to take a few days/weeks or even months out for something that could have been prevented.
Different sports come with different risk but the core principles for injury prevention remain the same throughout. Going for a Sports Massage, Physio or other treatments do not have to be a means for healing but can be used as part of your injury prevention plan. I often have clients come to me expecting me to fix them in one one hour session, they literally expect to go from zero to hero in one hour but it does not work this way. Yes Sport massage and holistic therapies can help on your healing process, but the bulk of the healing is done by the work you do at home, or should I say, not do (rest).
Along with therapy, here is a short list of preventive measures you can take to ensure you are doing all you can to prevent injury.
1. Watch your technique
Keeping check on your technique can not only prevent injury but also reduce energy usage and reduce the wear and tear on your body. Training in front of mirrors, conscious running or walking and training with a buddy or PT.
2. Overuse
Training opposite muscle or varying your training can help prevent overuse. If your sport of choice includes a lot of overuse and repetitions such as tennis or golf, recovery time is super important for injury prevention.
3. Excessive intensity & Fatigue
Increasing the intensity too quickly can expose you to injury, poor technique leading to injury and can be mentally damaging through setting unrealistic goals. Increase the intensity gradually and with caution in order to push yourself but not too much that the goal feels impossible. If you are tired, exhausted or feel like you can't train anymore, this is fatigue. Fatigue can lead to injury as your focus has gone. Be sure to include adequate rest or active rest to help prevent this long term.
4. Equipment check
Is the kit you are using adequate for the job you want it to do? Using faulty equipment can compromise your training, whether this be failure or lack of trust so your body looses focus on technique. Keep check on the condition of the equipment you are using to prevent the above and make sure it does what it is supposed to do.
5. Switch changes and twists
Some training involves high impact changes which require full attention and focus to prevent injury. Sports such as team sports, boxing and martial arts are some examples. Build up the knowledge on drills and training techniques to help you better prepare for these kinds of impacts. Being prepared will help you stay active and prevent injury.
I hope this little guide helps keep you in cheek with staying active and helping to prevent injuries. Other actions you can take are adequate warm ups, stretching and of course, nutrition. By following these simple steps, see if it makes a difference to how you train and let me know how you get on by emailing rokstherapy1@gmail.com
Have a good day!
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