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How can you prevent injuries? How do you prevent missing your beloved training and sports for a while? Here are some tips to prevent injury.
What are injuries?
First of all, it is good to clarify what we mean by injuries and which we think we can prevent with the tips that follow here. Or at least reduce the chance of.
The term ‘injuries’ is quite broad. It includes all physical injuries caused by sports. In addition, injuries caused by movements in daily life are often considered as injuries if they prevent or hinder sports.
So, all sorts of external causes fall under this. You probably can’t do much to prevent accidentally heading someone’s soccer cleats instead of the ball while playing soccer. You can also do little against a seal jumping into your sail and pulling your arm out while you’re sailing. Still, a considerable part of the injuries can be prevented, or the chance of them is reduced.
We will first discuss different types of injuries, and then we will discuss how you can prevent them. For ease of reference, there is a table of contents here. You can quickly navigate to different sections of this article.
Different types of injuries
For the sake of clarity, it is essential to first define which injuries can be distinguished.
Broadly speaking, we can distinguish between:
- Acute injuries
- Injuries due to poor preparation
- Overload injuries
1. Acute injury
Acute injuries are injuries that occur suddenly. A single event causes them. Examples include ankle sprains, muscle tears, and dislocations.
Often you can do little about this kind of injury. Accidents happen, and you can’t prevent them all. However, sometimes you can prevent such an injury with a good warm-up.
2. Poor preparation
Poor preparation is the second category of injuries that we can distinguish. These injuries occur when you don’t warm up properly or don’t have the right technique. Because of that, you pull something faster or overload your joints, which results in pain or even injuries.
For example, suppose you do heavy squats without having warmed up properly. In that case, you run a much greater risk of injuring yourself than when you do squats after an extensive warm-up. The same applies to sports. If you don’t warm up properly, you increase the risk of injury.
Example of poor preparation: Sprained hamstring
As an example of poor preparation, we take the case of a sprained hamstring. Many people get a sprained hamstring while doing explosive sprints, such as running the hundred meters.
They do this kind of sprint without warming up properly. As a result, the muscles are not warm and flexible enough, so that they are more susceptible to tearing. A good warm-up could have prevented this in many cases.
“Too short warm-up”
A too short warm-up is a widespread mistake that many athletes make. They have little time, or they simply do not feel like it, so they quickly start with their training.
They assume that everything will be fine, and they can just start working out without warming up properly. But this is asking for trouble.
A good warm-up increases the elasticity of the muscles and the flexibility of the joints. This prevents injuries. We’ll come back to that later in this article.
3. Overload
The third category of injuries that we can distinguish is overload injuries. These injuries occur when you put too much strain on your body for a long time.
For example, suppose you are starting to train for a marathon, and you immediately run 30 kilometers. In that case, you run a considerable risk of overuse injuries.
The same applies if you suddenly start training heavily with weights without building it up slowly. Your body needs time to get used to new loads.
How can you prevent injuries?
Now that we have discussed the different types of injuries, we will look at how you can prevent them.
What does a warm-up do against injuries?
A good warm-up increases the temperature of your body. Your body becomes more flexible and can take a beating better.
Furthermore, the elasticity of your muscles increases. Your muscles can stretch further, so the risk of a muscle or tendon tear decreases.
Warming up can reduce injuries according to research
Various studies have shown that a good warm-up can indeed reduce the risk of injury. For example, a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that warming up before physical activity can reduce the risk of injury by up to 50 percent.
Another study published in the same journal found that a warm-up consisting of both aerobic and stretching exercises can reduce the risk of injury even further.
How to prevent injuries with a warm-up?
But how do you prevent injuries with a warm-up? What should such a warm-up consist of?
Specific warm-up for strength training
If you are going to do strength training, a good warm-up might consist of cycling for 10 minutes followed by a few light sets of the exercise you are going to do.
Keep your head cool during the warm-up
It is essential to keep your head cool during the warm-up. By this, we mean that you do not exert yourself too much yet. You should gradually increase the intensity of your exercises during the warm-up.
If you immediately start sprinting during your warm-up or immediately start with heavy weights during your strength training, you increase the risk of injuries. Your body is not yet ready for this, and you are asking too much of your muscles and joints.
Stretching
As mentioned earlier, research has cast doubt on the effectiveness of stretching before sports. Therefore, it is better to do a short warm-up and save the extensive stretching for after your workout.
Overtraining and injuries
Overtraining is also an important cause of injuries. If you train too hard, too often, or without sufficient recovery, you increase the risk of injuries.
Therefore, it is essential to build up your training slowly and to listen to your body. If you notice that you are constantly tired, have muscle pain, or are not making progress, you may be overtraining.
In that case, it is better to take a step back and give your body the rest it needs. This prevents injuries and ensures that you can continue to enjoy sports for a long time.
How hard should you train?
How hard you should train depends on various factors, such as your level of fitness, your goals, and your age. However, a good rule of thumb is that you should be able to talk during your workout.
If you are so out of breath that you can’t talk anymore, you are probably training too hard. In that case, it is better to reduce the intensity of your workout.
“No pain, no gain”
Finally, it is important to realize that the saying “no pain, no gain” is not entirely true. It is normal to feel some discomfort during your workout, but you should not feel pain.
If you feel pain during your workout, it is a sign that something is wrong. In that case, it is better to stop immediately and consult a physiotherapist if necessary.
How to determine the right load?
Determining the right load for your workouts is essential to prevent injuries. If you lift too heavy weights or run too fast, you increase the risk of injuries.
Therefore, it is important to start with light weights and gradually increase the load. The same applies to running or cycling. Start slowly and gradually build up the intensity of your workouts.
Rules of thumb overtraining
There are various rules of thumb that you can use to determine whether you are overtraining:
- If you are constantly tired, despite getting enough sleep, you may be overtraining.
- If you have muscle pain that does not go away after a few days, you may be overtraining.
- If you are not making progress despite training hard, you may be overtraining.
If you notice one or more of these signs, it is essential to take a step back and give your body the rest it needs.
Listen to your body!
Finally, it is essential to listen to your body. Your body gives signals when something is wrong. For example, if you have pain in your knee while running, it is a sign that something is wrong.
Therefore, it is important not to ignore these signals and to take action if necessary. This prevents injuries and ensures that you can continue to enjoy sports for a long time.
Conclusion
Injuries are an annoying side effect of sports. They can prevent you from training for a while and can be very painful.
Fortunately, many injuries can be prevented by warming up properly, listening to your body, and building up your training slowly.
By following the tips in this article, you can reduce the risk of injuries and enjoy your sport more.
Do you have any questions or comments? Feel free to leave a comment below!
