In many popular sports, many run the risk of receiving an injury at some point in their career. While this seems intimidating, there are a lot of things you can do to prevent or reduce the chance of getting an injury.
A common method of injury prevention is stretching. Stretching can significantly reduce the chance of muscle strains and sprains, and is simple to do. Stretching can also improve flexibility, which in turn reduces the risk of injury as well.
Proper training programs can ensure that athletes will not get overuse injuries. Overuse injuries occur when there is excessive stress on certain muscle groups, resulting in an injury.Resistance exercises are an effective method of preventing lower back, stomach, and shoulder injuries, and can build strength in these areas.
A third way to prevent injuries is to strengthen your muscles. Muscle strengthening is not only important for injury prevention, but it also improves performance.
According to an article made by Rochester.edu, alternating muscle groups while exercising can prevent injuries.
Switching from different muscle groups such as arms one day and the next day you do chest and back. Switching from muscle groups is also a great way to build multiple muscles correctly.
“You can work out [to prevent injuries]” said Kaleb Jack, a sophomore. “There’s a lot of injuries you can get from playing football”.
According to UW Medicine, properly wearing protective equipment and having frequent health evaluations can reduce the risk of getting injured in football and other related sports.
Having a “spotter” while training or practicing can provide peer supervision in athletic situations. Even working out with another person is a great way to prevent injury.
Broken bones are another common sports injury. While there isn’t much you can do to prevent getting broken bones, you should ensure you are maintaining proper bone health. There are a variety of supplements on the market that can help support bone and muscle health, like calcium and D3 vitamins.
Eating a balanced diet with plenty of protein can help maintain your health and help support bone growth. If you think you are injured during a game, make the game authorities aware and get the treatment necessary.
Continuing to play can potentially make the injury much worse than it was when it was dealt. Injuries like these could prevent you from playing for months, and in some cases, forever.
Good game authorities and management can ensure the game runs smoothly and that all players are safe.