Common Sport Injuries and How to Prevent Them!
Injuries during sports and exercise are inevitable, but being proactive you can help limit the wear and tear that leads to the injuries. Today, we will talk about three of the most common sports and exercise injuries and what you can do to limit your chances of being one of the many inured.
Common Sports Injury #1
Shoulder Impingement – Common in sports like softball/baseball, volleyball, swimming, tennis, and weight training. Impingement can occur when the shoulder joint is continually stressed in an overhead position, usually because of weak rotator cuff muscles.
Personal Trainer Injury Prevention Tip #1
Shoulder Impingement – Properly warming up the shoulder joint before exercise is a must. This will increase blood flow to the rotator cuff muscles and increase synovial fluid in the joint helping to prevent impingement and other shoulder injuries. Another way to prevent impingement is to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles. This will allow for the muscles and joint to withstand a higher load reducing the risk of injury. Rotator Cuff Exercises: Internal rotation, external rotation, shoulder abduction, and shoulder extension.
Common Sports Injury #2
Lower Back Strain – Lower back strains are very common among weight lifters, martial artists, golfers, and tennis players. Lower back injuries usually occur from twisting awkwardly or lifting something heavy, usually with improper form. Also, injuries can occur when the back muscles are very weak or tight.
Personal Trainer Injury Prevention Tip #2
Lower Back Strain – Properly warming up the back muscles and proper form when lifting heavy objects are two musts to back strain prevention. A personal trainer could be a great idea to teach and ensure proper training techniques. If muscles of the lower back are weak, quadroplex and variations of plank are a good place to start for strengthening them. If tightness in the back is the problem, foam rolling and stretching dynamically before and statically after exercise can provide great relief and prevent future injuries.
Common Sports Injury #3
Runner’s Knee – Common not only with runners but also all running related sports. This injury occurs when the knee bone becomes misaligned in its groove and begins to wear down the cartilage in the knee (usually on the sides and back of knee). Can be caused by weak or tight quadriceps muscles.
Personal Trainer Injury Prevention Tip #3
Runner’s Knee – Two great ways to prevent runner’s knee is by strengthening and stretching/foam rolling the quadriceps muscle. Some quad strengthening exercises include: squats, lunges, and split squats. Stretching and foam rolling the quadriceps regularly can allows greater range of motion and helps rehab the long term wear and tear of running. Another way of limiting the extra wear and tear, is changing your cardio training from running to the elliptical, bike or even high intensity interval training. High intensity interval training can be combined with resistance training, a few examples can be, battle ropes, kettle bells, bosu ball, TRX and body weight exercises!
Written By: Robert Jost NSCA-cpt, ACE-cpt
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