Spring Forward: Get Active Smartly!

Spring is nearly here and you can bet your bottom dollar that, along with it, will be many individuals ready to take advantage of the warmer weather.  For some, regular exercise such as walking will become a daily routine.

But for many others, the warmer weather means getting back into the swing of things involving sporting activities, including playing baseball, golf, tennis and the like.

Hey, it’s great to be active and enjoy the games you love. But Physicians First Messages is here to remind you that the more active you become, the more prone you become to sustaining injuries.

According to Dr. Matthew Hoffman of WebMD, the seven most common sports injuries include ankle sprains, groin pulls, hamstring strains, shin splints, anterior cruciate ligament tears (knee), Patellofemoral syndrome (knee), and epicondylitis aka tennis elbow.

Surely, you’ve heard of most of these injuries. And Hoffman acknowledges that most of the time, preventing the aforementioned injuries are beyond our control.

However, there are things that can be done to prevent these common ailments, which could sideline an individual day-to-day or for months, depending on the severity of it.

According to Dr. William Roberts, a medicine physician at the University of Minnesota, some injuries are brought on themselves because an individual is not properly conditioned for the activity. He believes that working out daily is imperative in an attempt to cut down on injuries.

Dr. Margot Putukian, director of athletic medicine at Princeton University, says every workout should start with a gentle warm-up to increase blood flow to the muscles and help you become more flexible.

In addition, Dr. Putukian said it’s not wise to begin an activity you haven’t tried in a while and go full throttle for a long period of time. She said ‘pre-participation training’ is your best bet.

Dr. Roberts, meanwhile, said it’s also important to recognize when you’ve run out of gas. “Stop when you’re fatigued,’’ he said. “Muscle fatigue takes away all of your protective mechanisms and really increases your risk of all injuries.’’

So, go ahead, get ready for those spring activities you love so much. But ease yourself back into shape by properly warming up and knowing when it’s time to take a rest.

Physicians First Messages would love to see you remain on the field, pain free!

Sincerely,

John Calhoun,

Owner and Operator