Tips to avoid injuries: warm up before exercise and stretching after
When the medical examination before practicing sports has given optimal results and we can start running. But before starting the race perhaps we should pay attention to a series of tips with which possibly injuring us will be more difficult.
This does not mean that at some time we may arise some other injury. What is clear and without a doubt is that it is better to prevent. You may wonder what injuries we can prevent, because with warm-up exercises and stretching we prevent skeletal muscle injuries.
Warm up exercises will be done before starting to run and stretching exercises at the end of running. These exercises consist of a series of soft exercises that we will go on to detail below.
Pre-race or warm-up exercises are gentle movements and stretching exercises as well. We will make smooth movements of the hip, knees and ankles.
To prevent injuries in addition to these exercises we must also pay attention to a series of tips:
- We must adapt the pace of the race to our characteristics and possibilities.
- To make a study of the foot by itself we needed templates and to know the type of footprint that we could have: pronadora, supinadora or neutral.
- Choose the type of shoe according to our footprint.
- Change running shoes at least once a year, depending on how often we run or when they deteriorate.
How can we improve our performance
To improve our performance in addition to the above tips and good shoes the following tips will also help us:
- We must buy lightweight, hypo allergenic, breathable clothing.
- Clothing appropriate to the temperature it makes at the time of running (heat, wind, rain, cold).
- Feed properly to promote performance.
- Eat 5 times a day.
- Foods rich in carbohydrates, vitamins and fiber.
- Be well hydrated before and after the race.
- We must drink between a liter and a half or two liters of water a day.
- In case we need to replace minerals after running we should resort to that type of drinks to recover.
- Sleeping and resting enough hours is also important to run in top form.
Dislocations and ankle sprains the most frequent injuries
These two types of injuries are usually the most frequent so it is important to know how to act in front of these injuries and to know what each one supposes.
Dislocations are more serious injuries than sprains and occur when the ligaments that bind the bones stop holding and the bones are loose, they separate without returning their site or the ligaments.
The dislocations can appear in the shoulders, cervical, spine and can be confused with the pain that produces a muscular contracture.
In the sprain or twist is an excessive stretching of the ligaments that surround the joints and that depending on its severity can present: inflammation, pain, bruising, stiffness and prevents movement of the limb or part in which the injury has occurred.
The most common sprains usually occur in: ankles, wrists, elbows, knees, shoulders, neck.
Both one injury and the other occur when we force the joints as a result of having made movements in addition to abrupt, excessive, overload.
Also for a fall, wear inappropriate shoes, do not stretch after the exercises or do not warm up before starting, due to an accident.
In any case before any of these injuries it is advisable to go to the doctor as soon as possible since they have similar symptoms and treat the lesion with the appropriate treatment.
We must go to the doctor because in the case of sprains when they are not treated well, when they are badly cured they tend to repeat themselves.
The dislocations to be more serious if not treated in time and properly usually takes longer to heal and there are even times when it becomes necessary surgical intervention.
In the case of mild sprains as first aid to reduce inflammation we can apply local cold using ice wrapped in cloth so that it is not in direct contact with the skin.
We will make a bandage around the affected area that does not tighten too much to allow good circulation.
We keep the joint high and rest the joint for a few days.
As we have indicated before any doubt and if the injury is serious we should go to the doctor. ThemesExercise Sports injuries