subject: Sports Injury Prevention Strategies [print this page] Out on the field with the adrenaline rushing through their blood, sportspersons are mostly in a state of frenzy while being focused on their ultimate goal of winning. But this is the time when an unexpected Sports Injury can give them a setback for a few minutes, a few hours or even cripple a sportsperson for life. Whether its a pro-player or a novice, all are at a danger of getting injured. The causative factors vary in terms of age, body size, fitness level, muscle strength/flexibility, skill level & injury history and can also be in the form of equipment used, environment, a certain type of activity or conditioning errors. But Sports Medicine Practitioners today recommend several ways for Injury Prevention by changing such intrinsic or extrinsic factors. This can be done by either eliminating the risks or increasing the protection to avoid minor or even fatal Sports Injuries.
Some Injury Prevention Strategies Can Be Stated As Follows:
1. Warm Up
The first and f oremost step is to raise the bodys core temperature by doing warm up to increase blood flow to muscles, smoothen the muscle contractions, decrease muscle sensitivity and improve neuro-myo conductance, cardiovascular compatibility, muscle efficiency & mental concentration. There are many activities for general as well as sports specific warm ups that must be undertaken to avoid injuries like muscle tear and to increase the range of motion.
2. Stretching
This is one of the most important activities, which is proven to decrease muscle soreness and the occurrence of musculo-skeletal injuries.
3. Correction of Biomechanics
Proper biomechanics not only improve the movement efficiency but can also prevent injuries. For this, sportspersons and even normal people should avoid any anatomical or functional abnormality. A good Sports Injury Prevention Strategy therefore would be to contact a Professional Sports Medicine Specialist regarding correct biomechanics.
4. Taping & Bracing
Sports Medicine Specialists and even Sports Physiotherapists advise that certain body parts that are vulnerable to injury must be kept protected. For this, many sportspersons like basketball players and boxers use ankle tape or knuckle protection gear. But along with this, it is important to consider that any such protective gear must not interfere with the normal movement or sports activity.
5. Proper Training
The importance of proper training for Youth Sports Injury Prevention or for that matter any type of sports-related injury even for professional players can never be denied. Appropriate Strength Training and Conditioning are very necessary for the same to avoid any accidental injury or extra stress and maximize performance. Along with this, proper recovery is also essential.
5. Managing Psychological Arousal
An advice often given by coaches and Sports Medicine Specialists is that players should keep their mind in the game. Psychologically speaking, this means that they should neither be excessively aroused before or during game-play, nor under aroused. Any imbalance and players can lose their rhythm & mental concentration or alter muscle tension, lose visual cues and become vulnerable to serious injury.
As evident from the above, it is very important to go for these Sports Injury Prevention Strategies while maintaining proper diet to prevent any injury with short-term or long-term complications. The advice of a Sports Medicine Specialist can come in very handy for the same as such a professional can advise regarding the right techniques to adopt and prevent Serious Sports Injuries of any kind.
