JOIN USThere was a time when the term ‘sports injuries’ was associated with sportspersons only. Cricketers suffering a ball hit, tennis players slumping on the court after an excruciating elbow sprain or a weightlifter accidently dropping the barbell on his feet – this is what we imagined a ‘sports injury’ to be.
However, with an increasing number of people becoming health or weight-conscious in a world of white collar jobs, and going for different kinds of workouts, injuries are becoming common and a cause for concern.
An injury can occur to anyone practising a sport, whether he is a professional sportsperson, hobbyist or even someone who’s just started on a brisk walk regime.
Also, the damage can range from a simple strain, a fracture to even a spinal disc prolapse putting you in a major health hazard.
Experts say that “understanding the importance of warm-up exercises is crucial to avoid such a scenario.”
Dr Alok Sharma, senior consultant, Orthopaedics at Nova Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital, says, “Most people, when they realise that they need to start working out, start doing 100-200 metre walks immediately. One must appreciate the fact that such a regime is recommended only when your muscles are strengthened enough to bear the stress. For this, one should go for stretching exercises, bending exercises and light weights.”
Doing an analysis of your postures and biomechanics is equally important when picking up a sport or exercise.
Reebok master trainer Kompal Gaur informs, “Most injuries occur only due to incorrect postures. Many people, while walking, start bending their body forward or hunching abnormally. This is sure to give you back-related issues in the future.”
“Another problem commonly noticed is with people who have over-pronated feet,” she adds, “Over-pronated feet roll inward and you can notice the insides of your shoe soles wearing off faster. Such people need to get their posture corrected. Overweight runners also develop knee problems very quickly. They should positively consider knee-supports.”
Those practising sports like tennis and badminton, which make use of the “upper extremes of the body,” should strengthen their arms and wrists.
Neeraj Mehta, director and fitness expert at Growth for Fitness Instructors Academy, explains, “It’s as simple as this: When you play a game like chess, you need to sharpen your mind. Similarly, when taking to a game like tennis or badminton, you must bolster the associated muscles.”
“Start doing some kind of weight training which braces up your hand, forearm and wrist. Work on your biceps and triceps too. Put a rubber band around the fingers and then stretch them out to help prevent tennis elbow. Pautting a tennis ball in the palm of the hand and squeezing it repeatedly also aids immensely in the long run,” he adds.
Weight training can go horribly wrong if the right precautions are not taken. Kompal says, “If you are lifting weight over the head with an inaccurate posture, that can lead to upper back injuries. On the other hand, if you are doing squats wrongly, there is a real danger of ending up with a lower back damage. So increase the weight gradually, utilise weight-training machines and it’s better to do all of it under the guidance of a qualified instructor.”
Last but not the least, drink adequate amount of water to relax the muscles.
Dr Alok says, “It’s very important to keep oneself hydrated to aid expansion and contraction of the muscles. Give yourself enough sun exposure for your bones to fortify and some amount of salt intake is also necessary to conduct the nerves properly.”
Make sure of these and you can certainly minimise your chances of an injury next time you workout.