Sports has always been an essential part of our life. From playing it as a profession to considering it as a recreational activity, we have always found it refreshing and a fun way to exercise. With the increased rush of adrenaline we get while playing any sport, the chances of getting injured also increases. Sports like football, cricket, volleyball or adventure sports like rock climbing, skateboarding are injury prone. Injuries while playing these types of sports can often be categorized in acute trauma or chronic overuse. Muscle tear, muscle pull, cartilage injuries, sprain and strain are common examples of injuries one can get while performing any sports related activity.
These injuries, if not taken proper treatment, can become fatal in future. Also, they can be painful and may require a long resting period and rehabilitation activities to recover. Sometimes not taking precaution also might cost you your career and can damage your body permanently. Therefore, precaution becomes necessary to avoid such injuries.
Here are some tips which will help you up your game and to prevent any sports injury:
Take time off: Plan to have at least one day off in a week from training. Let your body take the proper rest. Also try to have at least one month off in a year while preparing for a particular sport. Making your muscles and joints go through the constant pressure is not a great idea. Your body goes through wear and tear after each game and needs time to repair itself. Maintaining a perfect balance between rest and play will help you to keep injuries at bay.
Wear right gear: When it comes to preventing any injury, it is extremely important to look out for your gear. Another thing to keep in mind to wear proper fitting gear so that it keeps your knees, eyes, and face safe. Wearing shoes with a proper grip, using functional sports equipment and using protective pads can reduce your chances of suffering an injury on the field.
Play safe: Aggression is a big part of playing any sport. For example, while playing games like cricket or football, you tend to swing the bat or the ball forcefully which increases the risk of getting injured. Sometimes you go all out with passion which can lead to strained or pulled muscles.
Proper technique: Every sport has a right and wrong way of doing things. Playing a sport in an incorrect manner can lead to injuries. For example, if a player while playing football doesn’t know how to avoid the opponent, it can result in injuries related to back and legs. Hence it becomes critically important to practice proper techniques while playing any sport to avoid injuries.
Hydrate: Water plays a major role for supporting you throughout the game. Dehydration increases muscle exhaustion, which raises the possibility of injury. The risk of injury and muscular weariness can be decreased by maintaining good hydration.
Increase flexibility: Stretching exercises before and after playing any sport make your body flexible and decrease the risk of injury. Warm up exercises like arm circles, knee bends and a little jog can help you be physically fit and save you from injuries.
Strengthen muscles: Specific conditioning exercises targeted towards particular muscles help them make stronger and more immune to injuries. Exercises like squats, pull ups, lunges etc., improve your body strength and increases overall flexibility and balance. But while doing these exercises, do not over exert yourself.
Healthy diet: Be it any sport, if you play it professionally or as a leisure activity, it is essential to keep a look on your diet to avoid or recover from an injury. Maintaining a healthy diet filled of minerals, protein and calcium rich items like fish, meat, dairy products and green leafy vegetables help your body to maintain the bone strength.
These tips have proven beneficial to lower the risk of getting injured. Also, one can always have an emergency kit with themselves, if by any chance you get injured on the field. It is advised to carry first aid items and topical product like Zandu Fast Relief Spray with you to reduce the impact of the injury. Its powerful turbo action formula is specifically designed to provide instant and long-lasting relief from pain in joints and muscles, sprains, strains as well as minor sports injuries. If the pain from the injury persists for a longer time, immediately seek a doctor for medical advice.