Time for a sports injury update…
Football, soccer, netball, basketball, hockey, golf, tennis – whatever your sport is, this is just a timely reminder that ‘prevention is always better than cure’ when it comes to foot pain, leg pain and sports injuries.
Warm Up
Make sure you warm up sufficiently before participating in your favourite sport. All to often we see players trying to perform activities at 100% intensity before warming up sufficiently. Trying to kick a ball 50 metres before warming up properly can predispose players to common sprains and strains (e.g. hamstring strains). Make sure you have warmed up adequately before increasing your training intensity. This often involves a gradual increase in activity with more dynamic and sport specific stretching activities and exercises.
Train/Play/Workout
Once you have warmed up properly, you are ready to increase your intensity to that which is required to train, play or workout. A player may not be ready to participate at 100% intensity until she or he has warmed up sufficiently for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
Proper Cool Down
This is an area which is most often neglected by amateur athletes. Cooling down will involve a reduction in training intensity and activity, proper stretching and sometimes ice baths if you have access to these. Many sports related injuries including ankle sprains, shin pain, knee pain, heel pain and foot pain can be prevented with the right advice and management.
Need more information on sports injuries?
If you require any particular information on your specific condition or sports injury, please visit our “conditions we treat” page or call your local Podiatry Care clinic.