5 Ways To Decrease Injury Risk
5 Effective Ways To Decrease Injury Risk
Dr. Jordan Seda, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, FRCms, CCPC
1. Exercise Within The Realm Of Your Capabilities
This is where some people start off all wrong. It is amazing to create goals. It is even more amazing to create REALISTIC goals. You are not going to climb Everest overnight. Training is a journey. There will be highs and lows. However, the lows will likely happen more often if you are doing one of the following:
Lifting too heavy
Exercising too often
Performing exercises with poor technique
Luckily for you, people know how to help manage this. A physical therapist, strength coach or personal trainer are a few of the many skilled professionals who can help guide you intelligently through your fitness journey.
2. Sleep More!
I know. You might be saying that this is impossible. Long hours at work? Children to care for? Have a lot on your mind? I understand. However, sleep is the cheapest and most efficient means of us to not only recover quickly, but to retain information and just perform at our best!
⇨ Don’t believe me? It has been shown in the NBA that players with less than 8 hours of sleep per night have an increased risk of injury at 1.7 times!
⇨ Still don’t believe me? Lack of sleep can increase temperature sensitivity by up to 42 percent!
3. Be Honest With Bodily Sensations
If you are fatigued or experiencing pain, your body is telling you that you need to reconsider what you are doing. Granted, fatigue is normal; especially after exercise. It does not have to be viewed as concerning, but it can impede performance and leave you susceptible to injury. Pain is a signal that a specific region of your body warrants attention. The cause of the pain may be something you will need evaluated by a healthcare professional, but it is something you can use as a means of gaining feedback regarding the danger of any given activity; whether performing an overhead snatch or stooping into your refrigerator to get something on the lowest shelf.
4. Adopt Healthy Stress Management Strategies
Healthy: seeking support regarding things that are causing stress in your lift to friends or family.
Unhealthy: binge eating a box of donuts, take a week off from training and then return back to attempt a 1-RM (one rep maximum).
Stress is not only common, it is part of life! Simple as that. We cannot avoid stress. However, our perspective on stress and how we move forward from it can allow us to return to our most optimal level of performance more quickly; along with building you into a more resilient individual!
5. Stick To Your Plan
You could be off to a great start with your training and/or nutrition plan! You’re feeling healthy, possibly looking better and just absolutely crushing it. Then comes that one day: it’s raining out or too cold. The gym could wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow comes and then you push it back until the next day. And the next. Until you fall off the wagon! Oh no!!! We are not perfect. It is difficult to stay on track at all times, especially when other things in life take precedence over training (e.g. loss of a loved one, vacation, relationship problems). The truest testament to your character is to get back on that saddle and keep going! Sure, you might have to start with a lower intensity of exercise, but to be able to continue training at some capacity is going to help decrease your risk of injury as you build back up.
If you are having trouble exercising with pain or are interested in decreasing injury risk, I would love to help you! Reach out and let’s find time to hop on a call!
Cheers!
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