First Aid for Sports
Injuries "Break a leg" means good luck only in the theater. Take care to avoid injury
when exercising. Prevention
Common sense can prevent many sports
injuries. Some typical injuries and ways to prevent them are listed below. The top six are:
Knee injury - knees are very prone to injury.
Don''t look at your knees when you stand or move.
Do not bend knees past 90ø when you do half knee bends.
Do not twist your knees. Keep your feet flat as much as possible during stretches.
Use the softest surface available when you exercise.
Wear proper shoes with soft, flexible soles.
When you jump, land with knees bent.
Muscle soreness - a symptom of having worked out too hard or too long
Do warm-up exercises such as those that stretch the
muscles before your activity, not only for vigorous activities such as running, but even for less vigorous ones such as golf.
Don''t overdo it.
In vigorous activities, go through a cool-down period. Spend five minutes doing the activity at a slower pace. For example, after a run, walk or walk/jog for five minutes so your pulse comes down gradually.
Blisters - from poor fitting shoes or socks
Wear shoes and socks that fit well. The widest area of your foot should match the widest area of the shoe. You should also be able to wiggle your toes with the shoe on in both a sitting and standing position. The inner seams of the shoe should not rub against areas of your feet.
Wear preventive taping, if necessary.
Side stitch - a sharp pain felt underneath the rib cage
Don''t eat or drink two hours before you exercise.
Do proper breathing by raising abdominal muscles as you breathe in.
Don''t "work through pain". Stop activity, then walk slowly.
Shin splints - mild to severe ache in front of the lower leg
Strengthen muscles in this region.
Keep calves well stretched.
When using an indoor track, don''t always run in the same direction.
Achilles tendon pain - caused by a stretch, tear or irritation to the tendon that connects the calf muscles to the back of the heel
Do warm-up stretching exercises before the activity. Stretch the Achilles tendon area and hold that position. Don''t bounce.
Wear proper fitting shoes that provide shock absorption and stability.
Avoid running shoes with a heel counter that is "too" high.
Run on flat surfaces instead of up hill. Running up hill aggravates the stress put on the Achilles tendon.
Less common, but more severe injuries can occur during sports, especially contact sports like football. These include:
Broken bones
Joint dislocations
Strains and sprains
Head injury
Neck/spine injury
Take measures to prevent serious injuries during contact sports.
Wear the right protective gear and clothing for the sport. Items to wear include a helmet, shoulder, knee and wrist pads, a mouth guard, a personal flotation device, etc.
Train in the sport so you learn how to avoid injury.
Follow the rules that apply to the sport.