Injury is not something to be taken lightly or ignored. It can have serious consequences, and it’s always best to avoid getting hurt in the first place. At Rupp Massage, we care about your health and mobility, and want to share some tips on how you can prevent injuries to your body. We’re often asked by our Indianapolis clients about additional health and safety measures they can take – you asked, we answered!
1) Helmets are a Must
Wear a helmet when biking, skating, skiing, or snowboarding. Even the most simple of falls can lead to catastrophic consequences if you experience hitting your head. According to the NCBI, bicycle helmets can reduce risk of head injury by 63-88%!
Helmets are also helpful in preventing concussions from contact sports such as football, hockey or lacrosse. If you have already experienced head injury even once, you know how it may have disrupted your life – unclear thinking, confusion, headache, fatigue, just to name a few. A helmet is a simple way to protect one of your most valuable assets – your brain, but also can help protect from abrasions, cuts and scrapes.
If you’re a parent, model this behavior to your kids to start them off on a lifetime of safer living. Plus, with all of the trendy color options, wearing a helmet can definitely be a fashion statement!
2) Check for Conditions – Pre Run
Before heading out on your run, check the weather conditions. This is such a simple step – as nearly everyone has a smartphone with either a weather app or other sport specific app (i.e. Outsider – The Weather App for Runners). Go a step further and take note of pavement and road conditions so that you don’t unexpectedly end up on slippery or icy patches.
On the other end of the spectrum, also check for humidity and temperature in the warmer months. When humidity reaches over 40%, it can be dangerous to try and run in the heat or do any high intensity work out. Body temperature rises too quickly, which results in an increased risk of rhabdomyolysis (sudden breakdown of muscle fiber). Rhabdomyolysis can occur when muscles are strained, especially in high humidity. (Case-Lo)
To be on the safe side, and prevent injury, opt for climate-controlled training facilities. There will be other beautiful days for training outside, without the risk to your health.
3) Hydrate
Hydration helps keep your body healthy while preventing muscle, tendon and ligament strain from happening in the first place. Even if you are simply out for a short walk or jog, hydration is still important as the heat can cause fatigue which may lead to dehydration, heatstroke, or fainting.
Remember, it isn’t just important to hydrate before your physical activity. Have you heard the saying, “Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to hydrate – by then it’s too late!”? There is a lot of truth to that sentiment. Health care professionals stress the importance of keeping your body hydrated – before, during and after physical activity. (WebMD)
4) Stretch – Before and After Your Workout
Stretching before exercising may help prevent injury by warming up muscles and joints as well as increasing range of motion that you will use during your exercise session. Stretching after your workout is vital to preventing injuries such as muscle pulls or tears by relieving tightness in muscles due to strenuous activity like running or biking .
5) Wear A Watch and Pay Attention to Your Form
It may sound silly, but wearing a watch can really help with your workout. This helps keep track of time, but also, with the numerous app options available, you can be in tune with your vitals (heart rate, blood pressure, and even oxygen rate). Additionally, it’s important to keep an eye on how you are running/walking/swimming or whatever form of exercise you enjoy. If you see that your stride is off from normal or something just doesn’t feel right take the time to slow down and reassess. Injuries can occur if even small compromises are made to proper form – and even if a small variance, it can lead to a big injury, such as herniated discs, or torn ligaments. Hiring a personal trainer for your preferred sport or training can be highly advantageous to maximizing your workout time, and ensuring proper form is at the center of the time you are committing to better health and/or training.
7) Early Treatment – Better Results
Treat any aches, pains or injuries immediately so they don’t become worse. If you feel pain in any part of your body, come and see us. We focus on the pain you are experiencing and will develop a tailored and very intentional plan to help you along on your road to recovery. When you address pain in its earliest stages, often there are more treatment options available, and you’ll be able to continue some physical activity while accelerating your healing.
8) Get a Therapeutic Massage
Imagine if you never did routine maintenance on your car. Without oil changes , tune-ups and regular care you wouldn’t expect your vehicle to last very long. The same goes for your body!
Routine therapeutic massages with a trusted certified massage therapist can head off sports injuries before they start as well as help heal those that you may be experiencing. We’ve addressed this previously here, and have seen this day in and day out – we simply know that therapeutic massage WORKS as a key part of maximizing the body’s potential.
If you’re looking for therapeutic massage near you, check us out! We’re conveniently located at 8202 Clearvista Pkwy #8F, in Indianapolis.
Contact Rupp Massage
Please contact Rupp Massage to discuss your current training needs and together we will create a plan to speed your recovery, enhance your performance, manage your stress, or address whatever your specific issues are.
Image credit: Comstock / Stockbytes
Works Referenced
Case-Lo, Christine. “What Is Rhabdomyolysis?” Healthline, Healthline Media, 20 May 2019, www.healthline.com/health/rhabdomyolysis#causes.
“Concussion.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 22 Feb. 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/concussion/symptoms-causes/syc-20355594.
Ivers, Rebecca. “Systematic Reviews of Bicycle Helmet Research.” Injury Prevention : Journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention, BMJ Group, June 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2598379/.
Plosser, Liz. “Tips for Running in Humidity.” Runner’s World, Runner’s World, 11 June 2019, www.runnersworld.com/training/a20787918/tips-for-running-in-humidity/.