Prevent Sports Injuries

It may not be possible to prevent all injuries during exercise and athletic sports, but you can do a lot to reduce your chance of a strain, sprain, concussion or other injury.

Frank Chen, M.D., an orthopedic and sports medicine doctor with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, provides this advice.

Do Sport-Specific Training

Aerobic and cardiovascular conditioning helps prevent injuries, but sports-specific training is also important, Dr. Chen says. "Don't expect to play yourself into shape. It's essential to perform targeted exercises to build strength for your sport." For example:

• Do rotator cuff strengthening exercises if you take part in “overhead” sports like basketball or tennis.
• Perform quadriceps and knee strengthening exercises if you are a cyclist or runner.
• Try ankle strengthening and stabilizing exercises if you play basketball, soccer, aerobics and other sports that involve quick changes of direction.

Warm-up and Stretch Properly

Warm muscles are less prone to injury, Dr. Chen says. The right warm-up activities differ for each sport and activity. Walking or jogging in place may be fine for some sports. In others, like cycling, starting at a slow pace and then increasing your speed can work too.

And don’t forget to stretch. “Performing even a few simple stretches before you start working out can reduce your risk of injury and improve your overall exercise performance,” Dr. Chen says. If you have a history of previous injury to certain muscles or joints, warming up and stretching these areas is important to prevent repeat injury. Stretching after exercise, while the muscles are warm and flexible, can help heal any microtears.

Avoid Overtraining

“Don’t follow the ‘more pain, more gain’ adage,” Dr. Chen says. “That only leads to injury.” Soreness is caused by inflammation and microtears in the muscle fibers. Some soreness is common after exercising, but if it continues, you’re likely pushing too hard.

If you’re sore after every workout, you’re not giving your body time to recover, Dr. Chen says. Allow at least 24 to 48 hours for muscles to recover after a strenuous workout. Then resume the same exercises or activity but at a lower intensity. You need an appropriate balance of training and rest.

“Different activities need different periods of recovery,” Dr. Chen says. “Larger muscles heal slower than smaller muscles; fast or explosive movements such as sprinting, skiing, tennis and weight-training require more recovery time than slow movements used in sports such as biking, swimming or jogging.”

Women generally require more recovery time than men, as do older individuals compared to younger ones.

If you notice decreases in your training capacity, persistent muscle aches and pains, changes in mood or sleep patterns, or an increased incidence of injuries, then you have likely over trained. Dr. Chen recommends taking a rest period, which can vary from three to five days to up to five weeks or longer depending on the extent of underlying injury.

Stop When You Are Exhausted

"Fatigue has been shown to be a significant risk factor in athletic injuries," Dr. Chen says. For example, studies have shown that ski injuries peak in mid- to late afternoon when skiers are more tired. So stop before you are truly exhausted to prevent fatigue-related injuries.

Wear Appropriate Footwear

As shock absorbers, your feet are subjected to nearly one million pounds of pressure during one hour of strenuous exercise. Sport-specific shoes can cushion these loads and help reduce injuries.

Remember, Dr. Chen says, it takes time to break in a pair of new shoes, and the process can be hard on your muscles. To make the transition easier, alternate wearing your new and old exercise shoes. Start by wearing your new shoes one quarter of the time and your old shoes three quarters of the time, then gradually phase out your old shoes.

Sixty percent of a shoe's shock absorption is lost after 250 to 500 miles of use. "Runners who jog up to 10 miles per week should consider replacing their shoes every nine to 12 months," Dr. Chen says.