Prepare for Spring Activities and Sports with These Injury Prevention Tips

Finally! Spring has arrived. The arrival of spring means the arrival of the outdoor sports and festival season. While many of us maintain a winter workout routine to stay in shape, springtime offers many more opportunities for people to get active. From 5K fun runs to soccer and softball, everyone is ready to get outdoors and get moving. Beyond just sports, spring and summer means time spent at festivals, concerts, parks and outdoor markets, too.

Are you ready? More importantly, are your muscles ready?

Injury prevention tips to keep you moving this spring and summer:

Before you head out the door to throw that first pitch or spend the day on your feet at a music festival, take steps to prepare your body for the change in season. By taking a few preventive measures, you can avoid some common spring injuries.

 Don’t over do it.

Before you can run that 5K, you’ll need to condition your body for the stress. To build up your endurance, increase the intensity of your runs slowly over time. The writers at Active.com recommend that you up the intensity and duration of your run by no more than 10% per week. Pushing too far, too fast can lead to overreaching, a condition that can really slow you down!

Watch that shoulder.

If you play tennis, baseball, softball or golf, then you know a shoulder injury can put you out of the game fast. Just as with running, you’ll need to build up to your summer performance level over time.

One thing to remember when you jump back into your favorite sport is to actively avoid repetitive strain injuries. Tennis and golfer’s elbow and rotator cuff injuries are some of the most common sports-related repetitive strain injuries.

Repetitive stress and overuse injuries occur when you perform the same motion over and over again. Even if each individual action isn’t harmful, the constant repetitions are. You can help reduce the chances of getting a repetitive strain injury by mixing up your activities and taking breaks.

Rather than performing the same throwing, hitting or swinging motion repeatedly, make sure that you use different muscle groups throughout your activity.

Go easy on your legs.

As you prepare to spend time this spring walking, hiking or participating in running events, don’t forget to take care of your feet and legs. Nothing spoils a good time like shin splints or a pulled hamstring.

This fabulous article written by Lucy Fry in The Telegraph details the steps to make sure your body is ready to run. Ms. Fry notes that strength training and stretching are both important to keep your leg muscles strong and flexible.

Additionally, you should make sure you select shoes that fit properly and allow room for the natural swelling of your feet that takes place throughout the day. Ms. Fry also advises purchasing more than one pair of your favorite shoes.

Break in both pairs so that you aren’t suddenly switching from old to new in the midst of training.

Don’t forget the fuel.

Proper nutrition and hydration are important for everyone. But making sure your body has the water and energy it needs is particularly important when you suddenly increase your activity levels.

In this article about MLB spring training, Chef Andy Williams writes about how he takes care of the pros.

Chef Andy tells his athlete clients to be mindful of their diets when training. He advises them to eat anti-inflammatory foods that will help their muscles and joints perform at their best.

Along with a healthy diet, you should also remember to drink plenty of fluids. Make sure to drink water or other liquids throughout the day. This will help you avoid muscle cramps and dehydration.

Visit Us at Barefoot Oasis

After reading all these tips, are you ready to get out there and enjoy the warm weather? We hope so. And don’t forget, the staff at Barefoot Oasis Foot Massage and Spa is here to help you work out any knots and muscle cramps that show up after your workout.

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