Any time you engage in a physical activity, you run some risk of incurring an injury somewhere in your body. Since physical movement is essential to health, this risk plays a constant role in both daily life and organized sports or activities. You can significantly reduce your chances for injury by performing certain types of preventive exercise.
Stretching
Stretching is a controlled expansion and contraction of your muscles designed to increase your muscular flexibility, improve the range of motion in your joints, relieve stress-related muscle tension and improve your circulation. In addition to these benefits, stretching can help reduce your injury risks by improving your sense of balance and decreasing your chances of falling during physical activity. Exercises in this category can also help speed the healing process if an injury occurs. While some well-designed studies report that performance of stretching exercises can also directly reduce the risks of sports injuries, other reputable studies do not support this conclusion.
Strength Training
Strength-training exercises are a class of activities that build your muscle mass by providing some type of physical resistance to your movements during a workout. Common examples of exercises in this category include weightlifting, resistance band exercises and body weight exercises such as pushups and pull-ups. In addition to helping you increase or maintain your bone density, these activities help you prevent injury by protecting joints throughout your body and improving your sense of balance.
Core and Leg Exercises
Core stability exercises are activities that help you prevent injury by strengthening and coordinating the muscles in your abdomen, pelvis, hips, spine and trunk. Common exercises in this category include "hollowing" of your abdominal muscles, straight leg raises, side planks and a variety of exercises performed with the help of a stability ball. When performed properly, certain lower body exercises can also help you prevent injuries in your knees and ankles. Common exercises in this category include leg bridges, lunges, heel touches and various types of squats.
Considerations
In addition to exercising regularly, other steps that can reduce your chances for injury include familiarizing yourself with the motions required for a given sport or activity, working gradually when learning a new physical skill, avoiding exercise when you feel tired or have a pre-existing physical ailment and using proper exercise equipment and protective attire. You can also reduce your injury risks by maintaining an adequate fluid intake before, during and after any given activity. Consult your doctor and fitness instructor for more information on injury prevention and the proper performance of preventive exercises.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Stretching; Focus on Flexibility
- MayoClinic.com: Strength Training; Get Stronger, Leaner, Healthier
- The Stretching Institute: Core Stability and Core Exercises for Injury Prevention
- Princeton University - University Health Services: Lower Body Injury Prevention Exercise Program
- Hospital for Special Surgery: ACL Injury Prevention Tips and Exercises; Stay Off the Sidelines!
- Better Health Channel: Exercise; Injury Prevention
