Techniques to Help Prevent Recurring Injuries

This article covers some techniques to help prevent recurring injuries. While overuse injuries may be more common in younger people who specialize in an individualized sport such as gymnastics, many adults also experience recurring injuries on a regular basis. While the causes of such injuries vary from person to person, many recurring injuries can be easily prevented. Whether you participate in a sport or just have an at-home fitness regime, preventing an injury from constantly recurring doesn’t have to be difficult.

Understanding recurring injuries

Before you can implement the prevention of recurring injuries into your routine, it’s important to understand the different ways that injuries can happen over and over. While everyone is different, some of the main causes of recurring injuries are the constant repetition of a specific action, errors during training, and the use of improper techniques. Overdoing it is another mistake that many make, as many are so motivated to reach a goal that they push their bodies too far too fast without realizing the consequences. With that said, knowing how to prevent them can help greatly in avoiding the pain that comes along with such injuries.

There are several ways to prevent recurring injuries, as they can come from several different factors. For example, if you keep injuring yourself by overdoing it, preventing such an injury can be as simple as listening to your body, knowing your limits, and adjusting your fitness routine to a lesser intensity (and then slowly building it up over time). However, if your injuries stem from improper technique, taking the time to learn the correct way of doing things from a coach can be a priority for prevention. However, despite what the cause may be, there are a few generalized tips that can help anyone in preventing a recurring injury.

The importance of rest and recovery

Perhaps one of the most important factors in ensuring that recurrent injuries are kept at bay involves the incorporation of proper rest and recovery to make sure that everything heals correctly. Along with taking a day off from physical activity, soothing your pain can be an integral part of recovery, especially when it comes to chronic muscle-related injuries, as it can provide you with some relief and may even promote faster healing.

One such way to do so is by using special equipment to target and massage the affected area. Vibrating foam rollers can aid with this and can be a great tool in relieving pain while promoting faster healing at the same time. Icing your injury can also help in reducing muscle spasms and pain, and taking anti-inflammatory medications as needed can lessen any swelling.

Sleep is another vital part in preventing recurring injuries through rest and recovery after an intense workout, as it can strengthen and build muscles in the process. In fact, Human Growth Hormone, or HGH, is produced during sleep, which essentially acts as the body’s own muscle-building hormone. The muscle-healing benefits are likely to happen during the stage of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, meaning that it’s necessary to get the right amount each and every night.

Don’t forget to stretch

Generally speaking, taking the time to warm up before a sport or any other physical activity can prove to be vital in preventing an injury, especially recurring ones. This is because warming up promotes flexibility by getting the blood flowing and rising your body temperature. Stretching and warming up in different ways such as doing light drills can help to work up to a higher intensity, thus saving you the pain of an injury later.

Injury is often regarded as a side-effect to any form of physical activity, though many injuries can be effectively prevented – and especially so if they’re recurring. Understanding what causes your recurring injuries can be a great way to start taking simple steps in preventing them – such as getting enough rest and remembering to warm up.

By Chrissy Phillips