With all the health benefits of staying active and physically fit, exercising might be an important part of your day-to-day life. While you might not think of whatever you're doing as being hazardous, sports injuries often go with the territory. Here are some tips to help make your workouts safer.
Know your knees
Your knee: it's the biggest joint in your body, made up of a lot of parts that
can get injured in all kinds of sports. The knee connects the lower end of the
thighbone (femur) to the upper end of the shinbone (tibia). Several
large ligaments - strong, elastic bands of tissue that join bone to bone - make
this connection, bracing and controlling the motion of the joint. The kneecap
(patella) slides in a groove at the end of the thighbone; it protects
the knee and gives leverage to various leg muscles. Cartilage at the ends of
the leg bones helps to cushion the joint, like a shock absorber.
Sprains - stretched or torn ligaments - are an especially common knee injury;
the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the one most often damaged. This
can happen, for example, when you change direction quickly, twist a leg or fall,
slow down when running, or land from a jump. Typically, a torn ACL will be immediately
disabling: you'll feel or hear a "pop," and the knee seems to "give
way." Even though it might not be painful, see a doctor right away. Surgery
may be necessary
Knee pain can also come on gradually from overuse of the joint. For example,
"patello-femoral syndrome," or pain caused by the kneecap being pushed
against the sides of its groove, can occur if you do a lot of running. The pain,
either sharp or dull, is usually felt in the front of the knee. Squatting or
walking down stairs often makes it worse, and you might feel a grinding or "clicking"
in the joint. A sports medicine specialist can help you to rebalance the kneecap
and prevent further pain through proper training, stretching, and strengthening
exercises.
Shouldering the burden
When you play sports like swimming, tennis, baseball, or even golf, you're
swinging your arms overhead a lot. That can lead to shoulder injuries. The key
to preventing serious injuries is to spot problems early. Don't "play through"
shoulder pain - you may end up making things worse.
If you're feeling pain in your shoulder, see a doctor if you answer "yes"
to any of these questions:
- Is the shoulder stiff? Is it difficult to rotate your arm in all the normal
directions?
- Does your shoulder feel like it could pop or slide out of its socket?
- Is your shoulder too weak to carry out everyday activities?
The heat is on
Summer sun certainly makes exercising outdoors more fun. But if you don't take
precautions, getting physical in the heat of day can be hazardous to your health.
Sweating is the body's way of staying cool during exertion; you'll sweat off
from 1 to 1.5 litres of water an hour in the process. But if you don't drink
enough fluids to replace what you've lost, you may expose yourself to heat injury.
The mildest type of heat injury is heat cramps - when your muscles cramp
up painfully from losing too much salt and not drinking enough fluids while
exercising. As soon as you notice cramping, have something to drink (either
water or a sports drink) and eat some salted foods; you should feel better soon.
Heat exhaustion is a more serious condition, brought on by sweating
heavily, along with not getting enough fluids. The body can't deliver enough
blood to the brain, skin, and muscles, leading to dizziness, weakness, and fainting.
If the body becomes dehydrated (runs out of fluids), you can end up with life-threatening
heat stroke, which can show up suddenly. As the sweating mechanism shuts
down, the skin becomes hot and dry, and the body temperature soars, leading
to convulsions and permanent brain damage. If you think someone is suffering
from one of these heat injuries, get medical help right away. Meanwhile, move
the victim to a shaded area, take off extra layers of clothes, wet and fan the
body, and raise the person's legs and buttocks. Make sure to provide him or
her with as much water to drink as possible.
Here are some tips to help you avoid heat injury in the first place:
- Drink plenty of fluids while you're exercising - whether you're thirsty
or not. Before, during, and after the activity, aim for roughly a cup every
half-hour.
- To help your body cope with the heat and humidity, get into shape before
the season.
- Don't overexert yourself in hot weather - take a lot of breaks. This is
especially true if you've only recently taken up a sport or a particular exercise;
your body's more likely to feel the extra stress.
- Schedule your sports for the coolest parts of the day, either morning or
late afternoon. The sun's rays are strongest between 10 am and 4 pm. Better
yet, exercise indoors in an air-conditioned gym.
- Exercise at a slower pace - working out for a shorter time, but more intensely,
won't protect you from heat injury.
- Dress for the weather - wear lightweight, breathable, light-coloured clothes.
And don't forget to protect your head, eyes, and skin: wear a hat and sunglasses,
and make liberal use of sunscreen.
Athlete, heal thyself
It's vital to seek immediate medical attention if a sports-related injury involves
severe pain and swelling, numbness, or inability to move the limb or joint.
But for mild sprains, strains, bumps, or bruises, follow the RICE program:
- Rest: Take a break for a day or two to let the injured area
rest and recover. Your body needs time to heal the injury. Once you can go
about your usual daily routine without pain, you can ease yourself back into
a full slate of activities.
- Ice: Apply an icepack (or a bag of frozen vegetables,
wrapped in a towel) to the injured area for 15-20 minutes every few hours.
Ice helps to cut down on swelling and inflammation by slowing blood flow to
the injury, as well as lessening the pain by numbing it a bit.
- Compression: Between ice treatments, wrap an elastic bandage
around the affected part to apply pressure and reduce swelling. Compression can also help provide support to a weak joint. It should
be fairly tight, but make sure it doesn't press on nerves or cut off blood
circulation - if the end of the limb turns blue, that's too tight! It's also too tight if you feel throbbing in the bandaged area. For the
same reason, don't wear the bandage at night.
- Elevation: Let gravity do the work - try to keep the injured
limb raised above the level of the heart to prevent fluids from pooling in the inflamed tissues. For an
injured leg, prop it up above the hips when lying down. Injured arms can be
held up in a sling.
In addition, you can lessen inflammation and relieve pain by taking ASA, ibuprofen,
naproxen, or other anti-inflammatory drugs. Check with your doctor or pharmacist
first before taking any medications, and take care not to exceed the recommended
doses. If, after following these steps, the injury doesn't seem to be getting
any better within 48 hours, it's best to see your doctor.
© MediResource Inc. Terms and conditions of use: The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.