I am in the business of injuries. I see athletes who are injured walk in and out of my clinic every day. I see athletes get injured on the field, in matches, in games and in practice more than I like. Injuries happen. Period. Getting injured is a risk you take if you are an athlete at any level and with any and every sport.
The question is....Why do people get injured?
Here are couple of reasons:
1) Bad Accidents
2) Undertraining
3) Overtraining
Bad Accidents- sometimes getting injured is like getting in a bad car accident. Two people collide and the force of one against another is stronger and somebody gets hurt. Other times it is like a person crashing into a parked car. A person can lose control of the forces of their own body and they injure themselves.
Undertraining- Injuries often happen in pre-season or right before the season occurs because athletes have been on a long break from sport and then return to a very high intensity of sports specifics training. If you are not prepared and you ask too much of your body too quick you are at risk of injury.
Overtraining- Too much of the same puts you at risk for injury. The body can only handle so much repetition with certain activities. This is why it is important to have rules in place to prevent overuse injuries, i.e., controlled pitches for a pitcher in a baseball game. When you repeat the same activity over and over again the body can get worn out. Overtraining often occurs during the playoffs where games and practices are more frequent than normal.
Here's the thing. All these things are likely to happen but there is one thing you can do to reduce your risk of injury with all of them. What is it you ask....STRENGTH TRAINING!!!
When you are strong, you are the one less likely to get injured in these instances. In the bare minimum, if you do get injured it's often minor or less severe. The reason being strong works is that when you are strong your body is more resilient and can withstand forces that it might not regularly be able to without stand. Envision a soccer player going after a ball and she gets a blow from another player to the knee. If she is strong, and knows how to control her hips and knees, she will be less likely turn her knee in and tear her ACL. The same goes for a dancer who goes up for a jump and comes down into a wrong landing. If they are strong they will be less likely to sprain their ankle. Another example is a runner who competes in 5 & 10K races. If a runner is strong then they will be less likely to get repetitive and overuse injuries like plantar fasciitis and calf strains.
I personally recommend that every athlete strength train 2-3 times a week off-season and 1-2 weeks in-season. It is possible to stay strong in season. The biggest problem is knowledge and access. But if you want to be the strongest athlete and an athlete with a long career with minimal injuries, than this is a MUST! And listen... it starts young. Our kids are specializing in sports by the time they are 11 or 12 so this is when Strength Training needs to begin.
If you don't know how to strength train or you don't have access to a program for your athlete then send me a message. I will give you some recommendations in your area and get you started. If you are in the San Pedro area even better! I have designed a program in our community that you can start participating in. Send me a message.
Get Strong Peeps. You will Thank Me Later.
<3
Dr. Ja'nae Brown
Comentários