Injury Prevention Post COVID
Now that local sports are coming back there is the expectation that some teams will be playing multiple games in the same week. It is known that a large spike in activity places players at increased risk of injury. Here are a few tips to try and reduce your risk of getting injured during this busy time of the year.
1. Steadily increase your workload
- From this point on it would be an excellent idea to steadily increase your workload over the next few weeks
- For example, if you are returning back to football and generally run around 5-6km during a game, initially start of by running 1-2km during a training session and then steadily increase your distance over a few weeks
2. Adequate warm up and cool down
- As always make sure you spend 10-15 minutes doing a good warm up and cool down
- A good warm up will include a period of Jogging, some dynamic stretches and some sport specific skill drills
- A good cool down will include a period of Jogging, some passive stretching and some foam rolling
3. Optimise your recovery
Recovery and rest are arguably the most important aspect of your training
- Recovery techniques like using a foam roller or spiky ball, cold water immersion and massage are excellent things you can add to your routine to get the most out of your recovery
- Most importantly make sure you get an adequate amount of sleep and eat good nutritious food.
4. Listen to your body
- If you begin to feel a bit more tired than normal its likely because your body is struggling to keep up with the demands that your sport is placing on you. This might be a good indication to either give yourself an extra day for recovery or to reduce your current workload to a more suitable amount
- If you don’t want to completely reduce your workload, a nice way you can do this is by doing an “aerobic flush”. An example of an “aerobic flush” includes a small 30-minute low intensity game of soccer or a game of touch
5. Get your niggles sorted
- If you have been struggling with an injury and it has not fully recovered now is an excellent time to see your physiotherapist for an assessment. This will allow you to set a plan and complete specific rehabilitation work before the season kicks off. Your physiotherapist can also help guide your return to increased activity. Contact the clinic today on 5578 7155 to discuss how we can help you return to the sporting field in peak condition.