Is Pain Stopping You From Getting Back in the Game?

Don’t let pain sideline you!
There is nothing more exciting than taking on a new challenge,sport or activity. For most of us, the thrill of accomplishing a physicalgoal is what we live for. However, are you prepared for it? The term”weekend warrior” means a person who doesn’t really train for whatthey are doing. Instead, they just go out and do the activity on the weekends.

How do most injuries occur?
Most sports injuries occur from ill-prepared individuals who just jumpinto the activity without first increasing their strength, enduranceand flexibility. Your muscles, tendons, ligaments and other tissues
need to be warmed up and trained first in order to work properly.They take enormous strain during running and sports activities. Ifthey are not in tip-top condition, they are more prone to injury.

Injuries go up as you age…
If you think back to when you were in your late teens, you could gointo a full sprint no problem, take a flying leap and do a whole lotwithout the slightest thought about it. As you get older, your tissuesbecome less elastic and in fact a little “drier”. When your muscle,tendon and ligament tissues have enough water, they are suppleand stretchy, allowing you to do a lot of activities. Keep yourselfhydrated and stretch often to maintain elasticity in your muscles.

Preparing your body…
It is important to do sports activities, fitness and a host of otherphysical activities to keep you healthy and happy. With a little bitof preparation, you can easily do these activities and decrease yourrisk for injury.

• Stretch often
• Improve your strength training
• Practice your coordination training
• Build up your endurance training

Before and after:
Knowing the right exercises to do to prepare for fitness activitiesis key. Ourphysical therapy experts have years ofexperience helping people rehabilitate after injuries and return tothe activities they enjoy. What some people might not know is thatphysical therapists can help put a specific exercise plan togetherbased on your needs to prevent injury. If you do start to experiencepain with activities, we can get you back to enjoying youractivities, pain-free. Call us today to learn more about how we can help you get back in the game!