9 Ways of Reducing the Likelihood of Injuries from Endurance Sports Activities

October 23, 2014

Reducing the likelihood of injuries from endurance sports activities is important if you want to stay in good shape and maintain your ability to participate in the sports and exercise regimens that you enjoy. Follow these nine tips for reducing the likelihood of injury from endurance sports activities and you can improve your safety even if you lead a very active lifestyle.

1. Maintain A Healthy Diet

What you put in your body can have a big impact on your athletic performance and your risk of injury. Eating a balanced diet full of the right nutrients will help you keep a healthy muscular and skeletal system so that you can reduce your risk of injury.

2. Give Yourself Time To Recover

Between workouts, it is important you have enough time to restore energy to your body. Be sure to get enough sleep and give your muscles time between workouts or strenuous activity so that you do not run the risk of straining them.

3. Use Proper Protective Gear

Gearing up properly during athletic events is critical, especially for athletes participating in contact sports like football and lacrosse. Be sure you always have the right eye wear, headgear, and pads so that you do not leave any part of your body exposed to injury.

4. Stay Hydrated

Drinking water is important for many health reasons, including reducing the likelihood of injury from endurance sports activities. The Sports Medicine Department at UConn says that dehydration can cause problems like fatigue and headaches as well as lowered mental acuity. Be sure to drink water before, during and after your athletic training and competitions so that you stay properly hydrated.

5. Pay Attention To Form

When engaging in especially strenuous activities that involve a lot of pressure, like weight lifting and football, make sure you are using correct form. You can very easily injure yourself by doing a move or motion the wrong way.

6. Talk To A Doctor

A medical doctor can give you information about your body that you cannot get anywhere else. If you have a specific medical condition that involves a physical part of your body, conventional advice for reducing the likelihood of injury from endurance sports activities may not apply to you.

7. Keep First Aid Supplies Easily Accessible

If you are playing on a court or field, you should be sure that there are medical supplies in easy reach so that you can take care of any injuries that may come up before they get worse. For example, a cut sustained during an athletic event can be bandaged to prevent it from getting infected.

8. Follow The Rules Of Your Competition

When you are playing a sport or physical game, there is most likely a set of rules that was created for a specific reason. Whenever possible, do your best to follow these rules so that you can cut down on the risk of injury.

9. Engage In Modern Recovery Techniques

Using treatments like electrical muscle stimulation can help you recover more fully after workouts; that can improve performance and make over-use or over-training injuries less likely.

Following these tips for sports injury prevention will help you reduce the chance of sustaining a painful injury that could keep you sidelined.