Injury prevention is very important. Why? Running, jumping, burpees and mountain climbers will be part of your exercise regime with BMF. For each of these almost the full body weight of the participant passes through the knee and ankle joints. The body is built to withstand these forces but injury is common, causing pain, frustration and time away from an activity.
As with anything prevention is better than cure:
• Ensuring that the activity level is appropriate and you are in the correct condition to exercise is essential. A good work out should be tough and challenging but know your limits.
• Correct preparation is also important. Doing a full warm up and series of stretching will raise the temperature in your muscles and increase the range of motion at the joints. This should help with the intense exercise to follow.
• Proper technique should be achieved, even if this means slowing down. Listen to the instructor or if you’re in the gym then stand in front of a mirror. Muscles and joints are designed to work in specific ways and in specific directions. Moving outside of this puts strain on the body which can lead to injury.
However for anyone partaking in regular exercise an injury, whether minor or severe, is almost inevitable. Whether the injury is from a specific event or is due to overuse, many of the principles of managing the injury remain the same:
• PRICE – Protect. Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevate. Following injury this simple procedure of recovery is recommended. It is essential that the affected region is rested, allowing the body to heal itself without putting it under any additional stress. The other three steps help to manage the pain and swelling of the injury.
• Returning to activity as soon as possible allows you to strengthen the area and ensure the injury heals correctly. Once the pain has alleviated returning to low impact activity such as cycling or swimming will help in recovery.
• As part of the return to activity, bracing can offer additional stability and confidence in the injured joint whilst helping you to remain mobile for longer.
Special offer for BMF members
Visit Össur and receive 20% off sports braces and supports using the code supplied in your member area. The discount code will expire on 31/10/2014.
