With football season in full swing, if you have children who participate in this sport or if you yourself are an athlete, it’s important that you do everything you can in order to prevent against injury— that way your team can count on you for the entire season and you will get to participate in game after game. From stretching to icing, this article will discuss three of the ways that you can protect your body from getting injured this football season. Read on to learn more.
- Stretch Before and After
You likely already know just how important stretching is after you play a game or practice. By helping to prevent against things like torn muscles, shin splints, or even torn ligaments, stretching is basically your best friend. However, did you know that you should not only be stretching after your workouts but before as well? In fact, the best thing to do is do a quick warm-up like running ¼ mile and then stretch. As a preventative measure before you even start to work out, stretching beforehand will help you to save a trip into our office. - Ice Afterwards
Icing is not only annoying but it can sometimes be painful as well. However, by helping to lower an inflammation that may be building up around your joints— especially around your knees, ankles, and elbows— icing is an easy and effective method that you should be doing after every practice. The key to icing is to do it everyday, even if you don’t feel injured— remember this is a preventative tool to help reduce the inflammation from getting worse further down the line. - Gear Up
When it comes to football, you don’t want to risk getting an injury like a concussion. That’s why it’s super important to make sure that you are wearing the proper gear every time you play— even if it’s just for a quick run around the field with friends. Additionally, by wearing things such as your pads, you can also prevent against getting any sort of back or neck related injury.
Protect your body this football season and try using the tips listed above. To learn more about your orthopedic health, contact Great Lakes Orthopedics and Sports Medicine today!
