March 29, 2024

Golden Age Golds

Take Advantages of Your GOLDEN AGE

How to Prevent Injuries When Playing Sports

Americans that participate in sports are healthier and have a more positive attitude compared with those who do not, and these are great reasons. However, one downside that can be worrisome is that getting an injury is possible. Americans are getting about 8.6 million injuries per year when doing sports and recreational activities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Basketball, football, cycling, and soccer are the sports with the most frequent injuries. Tennis and swimming are better for avoiding injuries. Ankle sprain, concussion (football and soccer), ACL tear, and UCL tear are the four most common injuries in professional and recreational sports, according to Concordia University. 

Exercising to make the ligaments more flexible, like doing yoga, for example, helps avoid three of the four top injuries, ankle sprains, ACL tears, and UCL tears. An ACL tear is a knee injury and a UCL tear is a throwing arm injury. Working on balance and core strength helps with avoiding the other most common injury, a fall or collision that causes a concussion. 

Flexibility, Balance, and Healthy Joints

Yoga is a great way to improve flexibility, core strength, and balance, and to have healthier joints. Professional athletes Evan Longoria, LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Shaquille O’Neal all do yoga to improve their performance. 

College athletes made significant gains in flexibility and balance after doing yoga for 10 weeks, according to a study by the International Yoga Journal. Try the pose Downward Facing Dog that opens up your tight or sore shoulders and strengthens the joints in your shoulders and arms.

Yoga will help you move your body to improve your range of motion. These movement combinations strengthen the tendons and muscles around your joints. An impact on the field or repetitive motion stress will not affect your joints.

Focus: Prevent Distractions and Avoid Injuries

Practicing regularly

Be competent when you are playing a sport and feel on top of your game. This would help you prevent bad feelings about your performance, which can be distracting. You can be involved and present if you have the know-how, experience, and confidence to play your best.

Sportsmanlike Behavior

Stay focused on your performance and doing your best. Have realistic expectations and expect to be rewarded if you work hard during practice and other times. Be certain to use the rules and etiquette to keep your mind elevated to think like a winner.

Equipment: Headgear, elbow and knee pads, and shoes

You may need a helmet or a hat for your sport. Protecting your most important asset, your head, is so very important. You can get bulk custom hats for you and your team, and this protects your head and blocks sunlight, and helps avoid sunburn. You can get bulk Richardson hats for different types of sports. Elbow and knee pads help protect you when playing softball or baseball, soccer, football, and other sports that involve playing on a field. 

Be certain to wear the most appropriate shoes for the sport you are playing. This is very important for avoiding injuries. A problem with falling or tearing ligaments or tendons could be caused by a misstep in the wrong shoe relatively easily.