Taping
and or Bracing
This method of injury prevention is used to restrict undesired, potentially
harmful motion while still allowing desired motion. Examples: taping
for ankle
sprains; knee bracing
to control medial/lateral movement but allowing flexion/extension; and
wrist splints.
Protective
Equipment
Buying and wearing protective equipment specific to your sport is a
good investment. Whether it is a helmet or elbow pads, make sure that
the equipment is worn and secured correctly to take full advantage
of its protective qualities.
Appropriate
Training
Preventing injury also includes training specific to the sport in which
you participate. All elements of training should be directed towards
improving performance in your given sport. For example, there is no
advantage for a weightlifter to do large amounts of endurance training
and similarly there is no advantage for an endurance athlete to spend
any considerable training time on strength training.
Adequate
Recovery
Rest and recovery is essential for getting the most out of your sports
training and preventing injury. Inadequate recovery leads to impaired
performance with associated symptoms such as tiredness and lethargy.
It is common for individuals to label these symptoms as evidence of
lack of fitness, so be careful. Monitor your early morning heart
rate. Successive
increases in early morning heart rate are associated with impaired
performance and tiredness is an indication to reduce your training
load or even rest completely, for a day or two.
Psychological
Recovery
Insufficient recovery between training sessions can lead to an increase
in resting heart rate, poor appetite, muscle tiredness and inability
to sleep. Techniques that can aid in psychological recovery include
massage, spas or whirlpools, warm baths and showers, music, visualization,
relaxation tapes and breathing techniques.
Nutrition
and Injury Prevention
There is evidence of skeletal muscle breakdown as a result of continued
intense training, especially in the presence of inadequate carbohydrate
intake. An ideal training diet for individuals, especially endurance
athletes, requires 60-70 percent of energy to be taken in as carbohydrate
and less than 30 percent as fat. Some individuals may find it difficult
to eat enough carbohydrate to replenish their stores and may benefit
from consuming carbohydrates in liquid form.
Water constitutes
approximately 60 percent of the human body so maintaining adequate
fluid intake is essential for optimal athletic performance. Inadequate
hydration has
been shown to result in compromised blood flow to working muscles.
During exercise, thirst is an unreliable guide for determining when
to drink fluid. The most practical method of ensuring adequate fluid
replacement during and after exercise is through regular assessment
of body weight, especially early in the training program. Each 0.5
kg lost should be replaced with 500 ml of fluid.
Follow this guide
to ensure adequate hydration:
Before
exercise (2 hours before activity)
Drink 500 ml of cold water.
10-15 minutes before activity:
Drink up to 600 ml of cold drink or a carbohydrate-electrolyte sports
drink.
During exercise
During endurance activities, consume a dilute (less than 10%) of carbohydrate
fluid at regular intervals.
After exercise
Immediately after exercise, cool water or sweetened beverages should
be consumed. (Sweetened beverages may stimulate thirst rather than
quenching it, thereby encouraging you to drink more).
For athletes that
train at high intensities or at high temperatures, drink beverages
with dilute amounts of sodium to improve rehydration. Athletes that
train extensively on a regular basis, in addition to sodium, should
ingest carbohydrate as soon as possible. |
