The reason I am writing this is that I want to be able to help you achieve your goals. Yes, I admit, this is self serving but, at the same time, would you rather achieve your goals or fall short of them due to injury or pain.
Being sidelined with an injury, when you have a goal in mind, is frustrating. I have seen a number of athletes preparing for a big event get injured and have to put everything on hold. I have also been blessed to have been given the knowledge and skills to be able to get them back on track quickly.
Here are three things that need to be corrected to help prevent you from being injured.
- Having a previous injury is often a reason people get out of shape in the first place. Often times they avoid activity due to pain or the fear of experiencing pain therefore they never pursue an active lifestyle. Also, a previous injury, which has “healed” ,often causes compensations in how the body moves. This can result in other areas of the body being more taxed during activity thus leading to pain or injury. It is therefore important to make sure your previous injuries are in fact healed and that there are no compensations. Don’t worry you will still be able to be active. Alternative exercises can be suggested until the injury is corrected
- If you’ve never ever exercised before improper technique can be a major cause of injury. Poor technique may be the result of previous injury but may also be the result of poor joint stability or mobility. We often develop bad habits during our daily life that leads to muscles being inhibited/weak and others being tight and thus negatively affecting out movement quality. Improving your movement quality may need corrective exercises, the use of joint manipulation or soft tissue work. An FMS screen (Functional Movement Screen) assesses movement quality and the risk for injury. Even the best athletes may have imbalances and move poorly.
- Training hard can often lead to tissues (muscle and ligaments) being over used and others being under worked leading to imbalances. Athletes, in addition to their own self care, often seek out the care of chiropractors, athletic therapists, massage therapist etc to aid in keeping functioning well. I often see my Crossfit athletes once every few weeks/months to make sure they are moving at their best so small problems don’t become big problems.
I always recommend anyone going into an exercise program to make a plan before they start. When it comes to training making a plan to prevent yourself from being side lined due to injury should be part of your master plan.
Move better, move with less pain, move more, achieve your goals
P.S. People often worry about seeing a chiropractor because of the unknown. If you are hoping to prevent injuries while pursuing your fitness goals feel free and email me.
Originally posted on May 17, 2022 @ 4:37 pm