Sport and spine injuries are extremely painful, debilitating, and could result in serious damage. It’s crucial to do all you can do prevent them from occurring in the first place. While certain circumstances are unavoidable, there are precautions you can take to reduce the risk of sport and spine injuries.

Keep reading to find out how you can prevent a serious sport or spine injury from occurring.

Warm Up and Cool Down

Jumping into an activity without properly warming up first can shock your muscles and cause them to tear because they’re not prepared for strenuous movement. Instead, ease them into activities. A general rule of thumb for your warmup is to do the activity you’ll be performing during your workout, but at a lower intensity. This way, all the muscles you’ll be utilizing will be engaged, and you can hopefully avoid stretches and tears.

Allow your muscles to cool down the same way you warmed them up. Don’t just stop as soon as your high-intensity exercise is complete, continue your activity at a slower pace so your muscles can adjust.

Practice the Proper Technique

When you’re participating in a contact sport, such as football or hockey, there are many opportunities for injury. One way to prevent injuries from occurring during a sports game or practice is to be sure to use appropriate techniques when using your body to tackle or score points. Injuries typically occur when you’re not using the correct technique, so it’s important to ask a coach or professional how to perform the action correctly in order to avoid injury.

Proper Equipment

Always be sure that you’re wearing the proper equipment when participating in sports or other activities that call for it. Protect your spine and other parts of your body with padding and guards for extra support when trying to avoid injury.

Strengthen Muscles

Incorporate weight training into your daily life to help strengthen your muscles. When muscles are stronger, they will hold up better in collisions and other situations that would otherwise leave them damaged.

Rest

Some of the most common sports and spine injuries occur as a result of overuse. If you’re using your spine or a specific muscle heavily and often, it’s susceptible to injury. Be sure to recognize when your body needs a chance to rest and allow it the time it needs to recover.

Don’t Ignore Symptoms

Don’t try to push through pain you’re experiencing. It’s important to pay attention to your body and what it’s telling you. If you’re in pain, there is probably something wrong. Be sure to schedule an appointment with your doctor for an evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment.

Take these tips into consideration in order to prevent sport and spine injuries from occurring. If you have been dealing with a severe sport or spine injury, it may be time to consider surgery. Download our e-book, The Patient’s Manual to Spine and Back Surgery, for more information about your operative options, the surgical process and what to expect during recovery.