Remarkable Physios

Injuries result in an estimated 400,000 hospital admissions annually. Injury is largely preventable and the information below aims to help you, your friends and your family avoid injury by providing some helpful tips about situations where injuries most commonly occur and if they do occur we offer some advice on what to do.

Generally the benefits of staying active far outweigh the risks.  With preparation and common sense, you can reduce your risk of exercise injury and continue to gain health and fitness benefits.  Some types of physical activity involve specfic injury risks, but general risk factors include:

• Lack of fitness

• Inexperience or poor technique (‘form’)

• Failure to wear protective equipment

• Certain manoeuvres, such as sudden movements or changing direction at speed

• High-impact or high-risk activities

• Contact between players

• Overtraining.

Warm up and cool down
Warming up before exercise helps to loosen muscles, increase blood flow and prepare your whole body for exercise. Cooling down helps the whole body recover from exercise. There is some proof that warming up and cooling down can (slightly) reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Warming up has also been shown to improve performance during exercise.

Check environment and equipment safety
Hard or uneven surfaces, obstructions or barriers, rough terrain and extreme weather conditions are just some of the environmental factors that can increase the risk of falls, knocks and other exercise hazards. Poorly maintained equipment presents a further hazard.

Wear the right gear
Always use the proper equipment and safety gear for the type of exercise you plan to do. Make sure your gear is the correct size, fits well, is approved by the organisation governing the sport and is properly maintained.

If an injury does occurs:

• Stop exercise immediately to help prevent any further damage.

• Seek first aid or prompt medical treatment from qualified personnel (like your physiotherapist). This is important for all injuries – no matter how severe (or seemingly insignificant) the injury is.

• Don’t resume exercise until you are completely recovered from any injury and your physiotherapist has cleared you.

• Should you suffer a sprain, strain, pull, tear or other muscle or joint injury, treat it with R.I.C.E. -- Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. R.I.C.E. can relieve pain, limit swelling and protect the injured tissue, all of which help to speed healing.

  • Rest: Resting is important immediately after injury for two reasons. First, rest is vital to protect the injured muscle, tendon, ligament or other tissue from further injury. Second, your body needs to rest so it has the energy it needs to heal itself most effectively.

• Ice: Use ice bags, cold packs or even a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a thin towel to provide cold to the injured area. Cold can provide short-term pain relief. It also limits swelling by reducing blood flow to the injured area. Keep in mind, though, that you should never leave ice on an injury for more than 15-20 minutes at a time. Longer exposure can damage your skin. The best rule is to apply cold compresses for 15 minutes and then leave them off for at least 20 minutes.

• Compression: Compression limits swelling, which slows down healing. Some people notice pain relief from compression as well.

• Elevation: Elevating an injury reduces swelling. It's most effective when the injured area is raised above the level of the heart. For example, if you injure an ankle, try lying on your bed with your foot propped on one or two pillows.

After a day or two of R.I.C.E., many sprains, strains or other injuries will begin to heal. But if your pain or swelling does not decrease after 48 hours, please make an appointment with us here at Remarkable Physio's and we'll work our magic on your injuries and aim to get you back fighting fit as soon as possible.