Everyone loves sports, on the playing fields, or behind the scenes cheering on. Sports is one of the most effective physical activities that offers innumerable health benefits. According to Harvard Health, sports are a good way to boost an individual’s mood, sleeping habits, and concentration. It also helps reduce stress and depression, maintaining good body weight and improving self-confidence.

There are hundreds of sports that people engage in all over the world, from football, volleyball, baseball, rugby, among others. Human beings are not immune to injuries. The body is susceptible to various common injuries. Children are more at risk of sports injuries growing up, but it does not mean adults are safe. While it’s impossible to prevent every type of sports injury, the casualty rate could significantly reduce if athletes took the appropriate preventive action.

What Increases the Risk of Injuries in Athletes?

A lot of research has gone into understanding the cause of sports injuries. From the wide range of results, two factors come out strongly outweighing the rest when predicting a sports injury.

  • History of injury. In case an athlete has the previous case of injuries to a joint or muscle, over time, they develop into a complex problem for many athletes. It is very important that an athlete warms up or stretches previously injured body parts before indulging in a sports activity.
  • Excessive training. Having recovery days helps reduce injury rates by giving an athlete’s muscles and connective tissues a chance to repair between training sessions.

How to Prevent Sports Injuries

An athlete needs to stay fit. According to Brick orthopedic surgery experts, it’s important to keep in mind that the weekend warrior has a very high rate of injury. It doesn’t matter what sport an athlete plays; they need to practice for the game adequately. It is a very bad assumption that by playing the sport, you are keeping fit. Very many sports injuries can be prevented following a regular conditioning program of exercises that work for a respective sport.

Keep Hydrated

The body is composed of 60 percent water. During exercise or sports, the body loses a lot of water. The water lost needs to be replaced by hydrating properly. Water is important when it comes to regulating body temperature, maintaining blood volume, and allowing muscle contractions. Apart from drinking water, athletes can take drinks recommended for athletes rich in electrolytes.

Appropriate Gear is Vital During Games

Mouthguards, protective pads, gloves, helmets, and other protective gear are not for the weak. They are for every athlete. Athletes need to ensure that the equipment fits them well. Good fitting equipment can save an athlete’s eyes, teeth, hands, knees, and head. Athletes must never play without safety and protective gear.

Quality Rest

According to statistics, athletes with the highest number of consecutive days of training have more injuries. It’s a big misconception by athletes that the more they train the better they will play in the field. Rest is a huge factor when it comes to training. With good quality, rest athletes can prevent injuries of overuse, poor judgment, and fatigue.

Warm-up is Critical to Injury Prevention

Warm muscles are less likely to get injuries. Athletes need to properly warm-up for injury prevention before heading out to the field. It’s also important to make sure that the warm-up suits the sport. Alternatively, depending on the sport, athletes could start their sport slowly, or practice the appropriate stretching routines or mental rehearsals.

Athletes should Refrain from Playing When Tired or when in Pain

Indulging in a sports activity when tired or in pain is a set-up for careless injury. Athletes need to pay close attention to warning signs the body provides.

Adopt a Healthy Diet

A proper diet is essential for good growth, it’s also important for the prevention of injuries. Adopting a good nutrition diet is a positive step to an effective fitness program. The demand that exercise and sports have on the body means that athletes need to replace all the nutrition and energy through eating healthy. Athletes need small regular intervals of meals to fuel their sports interest. They also require protein to promote muscle development.