What are the preventive measures for sports injuries?

Don’t shoulder an exercise load that exceeds your own recovery ability. Make up for your weak points in muscle strength and posture in advance, and control the details before, during and after exercise. Most common problems such as running knees, rotator cuff injuries, and ankle sprains can basically be avoided.

Regarding the safety boundary of load, there has never been a uniform absolute standard in the industry. In the early years, the popular safety line of "the increase in exercise load per week should not exceed 10%" has now been raised by many scholars. They feel that individual differences are too great. Young people who exercise regularly and have good recovery ability may not necessarily have a problem if the increase is increased to 15% occasionally, but office workers who have been sedentary all year round and have low muscle mass may only increase their exercise load by 3% every week. You must also pay attention to the soreness of joints and muscles. If the pain persists for more than 3 days, you must quickly reduce the dosage and adjust. Don't insist on "breaking through the comfort zone". An amateur runner I led last week is an example. He used to run 5 kilometers at most three times a week. When his brain got hot, he signed up for a half marathon. After running long distances of more than 10 kilometers for three consecutive weeks, he directly contracted iliotibial band syndrome. It took him more than a month to dare to slowly resume running.

Of course, just looking at the number of exercise load is not enough. Many people usually do not exercise much and their movements appear to be standard, but they are still prone to injuries. In fact, they have shortcomings hidden in their bodies. I met a little girl who played amateur badminton before. She was not heavy, and the steps taught by her coach were quite standard. However, the inside of her knees hurt every time she played, and even after applying ointment for a long time, it was of no use. Later, after an evaluation, it was found that she had mild flat feet, and she was a little crouched when she walked. Her ankles could not release the force when she was playing, and the pressure was all on her knees. Later, she received custom-made arch pads, and after three weeks of ankle stability training, 80% of the pain disappeared. If you are always accustomed to crossing your legs and hunching your chest, it is best to ask a professional to do a simple posture assessment and adjust small problems such as high and low shoulders and hip valgus in advance. Otherwise, the force will be uneven during exercise, and problems will occur sooner or later.

If you have done enough preparations ahead of time, don’t be careless about the details on the day of exercise. I saw a young man in his early twenties at the gym before. When he arrived at the court, he shook his arms twice and then went up to fight with others. He just jumped up and dunked a ball, then he squatted on the ground with his shoulders covered. It was found that he had a slight strain on his rotator cuff. He didn't dare to touch the racket for two months. Warming up is really not just a formality, nor is it just a matter of standing still and stretching your arms and legs. You have to follow the event you want to do. If you want to run, do a few sets of high leg raises and back kicks, and then jog for two to three hundred meters to move your hips, knees and ankles. Open, if you want to engage in a confrontation, you should first pass the ball slowly with your teammates for ten minutes to increase the excitement of the muscles. To put it bluntly, it is like a bicycle that has been left for a long time. Before riding, you need to add some oil to the chain and spin it twice. If you pedal hard, the chain will definitely fall off. After exercise, don’t just sit on the sidelines playing with your phone or sitting in the car. Walk slowly for three to five minutes to let your heart rate drop, and then do a few minutes of static stretching for the muscles used that day. This can reduce a lot of delayed soreness and avoid chronic strain caused by long-term muscle tension.

By the way, there is another common misunderstanding. Many people think that buying high-end running shoes and expensive knee and wrist guards will prevent injuries. In fact, there are always different opinions in the industry. Good equipment can indeed disperse part of the pressure and provide an extra layer of support for weak joints. However, if your movements are ridiculously crooked and the amount of exercise is too much, even if you wear professional running shoes worth thousands of dollars, you will still be able to avoid the knee grinding. Don't use equipment as a talisman to avoid injury.