EXERCISE AND INJURY PREVENTION

This blog was written by Corey Anderson, CSCS, Sports Performance Coordinator, Memorial Regional Medical Center

No matter how hard we try, at some point in our life, we are bound to experience back, knee, or shoulder pain of some kind. In fact, surveys have shown that chronic low back pain is the leading cause of disability and missed work in the U.S.  Joints are just like the brakes on a car; at some point they are going to experience some wear and, in some cases, need replacing. Unfortunately for us, it is a lot harder to replace a knee than it is a brake pad. However, there is a bit of good news. There are things that you can do to help prevent these types of injuries from occurring.

• Exercise. Exercise will play a pivotal role in preventing all kinds of injuries. A proper exercise regimen includes proper strength training, practicing proper movements, core strength/stability, and flexibility, as well as a cardiovascular component.  Exercise will help strengthen the entire body and keep joints healthy and moving properly. If you exercise regularly, you are more likely to understand proper lifting mechanics and their importance in everyday life, such as moving furniture or picking something up from the ground. Flexibility is going to help muscles maintain their elastic properties and prevent extreme tightness.
• Maintaining a healthy body weight. Maintaining a healthy body weight will also help in prevention of injuries. Carrying around excess body weight can place a lot of unnecessary wear and tear on your joints. Don’t believe me?  Imagine taking a book bag and filling it with a 30-pound sand bag and wearing it backwards all day. Your lower back will not be pleased.
• Posture. Practicing proper posture can help prevent all kinds of injuries to your hips, back, shoulders, and knees. This will be important for all the desk jockeys out there. Your body is like a machine; it is going to sacrifice quality of movement to maintain quantity. So something as small as slouching at your desk all day can wreak havoc on your body’s ideal mechanics when walking or doing any activity. Sitting all day can cause your hips to tighten up which could lead to your hips to becoming misaligned ultimately leading to lower back tightness. Your shoulders can also become stiff and lead to shoulder injuries in the future. Your body will not let this alignment issue stop it from carrying on, so it is going to compensate and shift stress to the wrong areas to keep moving. In the long run, this could lead to serious musculoskeletal problems.

Exercise can play an important role in preventing injuries and chronic pains. It can also help someone maintain a healthy body weight which can also contribute to the prevention of injuries. If you work at a desk or your job requires you to sit all day, don’t forget to take frequent breaks just to stand up, take a quick lap down the hall, and do some quick stretches to keep you from becoming stiff.  These three things are great for not only helping to prevent injuries but they are also good for overall health and well-being!