At Better Health for the month of May we are focusing on common sporting injuries and injury prevention.

Although important to keep fit and healthy, participating in sports often can make us more prone to injury. This may include muscle, ligament and joint damage. To prevent injury it is important to remember a few key points.

• Introduce any new exercise gradually and introduce any changes to your program slowly. You can either increase the frequency (how often you exercise), the intensity (how hard your exercise) or the time (how long you exercise for) each week. Not all three at once!
• Keep hydrated.
• Wear comfortable, supportive footwear.
• Don’t forget to warm up and cool down from exercise for a least 5 minutes.
• If you have a chronic illness, a family history of heart disease or are over 40 years old and have not exercised for some time, a check-up by your doctor prior to undertaking vigorous exercise is always advisable.
• Most importantly, know your limits. Be realistic with the goals you are trying to achieve and how quickly you can achieve them!

Over the month I will be discussing common sporting injuries, providing practical advice on how to prevent them and how to treat them. Stay tuned!!

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