Prevent Exercise Related Injury

At Lyndon State College, the fall sports season is upon us. Whether it's new students who want to avoid gaining the dreaded 'Freshman 15' or returning athletes, people are exercising and with exercise comes the risk for injury.

Nikki Slabinski, a junior Exercise Science major, shares tips on ways to prevent exercise related injuries.

According to Slabinski, overtraining, or working out beyond your body's recovery capacity, can lead to a wide scale of minor to serious injuries. One common overtraining consequence is a stress fracture. For instance, if you break your arm once and continue to put stress on that break, overtime it can cause further or recurring injury.

Slabinski also points out that when it comes to injury prevention, "The cool down is just as important as the warm up."

"During exercise, muscles build up lactic acid and if you're not cooling down, the acid stays there and that's what makes you sore." Slabinski added, "It helps prevent the risk of pulling or stretching something the next day."  

Performing routines correctly and making sure the proper techniques are used also prevents injury.

Stay hydrated. By staying hydrated, one can prevent fatigue.  

Diet is also important. Slabinski suggests eating, "a king's breakfast, a worker's meal, and a peasant's dinner."

People may experience cramps or stomach pains when working out, and that may be in part due to eating too soon before exercise.

Knowing your limits is another key factor for preventing injury.  

Quinn Rambo, a student athlete at LSC, agrees.

"Know your bounds. Don't do too much too soon," he says.

Slabinski notes that starting out small and increasing intensity over a period of days or weeks is the safer way to achieve the intensity you want.

"Sometimes, people will feel really good. So, they'll run a good distance but push too hard, and then they can't run the next day."

If you do happen to sustain some type of exercise related injury, it is extremely important not to push through the pain. Slabinski, a trained dancer for years, shakes her head admittedly.

"No athlete wants to be that athlete who complains about the pain, but they have to have good judgment. Whether it's an aching muscle from the day before or an actual injury, it could cause bigger problems."

Rambo admits to working through past injuries, but recognizes the need to, "Just take care of your body."

Exercise is important to overall health, but it is important to take pre-cautionary steps so that the time you spend on a treadmill or in the batting cages doesn't go to waste.