How do you prevent injuries? Facts and applications
The risk of injury can be reduced consistently by working on strength training, getting a variety of exercises, getting enough sleep, and reducing stress.
The term "injury prevention" is often used in the sports and fitness industry, but what does that really mean and how do you apply it?
In fact, it is to reduce the possibility of infection. It is almost impossible to prevent injuries from occurring, even with perfect guidance and application. However, we know how to reduce the risk of injury simply by changing our daily and training habits.
1. Inclusion of strength training - a 2013 study by Laursen et al. Evidence supports that athletes who included strength training in their weekly routine - as opposed to those who did non-specific training - had a greater reduction in their risk. Overtraining injuries were reduced by almost half, and sports injuries were reduced by less than a third, when compared to regular strength training with stretching alone.
2. Maintain a consistent training program - A decrease in training frequency, intensity or load followed by a significant increase in frequency, intensity or load has been shown to increase the risk of injury. The biggest rise is usually anything more than 10% of the previous weeks' volume. This volume can be measured in kilometers, time or repetition. If you want to safely increase your exercise, try to stay below 10% and do so gradually.
3. Sleep - Getting enough sleep is the best way to prevent injury. If you had to make just one and another change, it would be sleep. Sleeping less than eight hours each night can double the risk of musculoskeletal injury compared to sleeping more than eight hours. Lack of sleep has also been shown to reduce our ability to learn new skills, increase anxiety, and decrease muscle protein synthesis.
4. Reduce stress - This is often easier said than done, and if you sleep well and train well, hopefully it won't be too much of a problem. However, it should be noted that a higher level of stress in life, stress related to sports, or even stress related to exposure to injury can lead to an increased risk of injury. Stress can also affect our sleep and thus our mood. So it is a vicious cycle that must be controlled at all costs.
5. Diversify and plan your training - prepare for daily tasks, try to avoid repetitive exercises, movements or body parts and plan your training in advance. Planning your training can help you better choose and diversify your exercises and avoid frequent overload. We were all very thoughtful on our way from work to the gym deciding what to do once we got there. Having a plan and structure will help mitigate this dilemma, lower your risk of injury, and will likely make your session more efficient, also giving you more time to go home and sleep.