Cornelia In general, the core of sports injury prevention is "adapting one's own sports preparation + standardized movement patterns", and the core of treatment is "acute phase damage control + chronic phase functional recovery". Those extreme statements on the Internet such as "absolutely ice for 72 hours" and "injury requires complete rest" are not advisable. Only solutions suitable for individual situations are effective.
Last week, I met a young girl who had just graduated from a running group I often go to. She usually runs at most two kilometers in school. On the weekend, she got crazy and ran a half-marathon like a veteran. She ended up with iliotibial band friction syndrome. She couldn't even go down the subway steps while holding on to the wall. To be honest, 99% of this kind of injury can be avoided in advance. Many people's understanding of warm-up is still "stand on the playground and press your legs for five minutes and shake your arms twice." It is really useless. If you want to do any exercise, activate the corresponding parts in advance. Before playing badminton, do a few more sets of simulated movements of swinging the racket and turning the hips. Before running, do two sets of small steps and high leg raises to wake up the relevant muscles and joints. It is much more effective than just pulling on the ligaments for a long time. Speaking of this, there is still a controversial point. Should I buy expensive professional equipment to prevent injuries? Some people say, "You can run with slippers on if you move correctly." Others say they wouldn't dare go on the track without thousand-yuan cushioning shoes. I've seen overweight runners who suffered stress fractures wearing top-notch running shoes, and I've also seen ordinary people who wear entry-level jogging shoes worth more than 100 yuan to complete an entire marathon. The core factor is not whether the equipment is expensive at all. Expensive depends on the suitability - people with a large body weight and foot shape problems do need shoes with corresponding functions to cover their feet. However, if you have sufficient muscle strength and standard movements, there is really no need to save money to buy top-notch equipment. Spending money on a few movement correction classes can actually prevent injuries. Also, don’t rush too fast. The 10% principle that has been passed down in the industry for more than ten years is not a golden rule, but it is probably correct. The increase in exercise duration and intensity every week should not exceed 10% of the previous week. If you increase the amount on a whim, you will end up with an acute injury.
If you are accidentally injured, don’t panic. The most controversial topic on the Internet right now is whether ice or heat should be applied during the acute phase. Is the traditional PRICE principle outdated? In fact, there is really no need to take sides. When you have just sprained your foot and it is swollen like a sourdough bun, and the pain is so painful that you can't even touch the ground. Ice application is definitely fine for the first 24 to 48 hours. It can reduce internal bleeding and relieve pain. However, if you have already passed the 72 hours and apply ice packs every day, it will affect local blood circulation and slow down the swelling. There is also the question of whether to brake. In the past, it was always said that if you are injured, you have to lie still and recover. Now, early and moderate activities are advocated. Last year, I took over a programmer who likes to play tennis. After he got tennis elbow, he stopped exercising completely. After two months of rest, he still gasped in pain when he lifted the racket. Later, I arranged for him to have a daily routine After 10 minutes of eccentric forearm training, combined with mild strength training, you can return to the court to play normally in two weeks. Of course, this premise is that you must first seek an evaluation from a professional to confirm that there are no serious problems such as fractures or torn ligaments. If the bones are cracked and you are still trying to move, it is either recovery or suicide. If it is a chronic injury, don’t just focus on treating the painful area. Many people have knee pain and put plasters on their knees every day and do physical therapy. After the swelling disappears, the pain becomes lighter, and then relapses when exercising. In essence, it is not a problem with the knees at all. It is because the gluteal muscles are too weak. Walking and running rely entirely on the knees to compensate. If the weak muscles are not trained, no matter how you treat the knees, it will only treat the symptoms but not the root cause.
I have been doing sports rehabilitation for almost seven years, and nine out of ten injuries I have seen are caused by "anxiety" and "laziness". They are either in a hurry to achieve results or too lazy to warm up or practice basic strength. Prevention is really better than cure. Spending ten minutes more to prepare before going on the field is much more cost-effective than spending thousands of dollars on rehabilitation after the injury and being unable to move for three months. If the pain really persists for more than a week and has not improved, don’t search Baidu and treat the symptoms blindly. Quickly find a regular sports rehabilitation department or institution for evaluation. If a minor injury becomes chronic, you will still be the one to suffer.
