Injury and Re-Injury Prevention

Injuries often seem random, and even cruel—they happen when we least expect them and can have life-altering consequences. Still, there are certain steps one can take to reduce the risk of injury and recover more effectively from previous injuries.

Whether you’re rehabbing and wish to prevent re-injury, or are an athlete or other professional at high risk of sustaining an injury in daily life, the guidelines discussed here should provide a leg-up, helping you to be successful and to avoid injury as much as possible.

Practicing Safe Habits

When it comes to general injury prevention, one of the most impactful lifestyle choices you can make is to always prioritize your personal safety. If that sounds vague, it’s probably because safe habits apply to us in myriad ways that are difficult to list here.

That being said, wise precautions include wearing appropriate gear during physical activities—from proper shoes, cleats, and shinguards during sports play to helmets and lights while biking—to the kinds of small choices you make every single day, like practicing safe driving, wearing a seatbelt, and maintaining awareness of workplace hazards.

We know this may seem obvious, and most of us have been hearing about basic safety since childhood—but that doesn’t change the fact that developing these kinds of habits is one of the most effective ways to reduce your likelihood of sustaining an injury.

Exercising, Stretching, and Warming Up

For injury prevention, there a couple of basic principles you can adhere to that will make it much less likely you’ll injure yourself (or re-injure a previously injured body part). First, always begin by stretching and warming up, or getting the blood flowing in your body, before any exercise. Most physical therapists recommend dynamic stretches, which involve repetitive movement, such as arm circles, over the more common static stretches, which involve stretching and holding a muscle in place. Always remember to stretch the specific muscles you’ll be using while exercising.

While exercising, avoid overexertion or pushing your body in uncomfortable or unusual ways—to accomplish this, you’ll need to remain mindful and aware. In addition, certain exercises can aid your recovery from injury especially well. However, these depend on the individual as well as the exact type and location of the injury. For that reason, we recommended seeking the guidance of a professional physical therapist, such as those at PMR, before beginning any program.

Correcting Issues and Misalignments

Through consultation with your chiropractor, you’ll frequently be able to identify misalignments and other problems with the body that may be contributing to injury problems—in some cases, these may be causes you haven’t even considered! This is especially true for athletes (and other professionals, such as musicians) who suffer from problems related to repetitive motion, as well as those experiencing difficulties related to the spine and joints. At PMR, our chiropractors can diagnose these problems and recommend an individualized, holistic course of action to correct them.

For more information, get in touch with one of PMR’s physical therapists today to begin our consultative, individualized process for injury prevention!