Sports injury prevention strategies

The effective prevention of sports injuries has never relied on copying general training plans and enduring pain. The core must grasp the three keys of "layered matching of exercise load, dynamic adjustment of training rhythm, and proactive intervention of minor discomforts." At the same time, there is no standard answer that applies to everyone. It needs to be adjusted flexibly based on one's own sports foundation and current physical condition.

Last week, I met a 22-year-old young man during the team building of the running group. He usually only walks two steps to and from get off work. When he saw others reporting for a half marathon, he got excited and followed suit. He ran 10 kilometers repeatedly in the first week of training. As a result, he developed iliotibial band friction syndrome on the seventh day. It hurt so much that he had to hold on to the wall while squatting in the toilet. He didn't dare touch running shoes for three months. In fact, this is also the source of injuries for most ordinary enthusiasts: before they have figured out their body's tolerance limit, they are first held back by the slogans of "self-discipline" and "breaking through the comfort zone".

It’s interesting to say that there has been a debate in the sports circle about the causes of injuries for many years. One group is mostly old-school coaches in the fitness circle, who firmly believe that "movement standards are higher than the sky". For example, the knees cannot pass over the toes when squatting, and the back must be straight during deadlifts, which will almost injure joints. The other group is based on the research conclusions in the field of sports medicine in recent years. Multiple cohort studies in the top journal "Sports Medicine and Science" show that 82% of overuse injuries. The core cause of injury is "a sudden increase in training load by more than 30% within a week." Even if the movements are completely in line with the textbook standards and the load exceeds the repair limit of tendons and cartilage, problems will still occur. On the contrary, some amateurs' movements are not so "standard", but they have been gradually increasing the amount. They have run marathons for five or six years and have not even suffered from periostitis.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with both sides. If the mistake is too outrageous, such as relying on the arm to throw hard when smashing in badminton, or bending over and pulling hard when doing deadlift, then there is a high probability that it will be easily twisted on the spot without waiting for the load to exceed the standard. But most of the injuries suffered by ordinary people are not caused by a slightly crooked movement, but simply by being too hasty. I have also encountered this pitfall when I was practicing CrossFit. I saw that the girl next to me could deadlift 80 kilograms. I usually can only lift 50 kilograms. That day, my brain got hot and I added 20 kilograms. When I did the second lift, I felt a pull on my waist. It took half a month to wear a plaster. Now I feel stupid when I think about it.

Don’t believe the nonsense that “failure to complete the training plan means cowardice.” I know a second-level marathon runner who has been running for 12 years. His rules for preparing for the competition are very simple: as long as the resting heart rate is measured more than 5 times higher than usual in the morning, the training distance will be cut in half; if there is a dull pain in the joints that is not muscle soreness, just stop training and switch to swimming. Over the years, he has not even suffered a serious sprain. Many people think this is laziness, but in fact this is what you really know - your physical condition is changing every day, and just because you were able to run 10 kilometers yesterday, it doesn't mean you can still hold on after staying up all night. The result of struggling is basically injuries.

Another point that many people overlook is pre-intervention. Don’t wait until the pain makes you unable to move before taking it seriously. For example, if you recently practiced shoulder training, you feel a slight soreness in the seam of your shoulder when you wake up the next day. Don’t take it seriously and continue practicing. First, roll a tennis ball against the wall for 5 minutes, and do more than a dozen sets of light-weight shoulder external rotation activation. Wait until the soreness is completely gone before you resume training. If you endure it for three or four days, you will most likely develop acromion impingement syndrome, and it will be difficult to even lift your arms and put on clothes.

Don’t just follow the general warm-up template. Just warm up whatever you practice. It’s much more effective than jumping around for half an hour. For example, if you want to play badminton today, you should do more rehearsals of empty swings and step squats, and slow down the movements of catching and lofting balls a dozen times to activate the rotator cuff and hip muscles used; if you want to practice squats today, you should first do a few sets of freehand squats and hip hinges, which are much more targeted than just doing 100 jumping jacks. Also, don’t wear protective gear indiscriminately. Don’t wear knee pads and waist pads every day when you are not injured. I have seen many novices wear protective gear like a Transformer when they first started exercising. As a result, after half a year of training, their core strength is much worse than that of people of the same level. Taking off the protective gear will cause pain when moving, which makes them more likely to be injured. Beijing Sport University conducted a survey on amateur sports people in 2023. The risk of sports injuries for people who sleep less than 6 hours is 3.2 times that of those who get 7 hours of sleep. If you don't even get enough sleep, the repair ability of muscles and joints is already poor. To put it bluntly, if you insist on moving, you are looking for trouble for yourself.

In fact, after all, exercise is something that makes you feel comfortable. Don’t always focus on other people’s pace and weight. Listen more to your own body’s signals, which is better than any carefully designed prevention strategy.