What are the methods to prevent sports injuries?

In fact, from the experience of those of us who spend time in sports fields all year round, the core of sports injury prevention has never been achieved by stacking protective gear and buying expensive equipment. The essence is the whole process of movement adaptation + load control. I have been running marathons for 4 years and practicing powerlifting for 2 years. Among the cases of sprained feet, muscle strains, and patellar tendinitis that I have seen, nine out of ten cases are caused by either laziness and skipping the warm-up steps, or by rushing to an intensity that exceeds my ability.

Let’s just say that last week our running group organized a 10-kilometer run for beginners. A young man who just signed up relied on how fast he ran when he was in school. During the warm-up, he squatted on the side and played with his mobile phone. When the run started, he immediately sprinted to a 5-and-a-half-minute pace. Within 3 kilometers, he strained his gastrocnemius muscle and squatted on the side of the road unable to stand up. In the end, we went to the hospital with him. Many people's misunderstanding of warm-up is to "go through the motions and shake your arms." In fact, warm-up is to activate all the muscle groups you will use next, raise the temperature, and stretch the elasticity to a state suitable for exerting force. For example, before running, you need to do a few sets of small steps, high leg raises, and hip circles. Before doing upper limb exercises, you need to do rotator cuff activation and wrist circles. When you touch the muscles you want to use and the skin is a little warmer than other parts of the body, then the warm-up is in place.

Speaking of this, some people must want to ask, should I buy protective gear? There are indeed two different opinions on this matter in the circle. One group believes that as long as the movements are standard, there is no need for protective gear. Wearing it for a long time will make the muscles around the core and joints dependent, and the strength will not be improved. ； The other group believes that they must be worn for heavy weight and high-intensity projects to protect them from deformation of movements. I must wear knee braces when doing powerlifting sprints of 180kg, but I usually take them off when doing regular 80kg sets. In fact, there is nothing wrong with either statement. The protective gear itself is a protective tool for extreme scenes. There is no need to wear it when you usually walk or do low-intensity exercises such as yoga. If you have old ankle or knee injuries, there is nothing to blame even if you wear an ankle brace for daily commuting.

Another point that is easily overlooked is the movement pattern. I once had a colleague learn the Bulgarian split squat while watching a short video. In order to make the video look good, he squatted very deep every time. His knees buckled so much that after practicing for less than half a month, he was so painful that he could only limp down the stairs. He went to the rehabilitation department to find out that it was patellar tendinitis, and it took him two thousand yuan to undergo physical therapy to recover. Don't underestimate the details of the movements. Many novices think that "it looks almost enough", but if it is just a little bit different, all the stress will be transferred to the joints. If possible, it is best for novices to find a reliable coach to take three or four classes to learn the basic movements and then practice them by yourself. It is much more cost-effective than spending money to recover after you are injured.

Oh, yes, don’t just pick up your bag after training. Your muscles will remain tense after high-intensity contractions. If you don’t relax for a long time, the probability of strain is several times higher than that of someone who relaxes enough. Now, whether I am running 10 kilometers or doing strength training for an hour, I have to roll with a foam roller for about ten minutes at the end, and press the tight areas for an extra two minutes. I won’t feel sore when I sleep that night, and my whole body won’t be stiff the next day.