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 AUGUST 28, 2002 Summer Sports Now that summer's here, you're back outside hitting tennis and golf balls, hiking on trails, or taking dips in the pool. You've gotten yourself into reasonable shape (that was part of your New Year's resolution, wasn't it?), and want to revel in that fit feeling as much as you can with the longer days and nice, warm weather. But in your rush to get on the course or courts, you may not warm up and stretch properly. Or you may do too much, too fast, too soon, and pull a muscle, strain ligaments, or throw a joint out of whack. Once you've injured yourself and have to rest, you quickly lose the muscle tone you worked so hard to maintain. Certain summer sports lend themselves to specific injuries. Golfers tend to have back troubles. Tennis players, of course, spend much of their time in the locker room complaining about sore elbows. Runner's knee has become part of the sports lexicon from the throbbing knee pain many runners suffer. Cyclists also have knee problems, as well as shoulder, neck, and wrist pains. Even swimmers get injured, often straining their shoulder muscles. Preventing Sports Injuries -- Two Keys One of the keys to preventing nagging sports injuries is to know what to do before they happen and, when they do, how to minimize the consequences. "Anyone can learn the same rehabilitation techniques as professionals use," says Allan M. Levy, M.D., team physician with the New York Giants and co-author of the Sports Injury Handbook. "Recreational athletes may not have four hours a day to devote to rehabilitation, as pros do, but the methods are the same. It's just a matter of degree." Another key to preventing sports injuries is to take a page out of the triathlete's book and vary your workout routine. Cross-training -- running one day, playing tennis the next, and working out in the gym the next day -- helps minimize the most common sport injuries, the so-called overuse injuries due to wear and tear on body parts. Alternating activities also helps relieve the monotony of doing the same exercise routine over and over again. |
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