A strong core and good posture can help prevent exercise-induced injuries.
of sessions so you can learn what’s safe. “Don’t underestimate the power of a good coach,” says Trumbull. “Profes- sional athletes wouldn’t dream of train- ing on their own.” Even when you’ve become more fit
take time to ease into a workout: Warm up slowly and steadily for at least 10 minutes and include movements that mimic the ones you’ll be doing. So if you’re going for a three-mile run, walk or jog slowly at first, and if you’re hit- ting the lap pool take some time to do forward and backward arm circles. This increases blood flow to the muscles and joints you’re working, elevates your heart rate and body temperature and
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wakes up the neuromuscular system. “A thorough warm-up can actually pre- vent some injuries, like muscle strains, from occurring,” Stehle explains. But leave the deep stretching until after your workout, he adds, “when the mus- cles are more pliable.” Otherwise, you run the risk of pulling or straining a muscle if it’s not warmed up.
DO GET TO KNOW YOUR BODY. Spare time for a brief anatomy lesson: By learning which body parts are most susceptible to injury and the sports most likely that cause an injury, you may be able to prevent getting hurt. » Shoulders:A ball-and-socket joint
with a large range of motion, the shoul- der is particularly at risk. “The supra- spinatus muscle [which runs along the top of the shoulder blade] is the most vulnerable since it is small and is eas- ily overused,” explains Trumbull. Ac- tivities that involve twisting, lifting heavy weight or raising your arms over- head repeatedly are, not surprisingly, more likely to injure a shoulder. Watch out if you play/do: softball, racquetball, tennis, swimming, weight training and some yoga poses, such as arm balances. » Knees: A weight-bearing joint, knees don’t do so well with rotation. Women are even more at risk, owing to the angle of the hip to the knee on the female body. Activities that involve a sudden twist or torque of the knee or excessive pounding can result in knee pain and the tearing of a ligament, ten- don or cartilage. If you have osteoar- thritis (OA) in your knees, don’t assume, though, that you’ll need to for- go more vigorous workouts. A 2003 Cochrane review compared high- and low-intensity aerobic exercise in people with OA of the knee and found they were equally effective in improving functionality and gait and in easing pain. Watch out if you play/do: jogging, running, tennis, skiing, soccer, football and Step aerobics. » Low back: A weak core (abdomi- nals and low back) and poor posture can make your back ripe for injury. “We know from studies on college athletes that a lack of core strength predispos- es athletes to overuse injuries of the low back,” says Danielle Aufiero, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation/ sports medicine specialist at Ortho- healing Center in Westwood, Califor- nia. “So it stands to reason that in a less athletic population the same risks will be magnified, potentially leading to more severe injuries such as disc her- niations and recurrent muscle strain.” The problem, continues, Aufiero is that most core exercises work the rectus abdominus muscles but don’t focus on deeper ab muscles, and poor exercise technique is common too. “Without