Two pieces of advice I have been given regarding injuries stand out. The first was from an ex- soldier who said “you could just ignore it”. The second was from my PT who said “respect the injury”. I would definitely recommend the second piece of advice but there are times when that soldier may also be right.
Prevention however is better than cure as they say
I come from a risk management background and I think that it’s obvious that we would want to stop injuries happening in the first place rather than having to treat them. From my experience prevention is increasingly hard for us to achieve as we get older. I was hardly ever injured until I hit 35. Since then it is reasonably fair to say (though it pains me to admit it) I am always injured. I was plagued by achilles issues for the best part of ten years following lots of running and I have a torn left meniscus which doesn’t seem to trouble me most of the time. Then I had a shoulder injury which stopped me lifting overhead with my left arm and playing tennis. I did that falling whilst teaching my son to do 360 turns skiing. Currently I have a dodgy left hip. Not sure where that’s come from but I fell on that hard earlier this year skiing and I have just done lots of mountain walking with relatively heavy loads of my back. My view is that for people engaged in sports it is virtually impossible to avoid injury but you should certainly know and evaluate the risks before you engage in the activity and work out how best to minimise them.From my experience the following are example of higher risk activities:-
Running
there is a famous saying there are two types of runners. Those who are injured and those who will shortly be injured. My running at the time of writing is mainly restricted to that whilst playing football and tennis. My Achilles’ tendons have so much scar tissue they are about 2-3 times thicker than they should be and my physio politely suggests that running should probably not be my first sport. That said he still thinks I can be a runner but it would make sense to keep the distances shorter rather than longer. This feels right to me anyhow as I have always performed better over shorter races. That said I will still run long from time where I feel the risk is worth taking. Every year I run a part of the South West Costal Path with my brother in law and that gives me so much joy I’m prepared to take the risk. I would also ignore minor injuries to run it. That’s me though and you have to decide where your level of risk tolerance.
Lifting heavy weights
If you lift weights the wrong way there is a chance you will hurt your lower back. I know because I’ve done it. You need to learn how to engage your core and glutes and develop the right lifting technique. Build up the weight slowly. An investment in a good PT is a very good one from a risk management perspective. The benefits of strength training however are so high that I would recommend everyone does it but with due care and attention. Strength training will prevent more injuries than it will cause for sure.
School Sports Day or Parents Football Match
This is the very highest risk. If you don’t currently run, participate in football or do any strength training then do not take part. You are probably not under 18 and therefore there is an exceptionally high chance of injury in this type of one off. This advice is for men only and most woman would not be so stupid as to participate. Woman are less likely to be over confident in their abilities, less likely to be overly competitive and thus less likely to tear a hamstring after 5 minutes trying to emulate Ryan Giggs or Usain Bolt with a full out sprint down the left wing or 100m track.
The following are lower risk:-
Cycling
Cycling is non weight bearing and you are unlikely to get injured unless you fall of your bike. Falling off is unusual unless you are racing in groups, get hit by a car or are an aggressive descender in the hills. I’ve cycled quite a lot over the past 15 years and I’ve only come off my bike twice. I’m very cautious going down hills and I don’t often race in groups. When I do race in groups I am very alive to the bike skills of those around me and stay away from any rider who looks like they are an accident waiting to happen. I assume that every car is going to hit me, ride past side roads with extreme care attempting to look drivers in the eye to make sure they have seen me. I like cycling a lot but probably not as much as I have loved running. I cycle more now though because I can do more of it without breaking down.
Pool Swimming
Yoga
I have started doing yoga to try and prevent injury. Many of us, and men particularly, have spectacularly poor flexibility. I’ve been like the tin man from the Wizard of Oz in the past but I’ve worked hard to improve my mobility to protect me and to aid performance. When I do yoga the morning before I play tennis I seem to reach balls I would never normally get to.
Whatever your sport or physical activity is I recommend that you identify the risks of injury and put a risk management plan in place (if only in your head). That plan should include appropriate strength and conditioning training. Unless you are very lucky however you will at some point come a crocker and will require the service of a good physio. At the first hint of an injury I will always see my physio immediately so I get a diagnosis and a rehabilitation plan where needed. I always find the sessions educational and the expense justified even if the “injury” turns out to be nothing.
For some people, and I now include myself within that number, the consequences of injury are higher due to their livelihood depending on their ability to perform physically. Therefore it may make sense to see a physio or osteo for maintenance. They may detect muscular imbalances earlier than you will. This would be a sensible, Insurance like, investment. Even if you are not in a profession where you need to be physically able to perform your job you may think think this is a sensible course of action anyhow.
Listen to your body
My final piece of advice in injury prevention is listening to your body. Do not be a slave to a schedule and be prepared to change your plans. If you are feeling tired and you had a long run planned then run shorter and reschedule the long run. if you are starting to experience knee pain then spin more rather than push a big gear if you are cycling and stay out of the hills. If you are a swimmer with a sore shoulder than maybe do a kicking session or go for a run. Be agile and play the longer game. I’m always injured but I’m still playing all the sports that I wish to. I work around injuries In the gym and my PTs are skilled enough to revise a session for me and ensure I do respect the injury. Fitness in the second half of our lives is rarely plain sailing. It’s hardly ever easy to perform at the level you think you could if you had injury free months to train and play but you can find a way even if you have to miss a few weeks here and there. Diversity in the activities I participate in usually means there is something else to fall back on.
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