Strategies for Reducing Risk of Injury

The Impact of Injuries?

Many person, if not everyone I assume hates to be injured. Injuries comes with pain and sometimes disability, which prevents you from functioning normally at home, work or in other aspects of life. They sometimes, depending on the severity, robs us of joy, independence, activities we enjoy ( e.g. hobbies, sports, gym, exercise, playing with children/grandchildren etc.) and even precious sleep.??

Injuries not only carry a personal burden but they can affect families if bread winners are unable to work, teams if a key player/players are unable to perform and even business/companies have decrease productivity if workers/employees are absent or unable to work. Finding ways to prevent injuries is a growing concern for many persons. But can we truly prevent injuries???

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Injury Prevention vs Injury Risk Reduction?

Prevention by definition means to stop something from happening or existing. Unfortunately, we cannot stop injuries from happening, it is a part of life and so things will always happen and sometimes completely out of our control. But, the good news however, injuries and the risk of having them can be reduced.??

Plenty persons and organizations still use the term?"Injury Prevention"?in describing various programmes, however, personally I find that a better term to use is?"Injury Risk Reduction"?. Because, most injury prevention strategies don’t completely prevent injuries, they actually reduce our risk of getting them.?

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This article may not be sufficient to address all various "Injury Prevention" strategies, but let's look at how most injuries commonly happen in different settings and what can we do reduce our chances of being injured.??

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"Too much, too quick after doing too little for too long"?

Most injuries happen when we load our muscles and other structures too much and too fast after not loading them as much for a while. Loading basically refers to us "adding pressure/stress" to our body structures for example, running, playing sports, carrying groceries, cleaning the house, doing physical work/labour. Our bodies were so amazingly created that if we gradually and consistently add load or put demand on it, then it adapts to be able to handle it.?

That’s why a person gets bulkier/stronger when they lift weights, or why the older person who always running laps around the savannah can run faster, or do more laps than you or that’s why a mother who always holding her child can have them in her arms for a long period but you hold the baby for a couple minutes and your arms become tired. These differences exists because of how each person's body adapt to various load/stress applied to it.?

?Examples of Injuries?

Example 1 -??"Christmas Injuries", throughout the whole year there is an average time persons will take to clean their houses, however during Christmas this cleaning might take days or weeks for some people and because of this sudden drastic increase in work load some people develop back pains and knee pains.??

?Example 2 -?A person stopped playing a sport for years or several months then one day decide to go and play at the same intensity they use to and what happens next? Yes, they get some form of injury.??

?Example 3 - Someone's first week in the gym or fitness club, he/she never use to lift weights and then decided to lift heavy without a gradual progression or they might be accustomed to lifting 50 lbs then suddenly jump to attempting 100 lbs because 50 was "easy" and as a result overloads some muscle or joint and there is pain or an injury.??

?Example 4 - a person accustom to walking 10 laps, then one day attempts to run 10 instead of walk; a person accustom to bowling 4 overs in training and then proceeds to bowl 8-10 overs in a match. The body was not prepared to handle all that load, so something will hurt.?

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These sudden increases in load especially when not doing much for while or doing too much of a new activity despite even being ”fit” significantly increases our risk of injuries.?

??The Solution?

The key to reducing injuries like these are to know that our bodies are dynamic, they will adapt to whatever stress/load we put it through but it is important to take our time enjoy these activities, listen to our bodies know our limits and gradually progress.?

?The Work Place: Avoiding Injuries?

First, let me say sometimes when we are at work and we feel aches and pains especially in our backs and necks, they might not necessarily be as a result of the work we do but potential triggers?could include prolonged sitting or being in certain position/posture over six (6) hours, stress and/or depression as proven by recent research. But generally, to avoid injuries or aches and pains while at work here are a few tips:?

?Take small breaks?- whether your job is office based or manual labour, small breaks even a minute every hour allows both our minds and body to replenish. Sometimes that minute might only involve walking away, or stretching a little, you would be surprised at the difference this makes. Remember the body loves movement.?

Exercising regularly?- not only improves our health, but it makes our bodies stronger and more resilient, so they are better able to handle the demands our jobs place on them. Strength training have been proven to reduce various injuries as well. Exercise also helps to decrease symptoms of depression, anxiety and may help to improve your sleep. Exercising regularly coupled with good work ergonomics would significantly decrease aches, pain or injuries experienced in the work place.?

Follow Safety Instructions?- this speaks for itself. Following safety guidelines and protocols, obeying warning signs, wearing safety equipment and following correct instructions will decrease injuries whether in work, home, school etc.?

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The Home: Avoiding Injuries?

The home should always be our happy place, so let us keep it injury free. The most common musculoskeletal household injuries include trips and falls, sprains and muscle spasms/overload in the back. Older adults especially those with impaired mobility or cognition are at greater risk of falls with possibilities of having fractures (broken bones) which can lead to further negative consequences. Trips and falls can also affect anyone else in the household and may lead to fractures, sprains and other injuries.??

?Always ensure your floors are clean and dry (non-slip flooring is always good). The floors should be free of hazards to include lines, wires, tools, toys etc. any object that could lead to a trip or fall. Older adults who engage in balance training and exercise classes under supervision have significantly less risk of falling.?

?Back injuries, especially when lifting and carrying objects in the home can be minimized if we do the following: know our limits, ask for help when needed (especially when an object is perceived as being heavy), improve our lifting mechanics and take breaks.?

Reducing Risk of Sports/Exercise-Related Injuries?

This is a very comprehensive topic, with extensive research in a variety of injuries. However, let us look briefly on a few common sports injuries and what is recommended to reduce their occurrences.?

Hamstring Injuries?- programmes designed to increase hamstring strength more specifically eccentric strength, common exercise used is the Nordic drops.?

Head & Neck Injuries - neck strengthing exercises have been proven to reduce the impact of head and neck injuries in rugby players.

Ankle Sprains?- ankle taping and bracing and neuromuscular (balance/proprioceptive) training have been proven effective?for the prevention of ankle sprain reoccurrences.?

Acute Knee Injuries?- various programmes using structured exercises especially in warm up before training or matches have strong evidence that has shown a decrease of 25-50% of knee injuries in teams. The exercises are generally targeted at strength, balance and neuromuscular control. The FIFA 11+ warm is one the more prominent programmes with good results.??

Overuse injuries?- close monitoring of athletes' training and competition loads maybe an effective prevention strategy.?

Protective equipment and appropriate surfaces also play a valuable role in reducing risk of injuries. Please remember all programmes should be carried out by qualified physiotherapists, strength and conditioning specialists or other sports rehabilitation specialists.?

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Conclusion?

"Prevention is better than cure", while somethings are inevitable and we cannot prevent all injuries, we definitely can reduce our risk of sustaining them. Implementing injury prevention or risk reduction strategies can be beneficial to all, we can function better, play more, exercise more and live more. Please to remember when implementing injury prevention programmes it is always good to seek professional advice, so that you get the best results.?

ADRIAN PALMER,?PT,?PgDip?SEM,?BScPT, PAPHS?

Registered Physical Therapist (RPT)?

Postgraduate Diploma Sports & Exercise Medicine (PgDip?SEM)?

Physical Activity in Public Health Specialist?(ACSM/NPAS PAPHS)?

Phone/WhatsApp: 868-314-3639?