Newswise — As the summer Olympics get underway, many of us will be inspired to run, jump, bike and swim just like our Olympic heroes. But some weekend athletes can exercise themselves into sports-related injuries.
Dr. Ed Wojtys, sports medicine director of MedSport at the University of Michigan Health System, offers advice to wanna-be Olympians and weekend athletes. He notes there is always an increase in sports activities " and subsequent sports injuries " in the summer, but the Olympics are a stimulus for many to relive athletic careers or act out future aspirations, leading people of all ages to push beyond their normal physical limits.
"The most common sports-related injuries we see are muscle strains, ligament sprains or early osteoarthritis aggravated by injuries," says Wojtys. "We consider all of these to be overuse-related injuries."
People who haven't been exercising as much as they'd like can still get some good exercise this summer while avoiding overuse injuries. Keep in mind your age and level of conditioning so that you are realistic about what you are capable of doing, Wojtys cautions.
"Medical conditions are also an important factor, particularly for the older person who is more likely to be diabetic or hypertensive. Medical conditions play a role in how quickly you can increase your level of activity, whether it's running, walking or something in between," Wojtys says.
A good way to start your sports or exercise planning is by consulting a physician, athletic trainer or coach. For the young, choose an expert who is knowledgeable about how children grow for advice on how far to safely push the physical limits. Older athletes should seek an expert who understands their level of conditioning and how fast or far to push the physical limits " and where those limits might be.
"Regardless of your age or physical shape, pain is a good indicator that our bodies don't like what we are doing," says Wojtys. "If you feel pain, ask yourself if it's appropriate to continue doing what you're doing."
Children rarely will do things that make their bodies hurt too much, he says, but adults can come up with all kinds of reasons to ignore the pain and keep doing what they are doing. If the pain is soreness from muscles that haven't gotten much of a workout lately, it's probably OK to continue if the pain isn't severe. However, joint pain combined with joint swelling is a signal to stop that activity.
"Joint pain is most concerning in the very young and the very old. We don't want to do anything to damage the growth process in children, and we don't want to contribute to pre-existing joint degeneration in the older adult," Wojtys says.
Exercises that cause impact across the joint " ones involving jumping, turning or twisting " are the ones that do the most damage.
Warming up before physical exertion will help people get the most out of their physical activity without muscle strains. In fact, people frequently perform better in their sport when they start with warmup exercises. Begin with some aerobic conditioning and then proceed to stretches. Wojtys says that starting with stretches when you are not warmed up can actually do more harm than good.
Someone planning a good long run should warm up for 10 minutes on an exercise bike or by going on a light jog. Once you've broken into a sweat, proceed to some stretching exercises in order to be fully prepared for a long run.
Hydration is also important, no matter what your age, during summer sports activities in order to avoid heat illness and heat stroke. A good rule of thumb is that when temperatures and humidities share similar readings above 70 degrees and 70 percent, athletes should be drinking water regularly, before, during and after any athletic activity. If exercising hard for more than 1 hou, a sports drink might be better.
So, if you consult an expert, listen to your joints and muscles, warm up and stay hydrated, then you've really earned your gold medal this summer.
For more information, visit the following Web sites:
U-M Sports Medicine Advisor: Muscle Strainshttp://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_mstrains_sma.htm
U-M Sports Medicine Advisor: Ankle Sprainhttp://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_anksprai_sma.htm
U-M Sports Medicine Advisor: Osteoarthritishttp://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_ostearth_sha.htm
U-M Sports Medicine Advisor: Fluids and Hydrationhttp://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_fluids_sma.htm
U-M Sports Medicine Advisor: Ice Therapyhttp://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_itherapy_sma.htm
U-M Sports Medicine Advisor: Heat Illnesshttp://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_heatilln_sma.htm
U-M Your Child: Sports Safetyhttp://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/sportsaf.htm
Consumer Product Safety Commission: Baby Boomer Sports Injurieshttp://www.cpsc.gov/library/boomer.pdf
American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Heat Injuryhttp://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=42&topcategory=Sports AARP: Fitness Safetyhttp://www.aarp.org/Articles/a2003-03-06-safety/tools/printable
AARP: Get Ready, Get Set, Get Moving!http://www.aarp.org/Articles/a2003-03-06-getset/tools/printable
National Institutes of Health: Preventing Childhood Sports Injurieshttp://www.nih.gov/news/WordonHealth/jun2000/story07.htm
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