The evenings are getting longer, the weather is getting better (optimistic I know) and people are getting fitter. We decided to put together five simple tips to ensure you enjoy the activities you love even more.
1) Insurance – No matter what you play you’ll always have the risk of injuring yourself during your preferred activity. As much as we all love the games we play, most of us are not professionals and we still have to work. If you get a serious injury whilst playing, you may be in serious trouble if you’re self employed. Apart from having the usual insurance through most sports clubs, I always recommend clients to get some personal income protection. Having this type of protection gives you peace of mind when enjoying your sports.
2) Training – Playing team sports means different things for different people, some teams take it very seriously and some teams are more social, do your research and find the teams that suit you. Training assists with the prevention of injury, because if you just play matches without training the risk of injury dramatically increases. Other types of training that also reduce injury include yoga, pilates – check out our class timetable here swimming and cycling are all very good forms of cross training and help to reduce injury and overload on the body. The best part about training is the social aspect of things.
3) Pre match – get there on time!! There is nothing worse than the manager ringing guys wondering where they are with many people getting “stuck” in the traffic or you’ll get the classic I’ll be there in 5 mins, when you haven’t actually left the house. In the ideal scenario you should not be hungover, you’ll play poorly, and if you’re still drunk you’ll think you’re an all star (you’re not). Playing hungover increases the risk of injury and annoys your manager and team mates, who have stayed off the beer the night before. Do a good warm up with some sports specific drills, drink lots of water before and during the game. Don’t run straight from your car onto the pitch with “we are the champions” ringing in your ears, this increases the risk of injury and the possibility of getting roasted by your opponent is relatively high if not certain!
4) Respect for coaches, club officials and referees, most sporting organisations are run on a voluntary basis, your coach does not want to hear you moaning if he takes you off as a sub. If you get a text from your coach to ask if you’re going, a simple reply is good manners, at least he knows where you stand. Most of the game officials such as linesmen, refs or umpires are not professionals, please remember this before you start abusing or criticising their decision. They are as my mammy would say, “Doing their best”, without their input the games would not go ahead.
5/ Post match – This is a serious one…. If you get a knock on your head or your think you have a fracture, then you must go to hospital, DO NOT drink alcohol.Thankfully there is more education regarding brain injuries, but you still get some heroes out there. If you share a house/lift with someone who got a bad knock make sure you take them to the hospital. If you have swelling around a joint – knee, ankle or hand then it’s best to get it checked out sooner rather than later. Early intervention for injuries will lead to a faster recovery, which means you can go back training.
So if you need an appointment click here or call our Physiotherapists at Bodybalance Physiotherapy on 046 9002982. We are located at 26 Canon Row, Navan, Co Meath
Colin Phillips
Chartered Physiotherapist