Tips To Prevent Fitness Injuries

By Myles Schneider, DPM

Annandale Foot and Ankle Center

. https://www.annandalepodiatry.com/

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Tips To Prevent Fitness Injuries

Part One

Before starting out on a regular fitness program, it is strongly recommended that you consult with your physician. This is especially important if you have been sedentary for a long period of time, are over or underweight or are being treated for any number of serious diseases and/or conditions such as asthma, allergies, breathing disorders, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, circulatory diseases, chronic degenerative or musculoskeletal diseases, diabetes, or pregnancy.

Outside of a traumatic injury, like a barbell falling on your foot, twisting your ankle while walking or running or falling off of a bicycle, we find most fitness injuries are avoidable. The following is a list of things you should consider when trying to become fit.

Wear fitness shoes that are made for the fitness activities you have chosen. For example, you should not be wearing tennis shoes to run in, or running shoes to play tennis in.

Make sure that they are the correct size, fit your feet well and match your foot type. There are three basic foot types or shapes low, average or high arched. The various athletic shoe companies have a selection of shoes that best fit each of these.

Make sure that the fitness shoes are not too old and/or too worn down. Get a new pair when this happens.

If you need or use insoles, arch supports or custom made orthotics remember to put them in your fitness shoes.

For some fitness activities there are other pieces of equipment that you need to pay attention to also. For example, not having the correct seat position or height on a bicycle or problems with the fitting of ski boots can cause injuries.

Whatever fitness activity or program you decide to do, you should spend a few minutes warming and loosening up before exercising and several minutes to cool down afterward.

You should commit to a regular schedule and give your body enough time to get used to the activity and gradually increase the time, distance and intensity. Do not push yourself too much.

It is usually not a good idea to increase time or distance and intensity at the same time. Work on time or distance first and then increase the intensity.

Different fitness activities tend to stress and tighten certain muscle groups over others. These muscles should be stretched properly and regularly.

Some muscles or muscle groups can become weak and need to be strengthened.