Common sports injury prevention and treatment

90% of common sports injuries can be avoided through pre-emptive intervention. The core of prevention is "matching the load, activation in place, and paying attention to body signals." The core of post-injury treatment is "no rubbing, no force, and staged intervention." As long as these points are followed, minor injuries will basically not turn into chronic diseases.

I have been running for 7 years and going to the gym for 5 years. I have seen dozens of injuries, both large and small, among my friends. I have also experienced iliotibial band syndrome myself, which was so painful that I trembled when I went up and down the stairs. I have talked to three rehabilitation practitioners, and I can be considered as someone who has experienced it. Last week, the community basketball bureau encountered a typical counterexample: a young man who had just graduated came to play in sneakers. He shook his arm twice casually during the warm-up. When he hit the ground for the first three-point shot, his foot sprained. He gasped in pain while sitting on the ground. There was an old man nearby who came over to rub him and said, "Just rub it away." I was so scared that I stopped him quickly - if he rubbed it, the capillary rupture would be more serious and the swelling would be bigger than a steamed bun.

To be honest, many people are injured not because of bad luck, but because they don't take "matching load" seriously. The injury logic of different sports is inherently different. You can't apply the warm-up logic of running to powerlifting, right? The most common problems for runners are their knees and ankles. Many people run 5 kilometers a day when they first start running, or even run a half-marathon on weekends. The load has long exceeded the body's endurance. In the past, the 10% rule was generally used in the industry, that is, the increase in running volume each week should not exceed 10% of the previous week. However, in recent years, some studies have said that there is no need to limit this number. If your legs are not sore after running the day before, it is okay to add 20%. The core is your own fatigue feeling. There is no need to impose a standard.

Fitness friends are more likely to fall into the problem of "blindly pushing the weight". Many people practice shoulder exercises until they feel pain, and they think it is because they "feel good when exerting force". In fact, it is most likely due to acromion impingement. Especially for people who sit for a long time and have rounded shoulders, the range of motion of their joints is not enough, so it would be strange if they push their shoulders with heavy weight without bumping. I once had a fitness friend who did not lock his core when doing deadlifts. As soon as he lifted the 120 kilogram weight, his waist swayed and he lay down for half a month. Later I found out that he usually works in the office for 10 hours a day and his core strength is already weak. He insisted on competing with others. He was just looking for trouble.

When it comes to the treatment of injuries, there has been quite a bit of controversy in the industry in recent years. In the past, everyone believed in the RICE principle. When injured, apply ice and lie down without moving. Now the international sports medicine community has come up with a new principle of PEACE&LOVE, which states that in the acute phase, try not to use anti-inflammatory drugs and do not apply ice for a long time to avoid affecting blood circulation. After 48 hours, you can slowly do low-intensity activities to promote recovery. These two views are not completely unified now. My experience is that if it is an acute sprained foot, muscle strain, and the swelling is particularly severe, ice application is still more effective in the first 24 hours, and no more than 15 minutes each time. If it is only a slight strain and not very swollen, you don’t need to apply it at all. Appropriate activities will help you recover faster, so you don’t have to believe in a certain "standard answer."

Don’t just lie down forever as soon as you get injured. There’s really no need. I had a hamstring strain before, and the rehabilitation therapist asked me to do 3 sets of straight leg raises every day, 15 times each. I was able to walk almost normally within a week, which was faster than the last time I had a strain and lay at home for half a month. For mild ankle sprains, you can slowly do ankle wrap and heel raise training after 72 hours. As long as the pain is within the tolerable range, appropriate load can help the tissue repair faster. Of course, don’t be too stubborn. If you are in so much pain that you can’t move at all, or your joints are deformed, don’t hesitate to go to the hospital for an MRI. Don’t believe that some “bone-setting master” will give you just a few blows. If you have a torn cruciate ligament or a fracture, breaking the joint will only make it more serious.

In fact, the purpose of exercise is to make the body more comfortable. Don't do it just to show off on friends or compare yourself to data. Listen to your body's voice more. It is more effective than any prevention guide. Don’t be afraid if you accidentally get injured. Seek professional advice and don’t mess around. You can basically recover as well as you can. After all, we are not professional athletes, so we don’t have to risk our lives for results, right?