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Recommendations to prevent injury before a race

Posted: Jun 22, 2021
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Before talking about injury prevention in a race, we have to know what kind of injuries we can have during it. Generally, during the race we can be affected in different parts of the body with knee, hip, ankle injuries or injuries that can be associated with heat such as heat stroke, heat headache, heat dermatosis and muscle cramps. To avoid this type of injury, Dr.Héctor L. Cristóbal gives us some advice that we can follow.
Physical preparation prior to the raceIn our preparation program, in addition to running, we must integrate an injury prevention program that must consist of a strength routine, a systematic flexibility routine and also include neuromotor training at least 2 times a week. All these interventions will be aimed at preparing our body before submitting to the stress of the race.
The night before the competitionFor the night before the competition we must take into account 3 factors:
Have slept at least 8 hours the day before the competition.Do not train the day before the competition and then have a regenerative training session.As a third and no less important aspect, there is the nutritional part where we must maintain a carbohydrate load the day and night before the competition.During the competitionAt this time it is crucial to have a specific rehydration plan and also to have done a short warm-up session. It is important to mention that a common practice that people do is to run injured instead of taking anti-inflammatories before the race, so it is necessary to emphasize that this practice only increases the risk of injury. At this point it is also advisable to choose the right footwear for the surface where the race will take place.
Post-competitionThis is a crucial point since you must have a successful recovery in order not to injure yourself. Depending on the number of kilometers traveled during the competition, it will be the strategy that must be implemented. For example, if it was a short session of 5 - 10 km, it will be enough to stretch. But if, on the other hand, the race was 20 km or more, it should be focused on a strategy that includes, of course, a stretching session, in addition to adding a cryotherapy bath or a discharge massage session.
All these recommendations have scientific support in which the recovery of muscle damage caused by intense or long-term exercise is taken as a premise. In addition to these tips helping you steer clear of injury, they will also allow your athletic performance to be maintained or even improved.
Do not forget that it is also recommended to have an evaluation program of your physical condition prior to any competition, this to have a well-structured prevention program to its characteristics, also allows to identify heart abnormalities or metabolic disorders that today result in a frequent problem in athletes, especially older than 45 years.
We are grateful for the collaboration of Dr. Héctor L. Cristobal Morales, specialist in sports medicine, for verifying and sharing information for the development of this article. He obtained his Medical Specialty in Physical Activity and Sports Medicine and a Bachelor's Degree as a Surgeon at the Universidad Veracruzana. He has focused on sports injuries, sports rehabilitation, sarcopenia, exercise prescription, exercise for cancer patients, among others.
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