The prevention and strengthening of the joints, the best allies against injuries
According to the Real Madrid Medical Services-Sanitas, to avoid joint injuries it is essential to avoid being overweight, wear good shoes, maintain adequate muscles and take care of excesses in physical exercise.
Carrying out a correct warm-up allows the muscles to support the intensity of the work that the athlete is going to do later and thus reduces the risk of suffering damage.
Hydration before, during and after exercise and a healthy and balanced diet are key to avoiding cramps and other injuries.
Exercising the joints to avoid future injuries is a simple task but it requires perseverance and dedication. It is important to practice some sport to strengthen the muscles and thus avoid possible damage or injuries to elbows, shoulders, wrists, ankles, etc. Therefore, it is essential to avoid a sedentary lifestyle and exercise the body.
The best treatment is prevention. To this end, we must not forget that the first step in doing sports is warming up. Thanks to this preparation period, the muscles are able to withstand the intensity of the work that the athlete will do later. Through light contractions and subsequent muscle elongations, the muscles contract with greater speed, power and efficiency. In this way, movement is enhanced and coordination is not impaired.
When a muscle has not been warmed up beforehand, it is more exposed to injuries with fibrillar tears and contractures. Some of the beneficial effects produced by the preparation are:
Reduction of muscle viscosity, thus improving muscle contraction-relaxation
Improved elasticity of the muscles and tendons
It increases body temperature, which speeds up metabolism and allows the body to use more sustainably the fundamental substrates for the production of energy required by intense physical activity.
The warm-up should start at the top -the neck- and end at the bottom -the ankles-. The movements must be progressive in the amplitude of all the joints, working towards the full degree of mobility of each joint, in order to improve muscle and tendon elasticity and the lubrication and temperature of the joints.
Once this first stage is over, stretching based on repetitive movements, not too sudden, is important. They should include at least one exercise for each of the major muscle or joint regions of the body.