Preventing injury myths

When it comes to sports injuries several myths and half-truths exist. Although many of these myths are simple misunderstandings when it comes to your health and safety its important to know the correct information.   Picking up bad habits from poor advice could result in more damage than progress when exercising. So, we’ve put together a quick list of some myths you may come across when training. No pain, no gain. Many people believe a good session will leave you covered in sweat with throbbing joints and aching muscles, however this is not always correct. Sweating is part of exercise, but it is not a proven indicator of a ‘good’ workout, as sweat is a means to cool down the body whereas monitoring your heart rate would be a much more realistic way to measure the intensity of your exercise. Aching joints and muscles up to a point are the sign of good exercise session, however when the pain and aching feeling begin to increase this could be a sign your overworking the body and therefore your body will need longer to recover. Its important to remember that consistency is key, doing a lower intensity workout on a more regular basis allows you to exercise more frequently with less of a recovery time. Try working at 70-80% of your usual heart rate. Speed is dangerous. The majority of sports such as hockey, rugby, football and even just running can require people to sprint regularly. Many people have come to believe that the speed they run at can have an impact on their chance of suffering an injury, but there is no proven link between speed and injury. Building fat straight into muscle. It is not possible can fat convert into muscle. Exercising will help burn fat and then build muscles, but they are two completely different tissues. This will be the same if you start exercising muscle will not turn into fat, in fact your muscles mass will just decrease. However, this can be avoided by exercising regularly. Stretching before running. Of course, stretching offers many benefits such as improved flexibility and joint mobility, however there is no proven connection between prior stretching and injury risk. However, a good warm up and cool down routine before and after exercise is extremely beneficial as it will warm your muscles up steadily and gentile ease your body in and out of an exercise session, helping minimise the risk of injury. Just protein for muscles. In order to build muscle mass, the body does require protein, the majority of those who lift weight will provide the body with plenty of protein to help build their muscles. Which is correct as protein is vital for repairing and creating new muscles fibres. However, there is another important part which people overlook, carbohydrates. Without the correct balance of carbohydrates you will struggle to see a great improvement in strength or muscle mass because the body needs energy released from carbohydrates in order to convert protein into muscle tissue. Heat for swelling. If you’ve has an accident on the pitch and have some swelling you need to avoid the heat pack as applying heat to a fresh injury will only increase the swelling and cause your further pain. Heat packs, sprays and pads are brilliant for ongoing muscle or joint pain or even after the swelling has gone but straight after an injury, they will only cause more pain and damage. Instead use an ice pack or freeze spray as it will relive pain, sooth swelling and can help prevent further damage. Returning to sport after surgery? Surgery is usually the last resort when treating an injury, it can leave you anxious and knock your confidence when it comes to playing sport again. Every injury is different, and we recommend always seeking medical advice before returning to exercise or sport. Additionally, many people will see a physiotherapist as part of their rehabilitation. Firstaid4sport offer a range of products which can help people recovering from an injury or surgery to get back into sport such as a braces and supports or taping and strapping products.