The health benefits of sports are far outweighed by its risks. Nevertheless, even with good preparation, sprains, bruises or even worse can always happen. In the following text, we explain possible prevention and treatment measures.
Individual basic requirements
Everyone who plays sports has different basic requirements. First and foremost are these
- How quickly fatigues the organism
- How quickly he recovers
- How stable and durable are joints, bones and ligaments.
Prevention
- With systematic build-up training, both fitness and regeneration can be improved, as well as the self-protection of our body.
- Stretching and loosening the muscles before exercise. The body has a system with which it can protect itself from injury. Reflexive, often not conscious movements immediately compensate for unusual movements or a wrong position of the joints. This reflex can be specifically improved by good training.
- Only one type of sport often stresses our body too one-sided. Therefore, you should always do a compensatory sport. On the one hand, overloads are avoided, on the other hand, the body awareness improves and thus also the self-protection.
- Strengthening exercises for the muscles relieve joints, ligaments and tendons. Therefore, the visit to the gym is worthwhile, there you can be shown appropriate exercises.
Another major role played, of course, the conditions under which sports are played. Here are once the climate and the training ground, but also the opponent in team sports to name. These factors are partly not to influence yourself. However, with good preparation and optimal equipment, many injuries can be avoided.
Measures for treatment
If an injury nevertheless occurs, the first thing to do is to stop the sport immediately. The risk of the injury extending or – even worse – an additional injury occurring is simply too great. An injury should always be treated immediately. The most important immediate measures contain the so-called PECH -rule:
| PECH -rule | |
| Pause | No further load! |
| Ice | Cold packs, ice packs (Caution: do not put compresses or ice directly on the skin or you may get frostbite. Always place a cloth between them). |
| Compression | Elastic compression bandage |
| Elevation | Decreases blood flow to injured tissues |
Since pain says little about the severity of an injury, a physician should always be consulted after initial treatment. Only he or she can rule out a serious injury and initiate the proper treatment. If an injury is not treated properly, the mobility of a joint, for example, can be significantly reduced. To get back in shape as quickly as possible, you should follow your doctor’s instructions.
What belongs in your sports bag for an emergency?
- Compression bandage
- Cooling compress
- Anti-inflammatory, decongestant ointment
About 1.5 million sports injuries requiring treatment occur every year. This shows:
- 27 percent of all accident injuries are sports injuries
- Over 40 percent of all sports accidents happen to 20- to 30-year-olds
- Only 10 percent of those over 50 get injured while playing sports
- Male athletes are injured three times as often as women.
