Living Well: Your Source for Health and Wellness
Living Well: Your Source for Health and Wellness

Dodge These Common Sports Injuries

Popular recreational sports result in more than one million adult injuries each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Play it safe with the following tips.

Running

  • Wear well-fitting running shoes. Replace shoes every 500 miles to avoid leg and foot injuries.
  • Alternate hard training days with easier days.
  • Never run through pain, which is a signal that something is wrong. Call your doctor if pain lingers for a week.
  • In warm weather, run in the early morning or evening, and run indoors when pollution levels are high.
  • Plan to drink 10 to 15 ounces of fluid about 10 minutes before you run and every 20 to 30 minutes along the way.

Swimming

  • Always swim with a partner.
  • Never dive into shallow or murky water. Each year, such dives disable about 1,000 people with neck and/or head injuries.
  • Because water conducts electricity, keep out of the water during storms.
  • Don't mix alcohol with water sports. Experts estimate that alcohol contributes to as many as 30 percent of drowning deaths.

Soccer playerSoccer

  • Protect your vulnerable lower legs with shin guards.
  • Choose shoes with molded cleats or ribbed soles. Reserve screw-in cleats for situations when you need traction, like playing on a wet field with high grass.
  • Make sure the goal is padded and secured to prevent head injuries.
  • Use nonabsorbent balls on wet fields. Leather balls get heavy when wet, posing a higher injury risk.

Skiing or Snowboarding

  • Choose a smooth, round helmet that fits snugly and doesn't shift.
  • Prepare your body. Warm up and stretch before each activity. Begin with a slow and easy session.
  • Take a lesson or two. Instructors can teach you proper form and how to fall safely.
  • Get the right gear. Check that boards, bindings that connect boots to skis and other equipment are in working order. Get equipment checked at a certified shop.
  • Quit while you're ahead. Many injuries occur at the end of the day, when athletes get tired but attempt one last run. If you're fatigued or in pain, take a break or stop.