HOW YOU CAN PREVENT INJURIES
While it is always a wise decision to consult with a physical therapist, there are some tips you can implement into your personal life as well, in order to decrease your risk of sustaining an injury. These include: Stretching This is one of the most important ways to prevent injuries. There is an optimal length for each individual muscle in your body. It is important tonotonlymaintain this length,but also to maintain a symmetrical length from left toright.Forexample,decreased lengthof the left hamstrings versus the right creates an asymmetry in the lower body which will causecompensatedmovementsand leaveyou predisposed to injury. It is also important to keep inmind the inverserelationshipbetween flexibility and stability. Excessive flexibility is not always a good thing if there is a lack of strengthandstabilitysurroundinga joint.This is a balance that can be found with the help of a skilled physical therapist. Warming Up and Cooling Down As important as this topic is, it is often misunderstood. Before exercising, it is important to perform a dynamic stretching routine. DYNAMIC stretching involves moving throughout a variation of end range positions. STATICstretching,on theotherhand, involves OUR SERV I CES • Aquatic Therapy • Trigger Point Dry Needling (TDN) • Concussion Therapy • Dance Injury Rehabilitation • Electrical Stimulation • Instrument Assisted Manual Therapy • Joint Mobilization • Kinesio Taping • Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) • Manual Therapy • Therapeutic Exercise • Vertigo Treatment
holdingpositionsatendrange foranextended period of time. Static stretching should be reserved for after activity, never before. Static stretching is effective over time at increasing muscle length, but it may create slight instability within joints to a degree that is unsafe before exercise. Progressing Activities Appropriately It is importanttoconsistentlytrainandpractice for any physical activity you’d like to try. Start small inthebeginningandbuildup fromthere. For example, if you aren’t used to running but you’d like tocompletea5k,don’tstartoffwith 3-mile runs. Begin with a half mile and slowly build up. When you push your body past its current limits, youmake yourself more prone to injuries because your body is not prepared forthe increasedphysicaldemands.Aphysical therapist can help you understand the limits of your body and can create an exercise plan for you to reach your specific goals. Quality Over Quantity When exercising, we usually try to reach a certain number of repetitions when lifting weights or reach a certain speed on a run. What is more important, however, is the qualityofyourmovements. Ifyouhavereached your goal speed when running a mile, does this really mean much if your form is off?
Compromising thequalityofyourmovements will also compromise the health of your body over time. If you are unsure about the quality of your exercise routine, ask your physical therapist to recommend changes if needed. What Should I Do Now? If you are suffering fromaches and pains, you thinkyoumayhavesustainedan injury,oryou’d like to learn more about injury prevention, contact Athletic Advantage Physical Therapy today at (214) 383-0623. One of our dedicated physical therapists would be happy to meet with you for a consultation and discuss how our different programs can help you remain active and pain-free! “If people knewwhat he went through simply to get on the floor this year, people wouldn’t believe it. There’s a guy named Cody that comes in 3 times a week with needles and sticks them all through Dirk’s body. Cody would leave and Dirk would say, ‘You know, I feel really good now.’ The stuff that he went through to get on the floor should be unbelievable motivation for all of us to get out of bed earlier every day and make more of our lives. ” – Rick Carlisle, Head Coach of the Dallas Mavericks Watch Rick Carlisle’s full interview online with FOX Sports Southwest at: youtu.be/oNLa8vJOFOg
DIRK NOWITZKI INSPIRATION CORNER
21 YEARS OF NBA | DALLAS MAVERICKS • MVP 2007, NBA champion 2011, 14-time All- Star, 12-time All-NBA Team member, and 1st non-American player to receive the Naismith Legacy Award • Known forscoringability,versatility,accurate outside shooting, and trademark fadeaway jump shot
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