Sports injury prevention and first aid

More than 90% of conventional sports injuries can be completely avoided through pre-game risk screening, targeted dynamic warm-up, and timely adjustment of action patterns. In the event of an injury, follow the principle of "stop sports, investigate the injury, and deal with it in a graded manner" as soon as possible, which can reduce the risk of sequelae by more than 70%.

I have been running horses for 5 years and playing field football for 10 years. I have seen countless injuries. Last month, a 98-year-old boy in the running group, in order to hit the half marathon PB, didn't even take his flat feet seriously. He wore a pair of old running shoes with only 30% cushioning left and went on the track. When he ran 18 kilometers, he was in so much pain that he couldn't walk. He went to the hospital to find out that he had a stress fracture of his fibula and had to rest for three months. Think about it, if he had spent 10 yuan to do a foot pressure test before the game and change to a pair of supportive running shoes, this matter would never have happened.

Don't think that warming up is just about swinging your arms and pressing your legs. I used to be so lazy, until I didn't activate my core when I was doing deadlifts last year, so I just slipped my waist and lay down for a week before I recovered. Later, a familiar rehabilitation therapist told me that the warm-up logic for different sports is completely different - when playing basketball, you have to focus on moving your ankles, knees, and rotator cuffs, and you also need to do several sets of high leg raises and sideways sliding steps to raise your heart rate. Otherwise, it is easy to strain the muscles when you suddenly exert force. ； To practice strength, you must first activate the antagonist muscles of the target muscle group. For example, relax your shoulders twice before doing chest exercises. Otherwise, it will be easy to round your shoulders and take advantage of the force. After practicing for a long time, you will have problems with your rotator cuff. Oh, by the way, there’s also the “I’m so physically fit that I don’t need to warm up” thing. Last week, I met a high school student in the arena. He rushed onto the court after school and played for 3 hours without a break. His Achilles tendon was ruptured when he landed a jumper. He said he felt tightness in his Achilles tendon the week before and thought he was tired and didn’t take it seriously. In fact, the feeling of soreness and stiffness is the last warning your body gives you, so don’t take it seriously.

If you accidentally get hurt, don't worry. I've seen too many people do bad things with good intentions. Last time, a young man sprained his foot. Friends around him came up and rubbed it, and sprayed him with blood-activating medicinal wine. It swelled up like a bun on the spot. In fact, the first priority is to stop immediately. Don't insist on continuing to hit. Move your toes slowly first and feel if there is any stinging that makes you unable to move at all. If you can see joint deformity or it hurts when you touch it, it is most likely a fracture. Don't move it randomly. Just hit 120. If it is only swollen and you can still move it slowly, first lift the injured area to a position higher than the heart, which can reduce the swelling a lot.

When it comes to post-injury treatment, the academic community has yet to fully agree on the treatment. The old-school team doctors still adhere to the traditional RICE principles. They recommend intermittent ice application within 72 hours for 15 to 20 minutes each time. Do not apply it directly to the skin to prevent frostbite. It is used to reduce swelling and relieve pain. ； The popular POLICE principle in the past two years has changed "absolute rest" to "appropriate weight bearing". Many European and American rehabilitation practitioners have pointed out that ice application will hinder local blood circulation and actually slow down recovery. As long as you can endure the pain and there is no obvious skin damage or severe swelling, ice application is actually not necessary. The last time I sprained my foot, the swelling was not too severe, so I didn’t apply it. I rested it for two days, applied some blood-activating gel, and then started playing ball normally in a week. If the pain is unbearable, it’s totally fine to apply it. You don’t have to stick to a certain school of thought, only what suits you will work.

Another pitfall that many people fall into is that they rush back to exercise before their injuries are fully healed. Last year, I had a hip injury. I rested for 5 days and felt that the pain was gone, so I went to play ball. However, it occurred again and I had to rest for half a month. The "no pain" mentioned by the rehabilitation specialist is just a superficial symptom, and the deep muscle strength has not yet been restored. It is best to wait until you feel no soreness at all after doing the injured movement, and then slowly resume exercise from low intensity. Don't show off, otherwise chronic strain injuries will be a real trouble.

In fact, the purpose of exercise is to feel comfortable. If you injure yourself just to impress friends or compete for a win or loss, it is really not worth it. Pay more attention to your body's signals at ordinary times, and don't bear on it. If you are really injured, don't go to Baidu. If you are really unsure, go to the hospital and see a sports medicine doctor. It's better than anything else.