Whether your physical activity is as simple as brisk walking or as complex as training for 10 different track & field events, injury prevention is important to maintain good health and to keep your activity going without an unexpected hiatus. In our field of medicine, we see one of the most common causes of injuries: doing some sort of activity too much, too soon, too fast. With all good intentions, someone may start doing a new exercise or activity and end up getting injured from not gradually acclimating their body to it.

One good example of this is shoveling snow. Even if you’re going to the gym regularly, you may not be preparing your body for the demands of lifting and hauling hundreds of
pounds of snow. Then when you actually go to shovel, it may be possible to strain a muscle or develop a wear & tear injury. Or another example… you pick back up on recreational running after being away from it for 10 years. Just because you used to run 5 miles per day in college doesn’t mean that your body is going to be able to handle that amount again immediately.

In each of these situations, gradual progression is the key. Prepping for shoveling snow begins months before the snow even falls. It looks like lifting weights and building
cardiovascular and muscular endurance. Getting ready for a running race might look like a couch to 5k program, which starts off in walk/jog intervals and gradually increases
total weekly running mileage.

No matter your physical activity, consider taking steps to prevent a potential injury. Schedule an evaluation with one of our doctors of physical therapy, and we can analyze possible risk factors for injuries and prescribe exercises or techniques that may help reduce the potential for injury.