If you’ve ever had a common sports injury, you know that finding the right physical therapy is the best tool for recovery. But, did you know that there are exercises you can perform to help prevent these sports injuries from happening?

We specialize in treating common sports injuries

At Continuum Wellness, our physical therapists are experts in sports medicine and meeting the rehabilitation needs for every athletic level. Some of the common sports injuries we treat include concussions, ACL injuries, shoulder injuries and more. We also use our expertise in treating bones, joints, cartilage, connective tissue and muscles to help keep athletes in top shape while reducing their chances of injury.

Three ways to be proactive to help prevent common sports injuries

• Warm up your muscles to combat sports injuries — Before starting any exercise, it’s best to give your body a chance to warm up and loosen up its joints and muscles. A warmup exercise is the first and most crucial step to starting any workout, especially in sports. Stretching or performing any physical activity on cold muscles can easily lead to an injury. So, make sure to warm up first to get your heart rate up and body ready to tackle any cardiovascular activity.  Another plus to warming up is that it can help reduce muscle soreness after a tough workout or game.

Try this: Warm up by riding an exercise bike or jogging in place for five to 10 minutes.

• Stretch away those sports injuries — Not only is stretching an excellent tool for sports injury prevention, but it’s also a beneficial exercise for improving your range of motion, relieving your body from pain, enhancing your overall performance and improving your circulation. Always stretch out any tense or tight muscles before or after a workout or game to give yourself full flexibility to perform at your best athletic ability. Stretching is a great exercise that promotes your range of motion, which helps prevent common sports injuries like pulling your groin or straining your hamstring. Stretching can also improve your balance, which helps avoid injuries that result from falling or coming down too hard.

Try this: Include dynamic stretches like walking lunges to fight off common injuries.

• Cool down to help ward off sports injuries — Before you pack up and turn in after a workout, don’t forget to cool down! Even though you already warmed up in the beginning, it’s always good to perform a cool down exercise to relax your body and release any muscle tension. A proper cool down reduces your heart rate, helps your body gradually wind down after a workout and helps prevent sprain injuries.

Try this: End your workout with a brisk walk for five to 10 minutes.

Do you already suffer from a sports injury or want help preventing one? Contact our Apache Junction, Arizona, clinic for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.