This is the time of the year when many of us gear up for fun and excitement.  We have goals to run that 5K or 10K race, or to improve our golf game and soft ball becomes an addiction.  We have been taught that exercise is good for us, RIGHT? Unfortunately what can be good for us can also cause serious health problems.  This is called the “Weekend Warrior Syndrome”.

Unfortunately many people are not seasoned athletes and have been dormant up to the point that they decided to get into shape.  There is very little thought put into how to become physically active and compete without hurting themselves. This also applies to hard physical labor that is needed to do yard work or major home improvement projects. If you are anything like me, you just want to dig in and get it done. So why does this cause so many problems and pain?

It is all about conditioning.  I’ve had many patients state that, “I could do this while I was younger without problems, now it just hurts”.  When you were younger you were a lot more active than you are now and you body could handle the increased stress.  Now with the decreased activity levels and the lack of regular exercise your connective tissue has lost its flexibility and elasticity.  It takes time for our muscles to be conditioned to regain these properties. So what do you think happens when you suddenly overload non-pliable tissue? That is right, it tears. These tears occur in the tendons, Cartilage, Ligaments and muscle tissues. This can cause long lasting injure and pain that can and will affect you health.

So, how do you avoid these injuries? There are several simple rules to follow if you want to avoid injuries. The first rule is, a warm muscle is always more pliable than a cold muscle. Take time to get your heart rate up above 120 for at least five minutes before any strenuous activity. Avoid hard or heavy stretching before you are warmed up, it should be at the end of your activity. If you are doing work that you are not accustomed to doing, plan on taking more breaks to rest those muscles that are being over stressed. These two simple steps will greatly decrease you chances of  personal injure and destroying your health.

If you have further questions please contact us at 801-465-8177 or post a question or comment on our blog.