Osteopathy & Massage at Remedy Health
A Summer of Sport
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Wow, what a summer so far, keeping up with all the amazing sports events this summer really is hard work. Just in the last month we’ve had Wimbledon, The British Grand Prix, Glorious Goodwood, The Hickstead Derby, The Lions tour in Australia, England v India test series in the cricket, plus of course the England Lionesses with the Euro’s (didn’t they put us through the mill with all that extra time and penalties 😅) all worth it in the end. Lots of exciting finishes in all those events. To be honest with all that sport finding the time to work has been pretty tough! And we’ve still got the final Lions test, the final test in the cricket, the start of the domestic football season, the World Athletics Championships and the Women’s Rugby world cup starting in England this month as well , which we’re very excited about (and I bet we’ve missed loads off this list too!).
For many of you you’ll also be getting ready to start your preseason training, ready to restart your team sports in September.
It’s only a short newsletter this month as we’ve been extremely busy in clinic, plus Lara has been working hard at more festivals, Liz organised (& has just finished) another successful children’s athletics week at her club, plus we’re or the hunt for a new team member to join us in Reigate – the applications are open and the initial interviews are underway!
Pre-Season prep
You may have just started or be about to start pre-season training for your ‘winter’ sport with fixtures beginning in September for many teams, whether it be hockey, football or rugby. But did you keep fit over the summer or did you have a complete break for a few months, and now need to get back to match fitness in just a few weeks? For many people the later is the norm, and that means the risk of injury is higher than it might be in a few months time when you’ve regained some fitness. So what can you do to reduce your injury risk?
1. Begin slowly……
We all know we shouldn’t go from zero to a hundred in exercise straight away, but we’ve all done it! It’s really tempting to get to your first training session having been on holiday and doing nothing for a few months, then go flat out in a sprint at the first opportunity, and we know what happens next – you pull a muscle, and all of a sudden you’ve missed the first game of the season! So, to avoid this gradually increase your speed over a few training sessions, before you then hit top speed, plus don’t forget to warm up and warm down afterwards (the bar doesn’t count as warm down!).
2. Stretch
Yes, we’ve said it many times before – stretching is your friend. If you want your muscles to recover well between training sessions and develop into longer healthier & stronger muscles then regular stretching is really important. This doesn’t mean you need to set aside half an hour a day to stretch (but great if you can!), a hip stretching lunge when you get up from your desk, a quick calf stretch at the bottom of the stairs before you go up them, and a forward bend whilst you’re waiting for the kettle to boil will all help to improve your mobility and reduce your risk of injury.
3. Have a regular massage
You really never know how tight and knotty your muscles are until you have a massage, and having a regular massage really can stop those knots from getting too big. Keeping them at bay will reduce the risk of injury during training and competition. When we train we cause microtears in the muscle that get repaired by the body, which in
turn make the muscle stronger, but when you don’t give the body a chance to recover or you repeatedly damage or overload the same area of muscle the knot gets bigger. A knot is tougher, thicker and less flexible than regular muscle tissue and is often the area where a bigger tear or injury occurs, so stretching and massaging are great ways to address those knots and stop them from growing.
4. Get your injuries sorted, don’t leave them!
Many people will have niggling injuries, aches and pains from the end of last season that they haven’t had looked at, assessed or treated. It may not come back straight away, but at some point during the season it will likely reoccur. We hear it all the time, a recurrent injury that has never properly healed ends up being a bigger injury down the line and takes longer to get better and back to sport. Our bodies are amazing at compensating for smaller injuries, and will do this repeatedly – we have an ache it gets better and then another ache elsewhere and so on, these small injuries gradually accumulate, and there comes a point where the body can’t compensate any longer and we end up in pain, injured and out of action. But you can prevent this by getting your aches, pains and injuries sorted out at the time, or by having regular maintenance treatments.
5. Hydrate
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, staying well hydrated really does help reduce injury risk. That’s before, during and after sport, if you feel thirsty you’re dehydrated! Don’t forget to check the colour of your urine as a indicator of your hydration status see the chart below, and check out this great website from NHS Scotland.
If you’re in or about to start preseason training or you’re just returning to sport after some time off, give yourself the best chance of staying injury free by booking your massage or osteopathic appointment online now!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ELIZABETH DUFFIN (B.Ost, Bsc hons, msc )
Elizabeth graduated from the British School of Osteopathy (now the University College of Osteopathy) in 2005 and has over 19 years of experience practising in Sussex and Surrey. She treats patients of all ages and uses a hands-on, individualised approach combining manual treatment, movement testing and exercise prescription to support recovery and long-term wellbeing.
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