As you become more active, it is important to understand the best ways to support your body and to minimise any aches and pains, furthermore to reduce the likelihood of injury.
- The easiest and most appropriate management strategy is to allow yourself sufficient recovery time, thus supporting your musculoskeletal system.
- Especially important when doing strength exercises, as our body adapts to micro-tears in the muscles. This sends a signal to the brain saying that greater strength is needed
- Allow at least 1 day of recovery in between sessions
- It is common to experience DOMS – delayed onset of muscle soreness – after a strengthening exercise session. This discomfort should have disappeared before you engage in another strength session.
- Aerobic exercise can be tolerated more frequently, as it is much less stress on the musculoskeletal system.
- Use a Rating of Perceived Exertion scale (RPE Scale) to monitor the intensity of exercise. Avoid increasing the intensity or difficulty of a session unless your rating is 7 or below.
Get a roll on
- Aside from good nutrition and adequate rest, there are some other strategies to help maintain a healthy musculoskeletal system
- Keeping connective tissues healthy by encouraging movement of fluid in and out of the layers of tissue and promoting regular blood flow
- Stretching can also generate electrical energy, hence why many people report feeling energised or refreshed after stretching
- Key points to maximise the benefit of incorporating any of the above ideas:
- For optimum connective tissue health, move often!
- For significant changes in connective tissue via stretching, try holding the position for 1.5-2 minutes (a long time, we know!)
- Move slowly in and out of positions to allow for a deeper stretch
- If you are using a foam roller/massage stick, the speed at which you move over an area plays an important role in the message you are sending to the muscle.
- Rapid movement stimulates the area and prepares it for activity
- Slow movement relaxes the area and is more suited for recovery
- Vibration can be useful for improving tissue flexibility, increasing local blood and lymphatic flow and reducing sensitivity to pain
Managing Injuries
- Acute injuries: this occurs where there is a definite mechanism of injury, and an immediate onset of pain and change to function
- Initial management needs to manage any pain and swelling, and to allow appropriate rest for tissue repair
- Use the POLICE acronym for acute injury management
- P: Protection. Avoid any movements or loads that place additional stress on injury site
- OL: Optimal Load: Most injuries require some movement to enhance healing. Movements should not cause pain and should be performed slowly and controlled
- I: Ice. Brief ice application can assist in pain management (2 x 5 minute applications per hour)
- C: Compression. Light bandaging to reinforce and protect injured area. This encourages effective communication between the injured site and brain
- E: Elevation. Position the injured area above the level of the heart where possible to decrease fluid build up
- Overuse injuries: These are injuries that develop over time that are often related to previous injury sites or positions that create an excessive amount of load on a structure.
- Some movement is vital to recovery
- The most common method of injury is repeated micro-trauma. Tissues respond to repetitive injury by thickening tissues and negatively changing the organisation of their structure
- Management strategies for overuse injuries:
- Intermittent heat – encourages blood flow to the area and can improve the flexibility of the connective tissues
- Proper hydration and nutrition can ensure that tissues have the necessary ingredients to repair and to remain healthy