Our Accident and Emergency departments are always at their busiest on weekends and during the holidays.
There is so much more activity happening, we see many more orthopaedic traumas occurring. While we can look after you over Christmas and the New Year – we would rather you spend time with your friends and family instead of visiting us!
Here’s some tips on how to avoid joint breaks, strains and tear injuries during the holidays.
Be like the Parramatta Eels – Include warm ups, cool downs and stretching as part of your exercise routine and sport playing
Before and after every training session, our elite athletes are taught to take time to properly prep and post – we start with our warm up and finish the session with a cool down and stretches. Why? They are a critical factor for better performance and many sports injuries and muscle tears are avoided by incorporating these activities as a standard part of any exercise routine.
Your warm up only needs to take 2-3 minutes or 5 minutes as a maximum and you should concentrate on the muscles you will use most in your exercise. After you’ve finished your session, make time for a cool down to get back into your normal tempo and include some stretching. After exercise your muscles will have an increased range of movement and greater flexibility.
For elite athletes to perform at their peak the balance of strength and flexibility is paramount – and it should be a goal for all of us to aim for.
Check the playing surface
If you are having a game of tip or going for a run with mates, make sure the surface is even and not slippery to avoid trips and falls.
Wear correct footwear
Thongs and bare feet are probably one of the biggest causes of trips, falls and trauma injuries. Make sure if you are out and running and kicking to wear proper footwear. We are always fixing broken toes and ankle sprains in the A and E!
Alcohol adds risk
The holidays are a great time to relax and have a couple of drinks with mates and loved ones. Just be careful about being over ambitious about your abilities after a few drinks and you may avoid injury.
On behalf of myself and my team –our very best wishes to you all for a happy and safe holiday time and we’ll keep in touch with more news and information on looking after your joints and muscles in 2017.
