The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Dynamic stretching: One key way to avoid athletic injury.
With fitness centers opening, and children playing and participating in fall sports, injuries are bound to happen. Even the most high-tech equipment and expensive trainers can’t always prevent an unexpected injury.
Some of the easiest ways to keep your joints safe and prevent injury include stretching, staying hydrated, and not pushing through musculoskeletal pain.
“Stretching is an often overlooked critical training aid in sport and exercise,” explains Kirk Haidet, MD, a sports medicine specialist at Cleveland Clinic Richard E. Jacobs Health Center in Avon. “It’s the first step in injury prevention.”
Dynamic stretching involves actively moving joints and muscles with sports-specific motions for 10 to 12 repetitions. Each exercise targets specific muscle groups.
Dr. Haidet explains that dynamic stretching can be beneficial because it:
• Increases body heat and blood flow to loosen tendons.
• Prepares muscles by practicing the required movements.
• Improves flexibility needed for the specific sport by increasing range of motion around the joints.
• Prepares the mind and body for competition.
If injuries do occur, Ortho Express Care™ is here to serve you. Walk-in care for common orthopaedic issues that need prompt medical attention but don’t require an emergency department visit – such as simple fractures, sprains and swollen joints – is provided.
“Injuries are going to happen,” says sports medicine specialist Jason Genin, DO, who also practices at the Richard E. Jacobs Health Center. “Ortho Express Care is here to help heal athletes so they can get back to doing what they love at a level that meets or exceeds where they were.”