How to Prevent Lower Leg Injuries
As soon as you planted your foot, you felt it, that dreaded pop in the back of your leg, causing pain and weakness with every step. You might get through the game, but what about tomorrow's game? Could it end your season or career? Should you go to the doctor? Hopefully that does not sound too familiar, but many of us who officiate know all about it. Several injuries can occur in the lower leg that can severely impact your ability to officiate. Some include shin splints, pulled calf muscles, stress fractures, Achilles tendinitis, etc. Unfortunately, as you age, the possibility of any of those injuries increases. So what are you to do? The good news is that there are things that you can do to prevent injuries and keep your officiating performance at an optimal level.
Perhaps the most important thing you can do prior to working a game is to warm up. Muscles and tendons work much more efficiently and are less likely to get hurt if their temperature is elevated. Warming up your body or its specific parts can take on many forms, including jogging, calisthenics or repeated motions common to your officiating mechanics. If your heart rate is up and you start to break a sweat, you are getting warmed up.
Believe or not, there is no scientific evidence that stretching actually decreases your chance of injury. However, that does not mean you shouldn't do it. If done properly and at the right time, stretching can be beneficial. Prior to physical activity, you should not stretch cold muscles. Muscles respond much better to stretching when they are warm, like after a warmup. A good reason to stretch is if you feel tight, especially if one side (i.e. right calf) feels tighter than the other. Any sensation of tightness on one side should be stretched until both sides feel the same. Finally, if you have only five 10 minutes to get ready before your game, forgo the stretching and get in all the warmup you can before your body is asked to perform at a much higher intensity. Physiologically, your body will be forever grateful.
One of the best ways to prevent any injury is having strong muscles. Simple strengthening exercises maintain the ability of a muscle to function optimally. However, the best time to get stronger is in the offseason because your primary goal to maintain current strength levels occurs during the season. If you try to gain significant strength during the middle of the season when full days off are few and far between, you are only asking to get hurt. Listen to your body. Especially as you age, you need to be smarter and wiser by listening to the subtle warning signals your body is trying to tell you. If you address sometimes subtle bodily messages, like aches, pains or soreness, you can prevent them from becoming a major problem. Physical maladies, especially of the lower legs, are a very real part of an active lifestyle. Take care of your body and it will take care of you.
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Why is flexibility - the ability to move joints and muscles through their full range of motion - so important? Staying flexible means avoiding injury and pain. Without stretching, tendons, ligaments and muscles will shorten, causing damage over time.
Aliesa George, owner of Centerworks Pilates in Wichita, Kan., lists the benefits of flexibility:
- Counters the shortening that occurs when muscles are repeatedly used - as in exercise or a repetitive daily activity - and keeps muscles elastic.
- Increases the range of motion in joints.
- Decreases joint pain and stress.
- Improves balance, stability and circulation.
- Aids athletic performance, relaxation and posture.
Source: webmd.com |
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Walk 10 minutes a day. Old thinking was long workouts. No pain, no gain. New studies show that even short bouts of activity can increase your fitness level.
Park and walk. Park your car as far away as you can handle and walk to the store. At the mall, park at the farthest end and walk the length of the mall.
Crunch in bed. Before you get out of bed in the morning, do 10 stomach crunches while lying flat on your mattress. Increase daily by one until you get up to 100. Give it a try.
Source: health-fitness-tips.com |
Written by Scott Doberstein, La Crosse, Wis., who is the head athletic trainer at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He officiates women's basketball at the Division I, II and III levels. This column is for informational purposes. Consult a doctor for specific medical advice. D
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| Title |
How to Prevent Lower Leg Injuries |
| Author |
Doberstein, Scott |
| Source |
Referee |
| Date |
Sept 2008 |
| Vol (iss) |
33(9) |
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