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The Most Common Summer Sport-Related Injuries and Tips On How To Avoid Them

Jul 22, 2021

To be physically active is advised throughout the whole year, although it’s true that summer weather lures people toward sports more than any other season. Whether it’s to get in shape, spend some quality time with family and friends or a sunny afternoon out in nature, you should be aware of all the possible injuries to be able to avoid them. Some might underestimate the warm-up prior to a physical activity or the fact that you cannot push your body to extremes if you know that the whole year you were passive rather than active. You should always know your fitness level and your limits. Another important thing to consider is the weather and sportwear/sport equipment.

Weather

Exercising leads to an increased body temperature and the organism begins to sweat in an attempt to cool down the core of the body. This is a natural process, however, doing sports in hot weather will exaggerate this process so our body loses more fluids than usual, therefore, it is extremely easy to end up dehydrated with an overheated organism. You might experience head spinning, nausea and feeling extremely fatigued. If you experience any of these, rest in a shaded area and drink lots of fluid with slower tempo. Pure water is the best option for overheating. Try to drink a sufficient amount throughout the entire day, not only while exercising.

Let’s not forget about rainy and stormy days. If you decide to go for a hike in nature and get caught in rain, terrain becomes slippery and unpredictable. Falls and slips do not have to be serious, but it’s definitely easier in such conditions to sprain your ankle or bruise your tail bone when landing on your buttocks. Tracking and hiking shoes are important. Despite the weather being warm, it is wise to wear proper sturdy high-ankle boots. Do not underestimate sprains and bumps. It’s always better to go to A&E if the swelling is very obvious and there might be bruising as well, just to rule out a possible fracture. In the middle of nowhere, a travel first aid kit would come in handy to treat any minor scratch and prevent the wound from becoming infected, right?

Running

This activity seems very natural to us and on top of this, it’s cheap and accessible to anyone, anywhere. I guess it won’t surprise you to learn that after regular sunburn, running injuries are the most common summer sport-related injuries. From minor muscle strains and tears, to overuse injuries and stress fractures. The best advice here would be to increase the mileage and frequency of the running sessions gradually. For example, if during the year you only used to run for about 20 minutes on a treadmill in the gym as a cardio warm-up once a week, you cannot suddenly run 5K every day. Start with a 30 min run, and have 1-2 recovery days before your next session. If you haven’t been running at all, start only with a run up to 20 min with your comfortable tempo. Do not try to push hard from the beginning, because that will only keep pulling you backwards. You will get good at this, remember, consistency is the key. Push yourself, but gradually. Each run you may add on time/distance, whatever you are tracking, and frequency of your runs as well. Make sure to do proper warm up – dynamic stretches, prior to run, and stretch straight afterwards – static stretch. During hot days, always carry a bottle of water with you while running, and perhaps wear a cap to protect yourself from the direct sun.

Cycling

This is another easy-to-access summer sport activity. Cyclists mostly suffer with knee pain, commonly experienced after a sudden increase of milage and/or load. This is your body’s way of asking you to slow down. If the pain does not resolve with resting or decreasing the load, see a physiotherapist. Other factors that can cause knee/hip pain while cycling is an inappropriate seat level, it might be too low or too high. If you are not sure about this, you can ask your physiotherapist or a person in a bike shop for advice.

Take home tips:

  • Stay hydrated, particularly during warm days
  • Know your fitness level and your limits
  • Do not underestimate a warm-up
  • Stretch out after the physical activity
  • Build up on the load and frequency GRADUALLY
  • Pushing too hard and too fast keeps pulling you backwards
  • Wear sturdy high-ankle shoes for hiking/walking trips despite warm weather
  • Pack a travel first-aid kit when going to nature into your backpack
  • Make sure your bike seat has a good level

If you believe you may be suffering from a summer sport related injury or any kind of pain/condition, why not book a FREE 15-minute discovery visit with a physio?

In this complimentary visit you will have a chance to speak to us about your needs/and or condition/concerns and he will let you know if physio is right for you.

To book an appointment or a discovery visit, call us on:0207 636 8845

TESTIMONIALS

Since seeing Louise (following an Achilles rupture repair), I have:

- Made it back onto tennis / squash courts to (tentatively!) celebrate 1 year anniversary of my surgery 
- Ran my fastest 10k at 43.57! 
- Ran 5k in 21:30 (vs pre-surgery PB of 20:18) 
- I increased my single leg calf lift to 59 kg (vs ~18 kg initially a few months ago) 
- I had a final appt with my consultant, who discharged me while congratulating me on a wonderful recovery

All the above is to illustrate that I'm absolutely delighted with the progress I have made since last summer when I couldn't do anything and the outlook seemed bleak. I'll be forever grateful for Louise’s guidance and support as I've navigated the long road back from my injury, and I appreciate the continued advice to help me prepare for more dynamic activity. Louise has been really fantastic and I couldn't have asked for better care.

Recovering from a full Achilles rupture. Started my work with Nina in feb and my progress has only been positive and upwards and I am almost at full speed again. Nina put me back together again almost from scratch. She is the best physio I have ever worked with and will again. Very knowledgable and very hard working. Can’t recommend enough.

Bojan

What a great find! My orthopaedic surgeon recommended them and I can't rate Luigi, Gloria and the team more highly. Excellent service and very effective treatment- recovering nicely!

Justine

I am 84 years old, and have always been fit and healthy and exercised regularly. 3 years ago I underwent emergency surgery for peritonitis, and had a colonoscopy bag for 6 months and straight after surgery to reversal of the stoma. After this surgery I felt my legs very weak. To complete my drama, during the last summer I developed an abdominal hernia and had surgery for hernia repair. This made me even weaker specially at my legs. I have recovered but felt weak. I started my sessions at ALO Physiotherapy at the beginning of January, with the Vibra Machine combined with specific exercises. I have now recovered my body strength, particularly in the legs. I am now walking normally and without pain. I am delighted!

Barbara

Great clinic with great people! I was so lucky to find this clinic and even more when I met Andre. He's a very talented therapist and a wonderful person who makes you feel comfortable every time. He helped me to resolve my back problems in few appointments and I will be always grateful to him! From my experience is the best clinic in London and I highly recommend them without any doubts!

Daniele

One of the best physiotherapy centres in the world! The professionalism and knowledge of this centre amazed me.

Pierre

I am so glad I found this clinic. Luigi has been amazing. After my 1st session I felt an improvement and now have ALOT more movement and significant reduction in pain. I couldn’t recommend this clinic & Luigi enough. So helpful and flexible whenever I have needed to amend appointments. Every one is fantastic. I will continue to come here for as long as I need.

Mital

Andre is the best physiotherapist I came across. As a dedicated martial arts practitioner, I regularly use his services. He has always managed to fix my various back and leg injuries. I would recommend Alo Physiotherapy to anyone who suffers from body pain.

Thomas

Where do I begin? The journey has been too long with Andre Oliveira and ALO Clinic , as he helped me both physically and mentally to overcome an injury I had in both of my knees. A small injury , after following wrong treatment became chronic and I found myself unable to walk/stand/run and do the simplest things- the mental impact was worse. I was introduced to Andre by Eleftherios Pavlidis who runs Laertion in Athens. lefteris with his team were the first to accommodate the problem and told me what I need to do. As a Londoner, I was introduced to Andre and ALO Clinic, and the rest is history. Since February 2017 when I had the first session with Andre and he identified the biomechanic nature of the problem, along with the use of Tecar the results were visible after one month. Since then, along with personal effort and strengthening I did always guided by Andre, I the problem is restored and the pain is gone. I highly recommend ALO Physiotherapy Clinic , and Andre Oliveira for anyone who suffers from sport injuries , amateurs or professional top athletes.

Constantinos

Very professional staff and friendly environment. I felt a lot better after very first session. Appointment are easily available. I would definitely recommend this place

Muhammad

The care I received from ALO Physiotherapy was outstanding from the first session to the last. Sessions with Louise were informative as well as practical, allowing me to understand the context/logic behind treatment as well as tips to prevent future injuries. Louise was always readily available to answer my questions and the treatment process was collaborative rather than being prescriptive. Beyond the expertise of the team the quality of the equipment and facilities was incredibly high and aided my recovery significantly. I would recommend ALO Physiotherapy to anyone who requires physiotherapy treatment in the Marylebone area.

ALO is an excellent well-run clinic and Louise Hynes who looked after me is a superb physiotherapist. Louise is knowledgeable, skilled and very efficient at her job. My sore shoulder was sorted out in no time thanks to her. Thank you, Louise, and thank you ALO.

Julian Webber, Harley Street Endodontist.

ALO is an excellent well-run clinic and Louise Hynes who looked after me is a superb physiotherapist. Louise is knowledgeable, skilled and very efficient at her job. My sore shoulder was sorted out in no time thanks to her. Thank you, Louise, and thank you ALO.

Julian Webber, Harley Street Endodontist.

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