Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a varsity pro, participating in a sport increases your risk for injuries. We’re here to share some tips and tricks to decrease your risk of sports injuries so you can keep doing what you love to do.

Make sure to get a health and wellness check from your doctor before beginning any new activity or sport. Your doctor will be able to warn you of any pre-existing conditions that may easily lead to an overuse injury.
Warming up and stretching properly before your activity is incredibly important. This will decrease your risk of injuries significantly as you’re playing sports.
Incorporate strength training into your training program. As you spend time in the weight room, your muscles will become stronger and less susceptible to injury. As your muscles increase in strength, this will help to protect the joints in your body such as your knees and shoulders that are commonly injured during sports.
Hydrate adequately. This will help you to maintain strength during your physical activity and will minimize muscle cramping.
Make sure to always wear the recommended safety equipment that fits properly. For example, a helmet, pads, mouthguard, etc.
Apply and reapply sunscreen when you’re playing sports outside. This is often something that’s overlooked when it comes to sports safety, but if you’re suffering from severe sunburns, you won’t be able to spend much time playing your sport.
Listen to your body. If you’re experiencing pain that doesn’t seem like normal discomfort from physical exertion, stop what you’re doing. Take a break and rest so that you can get back in the game sooner.
Avoid year-round sports for a single sport. When you don’t give your body time to recover from a particular activity, your risk of injury increases. For example, playing indoor and outdoor soccer through the full calendar year increases your risk for injuries. Take some time out to perform other physical activities that will exercise and strengthen different muscles.
Know when it’s time to see a doctor for pain that you’re experiencing. Many people put this off, exacerbating their injury, which makes recovery take a longer period of time than it would have taken if they came in when the pain started happening.

If you’ve experienced an injury, don’t wait to schedule your appointment with Dr. Larson. As you work closely with Dr. Larson, he’ll provide a treatment plan based on your needs to get you back to exercising and playing sports at full capacity. Depending on the severity of your injury, he will recommend treatment anywhere from conservative to surgery. You can rest assured that when you choose Dr. Larson, you’re choosing someone with years of orthopaedic experience whose number one priority is you and your recovery.

Don’t wait to get started on your road to recovery. To schedule your appointment with Dr. Larson, please give us a call at 435-744-8512.

What We Are Doing To Keep You Safe From COVID-19

Here in Dr. Larson’s office, we are doing everything we can to ensure patient safety. We are prepared for the challenges COVID-19 presents and want to keep you updated on what we’re doing to keep you safe. We are following CDC guidelines in regard to the disinfection of surfaces and rooms and are doing our best to practice social distancing to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Although elective surgeries have been canceled/postponed, we are still offering consultations to help ease the pain and discomfort associated with musculoskeletal system disorders. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Larson, please call (435)787-2000. As always, we have the health and safety of our patients as our top priority. Together, we can do our best to limit the spread of illness such as COVID-19.

Sports Injury Prevention