Outdoor bliss leads to sporting bloopers

(Pinellas Park, Fla.) December 2, 2009 – For Florida residents, winter is the time locals are outside enjoying the beautiful cooler weather, tossing a ball and playing outdoor sport favorites. No matter what sport you play – football, baseball, golf or even bowling, there is a chance you sprained, twisted, stretched, pulled or injured yourself in some way. With everyone enjoying the outdoors this Florida winter, Dr. Andrea Henley-Seymour, Pain Specialist, shares tips on preventing and treating those sports bloopers and injuries.

It may be impossible to prevent every sports injury but research shows that by following minimal prevention suggestions, an athlete is 25% more likely to prevent an injury. Major indicators of sports injuries are: a history of injuries and a high number of consecutive days of training without rest. These two main signals demand for extra care to prevent more serious issues. Warm-up and stretching previous injuries, along with allowing recovery times between work-outs, reduce injury rates significantly. This gives the muscles and connective tissues an opportunity to repair. Sprains are injuries to ligaments, which are the bands connecting bones in the joints. Stretching these ligaments beyond their limitations can tear and distort them. Strains are injuries to muscle fibers or tendons. Tendons anchor the muscles to the bones. Overusing or over-stretching muscles can cause tears in the fibers and/or tendons.

Prevent Sports Injuries Tips

1. Train and work-out before you play the sport; do not use a sport as a work-out method.

2. Stretch before and after your game. Muscles are less vulnerable to injury when they’ve been warmed-up. The warm-up should be tailored to the specific sport, ensuring the proper muscles are being prepared.

3. If you’re tired or in pain – don’t play. Pain is the universal signal for a problem. Don’t ignore the warning signs.

4. Wear the gear – your mother always made you wear a helmet for a reason. Protect yourself by utilizing the proper safety equipment: mouth guards, pads, gloves, etc. This safeguards your joints and allows you to keep your attractive (full-tooth) smile.

5. Play by the rules – most guidelines are set in place specifically to prevent injuries

6. Slow-down – Rest is critical to training. Your muscles have time to heal after rigorous activity and this makes your body stronger and ready for the next game.

Treating those Sports Falls

1. R.I.C.E – Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation

a. Rest prevents further injury and allows for repair and healing to take place.

b. Using ice for the injury prevents further inflammation. Injured blood vessels and bleeding is constricted. Remember: ice NOT heat to treat. Heat cannot reduce swelling.

c. Compression also constricts further inflammation and supports the injured joint.

d. Elevation uses gravity to reduce swelling and blood flow to the injury.

2. For cuts – treat with warm water and anti-bacterial cream. Cover the cut and be cautions of possibly developing infections. If you feel warmth, see redness or pus – you could have an infection. Seek medical attention if this persists after several days.

Immediate action, such as the R.I.C.E. technique, is vital to preventing further injury and pain to a sports accident. Protect the skin with a sheet or towel, cover the injury and apply ice. Lightly and comfortably wrap an elastic bandage around the ice – not too rigid but tight-enough. Ice should remain for 15 minutes in three-hour increments throughout the day. Once swelling has minimized, begin gentle range of motion exercises for the affected joint.

If pain to the injury persists, you may need to make an appointment with a physician to treat the injury. Here are some signs to a more serious injury that requires professional medical attention: If the pain continues in the joint or bone for more than two weeks, you experience a radiating pain to another area of the body, you have tenderness when you press on a specific area, you have significant swelling, you cannot move the injured area, you feel numb, tingling or weakness in the area, there isn’t improvement in three weeks or you’ve developed an infection with pus, red streaks, a fever or swollen lymph nodes – you will need to see a physician.

About Pain Relief Centers:

Pain Relief Centers are multi-specialty practices that use a combination of innovative and minimally invasive treatments that help relieve patients’ pain and improve their quality of life. Pain Relief Centers’ Board-Certified physicians utilize advanced technology and interventional therapies to diagnose and treat pain effectively. Pain Relief Centers’ comprehensive approach ranges from osteopathic manipulation and nerve ablation to minimally invasive spine procedures. Pain Relief Centers treat a variety of conditions such as neck and arm pain, back and leg pain, complex regional pain syndrome, degenerative disc disease, failed back syndrome, herniated discs, and spinal stenosis. Pain Relief Centers works with patients to improve their pain and return them back to their busy lives.

Visithttp://www.pinellaspain.com/or call 727-518-8660 for more information.