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For most, the summer season is a time to unwind, relax, and get some much-needed downtime. For athletes, however, the summertime is a crucial period to maintain your shape and skill ahead of the fall sports season by following a strategic conditioning plan. To make sure your strength and stamina stay consistent during the offseason, here are some tips to help you prepare for fall sports activities.

4 Fall Sports Preparation Tips

If you want to enter the fall sports season primed for success, follow these tips for injury prevention and recovery:

1. Warm up – If you’re an athlete or an avid runner, you know that a good stretch is key to loosen the joints, stay limber, and prime yourself for a good performance. Try practicing yoga or stretches with slow, deliberate movements that mimic the motion you perform in your sport.
2. Cool down – Just as important as warming up, a good cool down is important to come down from heightened activity and regulate your breathing. Even a light walk can be beneficial in restoring your normal heart rate.
3. Change technique to limit overuse injury risks – In the heat of a game, athletes will sometimes run on muscle memory as their minds focus more on the plays. Failure to monitor your movements closely can result in overexertion or careless injury. Before a game, drill your functional movements lightly and take note of your technique to see if you experience any pain or strain.
4. See a doctor or specialist as needed – Remember, you’re only human. And while you may be tempted to push yourself in an effort to excel, it is imperative that you listen to your body. If you are feeling pain or something feels off, consult with your physician. Sometimes, it takes an outside perspective to know that you need medical assistance to correct a sports injury or strain from getting worse.

Be Prepared in the Event of an Injury

The above tips are helpful to keep your gears oiled and senses sharp so that you are ready to do your best in the fall sports season. However, anything can happen out there, and injuries in sports are always possible.

Should an unfortunate sports injury befall you, know that the team of orthopaedic specialists and physicians at Orthopaedic Associates of St. Augustine are available to help reduce and relieve your sports injury pain with expert treatment plans and advanced surgical procedures.

Your Local Sports Injury Treatment Experts

At Orthopaedic Associates of St. Augustine, we’re proud to play a role in helping athletes regain mobility and get back in the game free of pain. If you’ve experienced a sports related injury or another type of orthopaedic ailment, our sports medicine team is here to help. To request an appointment, please give us a call today at 904-825-0540.

 

Casy McClone, MD
Board Certifications in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine. Dr. McClone specializes in treating musculoskeletal pain for patients of all ages with ultra-sound guided injections.