Playing contact sports is a part of life. IT can teach teamwork, patience, dedication, and work ethic all while letting you have a good time with your friends. But contact sports can also be dangerous, they are contact sports after all. Injuries can be common in contact sports, but they don’t have to be. Here are the best ways to prevent common injuries with contact sports to keep you healthy and on the field.
Don’t Overexert Yourself
It can be tempting to push yourself all the way to your limit and beyond every time you play or practice. But this can lead to lots of built up fatigue that can leave you susceptible to injury. Make sure that you are giving yourself time to rest, both in game and practice, and giving yourself rest days to let your body fully recover from the strain of playing sports. Even if you feel fine and ready to go, your body may not be one hundred percent yet. Let yourself get some rest and recover so that you can go harder than ever before when you really need to.
Wear a Mouthguard
Mouthguards are so important for contact sports. It may feel awkward or lame to have to wear a mouthguard all the time when you are playing or practicing, but it is much better to wear a mouthguard than to wear dentures. Dentists can use implants to replace adult teeth in the case you lose one in an injury. But you’ll be much better off wearing a mouth guard and preventing that kind of injury in the first place. Mouthguard can also help you avoid jaw injuries and biting your tongue in the event of a big hit. Please, just wear your mouthguard, it’s better than losing a tooth.
Warm Up Every Time You Play
Warming up can very quickly start to feel like a chore, especially if you don’t like stretching. While you may want to just jump right in to playing or practicing, it will help to prevent injuries if you warm your body up before playing. Getting blood flowing to your muscles, and stretching them out helps to send signals to your body that you are about to work out. This helps to prepare your body for extra physical strain, and keeps you ready to go. This can help prevent tears and sprains, which can keep you on the sidelines for weeks, or even months. So warm up before games and practices, your body will thank you.
No one likes being injured. And playing contact sports can always lead to injury. But you can help to protect yourself from the most common injuries by heeding these three pieces of advice. That way you can stay healthy and play all season long.
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