Almost everyone has a favorite sport they enjoy doing, and almost everyone has a risk of sports injury that may need treatment. These injuries could stem from repetitive motion like elbow tendonitis, or a sudden traumatic injury like a fracture or dislocation. However, there are a few steps you can take to help you reduce your injury risk and having to seek sports injury treatment.

Don’t skip the warm-up

While this may not be the most innovative or cutting edge advice, many amateur athletes still do not warm up before starting a game, match or run. Warming up is something you can do that can effectively reduce your risk of injury. Muscles need time to acclimate to physical activity and become pliable. Anyone who has pulled a hamstring while running to first base can attest to the importance of getting limber. Simple exercises you can do for a general warm-up include:

• Brisk walking or light jogging
• Jumping jacks or jumping rope
• Arm circles or arm raises
• Torso rotations
• Side-to-side hops

These warm-ups will improve your circulation and prepare your body for physical activity so that you can avoid seeking sports injury treatment for that pulled muscle.

Avoid playing through the pain

Playing sports is a lot of fun, and it can be tempting to walk off a sprained ankle or muscle strain. However, you risk exacerbating an injury by continuing to play on an injured limb. Injuries like joint sprains weaken the stability of a joint which can lead to further damage. If an injury is causing you to limp or compensate, then extra stress is put on the muscles that you are using to compensate. Avoid making a sports injury worse by knowing when to call it quits.

Cool it down, literally

While a great sports injury treatment in and of itself, icing down after a game or match is a great way to help recover more quickly and reduce swelling and inflammation. Ice also helps reduce lactic acid buildup with contributes to that feeling of sore muscles the next day. Sore and inflamed muscles are at greater risk of suffering injury.

Fortunately, the physical therapists of Rehab Access are here to help people get back to the game they love with the sports injury treatments. If you have recently suffered a sports-related injury, contact Rehab Access today to set up your initial appointment.