Basic warm-up to avoid injury during physical activity
Warming up before practicing sports is essential and can help us prevent injuries. Going from being inactive (because we have just been working or resting for a long time), to putting our body to work at a higher physical level, increases the risk of muscle injuries.
For this reason, we should always perform a warm-up that involves, above all, the main area of the body that will support the workload during exercise. This does not mean that we should not warm up other parts of our body, as it is likely that they will also be involved in a secondary way.
Today we are going to propose some exercises that we can perform before our sports routine, adapting to our physical situation and our possibilities.
Of course, always before, we recommend consulting a health professional or a specialist in sports physical preparation, so that he/she can adjust each warm-up and subsequent physical activity to our needs.
How to avoid injuries by warming up correctly
There are some areas of our body that tend to get injured more easily, such as shoulders, knees, or back. Areas where there is joint movement, or that are responsible for holding more weight in our body, and that we have to take special care to avoid getting hurt or chronically overloaded.
Warming up will not prevent injuries, but it is certainly a step prior to any physical activity, and a way to minimize the risk. Next, we will see some recommended exercises to warm up several areas of our body:
Preheat shoulders
We start with the shoulders, because they are a particularly sensitive area due to the fact that they allow a wide range of motion in various directions. The shoulders are involved in a large part of everyday actions, and also of exercises that we can do, even indirectly, as happens when running.
A good way to warm up the shoulders is precisely by working on their rotation so that the joint is prepared for the exercise. To do this, we separate the legs, extend the arms next to the trunk, and rotate them as if it were a propeller. We will do it in both directions: first forward, and then backward, for a few seconds.
Another way to warm up the shoulders is to make them rotate with the arms attached to the trunk. We have to do as if we were shrugging our shoulders, trying to make a circular motion, back and forth.
Preheat knees
The knees are another area that, if not well prepared for exercise, can be easily injured, even in more relaxed activities such as walking with greater or lesser intensity. The knees, in addition to allowing us to bend our legs, also support the weight of our body and the impact of certain actions, so it is also important to warm them up before starting our activity.
To warm up the knees, we can bring the legs together a little and bend them slightly, putting one hand on each knee. With our feet together, we turn with our knees to the left and right. We can also do alternating push-ups, first with one leg, then with the other, as if we were trying to reach the buttocks with the heel.
Preheat the hips
The hip area is an area where the back and legs converge, and it is also advisable to warm up properly. In this case, we put our hands on our hips and make circular movements with our hips as if we were dancing a hula hoop. We can alternate the direction of rotation for a few seconds.
Preheat wrists and ankles
The wrists and ankles are fragile points in our extremities, and they also allow for a great range of motion. It is easy to injure these areas, either through overuse or ligament injuries, especially in the ankles.
To warm up the wrists, we can join our hands by interlocking our fingers, and make circular movements as if we were drawing the infinity symbol (an 8 in horizontal position). For a few seconds we can do it in one direction, and then change.
To warm up the ankles, we can stretch the foot by touching the toe on the floor with the heel elevated, and rotate it in both directions. First one foot, and then switch to the other.
Preheating the back
Stretching the back will also help us to prevent injuries in one of the most important areas of our body, which tends to be injured by sudden actions without adequate preparation for physical exercise.
In Living without Pain, of the Aliaga Institute, we have previously talked about some stretches for the lumbar area, responsible for supporting most of our body weight.
These are some simple exercises that you can do before starting your sports practice, or simply if you want to unwind your body after several hours of inactivity. As we have reminded you before, it is important to go to a professional who will tell you which are the best options depending on your current physical condition.
Above all, we must be especially careful not to damage any area where we may have an injury. In that case, and if the injury in the back or in any of our joints lasts for several weeks, it would be best to go to a pain professional such as those at MIVI for a correct diagnosis and treatment.