Injury Prevention During & After COVID

Have you ever been so sore after a new workout or return to activity that you can barely sit down to use the toilet? This is your body adapting to a new load. This is a fairly simple, but important concept. If your body hasn’t experienced this load ever or in a long time, the chances that you will be sore range from pretty high to certain. Sometimes this scenario leads to 2 days of soreness (DOMS: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) and then you return to whatever activity made you sore. Great, your body adapted to the load! On the other side, you find your body was unable to adequately adapt and maybe you cannot return to that activity. Now we have an injury to deal with.

One thing that has been on my mind, and the minds of many other rehab professionals, is...will we see an uptick in injuries for athletes during and after the COVID shutdown? That all depends on whether athletes have been able to maintain their tolerance for the loads that they will be returning to (running, jumping, etc); and/or if they are able to return gradually enough to their respective activities giving their body adequate time to adapt.

For professional athletes, achieving proper loading during these trying times has probably been more likely because of the vast resources available to them. What will be the ability for other athletes such as high school and recreational athletes to accomplish this. I wonder how many from this group have been able to achieve this at home with limited equipment, instruction, and time. I encourage you to think about what activities you will be returning to after COVID distancing is eased and ask yourself if you have been exposing your body to the loads demanded by that activity.

• Are you a high school athlete returning to soccer?

• Have you had to sprint? Change of direction?

• Were you a recreational lifter at Gold’s Gym squatting 200 pounds prior to quarantine? Have you been able to lift anything heavier than 20 lbs while in quarantine?

• Are you a backpacker wanting to hike 5-10 miles on the weekends this summer?

Be mindful of allowing your body time to adapt upon returning to these activities you haven’t done in maybe since February. Block out time in your week to do at least 2-3 days of exercise emphasizing muscle groups which will be in high demand upon returning to your previous activities. Consult a professional (such as your friendly, neighborhood Physical Therapist) if you’re unsure how to do this.

I have shared some staples for lower body strengthening which use nothing more than body weight and common household objects. The options for loaded exercises at home are actually quite vast with some creativity! Some load is always better than no load when it comes to strengthening; and being strong is one of your best shields against injury, so load that body! Quick tip to increase demand on your muscles without heavy weights: Spend more time under tension. Add holds (2-3 seconds) at the bottom of movements such as squats, push ups, etc Slow the movement down and try a 3 second lower, pause, 3 second raise.