Turkey BOwl Warm-up

It’s that time of year again when families and friends get together and you might be thinking about the last time you stepped foot onto a field to toss the pigskin. For many of us, it might as well have been a full year. Regardless of what sport you play or Turkey Trot you run, the last thing we need is to get hurt when we’re just trying to have some good-hearted fun and physical activity before the buffet begins. We cannot stress enough the importance of a good warm-up to prepare the body for movement to keep a safe and healthy body going into the holidays.

One of the more important concepts to remember is to perform a dynamic warm up before your competition and save the static stretches for rest and recovery after you play. Static stretching has been shown to decrease performance, especially for explosive based movements, because it tends to lengthen and relax the muscles when we want to actually prime the muscles to be ready to fire quickly. In fact, static stretching has been shown to decrease motor neuron excitability and decrease sensitivity of nociceptors and joint receptors which are fundamental mechanisms for the protection of structures involved in motion.

This is where we can welcome Seattle Pediatric Sports Medicine’s (SPSM) Injury Prevention Warm-up Program to give us an example of a well-rounded dynamic warm up routine. This program was designed by physicians and physical therapists as a dynamic warm-up intended to enhance sports performance as well as reduce injuries in soccer as well as other running, jumping, and pivoting sports like football.

“A Turkey Bowl is a time to renew friendships, laugh, and have fun. Not a time to be icing your hamstring while you eat with friends.”

— Ben Wobker, PT, MSPT, CSCS, SFMAc

Each exercise in the program has been selected based on research that demonstrates benefit as far as enhancing dynamic mobility, strength, motor control, and/or agility. The program is intended to be carried out before each practice and should take 15-20 minutes to complete. As is the case with any exercise program, it is possible for injuries to occur in the course of carrying out these exercises. Consultation with a physician or other qualified medical professional is recommended prior to starting this program if there are active injuries or other medical concerns. The benefits of this program may also be variable and cannot be predicted nor guaranteed for any individual. Understanding and acceptance of the risks and limitations of this program is implied for anyone who participates in this program.

“A Turkey Bowl Game is a time to celebrate a year gone by and a chance to test your athleticism with your old teammates. ”

— Dr. Bob Adams, DO, USATF

Thank you to our colleagues Dr. Christopher Wahl, Lori Mock PT, ATC, Anne Harmon-Grout PT and others from SPSM for developing and providing resources for the general public to review and incorporate into their pre-activity warm up routines.