Summer Injuries
Prevent those Summer Injuries Before they Happen!
By: Timothy F. McQueeney D.C., C.S.C.S.
As the summer months approach, more and more of us begin heading outside for activities. We head to the beach, head to the park for that afternoon soccer game, maybe we go outside to tackle that yard project, or we travel long distances to go camping or even sightseeing. These all seem like harmless endeavors, however they all have one thing in common. They can all lead to surprising injuries if we are not fully prepared. Most of us are aware that stretching before a short jog or an afternoon tennis match is important. But many of us forget that we can injure ourselves just as easily lifting that bag of fertilizer, climbing the steps at the beach or even sitting in a car for 10 hours driving to Atlanta.
Injury prevention isn’t just something to think about before exercise, it is a way of life. Something as simple as a series of crunches done every morning, can strengthen the abdominal muscles enough to prevent against back injuries by more than 50%. A daily stretching routine can prevent many repetitive knee and shoulder injuries. Proper diet and nutrition can also keep the body fit and running most efficiently. A well maintained diet can even prevent chronic inflammation, which is the number one cause today of missed work due to back pain and injury. This includes adequate water intake per day. For most of us, this is about 100 ounces or just shy of a gallon of water per day!!
Proper posture is also important. Imagine holding a bowling ball all day long in front of your face. That seems impossible, however, each day we carry around a ten pound bowling ball, more commonly known as our head. Anyone who bowls knows the easiest way to carry a bowling ball, is above your arm, as close to your center of gravity as possible. The same is true with your head, those who hold their heads forward (anterior head carriage), place much more stress on their ligaments, muscles and spine, than those who center their heads over their spine and shoulders. Remember your mom yelling at you as a child to stand up straight with your head back. She was actually trying to help you to work less!! However, even worse, this added stress on the muscles, ligaments and spine, sets us up again for even more injuries!!
There is no one quick fix answer to injury prevention. Instead a program must be developed for each individual based on his or her level of activity, type of work, body size, and individual risk factors. In general, one should always be aware throughout the day of their level of activity. If you are trying something new or performing an activity that you don’t generally perform, take it slow. Think about your posture before lifting anything. Get help with big jobs. Generally at the first sign of soreness, its too late!!
Chiropractic Medicine is a specific branch of healthcare dedicated to not only the treatment of injuries, but in injury prevention, proper posture, and total body wellness. For those serious about injury prevention and total body health, regular chiropractic evaluation of posture and your body’s level of injury defense, is an important part of your health plan along with your primary care physician, dental visits and exercise.
For further information on the content of this article or other health related issues, Dr. McQueeney can be contacted via email or by calling (561) 799-7600 ext 2196.
Timothy F. McQueeney D.C., C.S.C.S.
Timothy McQueeney D.C., C.S.C.S. is a board certified chiropractic physician practicing in West Palm Beach. He is on the Advisory Council of the HealthCare Advocacy Ministry of Christ Fellowship and has been on a number of mission trips with Christ Fellowship. He also serves Christ Fellowship in the Student Ministries Department as a High School Mentor and Core Home Coordinator.
