10 Injuries & 5 Stretches Summer Pre-habilitation
With summer in full swing a bunch of injuries come to mind. As a walking city we can often see an up kick in knee and foot injuries during or right after the summer months. But the legs are not the only areas of the body that are victim to a summer of outdoor sports and activities. Here’s just a laundry list of things that come to mind:
Foot - Plantar fasciitis
Foot - Ankle Tendonitis
Foot - Ankle Sprain/STrain
Knee - Meniscus Tear
Knee - ACL Tear
Hip - Hip Bursitis
Hip/Back -Sciatica
Arms - Rotator Cuff Strain
Arms - Tennis Elbow
Arms- Golfer’s Elbow
These aren’t necessarily the top ten injuries we see in physical therapy but they are common results of the failure of basic body structures. Some injuries may be from too little exercise at all, such as being a couch potato all summer to avoid the heat. Some may be from too much; such as playing tennis, golf, beach volley ball without ever playing it all year.
As a preliminary to several blog posts I’ll talk about some stretches for the feet, knees, hips, and shoulders as well as some basic exercises that can assist in maintaining and pre-habilitating the body to prevent injury.
FOOT-ANKLE:
The added walks in Central Park or along the West Side Highway comes at a price. We can begin to get tightness in the feet, around the ankles and our calves. This tightness leads to things like plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, calf strains, and more. So before, between, and after all those steps we should stretch.
Here’s a few things to try 2-3 times per day to keep those legs flexible.
Perform each of the stretches for about 30 seconds. Run thru them on each side and you’ll get a nice 5 minute stretch circuit for increasing the movement in your legs.
As always do not do these if you have any pre-existing or current injuries to the back or legs. Always consult a health professional prior to starting any new exercises. All stretches should be done without pain. If any of these should cause pain contact your primary care physican or come into Alta PT NYC for a consultation.
(Images are from Hep2Go.com )
PIRIFORMIS AND HIP STRETCH - SEATED
While sitting in a chair, cross your affected leg on top of the other as shown.
Next, gently lean forward until a stretch is felt along the crossed leg.
SEATED HAMSTRING STRETCH
While seated, rest your heel on the floor with your knee straight and gently lean forward until a stretch is felt behind you knee/thigh
SEATED LOW BACK STRETCH
While sitting in a chair, slowly bend forward and reach your hands for the floor. Bend your trunk and head forward and down.
STANDING CALF STRETCH - GASTROC
While standing and leaning against a wall, place one foot back behind you and bend the front knee until a gentle stretch is felt on the back of the lower leg.
Your back knee should be straight the entire time.
STANDING CALF STRETCH - SOLEUS
While standing and leaning against a wall, place one foot back behind you and bend the front knee until a gentle stretch is felt on the back of the lower leg.
Your back knee should be bent the entire time.
My next post will talk about stretches for our upper body. Until then, from myself and all of us at Alta Physical Therapy NYC, stay safe, hydrated, and healthy.
*All theses images are from hep2go a great resource for free exercise explanations
