How To Avoid the Most Common Summertime Orthopedic Injuries

Whether you’re a kid itching for a chance to play with friends in good weather or an adult looking for an excuse to enjoy some outdoor exercise, there are plenty of reasons to look forward to the warmer months of spring and summer. However, all that time being active out and about in the elements can also lead to various injuries that can limit your fun.

To find the best ways to make the most of your time outdoors in the sunny weather and prevent yourself from getting hurt, we need to review the injuries that often occur during this time of year, the reasons they happen, the symptoms to expect, and how to avoid them.

Treating orthopedic injuries during the warm months or at any time of year is just one of the many services Dr. Joseph Daniels and the Southwest Orthopedic Associates team offer the residents of Fort Worth, Texas.

Common outdoor injuries

The type of damage to your body can vary with the activity and include things like:

• Sprains: stretching, pulling, or tearing of ligaments in joints
• Strains: a similar injury to sprains, but it takes place in muscles
• Fractures: cracks or breaks in bone and joints
• Bursitis: inflammation of the bursae in joints that provide cushion
• Dislocations: the movement of a bone in a joint out of its normal position
• Tendonitis: inflammation of tendons in joints
• Concussions: brain injury from impact, and the brain bounces in your skull
• Contusions: bruising that comes from bleeding under the skin

Performing repetitive motions during exercise or sports, awkward landings when running and jumping, and frequently running into other people or objects cause many of these injuries.

Symptoms to look for

The most common and obvious symptom of any injury is pain, but this can also come with many other issues, such as:

• Swelling: it can be in the form of effusion (joint swelling), edema (soft tissue swelling), or hematoma (soft tissue bleeding)
• Stiffness: when an injury makes moving that body part harder and hinders your range of motion
• Instability: damage to an area significant enough to feel like it might give if too much pressure is applied
• Weakness: a compromise of the strength in an injured body part, making it more difficult to use
• Numbness/ tingling: when nerves are damaged or compressed, you may feel a lack of sensation or tingling

Ways to prevent injuries

To keep yourself from dealing with any of these injuries, try these basic tips:

Warm up and cool down

Preparing your body to be highly active is crucial for avoiding overexertion and potential harm, and it's just as important when you’re done. 

Wear the right gear

Dressing for the right job in this case means getting properly fitting shoes, kneepads, helmets, and other gear as appropriate for whatever you’re doing to stay active.

Use the proper technique

Safety is essential in preventing injury, so don’t jump in unprepared. Learn the right way to perform a task, and stick to it as closely as possible.

Stretching 

Another way to prepare for activities is to loosen joints and muscles through stretching.

Getting plenty of rest

Your body needs adequate rest to be ready for high activity, so sleep soundly and don't get too active when tired.

Hydration

You need water to live, and to avoid heat exhaustion and heatstroke, you need to drink as much as your body needs.

Enjoy the warm months of the year as safely as possible by following these steps to avoid injury. For more tips on staying safe and managing injuries as they happen, make an appointment with Dr. Daniels and the Southwest Orthopedic Associates team today.