Health Promotion: ‘Look after your busy body, you owe that to your family’

24 Jul, 2016 - 00:07 0 Views

The Sunday News

Lee-Anne
AS your physiotherapist I would advise you to exercise. People exercise at different intensities. We have people that regularly go to the gym, some jog around the neighbourhood and some have self-prescribed exercises they do at home. Sometimes, exercise can lead to injuries. Some fall, sprain an ankle, tear a ligament and strain a muscle just to mention a few.

In this week’s article I will explain the importance of exercise and what to do if you happen to get an injury after exercise.

10 reasons why you should exercise regularly:

1 Muscle strength — exercise helps to strengthen your muscles.

2 Joint Mobility — prevents stiffness in your joints.

3 Fitness — exercise increases your heart rate and can improve your fitness by enhancing the efficiency of your heart and lungs.

4 Weight — exercise increases the amount of energy your body burns up and, in combination with a healthy diet, can help to control your weight.

5 Sleep — exercise can improve your sleep by increasing your sense of well-being and improving blood and lymph circulation.

6 Osteoporosis — exercise is important in the prevention of osteoporosis (loss of bone density)

7 Balance — exercise can reduce the risk of falling by improving your agility.

8 Depression and anxiety — exercise contributes to a general sense of well-being.

9 Blood pressure — exercise can reduce your blood pressure.

10 It is fun! Invite some friends and make use of music while doing your exercises.

What usually leads to injuries is insufficient stretching before exercise. Stretching helps:

-To prevent injury

-To enhance performance

-Maintain optimum muscle length

How can stretching be carried out correctly?

1 Place the muscle to be stretched in an elongated position.

2 Stretch to the point of discomfort, not pain.

3 Try to relax the muscle being stretched.

4 In the one session hold the stretch for +/- 30 seconds and repeat 3 times

5 For the first 3 weeks of a program repeat each session 3-4 for times daily.

6 Breathe normally (it is important to control breathing to avoid shortness of breath)

7 Do not bounce

Emergency Care when Injured during exercising

Scenario: Mr M sprained his ankle while jogging up a steep incline. Prior to jogging he did not stretch sufficiently. Now he presents with ankle swelling and pain when he puts weight on the leg.

I always suggest the RICE method:

R — REST: Rest the limb means do not use it and put weight on it. The more the limb is used the more the injury worsens. I advice rest because at that time we do not know the cause of injury.

I — ICE: Place crushed ice over the injured area for 20 minutes every 2 hours. Avoid ice burns by placing a thin, damp towel between the ice and your skin. Try to only place ice for a maximum of 10 minutes at a time. Ice is important to decrease the inflammation.

C — COMPRESSION: Apply firm pressure to the injured area with a crepe bandage. If one doesn’t have a bandage they can also use a firm cloth. Compression ensures that blood pooling does not occur and that blood carries on flowing normally. Take care not to restrict the circulation.

E — ELEVATION: Keep the injured area elevated on a stool or a pillow. Start the above procedure as soon as possible and repeat over the next 48 hours.

Incorporate physical activities during the day:

— walk to the shop

— climb a flight of stairs

— do some gardening

— clean your home

— join a dance class

— go bowling

— play golf

— swim

— join an exercise class!

Participate in activities that you enjoy and with which you can cope.

Lee-Anne Hall
BSc Physiotherapy

 

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