Long-time physical therapist offers tips to prevent exercise injury
Establishing a healthy exercise regime is a cornerstone of living a healthy lifestyle. However, jumping into physical activity without taking proper care and precautions can lead to painful exercise injury, especially for those who are just starting out, trying to get back into shape, or recovering from an injury or medical procedure.
“A lot of people get the bug to start exercising, then they overdue it and end up hurting,” said David Pierson, RPT, lead physical therapist at Adventist Health’s Physical Therapy Offices in Chico. “In general, a lot of people tend to start too hard and too fast.”
“If you have any existing injuries or health problems, then it’s a good idea to ask your doctor to send you to a therapist and they can get you started on a safe program.”
David Pierson, RPT, Lead Physical Therapist at Adventist Health Feather River
Pierson offered a number of tips to help anyone get started on their road to optimal health while avoiding exercise injury.
- Get cleared: “If you have any existing injuries or health problems, then it’s a good idea to ask your doctor to send you to a therapist and they can get you started on a safe program.”
- Get direction: “In addition to physical therapists, there are trainers at most gyms who can advise you how to get started and how to do things properly. A lot of people start weightlifting, for example, and try to do what they see other people doing. Then, they end up lifting too heavy or lifting incorrectly and hurt themselves.”
- Set a goal: “It’s important to think about what you want to accomplish and take steps towards that. If your goal is to be able to walk a mile, then start walking around the block and gradually work your way up. If your goal is to run a marathon, don’t go out and run ten miles right away. Start with one mile and work your way up.”
- Start slow: “I usually recommend starting out with activities like walking or cycling, just to get your body used to physical activity. If you’re weightlifting, start with weights you can lift easily with no difficulty. Don’t start maxing out right away.
- Stretch and strengthen: “Stretching before all physical activity is extremely important. Also, people should work on building overall strength. You don’t need weights to establish a strengthening program, you can use your own body weight … doing squats, lunges, or even standing on one leg are good exercises.”
- Listen to your body: “A good rule of thumb is if you exercise and are sore for four to five days afterwards, then you way overdid it. But if you’re just sore the next morning and are good to go the next day, then you probably did OK.”
Once a routine is established, he mentioned some other measures people should take to keep progressing and avoid exercise injury, like wearing the right clothing, alternating activities, and staying hydrated.
Pierson, who has been a physical therapist in the Chico area since 1986 and worked at Adventist Health for the last nine years, noted that he and his colleagues have extensive training in the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. “Our role is not only to help people avoid injury, but we are medically trained to evaluate an injury and direct the person in the best way to rehabilitate and get back to the activity, sport or just their normal activities of daily living,” he said.
“But we are always happy to help people get the knowledge they need to start an exercise program so that they don’t hurt themselves and have to come and see us to rehabilitate the injury.”
To learn more about Adventist Health Feather River’s physical therapy services, go to www.adventisthealth.org/feather-river/services/rehabilitation-services/chico-physical-therapy/.
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