Are you worried about getting injured? At COAST, we not only want to help you recover from an injury, we also want to help make you stronger and more resilient to prevent future injuries.
Below are our top three prehab tips to help injury proof your body.
What is Prehab?
Prehab is all about being proactive when it comes to injury prevention. It is a form of sport-specific exercises and techniques to train your body in order to help prevent injuries. Sometimes, these prehab exercises are even focused on the individual athletes imbalances or weaknesses.
Warm up and Cool Down
A proper warm up and cool down routine plays a critical roll in injury prevention. This is a great opportunity to incorporate sport-specific exercises and movements that will help prepare your body for the activity. A great example are Running ABCs prior to a workout or race. This routine helps to train your muscles for the highly repetitive movement of running as well as create mobility required for a proper stride, especially in your hips.
Mobility and Strength Training
As mentioned, a form of prehab can be exercises that address areas of potential weakness that could lead to injury. Often they are sport-specific, but working with a rehab professional can help you understand your own individual needs.
Injury proof your hips with these mobility exercises.
Dedicate a few hours each week to focus on some mobility and strength training. Your body will thank you! Mobility will improve your range of motion (important for proper movement) as well as increases strength by allowing your joints and muscles to work more effectively. A well thought out strength training program will help to address any muscle imbalances, improve mechanics and build stamina.
Self-Myofascial Release
Lastly, any good prehab regime will contain 5-10 minutes of self-myofascial release (SMR) . It improves circulation, relaxes the muscles and hips to improve mobility.
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