28 May How to Stay Healthy During Summer (Injury Season)
Summer is often a great season – filled with outdoor fun, activities, leisure, family-time, and…injury? Yes! Believe it or not, summer is unfortunately too-often filled with injury thanks to people over-doing it and sometimes just plain bad luck. We share some tips on how to stay healthy and active without ending up stuck inside this summer season.
Outside Time = Increased Injury Risk for Some
In climates where people spend a good chunk of the year stuck indoors due to cold, rain, or inhospitable weather, it makes sense that once people get a chance to get back outside you’ll see an increase in injuries. Likewise, the type of injuries make sense too: During spring sports season, you’ll have some young student athletes with sports injuries. During spring, you’ll have yard-work related injuries like falls from ladders, back injuries from overdoing it in the garden, etc. During the high point of summer, there are more water-related injuries. Of course, in warm weather, there will always be a number of injuries for the weekend-warriors; those who push a little harder than they should in a 5k, or ride a little farther on their bikes than they’d trained for, etc.
Staying Healthy This Summer
You may not be able to completely reduce your injury risk this summer, but you can definitely improve the odds. Here are some steps to take:
- Warm up before any exertion outdoors
- Don’t do “too much, too soon” – pace yourself
- Pay careful attention during outdoor lawn work
- If lifting mulch, flowers, dirt, etc, lift less but make more trips
- Give yourself rest breaks during outings
- Pay attention to your fuel and eat well
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Take water with you
- Cool down after activities and stretch
- Give yourself rest days in your week
- See a physical therapist for help with injury
A Healthy Summer is Possible
Although injuries may rise once the temperature does, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a great summer enjoying the outdoors and activities with family and friends. By being mindful, training properly, and taking appropriate steps during the warm-weather months, you can help ensure that you’re not laid up with an injury while everyone else is out enjoying themselves! If you do suspect injury, seeing a physical therapist quickly can help get you back on your feet. A PT will assess your injury, develop a custom treatment plan, and work with you to reduce discomfort and risk of injury, and get you on the road to recovery.
Ready to start your summer off on the best foot possible? Call Body One Physical Therapy! We’re locally-owned and operated, with three locations serving Central Indiana: North Indianapolis, Fishers, and Zionsville. Our team of dedicated, experienced physical therapists works with clients of all ages and backgrounds and we would love to help you, too. Don’t wait until summer is over to start feeling better, call Body One today!
