Repetitive Injuries Awareness Day (holiday!)

Repetitive Strain Injuries Awareness Day - The Last Day in February.

Repetitive strain injuries are the damage that we cause ourselves by doing the same activity over and over again. Typing and moving a mouse around can cause carpal tunnel syndrome - a type of repetitive injury. But any motion that you do over and over again without a break can result in physical injury - that could mean office work, bending, lifting, swinging a hammer, operating a piece of machinery - even walking! But there are some steps you can take to prevent repetitive strain injuries - and that's what this holiday is all about.

Is your workspace laid out ergonomically? You should be able to sit with your feet flat on the floor, thighs are parallel to the floor and back is supported. Your neck should be straight, arms held in a comfortable position and nothing should hurt.

Take a few minutes every once in a while to stretch. Walk around, flex your wrists, circle your neck, roll your shoulders, touch your toes - work out the kinks. Make it a habit to include lots of different motion in your day to avoid injury.

Pay attention to your body, and rest when you need to. Any kind of work can lead to exhaustion, then strain and injury - even sitting at a desk. Don't wait until you are hurt to take  a time out- build regular breaks into your day.

 

Injuries to Athletes

More than 50 percent of sports related injuries can be avoided, according to Olympic coach, Bruce Thomas II, who specializes in sports medicine. He is currently the consulting physician to the People's Republic of China national baseball team. Dr. Thomas also consults with the LPGA and PGA players in the states on a regular basis.

In most sports, timing is everything, (especially in the Olympics). "Sometimes they push too hard both internally and externally; both the coaches and intrinsically, from the athlete. There's a fine line when an athlete peaks in their performance," said Dr. Thomas. 

Athletes do not allow enough time for their injuries to heal properly, nor enough time for the body to heal and rest between training and injuries.

"Lance Armstrong has both the ideal training, ideal mind, ideal body, which brought him incredible success," says Dr. Jeffrey Spencer, cyclist and Olympic coach, eight times on the Tour de France. "You have to have confidence in yourself. You have to have a positive mental attitude every day," said Dr. Spencer. "You have to have the freedom, the mindset to embrace change immediately. You can have a longer athletic career. It doesn't have to be finite."