It is possible to prevent reaggravating sports injuries by purchasing new equipment. Some of the most effective methods teams and individuals have employed to stop sports injuries from flaring up again include getting better footwear, using the appropriate protective equipment that fits properly including helmets, face guards, mouthpieces, elbow, knee and shin pads and protective eyewear.
People recovering from injuries who want to continue participating in sports safely should make it a priority to get and use the appropriate new equipment if they want to avoid getting injured again.
1 - Preventing Re Injury Through Shopping
When you have recently recovered from an injury, it's important to use new protective gear that will protect the part of the body that has been injured. Depending on the sport you play, that may mean better padding to provide protection against direct blows, special tape for extra support and modified athletic footwear to prevent twisting and to provide improved traction, arch, instep and ankle support. For combat sports like boxing, protective headgear and better gloves may be necessary to reduce the risk of getting hurt again. The key to preventing re-injury is to ensure you have the right protective equipment to shield and support the body part that's vulnerable.
2 - Helmets
To provide extra protection for people recovering from injuries suffered while boxing, cycling, skiing, or playing cricket, football, baseball or motorsports, proper helmets and other protective headgear is mandatory. Get helmets specially designed to minimize the impact common in each different sport. Make sure the helmet has adequate padding, is fastened and worn the right way and fits the head of the player properly.
3 - Protective Eyewear
Specially designed protective sports eyewear with 3-mm polycarbonate lenses and ultraviolet filters can help to protect the eyes of snowboarders and skiers from impacts and radiation. It is recommended tennis, racquetball, hockey, lacrosse, baseball and basketball players wear sports goggles especially when recovering from eye injuries.
4 - Mouth Guards And Face Protection
Athletes that suffer fractured facial bones must wear properly padded and fitting face protection when they return to their sport. Being hit by a fast moving ball, racquet or player can cause stress fractures and concussions and do serious, permanent, damage to the face and potentially impact the brain of injured athletes. Mouth guards are recommended to protect the injured teeth, gums, lips, tongue and jaws of injured athletes to prevent tears and fractures to injured areas of the mouth of players in sports that make them vulnerable to aggravating such injuries. Mouth guards should fit well, be durable, shaped appropriately and must be properly cleaned before use.
5 - Straps, Guards and Pads
It's recommended that injured athletes involved in contact sports get durable, high-quality pads and guards to reduce their chances of reinjuring their ankles, knees, hips, thighs, arms, elbows, neck, chest and shoulders. Depending on the nature of the injury and the sport, the athlete can use guards and pads made of soft materials or hard plastic. Good knee pads can protect the knee joint and cartilage from further damage while improved shoulder pads can provide better support for the shoulder joint and prevent sprains and fractures from being aggravated and causing further problems.
6 - Protective Clothing and Footwear
Wearing padded or reinforced clothing uniquely designed for their particular sport can also help to shield and protect injured parts of the body. Jerseys with padded elbows and shoulders and shorts with padding in the hip area can be helpful for soccer goalies. Specially designed sports shoes fitted with arch, heel, ankle and instep support can help to protect the injured area and speed up the healing process. The right size and shape cleats and spikes can improve traction and reduce the risk of unnecessary falls, twists and sprains in athletes returning from injury.
Using a better running shoe helps track and field athletes decrease their risk of aggravating injuries caused by overuse or improper foot placement. In basketball, shoes that offer improved traction, foot and ankle support can reduce the chances of aggravating foot and ankle injuries.
7 - Specially Designed And Customized Equipment
Sometimes athletes need to wear custom-made equipment to help their injury to heal and prevent the body part from being injured time and again. This not only applies to protective equipment like special pads and braces in contact sports, it can also mean specially designed running, tennis, football or basketball shoes. Custom footwear in the correct type and the right size which has extra padding or support can also help prevent athletes from injuring the same bone or body part time and again. Athletes sometimes need special insoles with arch support to help heal the bones in their foot.
8 - The Mental Edge
When athletes use equipment that doesn't fit properly or is outdated, they tend to have more miscues and unnecessary injuries. Peak athletic performance begins in the mind. Better equipment prevents re-injury by keeping muscles warm, relaxed and flexible, providing needed support and offering additional padding and protection. But better equipment can also prevent re-injury by giving the athlete confidence they can give their all without hurting themselves.