• Author | Kevin Groh, PA-C, MSPAS
• Date | 4/12/2021 8:00 am

Summer Orthopedic Injuries and How to Prevent Them

As the weather gets warmer, people get more active, the weekend warriors come out, and as a result, people get hurt. 

It’s an exciting time of the year and people become more active. However, if you haven’t been preparing all winter for increased activity, some common summer aches and pains can creep up.  Backyard Work and Activities Whether you are doing a slip and slide with your kids or working on that backyard summer maintenance if you don’t take the proper precautions before your physical activity you can develop an injury that requires you to come to see us. The best ways to prevent an injury before any physical activity include:

1. A proper warm-up. Make sure you don’t jump right into your activity. It’s important to get your heart rate a little elevated and stretch to loosen your muscles up. This helps to prevent acute injuries. 
2. Wear proper clothing. If you are cleaning out the gutters, wear gloves, or if you are mowing the lawn wear pants and proper shoes. This prevents rolling an ankle. 

 Bicycling/Motorcycling

 Now that it’s warm out it’s great to be able to jump on the bike and go for a spin. However, make sure to wear a helmet. It reduces the chance of injury by as much as 85%. If you worried about looking cool, find one that is stylish. A head injury is never stylish. 

Swimming 

Please, please, please before you dive or jump into any body of water. Be sure of how deep it is. It can be quite common for people to jump off a ledge not know how deep the water is. This can result in a spinal cord injury or spine fracture. 

 Playground

If you have children and are headed to the playground one of the best ways to prevent injuries to your children is to keep an eye on them. Don’t get distracted by your phone. Additionally 70% of injuries at the playground result from a fall or due to equipment. Therefore, the safest playgrounds are those that are coated with rubber or wood chips. 

Conclusion

Summer is nearly here. It’s possibly the best and most active season of the year. Therefore, make sure you get out there and enjoy the sun. But make sure you are safe doing so. Finally, if you get that injury from your fun in the sun, come in and see us at 7 Springs Orthopedics. We’ll take care of you and get you back to having a fun summer!

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