How to have an injury-free outdoor season
By Bill Bedford, PT, DPT, CIDN; Ferrell-Whited Physical Therapy Services and Bedford Fitness
The temperature is heating up (finally!) and summertime activities abound outdoors. Here are some tips to help you stay injury free. And if you already overdid it on those first couple of warm days, there are steps you can take to get back to doing what you like to do all summer long.
When walking, running, cycling or hiking, you should be doing some strengthening of your hips to reduce pain and injury. Also make sure to have a balance of strengthening and stretching in your exercise routine.
Our sports medicine professionals can do a gait analysis if you want to improve your walking or running mechanics. A detailed running analysis helps identify and correct any mechanical faults you may have and provide ways to prevent injury or eliminate pain while running.
If playing golf or tennis, focus on core and shoulder strengthening and mobility.
When gardening, focus on using your knees and hips and not just bending at your back while planting flowers or pulling out weeds. If lifting, raking or digging, keep items close to your body and always be activating your core.
For those who already have some difficulty or pain doing your favorite summertime activities, at Ferrell-Whited, we can assess your symptoms and get you back to enjoying your summer. If you don’t know how to correctly perform or choose the best exercises for you, our personal trainer or physical therapist can help.
For some practical exercises you can do at home and additional wellness tips, follow us on Facebook @FerrellWhitedBerea.
To schedule an appointment for physical therapy or personal training, call 440-973-4950 or contact the office through its website, FerrellWhited.com/locations/Berea. Ferrell-Whited Physical Therapy Services is located at 2 Berea Commons, Suite 10, in Berea. Hours are Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Evening appointments are available by request.