Strengthen Core To Avoid Sports Injuries
In an effort to provide care for injured athletes on the weekends, Straub Bone & Joint Center recently opened a sports injury clinic to the public from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. each Saturday at Straub (King Street and Pearlridge).
“The idea came about because so many athletes, especially in football, were getting injured and not having access to care,” says Dr. Nick Crawford, orthopedic surgeon at Straub Clinic & Hospital. “Kids of all ages, from Pop Warner to high school, instead of going to the ER, they would come here.”
mw-otm-111214-straubsportsclinic-nw1
Kevin Lee shows an exercise to increase strength and balance. With weights in your hands, bend one knee about 30 degrees, while taking your other foot off the ground. A tip is to do this in the mirror so you can check that your pelvis is flat. Hold for as long as you can. Switch sides, and do a set of three for each.
According to Crawford, the most common injuries they see are ankle sprains, shoulder dislocations and knee ligament injuries. “As a pilot program, we started it during football season, but the idea was to have this every weekend for all sports in Hawaii,” adds Crawford. “People play sports year round because the weather is so nice.”
As a preventative measure, Crawford suggests that athletes strengthen their core with regular exercise and stretches. “Strengthening a connection between the lumbar spine and your pelvis has been shown to decrease a lot of injuries,” he says. Here, some of Straub’s staff members demonstrate key exercises and stretches for your core, hip flexor and balance.
