Injury Prevention 2

(Looking after number 1)

 Injury Prevention 2
(Looking after number 1)

Your guide to what you can

change, improve and control to
prevent personal risk of injury
 Overview
 Personal health and fitness
 Physical conditioning
 Strength & flexibility
 PERSONAL HEALTH and FITNESS

A healthy and physically fit person has:

 An enhanced quality of life

 Handles stress better

 Is sick less often

 Is more resilient to injury

 Sustains less serious injury in case of accident,

and
 Recovers faster
Get fit!
Effort is required to become
more physically fit

Exercise regularly!
Maintain a healthy body weight
 Being overweight can contribute to ill health
 Carrying extra weight adds stress and strain to
your muscles and joints, particularly those on
the lower back, hips, knees and ankles
 Cartilage and tendons can suffer unnecessary
erosions and strain with debilitating effect over
time
 Being overweight strains the heart and
circulation
Eat less fat!
 Diet
 A healthy, low fat diet should ideally contain no
more than 50 grams of fat per day with:
 2-3 serves of vegetables per day
 2-3 pieces of fruit per day
 2-3 serves of bread, potato, rice or pasta per day
 6-8 glasses of water per day
 1-3 serves of low fat dairy food per day
 1-3 serves of low fat meat, fish, chicken or eggs per
day
 Keep lollies, cakes, biscuits, pastries, fast food,
greasy snack foods, chocolate and soft drinks to
a minimum
Have fun and stay fit!
 PHYSICAL CONDITIONING
Exercise
 If you are physically fit, you are more resilient to work
conditions and recover better from accident or injury
 If you have not been exercising for a prolonged period
ad you are over 36, please seek the “all clear” from your
GP before starting an exercise regime
 If you have a physically demanding job, you may be of
the impression that you are fit and do not need to
exercise outside of worktime -- in order to enhance your
physical fitness, you need to exercise as per the F.I.T.T.
guidelines

Keep flexible!
 Guidelines to observe in order to
increase physical fitness
 Frequency. 3 days per week.
 Intensity. Raise your pulse rate from 60-80
beats per minute (BPM) to 130-170 bpm.
 Time. 20-30 minutes minimum (3 days per
week translates into 0.9% of your time).
 Type. Sustained “huff and puff” activity e.g.
brisk walking, jogging, skipping, rowing, lap
swimming, dance class of gym workout, circuit
class or aerobic session.
Build muscle strength!
 STRENGTH & FLEXIBILITY
 Are not always a consequence of
becoming fitter, but they are vital in terms
of injury prevention
 If you are strong and flexible you are
much less likely to suffer severe pain,
strain and injury as a result of a slip, trip,
fall, lift or twist.
Stretch everyday!
 Becoming strong
 Adding weights to your fitness routine can
add strength to your muscle structure
 If you have an existing injury, please
consult your physiotheraphist or physician
before adding weights to your workout.

Recover better!
 Keeping Strong
Back strengthening

Keep your stomach tight (up and

in) while you raise your arm and
opposite leg. Think "long" so you
don't overarch your back. Hold for
5 seconds and repeat with the
other side.
Side Trunk Muscles

Keep your stomach tight, so

your pelvis is stable, and lift
both legs together a few
centimetres off the floor. Hold
for 5 seconds and repeat.
 Abdominal strengthening

Tighten stomach (pulling up and in). Roll up just enough to

clear your shoulder blades from the floor. Focus the action
into the abdominal muscles, thinking "squeeze". Hold briefly
and repeat. Alternately, you can come up reaching toward
the left or right knee.
 Becoming flexible
 If our muscles are not stretched to their
capacity regularly, they quickly lose
condition and become tight and stiff
 Stretching the muscles in your neck,
shoulders, back, abdominals, arms, hand,
legs and feet will enhance your agility,
resilience and substantially reduce your
risk of muscoskeletal strain and injury
Feel good!
 If you have not been stretching regularly:
 Start out small and you will slowly see your flexibility
improve
 If you push your body too much too soon, you
may injure yourself
 If in doubt about how much to stretch for your
abilities, the guide is not to do anything that
really hurts. However, a gentle tug or feeling of
tightness in the muscle is normal when you first
start a stretching routine.
 You should always stretch before and after being
physically active at work or for exercise and
leisure.
Improve your quality of life!
 Keeping flexible
Ankle Alphabet

Sit down for this stretch, preferably at a height

where your feet only just touch the ground.
Using your ankle and foot only, trace the letters
of the alphabet on the floor. Perform A-Z with
each ankle.

Inner thighs & groin stretch

Sit down on a flat firm surface. Place

your heels together and pull your feet
towards your body. A stretch will be
felt in your groin and down the inside
of each leg.
 Neck Stretch

Tuck your chin in and bend

your head forward, relaxing
your shoulders. Look over
one shoulder and then
move your head slowly
around to look over the
other. Don't let your other
shoulder come forward,
keep your chin tucked in.
Slowly drop your ear down
to your shoulder - don't let
your shoulder raise. Repeat
on each shoulder.
 Leg Stretch
(Front/quadricep)

Stand up for this stretch. You may need to hold on to

something at waist height for balance. Reach down
and hold onto your left foot, slowly bend your knee
and bring your foot up behind your left buttock. To
allow a good stretch push your left hip forward whilst
still holding on to your foot. Hold for 10-20 seconds.

Leg stretch
(back/hamstring)

Sit on a firm surface with the legs out in

front. Draw one leg into your groin. Gently
reach down your extended leg with your
arms until you feel a stretch down the bock
of your thigh. Straighten both legs
and then repeat with your other leg.
 Stretch relaxation
(shoulders and back)

Let your arms dangle at your

side. As you breathe in
deeply, slowly raise your arms
in front of your head, crossing
your arms in front of you.
Raise your arms over your
head and then stretch them
backwards in a circle and
slowly breathe out (make
sure you do not hold your
breath). Repeat this process,
gradually enlarging the circles
and increasing the stretch.
 Hand Stretch

From the resting position, spread your

fingers and thumb as far apart from
each other as you can . Hold this
stretch for 10 seconds and relax.
Repeat several times.
Wrist extensor

Keeping your elbow straight, grasp involved

hand and slowly bend wrist down (fingers
towards the floor) until you feel a gentle stretch
in your wrist.

Wrist Flexor
Keeping your elbow straight, grasp involved hand
and slowly bend wrist (fingers pointing to the ceiling)
until you feel a gentle stretch in your wrist.
 The A-Z of Quality Life
 Always take time for  Daily exercise to burn off
yourself – at least 30 the stress chemicals
minutes every day  Eat lots of fresh fruit,
 Be aware of your own vegies, bread and water…
stress meter – know give our body the best to
when to step back and perform at its best.
cool down.  Forgive others and don’t
 Control… concentrate on hold grudges, be tolerant,
controlling your own not everyone is as
situation, without capable as you.
controlling everybody else

Enhance your performance!

 Gain perspective on  Keep a positive attitude –
things – how important is your outlook will
the issue? influence outcomes and
 Hugs & kisses and the way others treat you.
laughter – have fun and  Limit alcohol, drugs and
don’t be afraid to share other stimulants such as
your feelings with others coffee and cola drinks…
 Identify stressors and they may affect your
plan to deal with them perception and behavior
better next time, be more  Money… manage it well –
prepared e.g. tax time! seek advice and save at
 Judge your own least 10% of what you
performance realistically earn.
– don’t set goals out of
your own reach.
Be happy!
 No is a word you need to  Relationships – nurture
learn to use without and enjoy them, learn to
feeling guilty – commit listen more and talk less.
yourself only to what you  Sleep well – with a firm
can do realistically mattress and supportive
 Outdoor activities by pillow – don’t overheat
yourself, or with friends yourself and allow plenty
and family can be a great of ventilation
way to relax – don’t  Treat yourself once a
forget your sunscreen. week with a massage,
 Play your favorite music dinner out, or the movies
regularly rather than – moderation is the key
watching TV.  Understand things form
 Quit smoking – it is the other person’s point
stressing your body out of view
daily not to mention
killing you too.
Have more energy!
 Verify information from
the source before
exploding
 Worry less – it really does
not get things done
better or quicker, in fact
it usually causes more
mistakes and troubles
 Xanadu – retreat to your
favorite space regularly –
make holidays a part of
your yearly plan and
budget.
 Yearly goal setting – plan
what you want to achieve
based on your priorities
in your career,
relationships, health, etc.
 Zest for life – each day is
a gift – smile and be
thankful that you are a
part of the bigger picture.
Stay Fit and Healthy!
Enjoy life!
Thank you!!!!