The correlation between dehydration and Orthopaedic injuries (Muscle strains, tears and pulls).
Exercise and hydration.
Are you drinking enough water? As warmer weather approaches, summer sun, hot temperatures, and a more active lifestyle become more common. It’s recommended that you stay hydrated, especially in hot weather or when engaging in intense physical activity.
Staying hydrated not only boosts your immune system, but it can help prevent other injuries, such as orthopedic injuries, or also known as muscle strains.
Dehydration and Orthopaedic injuries.
Your risk of heat cramps increases when you aren’t properly hydrated. As your body loses water during physical activity, your muscles can become tense. This interferes with your athletic performance and can make you more likely to injure yourself.
Muscle strains, tears, and bone fractures are common effects of exercising with tense, cramped muscles. Dehydration can also lead to heat exhaustion. This occurs when your body develops a sudden increase in body temperature. You can become dizzy, fatigued, and even have headaches. All of these can make it difficult for your body to function and move properly, increasing your risk of orthopedic injuries. Hydration can prevent the body from overheating.
Challenges to staying hydrated.
It can be tough to stay hydrated when you’re active, but it’s extremely important to keep a good supply of clean water with you, even if you’re engaging in low-impact exercises like walking or yoga.
Athletes can lose up to 1 litre of water per hour as they exercise in hot and physical conditions. While many athletes drink sports drinks, coconut water, and other alternative sources of hydration, water is your best bet. There’s no added sugar or calories in plain water.
Here are some helpful tips from orthopedic doctors for staying hydrated as you exercise and decreasing your risk of dehydration-related injuries.
How to stay hydrated.
At our kickboxing and fitness sessions in Marlborough and Tidworth tell our students to drink plenty of water before you exercise, it’s recommend drinking about 1 litre of water up to 2 hours before starting an exercise or spending time in a hot environment.
While you exercise, you should try to drink up to 250ml of water every 20 minutes. This is essential because you may not notice signs of dehydration while you exercise. If you start to feel dizzy or lightheaded, this can be an indicator that you’re not drinking enough water.
After you’re finished exercising or playing a sport, drink about 500ml of additional water. Your body will need to rehydrate to prevent cramps.Finally, remember to listen to your body. Your body will inform you if you’re dehydrated. If you’re dizzy, fatigued, nauseous, or cramping, stop exercising immediately. Get some water and rest to prevent your risk of injuries. These warning signs inform you that it’s time to rehydrate with a simple glass of water.
Treating Orthopaedic and Sports Injuries.
Staying hydrated keeps you healthy and prevents injuries. Pay attention to your body when you are feeling symptoms of dehydration, especially if you’re exercising, working out, playing sports, or doing manual labor that involves strenuous movements of your body and joints.
All simple and useful information for those who train in martial arts, and definitely worth remembering for any of our students in our kickboxing and fitness classes in Marlborough and Tidworth, prevention is better than cure.