Keeping fit: Identifying, preventing and treating injuries in weekend warriors

Published 12:03 am Sunday, February 23, 2020

The “weekend warrior” is that person whose life is so busy that they only have time for exercise on the weekend, or perhaps one to two times a week. They go out on their day off and try to cram a week’s worth of exercise into a single day.

They may be found on basketball courts, tennis courts, the trails and in the gym. Unfortunately, this schedule of exercise creates a double-edged sword.

Certainly, being a weekend warrior is a better option than being sedentary. Indeed, as early as 2004, a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that “One or two workout sessions per week is enough to reduce all-cause mortality among those with no major risk factors.” However, on the other side of the sword are the injuries that can occur due to overexertion.

It is only too easy to push past the point of your conditioning when exercising more sporadically, and the incidence of things like sprains, strains, tendinitis and stress reactions go up. While many of these injuries can and do happen to anyone who lives an active lifestyle, the weekend warrior is just at greater risk of sustaining them. If that sounds like you, or someone you love, read on to learn more about how to treat and even prevent such weekend warrior injuries from occurring.

For treatment, think RICE

Major or minor injury is inevitable if you are active in sports, and prompt and proper treatment is essential. Most weekend warrior injuries can be treated initially by employing the RICE method.

In this acronym, the “R” stands for rest. It is important for our body to recover from injury and to do that we have to stop using the injured part.

The “I” stands for ice. Ice is a good pain reliever and will help control swelling that might occur from the injury. Applying an ice pack (covered in a light, absorbent towel to prevent frostbite) for up to 15-20 minutes every two to three hours in the day or two after an injury works really well.

The “C” stands for compression. It is ideal to compress any injured area with a compression bandage, like an ACE bandage, to help minimize swelling and to keep fluids from gathering at the injured site.

The “E” is for elevation. As another measure to eliminate swelling and tissue damage, one should elevate the injured body part above the heart.

Some injuries will require more care, but RICE is a good place to start. Following such treatment, one should ease back into activity carefully and, if any movement causes pain, one should stop until they are further healed. Understanding this treatment protocol can help get one back to an active lifestyle as soon as possible.

Prevention is best

Of course, preventing weekend warrior injuries is the best option. While one cannot eliminate all causes of activity-induced injury (such as age), there are ways to decrease the likelihood of injury. To wit, there are five actions one can take to reduce the risk of injury. These include (1) maintaining a healthy body weight, (2) improving flexibility, (3) increasing the frequency of weekly workouts (while perhaps moderating their intensity), (4) engaging in adequate warmup before playing competitive sports and (5) listening to one’s body for signs of overexertion and exhaustion to prevent fatigue.

The athletic trainers here at Hamilton Sports Medicine would love to help you understand these issues more and how to implement them for your own situation. If you would like to get back into a favorite sport or exercise routine but are afraid of getting hurt or aggravating an existing injury, we’ve got a great new class for you. “Weekend Warrior: Injuries and How to Prevent Them” will be presented by Hamilton Sports Medicine on Wednesday, March 4, from 6 to 7 p.m. This class is free for the community, so come learn how to prevent and treat common injuries like ankle sprains, shoulder injuries, shin splints, tendinitis of the knee and tennis elbow, etc. Registration is required, so call (706) 278-WELL or visit the front desk at the Bradley Wellness Center to sign up.

Ryan Bonanno is an athletic training coordinator at Hamilton Sports Medicine.