Physical Fitness and Injury Prevention

core strengthCore strength involves back, hip, quadriceps, hamstring, gluteal, and abdominal muscles. Increasing core strength can improve balance, running, jumping, posture, and back support, which in turn decreases the risk of injury or re-injury. Because of the various muscles involved in the core, strengthening requires more than just sit-ups and crunches. Core strengthening can be achieved through forms of exercise such as:• Planks• Yoga• Pilates• Stability balls• Lunges

dynamic warm-upThe purpose of a dynamic warm-up, as opposed to a static warm-up, is to increase the heart rate and blood flow to muscles via bodily move-ment and light activity prior to more-vigorous exercise. Dynamic warm-ups appear to improve performance, whereas static stretching has been shown to decrease power and strength. Examples of dynamic warm-up exercises include:• Light jogging • Toe sweeps • Jumping jacks • Squats • Lunges • High knees

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RECOVERY

Physical Fitness and Injury Prevention

functional movementFunctional movement demon-strates fully coordinated and symmetrical extremity mobility and core stability. Screenings for functional movement often place individuals in positions where weakness, imbalance, and asymmetries can be observed. Corrective exercises can be prescribed in cases where these are noted. Screening exercises can include:• Straight-leg raise• In-line lunge• Deep squat• Y balance

foam rolling (self-myofascial release)Foam rolling activates the golgi tendon organ (GTO), the receptor in the all skeletal muscle that is sensitive to changes in tension and rates of those changes. Foam rolling is indicated for decreased ROM, decreased flexibility, superficial injuries, and muscle soreness. There are various densities and types of foam rollers available. Targets often include the iliotibial (IT) band, hamstrings, quads, hips, back, shoulders, and calves.

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