Springing Forward to Outdoor Activities
If you’re like most of us, you’re looking forward to returning to the physical activities you love now that the weather is warming up in Arkansas. Maybe you’ve been a little sedentary during the winter – and especially during covid surges – but now you’re excited to get out and get moving. Whether gardening, hiking, playing golf or pickleball, we all need a little “pre-season” conditioning to avoid pain and injury.
Start out slow
It is very important to warm up before any physical activity. This will help prevent an injury or putting stress on your heart. If you have an existing injury, a chronic condition, or a balance issue, talk to your doctor before you begin any activity.
Warming up is best in two phases. Especially for older people, the first phase should be low-impact, light cardio such as walking, jogging, marching in place or jumping jacks for 10 to 15 minutes.
The second phase is stretching, which will help increase flexibility and warm up your muscles so you can more easily. Some great stretching warmups are squats, lunges, arm circles, shoulder blade squeezes, torso rotations and pelvic tilts. These stretches can help build strength and coordination, which all help enhance your activity performance.
Benefits of warming up
There are many other benefits of warming up. Warming up increases blood flow and oxygen, which helps your muscles get the nourishment they need before launching into more intense work. Warmups can also give you a better range of motion and may help you move with less pain or stiffness. Most importantly, warming up can help your muscles relax, which will help you avoid injury.
Avoiding injuries
At OrthoArkansas, we frequently see people with muscle cramping, pulls and tears because they haven’t properly warmed up or they have rushed right into a sport or activity without any warmup, especially after being sedentary for a while. We commonly see ligament sprains and muscles strains of the structures that support joints such as ankles, knees, or wrists.
Treating injuries
These injuries are often painful and can occur when you have quickly moved the wrong way or have not adequately warmed up before exercising. Rest, icing, and pain-relieving medicine are the first treatment methods to use for these soft tissue injuries. Physical therapy and/or surgery may be required to repair torn ligaments or tendons that do not respond to conservative measures.
If the injury is painful and persistent, and self-care measures are not enough, you should see a doctor right away. OrthoArkansas’ Urgent Care clinics in Little Rock and North Little Rock can provide immediate specialized care for anyone with a recent injury, sprain, or fracture. We treat orthopedic trauma of the bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves.
What to expect at OrthoArkansas’ Urgent Care Clinic?
You can expect immediate expert care by specialists. For ease of access, the urgent care has a separate check-in from the rest of the clinic. After check-in you are escorted to an exam room where you are examined by a medical provider with specialized orthopedic training. If X-rays are required, they are performed and read promptly. After determining a diagnosis, your medical provider will prescribe treatment which may include additional imaging (MRI/CT) and/or occupational or physical therapy. If crutches, slings, casts, boots, etc. are needed, these will be provided to you in-house at the time of your urgent care visit. A follow up appointment will be scheduled with a physician if needed.
When and Where to Go for OrthoArkansas’ Urgent Care Clinic
No appointment is required for an urgent care visit. Our urgent care clinics are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. until noon on Saturday. We have two urgent care locations: our Little Rock clinic is on Fair Park Boulevard near I-630, and our new North Little Rock urgent care clinic is on Landers Road.
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OrthoArkansas is committed to providing the best orthopedic care possible. From our fellowship-trained providers to Urgent Care Clinics, we are committed to helping all Arkansans live life to their fullest.
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