Exercise Safety Guidelines

• Safety measures and appropriate gear greatly reduce the chance of injuries during exercise or sports.

Exercise Safety Advice

• Advice on exercise safety can be found from a doctor.
• Advice on exercise safety can be found from a sports medicine doctor.
• Advice on exercise safety can be found from physiologist.
• Advice on exercise safety can be found from a sporting association.

Reduce Risk of Injury

• Wearing the right shoes can reduce the risk of injury.
• Using the correct equipment can reduce the risk of injury.
• Drinking lots of water can reduce the risk of injury.
• Warming up and stretching correctly can reduce the risk of injury.

Guidelines for Exercise Safety

• Pre-exercise screening helps identify potential health risks during physical activity.
• It is important to consider the technique used and individual conditions like injury history when deciding if exercise is safe.
• Should seek guidance from a qualified instructor.
• Pregnancy causes body changes that increase injury risk, each pregnant women should discuss exercise plans with doctors.
• Increasing exercise speed can increase injury risks.
• Do modify or avoid exercise that causes any pain or discomfort.
• One should not ignore the body’s signals of pain, discomfort, or fatigue.
• Cross training with multiple sports and exercises can lower the risk of overtraining.
• Allow at least one to two recovery days weekly.
• Remember that injuries need rest or working through the pain will just damage tissue.

When to Stop Exercising

• Do stop when feeling any discomfort or pain.
• Do stop if having chest pain or pain indicating a heart attack like pain in the neck, jaw, arm, or between shoulder blades.
• Do stop upon experiencing extreme breathlessness.
• Do stop if experiencing a rapid or irregular heartbeat.

Harmful Exercises

• Bouncing while stretching.
• Standing toe-touches.
• Sit-ups.
• Double leg raises.
• Deep (full) squats.
• Behind the neck press

Warming Up in Exercise Safety

• A warmup is a session prior to a physical activity, it is usually light cardiovascular exercise mixed with stretching.

Cooling Down in Exercise Safety

• Cooling down is defined as low impact exercise following a more intense workout allowing the body to return to its normal physiological level.

Water Consumption in Exercise Safety

• It is recommended to drink 8 ounces of water 20-30 minutes before exercise or during a warm-up.
• It is recommended to drink 7-10 ounces of water every 10-20 minutes during exercise.
• One should drink 8 ounces of water no more than 30 minutes after exercising.

Exercise Safety in Hot Weather

• Exercising in hot weather places additional strain on the body.
• Heatstroke and sunstroke can occur when the body is no longer able to keep itself cool.
• Sweating alone is insufficient to sufficiently cool off the body.

Symptoms of Heat-Related Illness

• Irritability.
• General discomfort.
• Weakness.
• Headache.
• Nausea.
• Cramps.

Avoid Heat Related Illnesses

• Drink plenty of water during before and after exercise.
• Wear lightweight, loose fitting, light-colored clothes.
• Exercise in cooler parts of the day preferably before dawn or after sunset.
• Reduce exercise intensity and take frequent breaks to drink water every 15-20 minutes, even when not feeling thirsty.

Exercise Safety in Cold Weather

• Wear warm clothes in layers to trap more body heat .
• Set aside more time to stretch and warm up before exercising and make sure to cool down thoroughly.
• Keep up fluid intake, as cold weather prompts fluid loss.
• Don't forget sun protection- sunburn is possible in cold weather especially at high altitudes or on clear days.

Exercise Safety in your Equipment

• If equipment is handheld, use the right grip because using a Tennis Racquet the improper way may increase the risk of tennis elbow (tendonitis).
• Make sure the equipment is suited for the sport/activity and age/size.
• Wear the right shoes for the sport and make sure to replace them before they wear out.
• In training and competition, protective equipment should be worn.
• Check the equipment on a regular basis, replace it once worn out.

Injuries: Sprain

• Sprain: An injury to the ligaments around a joint.
• Ligaments: Strong, flexible fibers that holds bones together.
• Stretching, tearing, or causing ligaments to be stretched too far may result in pain and swelling of the joints.

First Aid for Sprain

• Follow the R.I.C.E. method.
• Rest the injured limb.
• Ice the area.
• Compress the area using an elastic wrap or a bandage.
• Elevate the injured limb.

When to Seek Emergency Medical Assistance for Sprain

• Unable to bear any weight on the injured leg.
• If their joint is unstable, numb, or unable to be used.
• There is a development of redness or red streaks around the injured area, meaning it may be an infection.
• There is pain directly over the bones of the injured joint.
• The re-injury of an area has been injured multiple times.
• There is evidence of a severe sprain that inadequate delayed treatment could lead to long-term joint instability or pain.

Injuries: Strain

• Strain: when a muscle is stretched too much and tears
• Strains are also called pulled muscles and are painful injuries.
• Strains can be caused by accidents, overusing a muscle, or using muscles incorrectly

Strain Causes

• Too much physical activity or effort.
• Improper warmups are performed for physical activity.
• Poor flexibility

Strain Symptoms

• Pain and difficulty moving the injured muscles.
• Skin discoloration and bruises.
• Swelling.

Strain Prevention

• Warm up properly before exercise and sports.
• Keep muscles strong and flexible.

First Aid for Strain

• Reduce swelling immediately by wrapping ice in cloth and applying it.
• Use the ice for the first three days with consideration given for heat or ice even useful after this point if pain persists .
• Rest the pulled muscle for a minimum of one day while keeping the muscle raised above the heart if possible.
• Refrain from using strained muscles when it is sore- but once the pain diminishes increase activity through gentle stretching of the area.

In Case of a Strain- Contact a Medical Professional if:

• One is unable to move the muscle.
• If the injury is bleeding.
• Call the health care provider if pain is persistent after several weeks.

Injuries: Muscle Cramps

• Muscle cramps: is the contracting or over shortening of muscles causing unpleasant pain.

Muscle Cramp Treatment Options

• Stretch and massage
• Use Icepack
• One Can use Medication
• Seek Further treatment is necessary

Injuries: Fracture

• Fracture: is a broken bone.
• A bone may be fractured completely or partially in lengthwise, crosswise, or in multiple pieces.

Treatment Actions for Fracture While Waiting for Medical Help

• Stop any bleeding.
• Immobilize the injured area.
• Apply ice packs to limit swelling and relieve pain.
• Treat for shock.

Injuries: Dislocation

• Dislocation: the separation of two bones where they meet at a joint.
• Dislocations are painful and can temporarily deform and immobilize the joint.
• Shoulders and fingers are the most common locations, but can also occur in elbows, knees, and hips.

Actions if you believe you have Dislocated a Joint

• Do not delay medical care.
• Do not move the joint and splint the joint in fixed position.
• Placing ice on the injury can reduce internal bleeding and help build-up fluids around the joint.

Injuries: Blisters

• Blister: is a painful skin condition where fluid fills a space between layers of skin.

If you get a water blister, here's how to care for it

• Use soap and water to clean the area thoroughly.
• Use Gently swab with surgical preparation or alcohol.
• Slowly press of superficial fluid with two incisions at the edge of the blister.
• Apply first-aid cream or ointment.
• Bandage until it is healed completely.

Splint

• Splint: A supportive device used to keep in place any suspected fracture in someone's arm or leg.

Splint Uses

• Support bone ends from the fracture site.
• Provide pain relief of the fracture limb.
• Allow seamless and safe causality transport.

Two Types of Splint

• Flexible Splint = Any flexible object like a pillow or bed sheet with several folds is used for the foot, ankle and joint fractures.
• Rigid Splint = A rigid object, such as wood/plastic boards, or a broom stick/book used for a fractured arm or leg.

Put Rigid Splinting Steps

• Support the site of the injury above as well as below.
• Look for the feeling of the warmth and any color.
• Place rigid splint under the area of injury and any that surrounds it above and below.
• Fasten several folded triangular bandages above and below the injured area.
• Review all feeling/warmth/color.

Bandaging

• Bandage: A piece of material used for the aim to support medical devices such as splints, to provide pressure controlling bleeding, or to cover wounds.

Types of Bandages

• Triangular and cravat bandages.
• Roller bandages.
• Tailed bandages.

Triangular and Cravat Bandages

• The triangular bandage is used for the temporary or permanent bandaging of wounds.
• Cravat bandages are also for the immobilization of fractures, and as sling for support of a part of the body that is injured.

Types of Triangular and Cravat Bandage and Uses

• Triangle of Forehead Scalp: Hold dressings over the forehead/scalp.
• Triangle Arm Sling: Support injuries of hand, wrist and forearm and any fractures too.
• Triangle of Chest/Back: To hold dressing on wounds/burns of the chest or back.
• Triangle of Foot: To hold dressing of considerable size of foot.
• Triangle of Hand: To hold considerable dressings in hand.
• Cravat of Head/Ear: Pressure to control hemorrhage to hold dressing on wounds of ears or scalps.
• Cravat of Jaw: Hold dressing on chin, cheeks and scalp and to have temporary support for fractures or dislocated jaw.
• Cravat of Elbow: To hold dressing around the elbow.
• Cravat of Knee: Used to hold dressing around knee.
• Cravat of Palm of Hand: To hold dressing on the palm of the hand.