Rosscarbery physio Sinead O'Regan has shared her top tips to help GAA club players avoid injuries in the weeks ahead as the club season comes back with a bang following lockdown.
Sinead owns and runs Optimum Recovery Limited, at Clonakilty GAA Club’s Ahamilla complex, which opens this month.
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LISTEN TO YOUR BODY – If you feel sore before training, that’s your body telling you that it’s not 100 percent and that it is fatigued. You need to listen to this warning sign and act on it.
GET SLEEP – It’s an underrated recovery technique, but make sure you get enough sleep to allow your body recover between training and matches.
STAY HYDRATED – After a workout it is very important to replace the fluids lost during exercise. Aim to consume at least two litres of water per day, more if you have been sweating due to exercise.
COOL DOWN – Incorporating an adequate cool down at the end of the training session. I always say to people that the cool down is technically part of the ‘warm-up’ for the next training session. Make sure to stretch out all muscles groups that have been worked during the training session. This will help to reduce muscle soreness the day afterwards.
NUTRITION – Make sure that you eat the adequate carbohydrates for energy and that you get the adequate protein to help your body repair.
BE SENSIBLE – Be mindful of the new training demands that are being placed on players now that they're back on the pitch. Remember, you are coming from training in isolation over the last few months, likely focusing on straight-line running on the roads or home-based workouts. This is very different to the twisting and turning demands that are placed on the body in field-based sports. This needs to be taken into consideration and players need to be given time to adapt to this new training load. I.e. Don’t go from 0% to 100%, or injuries will be inevitable.
REST AND RELAX – Time is one of the best ways to recover (or heal) from an injury and this also works after a hard workout. Your body has an amazing capacity to take care of itself if you allow it some time. Resting after a hard workout allows the repair and recovery process to happen at a natural pace.
PERFORM ACTIVE RECOVERY – Easy, gentle movement (such as a brisk walk, slow jog or a bike ride) improves circulation and aids recovery if you are sore the day or two after a tough training session. At Optimum Recovery Limited, we have Normatec recovery boots and contrast bathing (ice bath and Jacuzzi) that really make a difference here.
