Rebecca Samuelsson - PREHAB, prevent injuries before they happen

As I write this, I'm recovering from a 45 km race. You read that right, 45 kilometres!

My legs are stiff and walking up stairs is agony. But it was so worth it; the race was fun and challenging, and the feeling of crossing the finish line is indescribable.

So, today's blog post feels particularly relevant to me. It's all about prehab – training with a preventive purpose, so we can avoid rehab.

Rehab means taking care of an injury after it has already occurred. It's much more enjoyable to work on prehab,

before an injury happens. An injury that might keep you from doing what you love, like running, horse riding, strength training, or playing padel.

How can prehab help you?

What parts of your body or areas do you know you experience recurring pain in?

Do you get pain every month, week, or every six months? Can you see a pattern in what you've done in the weeks leading up to the pain?

As a physiotherapist, these are the kinds of questions I love to delve into.

To use myself as an example, I have recurring issues with my calves and left hip.

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Prevent wear and tear injuries like these

Create balance in your training

The answer isn't simple and varies from person to person. But often, prehab ends up being the counterbalance to what you enjoy doing most. In my case, for example, I love running and tend to prioritise it over strength training. For a runner, strength training is necessary to strengthen the muscles to be able to run with good technique and posture. You don't need heavy weights or a gym membership to take care of your body. You can get far with a few resistance bands and dumbbells at home. Strength training is fantastic because it increases your muscle mass, puts beneficial stress on your skeleton, and strengthens your tendons and ligaments to handle more load.

For someone who prioritises strength training, muscles often become tight and stiff and can really benefit from dynamic mobility work, such as various yoga poses. For those who do yoga and are very flexible, instability in areas like the shoulders can be a recurring issue. In that case, strength training might need to be incorporated.

My hope today is that I've sparked an interest in listening to Your body. What makes it feel good?

What do you need to weave more of into Your daily life to stay injury-free in the long term?

If you have questions about any injury, you are of course welcome to email me at rsfysioterapi@gmail.com