Tips To Prevent Swimming Injuries
Each year, almost 150,000 swimming-related injuries are treated in hospitals,
doctors' offices, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers and hospital emergency
rooms.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers the following tips to
prevent swimming injuries:
- Always take time to warm up and stretch. Research studies have shown that
cold muscles are more prone to injury. Warm up with jumping jacks,
stationary cycling or running or walking in place for 3 to 5 minutes. Then
slowly and gently stretch, holding each stretch for 30 seconds.
- Learn how to swim and do not swim alone. Swim in supervised areas where
lifeguards are present. Inexperienced swimmers should wear lifejackets in
the water.
- Do not attempt to swim if you are too tired, too cold, or overheated.
- Avoid diving into shallow water. Each year approximately 1,000 disabling
neck and back injuries occur after people went headfirst into water which
was shallow or too murky to see objects.
- Swim in a pool only if you can see the bottom at the deepest point; check
the shape of the full diving area to make sure it is deep enough.
- Dive only off the end of a diving board. Do not run on the board, try to
dive far out, or bounce more than once. Swim away from the board immediately
after the dive, to allow room for the next diver. Make sure there is only
one person on the board at a time.
- When swimming in open water, never run and enter waves headfirst. Make
sure the water is free of undercurrents and other hazards.
- Do not swim in a lake or river after a storm if the water seems to be
rising or if there is flooding because currents may become strong. The
clarity and depth of the water may have changed, and new hazards may be
present.
- Check weather reports before going swimming to avoid being in the water
during storms, fog, or high winds. Because water conducts electricity, being
in the water during an electrical storm is dangerous.
- Remember that alcohol and water don't mix. Alcohol affects not only
judgment, but it slows movement and impairs vision. It can reduce swimming
skills and make it harder to stay warm.
- Be knowledgeable about first aid and be able to administer it for minor
injuries, such as facial cuts, bruises, or minor tendonitis, strains, or
sprains.
- Be prepared for emergency situations and have a plan to reach medical
personnel to treat injuries such as concussions, dislocations, elbow
contusions, wrist or finger sprains, and fractures.
|