For women, staying active and building strength helps avoid injuries

We asked primary care providers what new year's resolution they'd recommend to their patients and the top answer was establish an exercise routine. 

Rest assured that you don’t have to be the fastest runner or perfect your front crawl swimming stroke to benefit from physical activity. Thirty minutes of physical activity most days of the week can help reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers while also easing stress and depression.

But sports and exercise can also lead to injuries. In particular:

• Women are at three times greater risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears than men. The ACL is a band of tissue in your knee. Sudden stops or changes in direction, such as while skiing or playing sports like soccer and tennis can lead to ACL tears.
• Women have higher concussion rates because of smaller neck size and lower strength compared to men.
• Women have more bone stress injuries, which are overuse injuries. Not eating enough food to power activity can contribute to low bone health and nutrient deficiencies. This is particularly common in sports dominated by people with lean body types, like dance or gymnastics. Runners also have a high risk of bone injuries from overuse.

There are some injury risk factors that you can change and some you can’t, such as age and the shape of your body.

“As physical therapists, we can help with modifiable risk factors,” said Bri Bren, PT, a physical therapist at M Health Fairview Rehabilitation Services – Burnsville Specialty Care Clinic. “That's where strengthening and motor control comes in. Motor control includes landing appropriately because many sports have jumping, cutting, and pivoting-type movements. So teaching your body to move appropriately and how to correct if it gets off its path can help prevent injury.”

“I see a lot of women who want to stay active but feel like they can't for one reason or another,” said Shannon Kelly, PT, a physical therapist at M Health Fairview Clinic – Highland Park. “Whether it's pain or their body has changed over the last several years, from having kids or menopause, they just don't know how to continue to stay active in a way that's healthy in a way that feels right.”

Physical therapists can help women get in or stay in the game. Here are their general recommendations. For personalized tips, though, a physical therapist would need to assess your body and hear about your goals.

Ease in

If you’re new to exercise or getting back at it, consider a visit with a primary care doctor and let them know you want to be more active. If you have specific concerns, like knee pain, your doctor might refer you to a physical therapist. Then start your physical activity with realistic expectations. You might start with a 20-minute walk. With time, you can pick up your pace, add in a hill or two, or increase your duration until you’re running a 5K.

As you increase your activity, pay attention to how your body feels. There’s a difference between feeling sore from doing something new and feeling pain from overworking a muscle or using incorrect form when doing the exercise. If you feel pain, a physical therapist can help you recover with tips to manage soreness and prevent another injury.

Mix it up

Whether you’re a college athlete or a casual exerciser, try to vary your activity. That’s because overuse injuries are common. Think of a dedicated gymnast who spends several hours each week practicing her backflips. Repetitive back extension could lead to low back issues or stress injuries like stress fractures.

Most of us aren’t doing flips all day, but activities like paddling a kayak, running, or carrying a growing baby that use the same muscles in the same way repeatedly can also cause strain. One way to reduce your risk is to vary your activities. Instead of kayaking every day, consider alternating with a swim, hike, or yoga on the beach.

Work on strength

“One of the best injury prevention strategies is a strength training routine,” Kelly said. “You've got to have the strength in order to accomplish the things that you want.”

Strengthening the hips, glutes, and core can help you improve your running times or keep you competing on the pickleball court. Physical therapists also work on stability and balance as injury prevention techniques.

Warm up and cool down

“The importance of taking the time to warm up the muscles and cool down after exercise cannot be overstated,” Kelly said.

Dynamic warmups that include active movements performed at a low intensity have shown to effectively reduce risk of ACL injuries. Bren recommends the FIFA 11+ warmups.

“I think every single sports team that is at a high risk for knee injury ACL injury should make it mandatory to do this type of warmups,” she said.

Some coaches are not inclined to devote 10 or 15 minutes of practice to warmups, but it could reduce risk and increase athletic performance. Try to include some dynamic movements, like squats, lunges, or a gentle jog, before your own vigorous activity.

Be kind to yourself – for a lifetime

Women’s bodies and hormones change throughout life and even with the menstrual cycle. That can affect your athletic performance. During the ovulation phase, joints are most lax and you’re most prone to injury. If you’re tracking your athletic performance, you might notice your stats drop at certain times of the month. Try not to let this get you down. Look at overall trends rather than comparing one day to another.

“This goes back to why we want to make sure you are stronger,” Kelly said. “Knowing that you can't change where you are in your menstrual cycle, we can make sure that your strength is top notch."

At different stages of a woman’s life, abilities will change too. Exercise during pregnancy is generally encouraged but talk to your doctor about what’s right for you. You may have to adapt your routine as you get further along, and your belly gets in the way or slows you down. Women's health physical therapists can be great resources after the baby’s arrival.

Physical therapists can help you navigate body changes and get back to activity safely. They can also help with other life changes like menopause because activity that might have felt good when you were 20 or 30 might not feel good when you’re 60 or 70.

“My best advice is to just keep active,” Kelly said. “Find something that fills your cup, brings you joy, and helps you be physically active. That’s the winning combo.”