Today I'm going to write on something I unfortunately know quite a bit about: getting injured. I have sustained a lot of injuries in my life. Over my four years of high school basketball, I missed at least 1/3 of a season total because of injuries; the real number's probably closer to 2/3. It's probably not a good thing that one time a nurse recognized me in the E.R. from previous visits. This post has been on my mind for a few days ever since I was exercising and my calf went numb. If you've seen a tallish guy limping around campus for a few days, it's me. I don't know what happened but I can't straighten out my left leg.
Spring is here, and it's awesome to have good weather and see people playing Frisbee or throwing the football on campus. However, with great weather comes great potential for injury. I have known or seen a lot of people rush outside at the first hint of good weather. They immediately start running and playing without ever thinking of the stress on their winter-weakened muscles. If you are going to go out and play football, Frisbee, or whatever, take 2-3 minutes and stretch. If I'd have stretched for five minutes, I wouldn't be enduring my fifth straight day of walking on one leg. Be kind to your body.
Springtime is a ton of fun, and with the weather lately, it is a great time to get out and be active. But before you do anything, be safe! I don't remember where I heard it, but someone I know compared stretching to the old rhyme about apples. They told me "stretching every day keeps the doctor away." It may sound childish, but there is definitely truth in that saying. by all means, go forth and have fun, but a word to the wise from someone who is house-ridden for the moment: be smart.
-Ryan
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