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You can enjoy weekend sports and avoid serious injuries if you listen to your body and pace yourself, reports Alex Lim
 More Singaporeans are becoming weekend warriors. They take part in sport activities during the weekend.
Typically professionals in their mid-30s upwards, their favourite sports are running, cycling, soccer, basketball, and racket games such as tennis and badminton. But with sweat and the rush of adrenaline come the risk of sports-related injuries.
“Most people are very busy during the weekdays. Exercising immediately on weekends is a sure formula for injuries,” says Associate Professor Denny Lie, a senior consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the sports service unit of the Singapore General Hospital.
“Many do not adequately prepare their bodies for sports,” adds Dr Roger Tian, an associate consultant with the Singapore Sports Medicine Centre. “Rather, they have the mindset that playing a sport one to two times a week will get them fit.”
Common sporting injuries suffered by the weekend warriors include those involving the muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints, usually because of inadequate strength and poor flexibility.
Muscle fatigue caused by, for example, two days of consecutive activities over the weekend, are common too. But this does not mean that the occasional sportsmen should forgo their weekend sporting activities. Says Prof Lie (right): “Though a precautionary note is registered among the sports health and orthopaedic communities, this desire to exercise should be encouraged.”
He adds that it is more important for the sporting enthusiasts to be informed about potential injuries and seek help before their injuries worsen. Warm-up and stretching exercises, both before and after the sport are essential to prevent injuries.
They should also try different kinds of sports and not stick to a single activity. For example, to maintain a balance of cardiovascular exercises, try swimming, running and biking, or go for strength training in the gym, suggests Prof Lie.
Weekend warriors also need to use proper equipment, wear running shoes and get proper hydration and nutrition, he adds. For people who have been sedentary or suffer from underlying health problems like obesity and high blood pressure, Dr Tian says: “They should get the advice of their doctors before starting any exercise programme. Special investigations such as a stress ECG may also be needed to assess their cardiovascular risk.”
Not only should the weekend warriors condition their bodies to meet the demands of their chosen sport, they should also ease into the game gradually and increase the intensity by between five and ten percent every two to three weeks. “Exercising doubly hard during weekends to compensate for an unhealthy lifestyle or lack of exercise on the other five days of the week does not bring double the benefits,” says Dr Tian. “In fact, it can significantly increase one’s risk of injury.” Although more people may turn sportsmen during the weekends, the number of injured weekend warriors is unlikely to swell in tandem.
Prof Lie says: “If the sports health and orthopaedic community continue to engage the public to educate and inform, I am certain sports participation will increase without increasing the incidence of sports injuries excessively.”
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