Can Reducing Injuries Really Be THIS Simple?
Wouldn’t it be nice if making only a slight variation to your exercise program could help you reduce the likelihood of an injury…
Injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones and cartilage are often the result of weakness within something called the extracellular matrix (ECM). This is a network of collagen, protein and other cells that provide structural support to surrounding tissues (bone, ligament, muscle). In fact, strengthening the ECM has the potential to decrease sporting injuries.
The ECM has two main functions: 1) To quickly transmit forces from muscle to bone to maximize speed and performance; and 2) To absorb energy from the bone to the muscle during high impact activities to prevent injury.
We can “train” the ECM two main ways: fast with low load (jumping, sprinting, plyometrics), and slow with a heavier load. Most people benefit from a mix of the two types of training. However, we can determine which type of training to do based on whether you tend to get more muscle injuries or more tendon / cartilage /bone injuries through comparison of squat jumps to countermovement jumps.
We can also increase collagen synthesis and improve the integrity of the ECM through our diet. A cool study was done by Dr. Baar et al.(see links in the infographic) to try and increase collagen synthesis. Subjects jumped rope for 6 minutes one hour after taking varying amounts of gelatin.
In the group that consumed 15 grams of gelatin and 500 mg of Vit C an hour before jumping rope for 6 minutes, there was a 2-fold greater increase in collagen synthesis over another other group.
According to the authors, “For coaches and athletes, this means that an athlete could add a 6-minute protective session an hour after consuming gelatin and at least 6 hours before or after their other training to improve their bone, cartilage, tendon and ligament health and prevent injuries or accelerate return to play.” Practically what does this mean? Taking collagen and Vit C an hour before you exercise can help reduce injuries.
Contact us today if you are struggling with a chronic muscle, tendon, or bone injury, and let us help you get back to the activates you enjoy!
