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- In order to enjoy OCR safely, it helps to use physiotherapy for injury prevention and healing.
- Physiotherapy exercises strengthen your muscles and protect your soft tissues and joints, all of which undergo stress during an OCR event.
- Supplementing your OCR training with physiotherapy stretches, massage techniques, and exercises will make you less prone to muscle sprains and other sports-related injuries.
As a fitness program and a fun bonding activity, obstacle course racing has been gaining appeal and popularity since 2011. More and more people are trying OCR every year, with the short races attracting the biggest number of participants for each event. These races, like the four- to six-mile Savage Race and the three-mile Warrior Dash, don’t require as much running as their longer counterparts, but they can be just as challenging. They can also be dangerous if you don’t prepare for them.
Scrapes, cuts, and sprains are ever-present risks at any OCR event. In more serious cases, participants would sustain torn ligaments, concussions, or even broken bones. However, this shouldn’t discourage you from doing OCR. You can prepare yourself with proper training and physiotherapy for common sports injuries.
It protects you from soft tissue injury
Light stretching is necessary after any workout. It helps you get limber and feel a little less sore when you’re done. Combined with prolonged stretching in particular areas, it becomes even more effective in lowering your chances of getting injured while doing OCR. Soft tissue injuries affect the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Give them some extra protection as you climb, reach, and lift by having a physiotherapist teach you some pre-race deep stretches.
It improves your balance
There is a wide range of exercises you can do in physiotherapy for common sports injuries to improve your sense of balance. The most basic exercise is simply standing on one leg with your eyes open, then doing the same with your eyes closed. More advanced exercises have to do with standing and moving on an unstable surface.
You don’t necessarily have to seek a natural location that fits this description. There are safer ways to practice. All you need is some kind of device to emulate that instability. Depending on what’s available to you and the recommendation of your physiotherapist, you can use an exercise ball, a wobble board, a balance pad, or a balance beam.
It helps prevent leg injuries
Between running, climbing, and jumping, your legs may be one of the most roughed-up parts of your body after an OCR event. It’s best to use a combination of methods to keep them in good shape. Before the event, use a wobble disk or a balance board to develop your leg muscles. Warm up before you get on the course, and before each training session.
It’s a given that you should wear sturdy shoes that fit perfectly during the event. In fact, you should wear well-fitted shoes everywhere you go, and make sure that they also provide good arch and joint support, even if you aren’t going to wear them to work out. After training or racing, do some cool down exercises as well such as simple stretches and plyometric drills.
It strengthens your core stability muscles
Most back pains can be traced to weakened stabilizing muscles in your joints. Joints support your bones with the assistance of your muscles. Strong, efficient muscles are needed to hold your bones upright and keep your joints working well. When you experience back pain, these supportive muscles can temporarily stop working. Physiotherapy can help “restart” the muscles and ease the pain.
One of the most popular equipment for reactivating core stability muscles is the exercise ball. Sometimes, all you have to do is sit on it. Compared to if you were sitting on a flat surface like a chair, your body is engaged when sitting on an exercise ball. Because it is unstable, your natural balance reactions kick in. This is what triggers the activation of your stabilizing muscles. A few days of basic exercise ball work is enough to get your stabilizing muscles moving again.
Using physiotherapy for common sports injuries makes it easy to prevent these injuries, and to heal from them quickly so that you can get back to doing what you love. Paired with a good training program, it can take some of the pain out of OCR so that you can focus on pushing your physical limits and having fun with your teammates. Safe, smart training and guidance from your physiotherapist work together to keep your whole body in good condition even as you rough it out at the most challenging OCR events.