by Sara Bresnick PT
Spring has finally sprung in New England. The nice weather has arrived and people are shaking cobwebs off of their equipment and venturing outside for their exercise. As you are beginning to enjoy the outdoors, there are a few important points to remember for safe and injury free return to outside activity.
Running shoes: How old are they? How many miles have been run in them? Now is a good time to ask your self these questions in order to avoid unnecessary injury. You should think about replacing running shoes every 400-500 miles as they tend do break down. If your shoes are over a year old, you should also buy some new ones as materials degrade over time. You should also dedicate your running shoes to just running. Daily use for walking, etc will increase wear.
Walking shoes: The experts usually talk about replacing running shoes. It is equally as important to replace your walking shoes after 500 miles if you are a walker. Same rules apply. Shoes break down over time and mileage walked.
Cycling: As you are digging that bicycle out of the garage after the winter season, it is important to make sure it is in good working order. If it isn’t, your safety can be compromised. It is always a great idea to take it into your local bike shop for a tune up. You want to make sure the brakes are working properly, and the gears are fluidly shifting up and down. Another important consideration is the tires. Make sure they aren’t worn as they are your contact point to the ground. They also need to be pumped to the adequate pressure.
In summary, we tend to focus on keeping our body stretched, strengthened and in good working order. We must also not forget to do the same for our equipment. The beginning of the spring season is a good time to remember to give your exercise equipment some thought and attention. Abiding by these simple guidelines can help maintain an injury free spring, summer, and beyond
Sara Bresnick is a Physical Therapist at Boston Sports Medicine
