This 4th of July - Don't be a Weekend Warrior

It's been a whirl-wind over the past two weeks as Summer has officially come to Northern California.

While most of us really enjoy this time of year, it never ceases to amaze us how many patients begin presenting in our office with what we affectionately call, "Weekend Warrior Syndrome." This is when a person sustains an injury as the result of doing something (usually aggressively) for the first time in a long time.

While Winter brings its share of ski and snowboarding related injuries, Summer seems to laughingly trump the cold weather months when it comes to patients reporting with complaints.

Injuries sustained while wake boarding, water skiing, skateboarding, sitting in bleachers at baseball games, family picnics etc, are all atop the list for most common reasons patients begin to flock to our office. Oh, and don't forget yard work, as well as the stress of having the children home from school.

So, our advice to all as we enter this wonderful 4th of July holiday weekend is to have a nice, relaxing weekend with friends and family - and don't overdue it.

To help ensure you do stay 'safe and sane' this weekend - and throughout your Summer for that matter, we have compiled five friendly tips to keep you feeling healthy all year long.

1. Don't overdue yourself. This holds especially true if you haven't participated in physical activities since last Summer. Gradually work your way up to things as opposed to jumping right in.

2. Stretch before doing ANYTHING that requires ANY physical exertion. Five-to-10 minutes of stretching and warming up your muscles can make all the difference in the world.

3. Drink water and stay hydrated. Your body needs water to help keep all of it's parts functional. Dehydration causes fatigue which subsequently can lead to increased risk of injury.

4. Avoid the heat of the day. Even if all you're going to do is 'harmlessly' mow your lawn, try to do outdoor activities either early in the morning or in the earlier evening time to avoid the hot temps.

5. Don't just sit around all day. When you're out enjoying your kids soccer or little league game, or you're at the beach, parks, baseball stadiums etc, you have to stand up and walk around periodically. Sitting for extended periods of time makes the muscles constrict and limits the blood circulation, ultimately limiting ranges of movements, fatigued muscles and lending to more nagging aches and pains.