David Crawford

Tripping while running is not only embarrassing, but also very dangerous. David Crawford warns readers that the injuries sustained can range anywhere from a minor sprain to severe head trauma.

Luckily, falls are avoidable. There are a number of things you can do to minimize the risk of tripping while running, jogging, or sprinting.

1. Wear Proper Running Shoes

Make sure your running shoes fit and are in good condition. Note that even small issues such as flimsy laces and damaged soles will negatively affect your running stride.

Also, only wear running shoes. Don’t use pairs made for skating, hiking, soccer, or even basketball.

2. Keep Your Head Up

Keeping your head up does two things. First, it forces the body to maintain an upright posture. This reduces the chances of you falling head first onto the ground. Second, it allows you to see and react to everything in front of you.

3. Avoid Running on Ragged Roads or Trails

David Crawford discourages readers from running on roads filled with potholes, uneven concrete, and pebbles. Even if you don’t trip, the impact on your feet can lead to some serious long-term joint damages.

4. Don’t Run Alongside Traffic

If you run on public roads, make sure to go against traffic — especially if it’s dark outside. This is so both you and the motorist can take caution and avoid a collision.

5. Reduce Speed on Downhill Slopes

David Crawford advises runners to sprint when going uphill and jog when running downhill.

Bottom Line

Falling down while jogging is perfectly natural. Even the most seasoned athletes trip while doing their routine laps. What’s important is knowing the correct procedure to minimize damages.

Apart from following these techniques to minimize the risk of tripping, David Crawford advises runners to be careful in moving.

Take a moment to rest and assess the damages. Don’t stand up right away. Instead, slowly move your toes, fingers, limbs, and determine the extent of the damages. For more severe issues, we strongly urge runners to call for help.

For many, full-body massages are a luxury treatment. Most people only sign up for one when they want to spoil themselves to a day of fun and relaxation.

However, David Crawford argues that full-body massages should be a regular thing. Some benefits of getting a rubdown once or twice a month include:

1. Faster Muscle Recovery

Full-body massages support the recovery of tissue cells. In fact, a lot of injured patients are required to undergo daily regular rubdowns as part of their physical therapy.

Important: Injured patients should only get massages from trained specialists. Rubbing an injured muscle the wrong way can lead to a series of long-term issues.

2. Boosted Blood Circulation

Rubbing the tense areas of the body allows blood to flow through them. This provides these damaged muscles all the nutrients and oxygen they need to grow properly.

3. Alleviates Muscle Soreness

Do you hate the feeling of soreness after an intense workout? David Crawford suggests getting a rubdown. The boosted blood flow and alleviated muscle tension will reduce the chances of you even feeling sore after a day of intense exercises.

4. Improves Mental Focus

A quick, effective way to get rid of mental blocks is to get a simple shoulder massage. This eases any tension and pain you feel, thus, allowing you to focus on the tasks at hand.

5. Reduced Stress

Full-body massages help reduce cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. The body secretes this in an attempt to activate your fight or flight mode during a crisis.

Bottom Line

Overall, a full-body massage is a great body treatment that provides multiple physical and psychological benefits. For best results, David Crawford advises readers to get one at least every month. After a few continuous sessions, you’ll definitely start to feel much lighter, more flexible, and brimming with energy.

Note: David Crawford encourages full-time athletes to get a rubdown every other day or so. Not only does this stimulate flexibility, but it also speeds up muscle recovery and prevents the risk of feeling sore after working out. This means you’ll be able to get back in the game a lot quicker.

David Crawford understands that many athletes fear ACL injuries because these can potentially end their careers. While this does still happen, procedures like arthroscopy and other advanced surgical techniques make it possible for most ACLs to heal enough for the injured athletes to return to their careers.

In most cases, injuries can be healed as long as the athlete remains vigilant about aftercare. Their physicians’ advice must be followed to a tee to prevent re-injury and to allow the ACL to heal fully.

Can you really heal from an ACL injury?

However, there are still a few things to remember when it comes to ACL tears. For one, although the injury may have fully healed, the athlete’s performance may still suffer. David Crawford says that the athlete may feel the psychosomatic effects of their injuries. As a result, the player may hesitate when performing regular actions such as kicking or running, which can cause an ACL injury. 

Also, there is the risk of re-injuring the limb, particularly if the athlete doesn’t take care when performing. Players may remain cautious for the rest of their careers and may have to wear various support braces or tapes to achieve their peak performance. 

Lastly, an athlete’s ability to return to action depends on the sport and the position they play. Fast-paced sports such as baseball, football, soccer, and basketball are among those that put the players at risk of an ACL injury. David Crawford also warns that an athlete may be traded or retired by their team because of their injury. 

While statistics show that athletes with healed ACL injuries may perform at a less optimal level, there are some cases where they return to full form and performs better than before.

So, David Crawford says that if you injure your ACL, you should be treated immediately. Physical therapy can do wonders, especially if you underwent surgery. Also, remember to take it easy until your ACL fully heals to minimize re-injury.

Are you having trouble with neck and shoulder pain? David Crawford shares three exercises to help get rid of the pain without turning to pain killers:

1. Chair Rotations
David Crawford recommends this to office workers who sit down all day. This is a quick, discreet stretch you can do right from your chair:

How to:
● Sit sideways on the chair with the right side of your torso leaning against the back of the seat.
● Grab the back of the seat on both ends then twist your torso to the far right.
● Keep extending, hold for 10 seconds, then release.
● Repeat with the other side.

2. Knee-to-Chest
This is a great stretching exercise to get rid of all kinds of back pain. It stretches the entire spine from the nape down to the lumbar.

How to:
● Lie down on the floor face up with the arms on the sides and feet extended.
● Lift your left leg up, grab your thigh, slightly bend the knees, and then pull the leg toward the chest.
● Hold for 10 seconds then release.
● Repeat with the other side.

3. Butterfly Elbow Touches
This back stretch is very easy to do. You can do this anytime and anywhere as long as your hands are free.

How to:
● Place your hands on the opposite shoulders. Your right hand should be on your left shoulder and your left hand on your right shoulder.
● Bring the elbows up until they’re near parallel to the floor.
● Try to bring the two elbows together. You should feel a stretch in your upper back.
● Hold for 10 seconds then release.

Conclusion
These are just some of the best stretching exercises to get rid of neck and shoulder pain. David Crawford encourages readers to explore other options.

Overall, your goal should be to look for alternative ways to get rid of joint pain without the use of prescription drugs. Pain killers are effective, but the body can become dependent on them if taken too often. It’s best to set them aside as a last resort.

Sprained ankles are a very common injury. In fact, more than 25,000 people sprain their ankles daily in the U.S. alone. However, just because it is common doesn’t mean you can ignore it.

David Crawford emphasizes that sprained ankles, if left untreated, can lead to more severe complications. In worse cases, they can trigger long-term ankle weakening making you more prone to repeated sprains, injuries, and even arthritis.

That’s why David Crawford wants readers to understand everything about taking care of a sprained ankle:

Diagnosis

A physical checkup will often be enough for physicians to assess the condition of your sprained ankle. In more severe cases, however, you might be required to undergo an:

• Ultrasound Scan: An ultrasound scan produces a real-time image of the tendons and ligaments in your ankles.
• X-Ray Scan: An x-ray is used to produce a detailed image of your bone. This allows one to detect existing bone fractures.
• CT Scan: CT scans are a more advanced form of x-ray scans. They take x-ray images from different angles to create a 3D cross-sectional image of your ankle.
• MRI Scan: The MRI scanner will produce a 3D image of your ankle’s soft internal structure using magnetic fields and radio waves.

Self-Care Treatment

David Crawford stresses that the most important rule to remember in the self-care treatment of your ankle is R.I.C.E.

• Rest: Do not do anything that would irritate your ankle.
• Ice: Apply ice on the affected area for 15 to 20 minutes every two to three hours until the swelling goes down.
• Compression: Wrap your sprained ankle with a compression bandage to help control the swelling.
• Elevation: Elevating your sprained ankle allows the swelling to go down by draining excess fluids.

Aftercare

Overall, David Crawford advises patients to take things slow while recovering from a sprained ankle. Do not overexert yourself.

Consult with your doctor when the right time to start moving again is. And even then, you still should not engage in any strenuous physical activity such as weightlifting, sprinting, or long-distance running. Stick to low-impact sports such as walking and swimming.

There are those who use the terms orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician interchangeably. Both are trained in musculoskeletal medicine, but they have different specialties and offer varying treatment or rehabilitation services. Still unclear? Don’t worry because David Crawford will explain everything that patients need to know:

Orthopedic Surgeon

An orthopedic surgeon is a professional that specializes in the surgical treatment of musculoskeletal injuries. This includes problems or disorders in the muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, joints, hips, and knees.

Some of the reasons why someone might need to visit are for the treatment of congenital diseases, degenerative conditions, and developing bone tumors. Orthopedic surgeons can diagnose the problem as well as provide the corresponding surgical treatment.

Sports Medicine Physician

Sports medicine physicians are experts that specialize in non-surgical sports medicine. They’re the people you turn to for general consultations and non-operative treatments of all kinds of physical injuries.

Unlike orthopedic surgeons, they don’t solely focus on treatments, but rather, on rehabilitation and prevention as well. They can advise you on the best ways to prevent common problems such as sprains, cramps, and fractures. And if you undergo surgery, a sports medicine physician can help you with your daily recovery.

David Crawford explains that unlike orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine physicians have medical training on non-musculoskeletal conditions as well such as:

• fitness coaching (both for athletes and non-athletes)
• head injuries such as mild traumatic brain injuries and concussions
• injury prevention techniques
• making return-to-play decisions for recovering athletes
• nutrition and dieting
• supplementation for boosted performance

Bottom Line

David Crawford emphasizes that both orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine physicians play an important role when it comes to injury prevention and rehabilitation. They work hand in hand to make patients’ lives better.

But generally, David Crawford advises patients to turn to sports medicine physicians for initial consultations. After all, 90% of sports injuries are non-operational. And if you will need surgery, your sports medicine physician can refer you to a trusted, reliable orthopedic surgeon they’ve vetted and can recommend.

In case of an injury brought about by sports, exercise, or other forms of physical activity, David Crawford advises you to see a sports medicine physician like himself. Apart from helping people recover from a sport or other physical activity-related injury, sports physicians can also improve a person’s athletic ability, as well as prevent future injuries. 

A sports medicine professional treats those who want maximum results from their exercise programs. They include amateur and professional athletes, those recovering from injuries, and want to regain full function of their bodies, as well as people with disabilities who wish to improve their capability and mobility. Sports medicine doctors also treat people in physically demanding professions, such as firefighters or construction workers.

David Crawford explains that sports medicine physicians are usually certified in family, emergency, or internal medicine, or some other discipline before undergoing additional training. Some physicians may specialize in the treatment of children and teen injuries and are board-certified in pediatric or family medicine. Some sports medicine doctors have undergone surgical training, often as orthopedic surgeons. 

Other sports medicine professionals who usually work alongside the doctor to provide optimum care and management to patients are:

• Certified athletic trainers – They provide exercises specific for rehabilitation to help patients achieve strength and design programs to help prevent future injuries.

• Physical therapists – They help patients recover and rehabilitate from injuries.  

• Nutritionists – They provide the ideal dietary advice to help clients achieve maximum nutrition and function. They also help with weight gain or loss.

David Crawford stresses that most sports-related injuries do not call for surgery. The most common forms of treatment for less severe injuries include taking pain relievers and keeping the injured body part immobilized by putting it in a sling or a cast. If you do need surgery, it will usually be to realign bones or repair damaged tissue. 

David Crawford, a sports medicine doctor, specializes in the treatment and rehabilitation of common athletic-related injuries, including shin splints. Shin splints refers to the pain felt along the front of your lower leg, at the shin bone, concentrated on the lower leg between the ankle and knee. It typically affects individuals who engage in moderate to heavy physical activity, particularly if you participate in strenuous, stop-start sports like tennis, racquetball, soccer, or basketball. It is also a cumulative stress disorder, so repeated pounding and stress on the bones, muscles, and joints of the lower leg prevents your body from naturally repairing and restoring itself.

It happens when excessive amounts of force is applied on the shin bone and the tissues attaching it to the muscles surrounding it. The force causes the muscles to swell and increases pressure against the bone, resulting in pain and inflammation. It can also result from stress reactions to bone fractures, with the constant pounding causing minute cracks in the leg bones. Given enough time to rest, these cracks can heal by itself. However, if you engage in heavy physical activity shortly after an injury and your body does not get enough time to rest, the tiny cracks can get bigger, resulting in a stress or complete fracture.

Downtime of two weeks is the typical first aid for shin splints, along with keeping your legs elevated and applying cold therapy to reduce swelling. An over-the-counter anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen or naproxen sodium may be prescribed, too. Wearing elastic compression bandages can also help alleviate the pain. You may also use a foam roller to massage your shins.

David Crawford says surgery is rarely used to treat this condition, but may be an option if it causes severe pain and symptoms for several months. The procedure is known as a fasciotomy, where small cuts in the fascia tissue surrounding your calf muscles is performed to relieve some of the pain.

In sports medicine, physicians such as David Crawford have vast experience with athletic injuries, including ways to minimally treat those injuries so that patients are able to return to their optimal condition, performing sports and their usual activities.

Here are some facts about sports medicine that not many people know about:

• Sports medicine is a subspecialty within orthopedic surgery

Strictly speaking, there are two definitions of sports medicine – it refers to the medical and surgical treatment of injuries resulting from sports and athletic activities, and it is a subspecialty within orthopedic surgery wherein orthopedists choose to complete an additional year of fellowship training in sports medicine. During that extra year, they refine and further develop their skills in treating these injuries utilizing arthroscopic or minimally invasive techniques

• It has subspecialties within subspecialties

Sports medicine surgeons also specialize in specific injuries and areas of the body. For example, some doctors specialize in shoulder and knee injuries, as well as orthopedic trauma, while there are specialists that deal with ACL repair surgery with a technique that utilizes small instruments and anchors arthroscopically repair and save a torn ACL, instead of the conventional complete removal of the damaged ligament and reconstructing it with a tendon graft. Techniques such as these allow athletes to return to their sport in half the time of a normal ACL reconstruction surgery.

• Not all sports injuries require surgery

Good sports medicine doctors aim to treat their patients’ injuries without surgery whenever possible. David Crawford knows that minimally invasive techniques are preferable, which is why it is part of his treatment plan to establish a diagnosis and help guide the patient’s physical therapy treatment to help them get back to their desired activities.

• Not all orthopedic physicians are trained in sports medicine

A doctor can only be called a sports medicine specialist if he or she has completed a sports medicine fellowship.