As winter sports start kicking into high gear, health officials urge people to take extra precautions before hitting the slopes, ice, or trails.
Cold weather sports place unique demands on the body, increasing the risk of injury if proper warm-up routines are skipped.
Unlike warm weather activities, cold conditions cause blood vessels to constrict, forcing the heart to work harder to deliver oxygen to muscles.
At the same time, muscles, tendons, and ligaments become less flexible, making them more prone to tears, strains, and sprains.
Aspirus Physical Therapist Ethan Hickcox emphasizes that warming up is not just helpful, it’s critical.
“Our muscles and ligaments and tendons do better when there's heat, so giving those tissues a chance to warm up before you go out and start participating in a higher level activity reduces that risk for injury, allows those muscles to move better, stretch more and work more efficiently as well,” said Hickcox.
Hickcox says a proper warm-up doesn’t need to be long. Just five to ten minutes of dynamic, full-body movement is often enough to prepare your body for activity.
He says that activities like shoveling snow can be deceptively strenuous and should be treated like any other sport.
“Staying hydrated is very important. People often overlook that in colder weather activities, because you don't feel as hot, you don't feel like you're sweating as much, but you do sweat quite a bit, and staying active is great for that tissue mobility, preventing injuries, allowing the heart to pump blood more effectively,” said Hickcox.
Cooling down with a short walk after exertion helps the heart transition safely from high to resting rates.
