Avoid injuries during your sports travels

It is time to pack your suitcase and get your heart rate up. After several years of pandemic, people have a great need to go traveling, and one of the popular kinds of holiday is stays at hotels and resorts with access to sports activities such as padel tennis, CrossFit, and yoga. Travel organisers report great demand for active holidays and sports travels.

Prevent injuries
Do you find the idea of a week of sun and exercise attracting, you should consider how you prepare your body for a sports holiday with more physical activity than usual.

- Of course, the best would be to be active all year round. But if your physical shape is not good, it would be a good idea to do some exercise before traveling to minimize the risk of injuries, says Oscar Lundström, physiotherapist at SOS International.

Oscar Lundström emphasizes that you do not need to spend hours and hours in the gym to prepare for an active holiday. But strength and cardio trainings such as running, cycling, or Cross-Fit training that get the heart rate up are very efficient when preparing for an active holiday

- For a body that is not used to perform sports, a week of daily exercise can be a big strain. So, some running or cycling is a good idea, and preferably combined with strength training for the legs as well as abdominal and back exercises that will ensure a solid starting point, says Oscar Lundström.

Warming up reduces the risk
During the holidays, the physiotherapist recommends a good warm-up before doing any sports and that you listen to your body and take breaks. The risk of suffering acute sports injuries is at its greatest if you skip the warm-up or does not stop when the body becomes tired. Also, remember to drink plenty of fluids.

The most common acute sports injuries are sprained ankles and wrists, sprained knees, and fibrous ruptures. Bone fractures and ligament injuries must be treated by medical professionals, while you can handle minor injuries yourself by ensuring that you stay at rest and observe the so-called PRICE method:

Protection: Protect the affected area from further injury
Rest: Avoid exercise and stay at rest
Ice: Apply ice to the affected area
Compression: Use elastic compression bandages
Elevation: Keep the injured body part raised above the level of your heart

If you have an accident and need medical treatment, we recommend that you contact your insurance company's alarm centre – we will be able to refer you to the correct treatment.

Prior to the holidays:

• Bring an elastic compression bandage, sports tape, and painkillers as a precaution.
• Check whether you travel insurance covers sports injuries.