Jigsaw Medical’s 5 Ps for Injury Prevention

There’s no getting away from it – this year’s Virgin STRIVE Challenge is physically tough. It’s our most adventurous yet and, while we’re excited about it, we also take safety and wellbeing very seriously.

We’re therefore really thrilled to be sponsored this year by Jigsaw Medical – one of the UK’s leaders in medical services. Offering a range of services for the commercial, media and events sectors – as well as the NHS – Jigsaw tailor medical services to whatever their clients are doing.

The fantastic Jigsaw team will be on hand throughout STRIVE to support, help and deal with any problems. But to make sure our Strivers are in stellar shape we asked the team for their top tips on preventing injury…

Thank you Jigsaw Medical!

1. Preparation

Before taking part in any sporting event, or any exercise for that matter, you need to ensure that you’re physically able, ready and prepared to complete the event, both from a health and fitness point of view. Get sign-off from your doctor if you’re unsure.

2. Prevention

It’s really important to perform an adequate warm-up prior to exercise and cool-down after you’ve exercised. Warm up the muscles via some light cardio, then stretch them prior to taking part in exercise – this helps protect against muscle strains and tears, and gets the muscles prepped for the exertion ahead. Cooling-down the muscles post-exercise helps to kick-start the recovery process ready for your next bout!

3. Protection

Ensuring you wear the relevant protective equipment is an essential ingredient for preventing injury. Specific protection equipment such as helmets, eyewear, mouthguards, protective pads, jungle tape, ankle supports etc. all contribute to safety and injury prevention.

4. Put Your Feet Up

Linking to point no. 2, ensuring you get adequate rest, recovery, and recuperation in between sporting events/training/exercise is key to injury prevention.

Don’t try and be a hero and carry on with an injury as you could do serious damage to your body! Luckily, with the incredible Jigsaw Medical healthcare team, you’ll have the experts on hand 24/7 to get you ready for the gruelling and epic task ahead!

5. Psychology

Not one that you hear very often but ensuring you’re in the right mental state and psychologically prepared is vital to performing at your best and preventing the onset of injuries.

Recent studies have shown that athletes who are tight, tense, and showing signs of aggression have a much higher risk of injury than athletes who remain calm and relaxed. This is due to the fact that stress and tension increase the ‘tightness’ of muscles and tendons, increasing the chance of them suffering from injury during exercise.

Sufficient sleep, relaxed breathing, positive visual imagery, and meditation are just a few methods that can help you relax during the STRIVE challenge.