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I Thought I Knew How to Prevent Injuries — Then I Learned About the Gut
A deeper look at how gut health, inflammation, and lifestyle choices influence recovery and injury risk
After four years of undergrad, three years of a doctorate program, and one year of orthopedic residency, I thought I had a firm understanding of all the reasons why injuries occur.
Keeping up with the recurring theme of my career (and any clinician who stays up to date with research), I was wrong. And with this specific topic, I was wrong multiple times.
I’ve previously written about the misconception that stretching will prevent injuries. Stretching is fine to do before exercise, but it doesn’t warm up your muscles and prepare them for moderate or high-intensity physical activity. Warm-ups should, well, warm up the muscles. But that’s not the focus of this article.
When I first dove into the injury prevention research years ago, I had many glass-shattering moments and was frustrated at the lack of clarity. Injuries are complex, and there isn’t a single one-size-fits-all approach to preventing them. There isn’t even a primary culprit to focus on, as injury risk varies greatly across activity types.
