Badminton Injuries and Health Hazard Prevention

Hey shuttlers,

Due to the incident occurred during (Wednesday) morning practice games that one of our members played without taking breakfast and warming up that he got dizzy and almost fainted after a set of game, we advise all members/players [to prevent such mishap] to take the proper procedures below before entering the court.

Eat something - have something to eat (especially breakfast) before game to energize your body and drink as much fluid as you can in between game intervals.

Warm up - general and sport specific warm-up is important to prevent badminton injuries or reduce the risk. It increases the activity of prime muscles, improves concentric and eccentric power, flexibility and endurance capacity.

A typical warm up includes:
- Gentle rhythmic movement such as skipping and jogging.
- Short stretches of about 15-30 seconds to reduce muscle tension and to prepare the player for physical activity and mentally for sport. Good and regular stretching habit prevents injuries and promotes circulation.
- 2-3 minutes of small movement of specific joints eg. shoulder circles, hip forward and backward movement, pelvic rotation, arm and knee bends and trunk twists.

Cool Down - to help you gradually recover from the game and adjust to rest.
Cool down by walking or stretches will also avoid dizziness or feeling sick.


Other Safety Tips:
- Do not play when you are feeling unwell, or if you pain in your joints, feet, legs, etc.
- Do not play within two hours after a heavy meal.
- Always begin in playing slowly and gradually build up.
- Drink some water before, during and after the game to replace water loss.
- Stop playing immediately if you feel chest, neck or arm pain, extreme tiredness, breathlessness or giddiness. Call emergency if resting or first aid doesn't help.

Doing all the above will not guarantee you from preventing badminton injuries and health hazard, but it will certainly reduce the risk.

Have an injury-health-risk-free badminton game.

Keep on smashing!