Injuries and warm up wear?

[Guest Makayla]

Well, now that I've read the post about how warm up clothing helps you 'protect' an injured muscle, I've got a question

First of all, two years ago I pulled my groin (I think thats what its called) and am strengthening and stretching my adductor and rear muscles

Just today while I was practicing some combination movements, the injured muscle hurt again (it has been healed for a while, but healed wrong)

Would it be helpful in class and in general exercising for me to wear warm-up clothing on this area? (groin and rear)

Would it possibly help me to not further injure or strain the groin muscle?

It doesn't hurt often at all. It might be acting up lately because I just had my first visit to massage therapy, I dont know if that would do that or not.

If it would be beneficial to wear warm up wear on that area, what would I wear? Some type of shorts? pants? I have spandex shorts.. but I dont see those as warm up wear. maybe they are though.

 

Anyways, any ideas and answers would be great!

Thanks!

[Mel Johnson]

Warmups for this area are highly problematical, as it involves the lower part of the torso, and the entire pelvic girdle area. Probably the best expedient would be full-length wool tights. They're high-maintenance, and when I say wool, I mean wool! No acrylic substitutes! But they're the only things I can think of that will keep the area (and everything else they cover) warm, yet not conceal the body to an unacceptable degree. Rubber or plastic warm-up pants or shorts conceal too much and are unacceptable. When I was a student, we used to call those things "poopy suits", after a piece of US Navy submarine gear. (It's Veterans' Day - yay!;) )

[Guest Makayla]

Hahaha!!, I'll be sure not to wear a poopy-suit Major Mel! ;)

Do you mean those awful "pajama" looking suits, that make your torso almost into a square, so theres no possible way to see your body other than arms and legs? lol

(Johnny W Chang from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet was wearing one of those when I went to his Master Class.. and he was telling a girl not to twist and saying "see the difference in my hips?" And she could not, because his hips were engulfed with this bagged jumper!)

 

Ooo.. wool? That's awful!! But I'll look into it if it is beneficial.

I do have tights (extra large with straps added, so they're full body coverage) that are quite warm.. but they aren't wool. I think they're just ribbed cotton haha. Not quite wool at all. I guess they might not even be called tights. Oh well.

Why would tight knitted shorts not do the trick? Knitted leg warmers are good, so wouldn't it all be the same? Or is that what you mean by wool? (I dont even know if legwarmers are wool or not)

 

Actually, while I'm still talking about it, how exactly would being warm help an injured muscle be protected?

 

Thanks again!

[Mel Johnson]

Being kept warm encourages blood circulation through an injured area. Since the injury you have is very old, you're long past the acute stage of it, and you won't get a lot of benefit out of ice, unless the area starts swelling, turning red, and feeling hot to the touch before exercise. If these other symptoms show up, you've got an inflammation, and possibly even an infection settled in the injury.

 

The knit shorts might provide enough coverage to keep the area warm, but, as I said before, it's a tricky area to cover! Knitted legwarmers are indeed what I meant about full-length wool tights, but they should be wool, which means lots of cold-water washes, and towel-dries. And yes, a "poopy suit" does look like rubber pajamas!;)

[Guest Makayla]

Thanks alot again Major Mel

You've helped me quite a bit!