Westchester Magazine interviews HSS sports medicine surgeon Beth E. Shubin Stein, MD, who offered tips to help prepare for outdoor sports this spring and injury prevention.

Dr. Shubin Stein noted, “As athletes dive headfirst into outdoor sports on the first nice day, the injuries we see most at HSS involve shoulders and knees. The most popular outdoor sports are basketball, tennis, swimming, and baseball. All require repeated overhead motion, which can lead to overuse injuries like rotator cuff impingement, a pinching between the rotator cuff tendons and the bone at the top of the shoulder, causing irritation and pain.” Dr. Shubin Stein continued, “Regarding knee injuries, many of the summer sports we love require running or jumping and this can often lead to pain around the front of the knee or the so-called patellofemoral syndrome.”

“Many people tend to overlook their shoulders and knees in winter workouts,” said Dr. Shubin Stein. “The best way to guard against injury is to begin a strengthening program for both muscle groups in March,” she advised. “An easy, no-nonsense way to strengthen small muscle groups is with resistance bands. For shoulders, use the band in a series of rotations and sleeper stretches, as well as wall walks several times a week and throughout the summer. To build knee muscle strength, use the resistance band with monster walks, glute bridges, clam shells, and chair squats,” she recommended.

Read the article at Westchestermagazine.com.