5 Most Common Hiking Injuries And How To Avoid Them
Going on a hike is all cool and fun until one of you or many of you start getting some kind of injury and no one knows how to treat it. You might have packed a first aid kit but what’s even more important than a first aid kit is packing the knowledge required to treat if someone gets any kind of injury.
So, In this post, we’ll learn about the 5 most common hiking injuries and how to avoid them.
1. Sprained Ankles:
When hiking on rough terrains, you’ll find hidden obstacles, rocky roads, or even slippery roads. It becomes a kind of impossible to prevent a sprained ankle, so you need medical socks or compression socks.
Try to always wear compression socks when you go into rough terrains for hiking. It will not only help you prevent any kind of ankle injury but also assist you in case you get any kind of ankle injury.
2. Sunburn:
When you go out for a hike, it is obvious to face the sun and stay in contact with the Sun for a long period. So, It’s common sense to wear long sleeves and pants, that would cover most of your body.
And for the rest of your body, you need to apply sunscreen appropriately to prevent any kind of sunburn.
Because in hindsight, Sunburn might not seem like a big problem in itself but when severe sunburns occur they are not only painful but life-threatening.
3. Blisters:
A blister is the most common injury you’ll face in your Hiking journey and the worst part is they are not avoidable. Blisters form as a result of friction, which causes fluids to collect between irritated layers of skin and swell, eventually tearing and causing the pain we're all too familiar with.
To avoid blisters the very first thing you can do is get yourself a good pair of men's knee-high socks or compression socks and a good pair of shoes. And even after that if you feel like you’re getting some kind of blister, then apply a layer of moleskin and athletic tape to avoid any further rupturing.
But even after maintaining every safety measure you still manage to get a severe blister, then you need to cut the injured area, apply antibiotic ointment, and wrap it with a Band-Aid and a lot of athletic tapes. This should be done to make sure that your injury doesn’t become worse.
4. Muscle Cramps
If you have ever experienced any form of Muscle Cramp, then you know how painful and uncomfortable that feeling is. And that's why you need to make sure that you don’t experience any such muscle cramps during your hiking process as it is going to ruin all your fun.
The best thing you can do to prevent muscle cramps is to have a fit lifestyle and drink a lot of water. Because the most common reason behind Muscle Cramps is your body not being lubricated enough to handle the physical demands of hiking and dehydration.
Stretching before you start your trek can also help a lot. But if you suffer from cramps even after taking all the precautionary measures then you need to carry a pair or two of high-quality compression socks or medical socks. Which will not only help you prevent any further cramps but will assist and soothe your current muscle cramp.
5. Knee Pain
Knee Pain is also a common form of injury faced by hikers and trekkers and you are more likely to get knee pain if you already had some form of knee injury previously in your life.
Trekking poles can help redistribute some of the forces on your knees and ankles to your arms and shoulders if you experience knee pain while hiking.
However, performing regular exercise and strengthening the muscles that stabilize and support the knee joint, such as your hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, and calf muscles, is the most effective way to alleviate knee pain.
Wearing high-knee compression or medical socks can also assist your knee in its proper movement and will also put significantly less pressure on your knee.
So, That’s it for the article. These are the 5 common injuries that you might face during your trek or hike. And preventing most of them becomes easy if you get yourself high-quality compression socks that will not only prevent any form of injury but will also assist you if you get one. So, You can get your first pair of high-quality compression socks for men and women for your upcoming trek. So, that you can prevent any form of injury and make sure your journey is smooth.
