Dallas County Living Well Magazine Summer 2014 | Page 8

S

ummer is finally here, a time
when children and adults
focus on outdoor activities
as the weather warms up and
school winds down. These
activities can have great
health benefits and be a lot of fun, but
they can also result in injuries like
sprains, bruises and sore muscles. With
proper precautions, families and individuals can greatly reduce the chances
of injury and better enjoy themselves,
according to the doctors of OrthoCARE
and SpineCARE.
“No matter what type of exercise or
sport you’re engaged in, take time to
properly warm up and cool down by
stretching your muscles to keep them
loose and elongated,” says OrthoCARE’s
Dr. Reggie Alexander. “Tight muscles
can lead to inflammation, pain and injury.”
Dr. Alexander specializes in orthopedics and sports medicine, with particular
expertise in ACL reconstructions. He was
fellowship-trained in sports medicine at
UCLA, completed his residency in orthopedics at University of Chicago Hospital,
and holds his undergraduate and medical
degrees from Howard University. He also
is an athlete who enjoys football and basketball in his spare time.
As an athlete and sports medicine expert, he says people often overlook one
of the easiest ways to prevent injuries:

Or thoCARE
SpineCARE
™

Doctors Provide Tips to Keep Families Healthy, Injury-Free