Stress fractures are cracks in a bone. If you are engaged in physical activity and you often place strain on your ankle, you are more likely to experience a stress fracture. The stress fractures occur most often in the weight-bearing bones found in the ankle. If you are engaged in a sport that involves frequent jumping or running, you are especially vulnerable to a stress fracture.

Don’t Over-train

One of the best ways to avoid a stress fracture is to not over-train. When your muscles become tired, they are less able to absorb the shock that comes from impact. If you want to get the maximum benefit out of your workout, vary your workout in a way that reduces the extent to where you use a specific part of your body to avoid tiring out one area of your body too much. Any situation where you repeatedly strike your foot on the ground will make you highly likely to experience a stress fracture.

Use Proper Techniques

Another common cause of a stress fracture is how you train. If you do not use the right techniques designed by experts, you are more likely to experience a stress fracture. For example, if you do not run correctly, you will be placing strain on your ankle in a way that can cause stress fractures and tendonitis. The best way to learn a new workout is to consult with a fitness trainer.

Get the Right Equipment

Make sure you have the appropriate equipment for the workout you are performing. If you are running, make sure to wear running shoes. Also, make sure your shoes are in good condition and that they are the right size so they can provide adequate support. Even when not working out, be sure to wear the appropriate shoes because tripping and falling can lead to a stress fracture.

The environment you workout in can increase the risk of a stress fracture. Be especially careful when running over uneven terrain or across a sandy beach. Running in place in water can be beneficial not only for the added resistance, but also with how water absorbs the shock and helps prevent stress fractures.

If you’d like to live a long, healthy and active life, you will want to avoid stress fractures because they can take their toll. You will also want to get plenty of calcium and vitamin D because a deficiency can cause osteoporosis, which can also increase the risk of a stress fracture. Also, if you experience pain in your ankle that lasts for several days, you will want to see an orthopedic surgeon like Orthopaedic Associates Of Osceola.

If you are pregnant, then there are a couple of vital tests you need to do when you enter your third trimester of pregnancy. These tests can protect you and your baby from danger before and during delivery. 

Glucose Test

The first test you need to do is the glucose test. This test is designed to see if you have developed gestational diabetes, which can cause your baby to grow extra large if your body cannot properly handle the blood sugar.

You can also have complications during the last trimester, and your baby may need to be delivered early. 

To do this test, you simply have to go to the hospital with an order from your doctor. You will then drink a bottle of sugary glucose, and you have to drink it quickly for the test to be effective. After drinking the liquid and letting it run through your system for a few minutes, a nurse will take your blood to test the sugar levels. 

If your levels are fine, then no further work is needed. If you are on the border, you can do another glucose test to see if it is really something to be concerned about.

Blood Test

Second, you also need to do a blood test to find out if you are Rh negative. If you are positive, then you do not have to do anything else. If you are negative, however, then this can be a danger to your baby and to future pregnancies.

The reason is that if your baby has a positive blood type and some of his or her blood mixes with yours at any point during the last trimester or delivery, then your body will recognize the blood as being foreign.

When this happens, your body can produce antibodies that can attack the baby or build up a tolerance to the positive blood type. In order to prevent this problem, you will receive a rhogam shot at the hospital in your third trimester.

The shot only takes a few seconds, and you should not have many side effects. The shot will counteract any problems that could occur if some of the baby’s blood mixes with your blood. When you get pregnant in the future, your body will not try to get rid of the baby if you have had a rhogam shot, so it is vital to make sure that you do not skip out on this.

By doing these 2 tests, you can protect yourself and your baby from complications that could occur during the third trimester and during delivery. Talk to places like Ogeechee OB-GYN for more information.