Kevin Garnett's Abdominal Strain

There is a lesson for all of us in the Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett's recent abdominal injury - take the time to warm up and stretch, or you'll end up on the bench.

Although most weekend athletes don’t give much thought to the seriousness of muscle injuries, muscle tears and strains of key muscle groups, though, are not to be taken lightly. Just ask Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics. He’s been out of action since January 25, due to a strained abdominal muscle. While it’s likely that Garnett will return to the Celtics’ lineup next week, the injury will have cost him almost a month of playing time.

I don’t know how Garnett prepares for games – even with proper conditioning, muscle injuries can occur. Garnett’s injury should serve as a reminder to all us “weekend warriors” of the importance of a proper warm up and stretching in the prevention of muscle injuries. If a muscle strain can sideline a highly conditioned profession athlete for four weeks, imagine how a similar injury would affect a recreational athlete.