Sports and injuries. More than 10 million sports injuries are treated each year. The two terms seem to be synonymous sometimes. But they don’t have to be. With the increased knowledge about injury and prevention as well as the technology to produce protective gear many of today’s sports injuries are actually preventable.
There are common injuries that doctors treat each year. Some of the more common sports injuries include stress fractures, shin splints, ankle sprains, tendonitis, hamstring injuries, and head injuries.
Prevention of sports injuries starts with knowledge of the particular sport and a good warm up and cool down routine. Muscles that are cold and asked to perform quick blasts of powerful moves are much more likely to pull or strain then muscles that are warmed up and ready to work.
But warming up is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to prevention. And sports injuries aren’t necessarily caused by sporting activities. For instance you can get tennis elbow from carrying a suitcase, turning a screw or any other chronic use of a twisting motion to the arm.
Depending upon the sport that youre playing prevention moves on to protective gear that is clean, in good condition, fits correctly and is worn correctly. Thigh pads in football that move up over the groin or down over the knee don’t do their job and instead place the player at added risk for injury both from an opponent and from themselves as their bodies attempt to move past and around the equipment that is impeding their muscle movement.
There are two distinct types of sports injuries. The first, acute traumatic injuries, are best prevented with protective gear discussed above as well as the proper use of warm ups and cool downs. Warming up and cooling down will help to protect your muscles and tendons from becoming injured from bursts of physical activity when they are cold. These burst increase your chances of sustaining a stretched, sprained or strained muscle or tendon. The traumatic injuries also include head injuries, muscle pulls, abrasions and lacerations.
The second, and more common, sports injury is an overuse or chronic injury. These injuries happen from over using specific muscle groups or tendons and ligaments. These types of sports injuries include shin splints, stress fractures, tennis elbow, and tendonitis.
Taking care of your sports injury is important to getting back into the game. Depending upon the sport you play and the severity of the injury will determine how long you’ll be unable to participate. You may have to see a doctor to receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment. For instance if your pain increases progressively with activity, you have pain, swelling, limping or loss of range of motion you should see a doctor. Anything that results in numbness, intense pain or stiffness and loss of flexibility must be taken seriously.
When you are evaluating your sports injury you must know the difference between being sore after an intense workout and chronic pain that continues over a great length of time.
If you suspect you have a sports injury you should stop what you’re activity and rest the injury. Call a doctor and get an opinion that is based on experience and diagnostic testing such as x-rays and MRIs.
Sports injuries can side line you from your favorite sport or even daily living activities if they aren’t diagnosed and treated in a timely fashion. But if you begin to rest the injured area, see a physician and start your rehabilitation as recommended you’ll be well on your way to recovery.
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