Sports injuries usually occur when you engage or participate in a sport. Sports injuries may occur for many reasons, such as overtraining, lack of conditioning, or improper techniques used while playing a sport. Children are mainly seen at high risk of getting injured while playing sports. Sports injuries may lead to causing bruises, strains, sprains, tears, and broken bones. Soft tissues such as muscles, ligaments, or tendons may also get affected due to sports injuries.
Types of Sports Injuries
Different types of sports injuries may have various symptoms or complications. The most common types of sports injuries may include the following:
- Sprains – Overstretching or tearing of ligaments may result in sprains. Ligaments are those pieces of tissues that help in connecting two bones in the joints.
- Strains – Sprains may be caused due to overstretching or tearing of the muscles. Tendons are the thick, fibrous cords of a tissue that helps in connecting the bone to a muscle.
- Knee Injuries – Any injury that interferes with the knee joint move can be a sports injury. It may lead to overstretching or even tearing of the muscles and knee issues.
- Swollen Muscles – Swelling is one of the most common reactions to an injury. The swelling muscles may also become weak and cause pain.
- Achilles Tendon Rupture – The Achilles tendon is a thin but powerful tendon located at the back of your ankle. While playing sports, the tendon may break or rupture. When it happens, you may experience sudden severe pain and difficulty walking.
- Fractures – Broken bones are also called bone fractures. It refers to the breaking down of any bones in the body due to sudden injury.
- Dislocations – A sports injury may cause the dislocation of a bone in your body. When it happens, a bone gets forced out of its socket. It can be very painful and can also cause swelling or weakness.
- Rotator Cuff Injury – Four muscles work together to form a rotator cuff. If any of these muscles get torn, it may lead to the weakening of the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff helps by keeping the shoulder moving in all directions.
Treatment of Sports Injuries
The course of treatment of your sports injury would depend upon your location and severity. The initial treatment of the sports injury usually leads to controlling the inflammation and promoting the healing response. A certified physical therapist for sports injuries or others should be consulted to recover faster from the injury. Following are some of the techniques that are applied for the treatment of sports injuries:
- Rest – You should limit the forces acting on the injured parts of your body. It usually means stopping all kinds of sports activity. It also refers to crutches, slings, or other aid to rest the area thoroughly.
- Ice – Ice is beneficial for controlling any swelling or inflation in an area. It is tremendously helpful in reducing pain. It is seen that those athletes who use ice therapy for an acute injury don’t need pills to relieve pain or swelling.
- Compression – Compression is usually performed snugly and not tightly, wrapping up the injured parts using a compression bandage. Too much tight compression may lead to worsening symptoms and other problems that are related to it.
- Elevate – Elevation of the injured area or region can help reduce the swelling or inflammation in the body, ultimately providing relief from the pain.
Sports Injuries Prevention
The best way to prevent a sports injury is by doing a proper warm-up session and stretching. Cold muscles are usually prone to get overstretched or torn. Warm muscles have more flexibility. They can absorb movements or jerks very quickly, which helps you by reducing the chances of getting injured. Following are some of the steps for the prevention of sports injuries:
- Using Proper Technique – You should learn how to move while playing sports or any other activity. Different exercises require different postures, and proper posture is a must to avoid any injuries.
- Having Proper Equipment – Wearing the right shoes or protective equipment is essential before playing a sport. Ill-fitting shoes or other equipment may increase your chances of getting injured.
- Do Not Overdo – If you get hurt or get injured, you must make sure that you get treated and healed correctly before going back to play. You should not try to play even if you feel pain and discomfort in your body parts.
- Cool Down – You must remember to cool down after playing any sport or physical activity. It usually involves doing some stretching exercises.
Conclusion
Sports injuries are usually very common among children and younger adults. You risk getting injured if you don’t follow the above-mentioned prevention activities. A certified physical therapist for sports injuriesin or others can help you by providing relief if you have been injured while playing any sport.
