Sports are an essential part of a healthy, fit, and active lifestyle. They provide numerous health benefits, including helping make your brain more efficient. Sports can also lead to injuries, whether you play them for fun or professionally, irrespective of the sport choice.
It is essential to be aware of some of the most common injuries so you can detect if something wrong happens to you while playing a sport. It will help you take steps to prevent them or at least reduce the risk of getting injured. Let’s have a look at some common sports injuries.
Knee Injuries
These account for over fifty-five percent of all sports-related injuries. They usually occur while playing sports that require overhead movements, such as tennis, basketball, and volleyball. The actions cause the knee cap to grind against the knee bone, damaging the kneecap tissues, causing pain and injuries.
The common types of knee injuries include fractures, sprains, and knee-cap dislocations. These injuries should be considered seriously. Neglecting them can lead to lifelong pain and even affect your daily life. You might face difficulty in walking and might require support. Most types of knee injuries can be treated with simple steps. But, you might need surgery for complex issues.
Tennis Elbow
Elbow injuries account for about seven percent of all sports injuries. It is also known as tennis or golf elbow, though you don’t need to play these games to develop this injury. Tennis elbow is caused due to repetitive activity involving the elbow. This repetition causes tiny tears in the elbow’s ligaments. This can hamper the elbow movement, affecting performance, and cause excruciating pain.
One of the easiest ways to cure tennis elbow is by taking a break from the repetitive action and let the elbow rest. Other treatment methods include ice treatment and medication. You might even require surgery in rare cases to treat tennis elbow.
Back Injuries
Every sports activity puts a considerable amount of stress on your back and spinal cord. Over a period, the stress adds up, causing injuries to the back muscles and spinal cord discs. This results in severe back pain, especially in the lower back, medically termed sciatica. It is usually caused by improper stretching, and the lower back pain even affects the legs. Similarly, any sudden impact on the back can also lead to pain and injuries.
There are various treatment methods available for back injuries depending upon the type. Most of the back spasms and injuries can be treated with ice and anti-inflammatory medication. Other injuries like sciatica require medical attention from a reliable chiropractor. You might even require surgery in extreme cases.
Concussion
It is the most common type of injury associated with contact sports like football and wrestling. They occur due to a sudden impact on the head which causes the brain to move abruptly inside the skull. This sometimes leads to damage to the tissues, causing pain. Depending upon the impact, the concussion may be mild or severe, and the treatment will vary accordingly.
The risk of concussions can be reduced by wearing the appropriate head safety gear during practice sessions and live games. Concussions usually heal within a few weeks with proper rest. But, if they do not, you should seek professional medical help to get a detailed evaluation of the injury. Based on the reports, the doctor will suggest a future course of treatment. You might also be asked to stop playing sports altogether if the concussion is too severe.
Shin Splints
They are generally caused due to a stress fracture in the bone. That results in extreme pain in the front of the leg. This injury usually occurs in runners as they have to exert force on the legs during running. But, it can also happen to individuals who have increased their exercise intensity too quickly. Depending upon the intensity, the shin splint can be minor or major.
A minor shin splint can be treated with easy methods like ice treatment, providing rest to your legs, stretching your leg muscles, and wearing proper shoes while running or exercising. A major shin splint, on the other hand, will require an evaluation from a physiotherapist. You might even be asked to perform surgery if the pain lasts for several months.
It is essential to take care of your body while playing sports to prevent getting injured. While minor injuries won’t cause much of an issue, you will face severe consequences if the damage becomes a major one. Having proper knowledge about injuries, their prevention, and treatment methods will help keep better manage injuries.
