Being involved in sports is a good thing, since it promotes a healthy and active lifestyle. It keeps your heart in good shape, improves respiration, and maintains strong muscles. But a career in sports is not perfect either. Accidents happen; athletes trip and fall, or they’d move the wrong away and injuries occur.
Of course, the risk of sports injuries never discourages a passionate athlete. Instead, they do warm up techniques beforehand, or consult a Greenfield physiotherapy expert if they need any assistance. To reduce the chances of getting hurt, be aware of some of the following common sports injuries described below:
Sprains:
Sprains are one of the most common sports injuries, and they are usually caused when the ligaments get damaged. A ligament is a fibrous tissue that connects one bone to another. When it turns the wrong way, it could tear or stretch. Ankle sprains are experienced by athletes the most, followed by sprains in the wrist, elbow, and knee. Sprains can be painful and usually take some time to heal.
Strains:
Strains are similar to sprains, except it affects the muscles instead of the ligaments. This is yet another common sports injury, because we use most of our muscles and tendons while playing sports. Strains happen when the muscles are stretched farther than required, causing them to tear, damage, and create pain. Some of the common muscle strains include pulled groin muscles, strained quads, and pulled hamstrings. A sports injury doctor recommends stretching and warmup before involving in a sports activity, to minimise the risk of strains.
Back Pain and Injuries:
No matter the type of sports you play, your back goes through some kind of stress. Eventually this will cause inflammation around the back muscles and vertebrae. Sometimes your discs can also get injured, thereby causing pain on the upper or lower backs. An appropriate treatment – such as Greenfield physiotherapy, acupuncture, and more – will be recommended based on the impact of the injury.
Tennis Elbow:
You don’t have to play tennis for this injury to happen. Tennis elbow usually occurs due to a repetitive activity. Popular sports including tennis and golf involves repeated swinging, which strains the ligaments in your elbow. Physiotherapists recommend taking breaks in between, to help prevent this injury. Do other simple activities during breaks. And as always, do warm ups and stretching before playing.
Shin Splints & Plantar Fasciitis:
This type of injury is usually experienced by runners, soccer players, joggers, and basketball pros. Plantar Fasciitis is a repetitive strain injury impacting the ligament of the sole of the foot. Shin splints is the inflammation of the muscles in the lower leg, which is caused during dodging and running.
Most of the aforementioned injuries can be prevented with proper warm up and preparation. To help recover from sports injuries, a recognised sports injury clinic shall recommend an effective treatment program for you. Talk to the experts if you would like to know more.
